Naftemporiki TV trusts VSN the scheduling and MCR workflow of its TV channel

Naftemporiki has been the benchmark newspaper for financial news in Greece since its foundation in 1924. In addition to its printed and digital editions, the media recently decided to add a lineal TV channel to its activities. Therefore, Naftemporiki TV started to air in September 2022. 

Before its launch, Naftemporiki installed all the technical equipment needed to start broadcasting. Among the required solutions, the channel needed to install a traffic & content scheduling system, and an MCR and Automation Control system. Naftemporiki was looking for a solution that enables a simple and quick installation, plus an easy-to-use interface. The VSN’s answer to these requirements was a project with VSNCrea and VSNOne TV taking control of these operations.  

After a short process where VSN’s professionals performed several product demos, the TV channel confirmed that the proposed solution adjusted perfectly to the project’s requirements. The architecture of both systems allows for a quick installation and operation start. In addition, they tested the intuitive interfaces of both products and checked the easy use they enable for Naftemporiki’s professionals. 

Furthermore, the integration between VSNCrea and VSNOne TV for this workflow was highly valued, and so was the infrastructure reduction allowed by offering VSNCrea as a cloud solution. Thanks to this capacity, Naftemporiki TV didn’t have to dedicate physical resources to its traffic and scheduling solution. Finally, VSN’s brand recognition in the Greek market after more than 20 years gave Naftemporiki the confidence in order to choose VSN for their project.   

Therefore, VSNCrea, the Broadcast Management System of VSN, will be in charge of the content and advertising scheduling of Naftemporiki TV. On the other hand, the Channel in a Box, VSNOne TV, will manage the HD-SDI rundown with a redundant configuration (including main and backup servers). The system includes two ingest channels, one with time-shift capability, plus one in fill&key for the external graphics system. 

For the channel branding, Naftemporiki decided to choose a system from Vizrt to display all the relevant information, which comes from several news sources, during their bulletins and programs. VSNOne TV integrates with this system by ingesting the graphics in a fill&key signal, squeezing back the signal from the Channel in a Box, and then assembling both for the final output. 

The workflow starts when the Naftemporiki’s professionals use VSNCrea to assemble the broadcast templates from which the daily playlists are built. This includes all the commercials previously managed in the BMS Commercials module, where they can manage the whole monetization process of the channel.  

Once the final daily playlist has been validated, it is exported to VSNOneTV to perform the MCR operation. As explained, it operates in a redundant system, so both servers run simultaneously. In case of any problem in the main server, the operation can continue from the backup server. 

The final step in this scheduling – MCR workflow is the consolidation process. The content that was broadcasted from VSNOne TV (in the form of an as-run-log file) is compared with the planned playlist so the system can update all the information in the rundowns, including internal productions and commercials. 

“Naftemporiki is a benchmark for economic news in Greece. Thanks to its trust in VSN for this project, we strengthen our position in a market where we have more than 20 years of experience. The quick implementation and the simple-to-use interface of VSNCrea and VSNOne TV enable an easy operation for the channel’s scheduling and MCR workflow. In addition, the cloud capacities of our BMS allow for a cost saving in physical infrastructure that was very positive for Naftemporiki. This project shows that we are walking the right path and that we must continue with the daily work we are performing to offer our clients the best possible service”, stated Álvaro Montalbán, VSN’s Sales Director for EMEA. 

“The products of VSN, both VSNONE TV and VSNCrea, were installed effectively, being an asset and assisting the multifunctional form and structure of a Financial Channel, as Naftemporiki TV. The management of the squeeze, functioned flawlessly and responded successfully to the needs of Naftemporiki TV Channel, adding up to its quality result”, stated Jacob Panourgias, Chief Technology Officer of Naftemporiki TV.