India-based digital ecosystem enabler Tata Communications has introduced the Virtual Video Assisted Referee solution (V-VAR solution) for boosting the sports experience of fans.

Powered by Tata Communications’ Media Cloud, the Virtual Video Assisted Referee solution allows an unlimited number of umpires, referees as well as judges to remotely connect, irrespective of their location, to judge and declare the winner when contestants are moving towards to the finishing line. This will provide a high-tech, nail-biting experience for fans during a race, said Tata Communications.

With the new solution, Tata Communications said that sporting events and federations get the flexibility of ‘anywhere refereeing’.

International sailing championship – SailGP is the first sports organisation to deploy the V-VAR solution for its nine-event season spanning 2021-22. The umpires of SailGP are located in London, New Zealand, and Portugal.

SailGP Season 2 will be spread across Bermuda, the UK, Italy, France, Denmark, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, and the US.

For the second season of the sailing league, Tata Communications is carrying more than 20 video feeds from the broadcast centre at the event venue-site. All the signals are available instantly in Media Cloud, thereby facilitating very high processing power, claimed Tata Communications.

Through the applications, the Virtual Video Assisted Referee solution takes the concept of video assistant referee to the next level, enabling judges from around the world to analyze the action and remotely officiate it as if they are on the ringside of the event.

Warren Jones – Chief Technology Officer of SailGP said: “We are excited to be the first sport to use Tata Communications’ Virtual Video Assisted Referee solution. We are constantly looking at ways to innovate and use technology to not only bring our global fans closer to the action, but also create digital solutions that support our Race for the Future ethos.

“The V-VAR not only ensures that our umpires have immediate access to all the data needed to make crucial, split-second decisions, but also – by being able to operate remotely – we reduce the carbon footprint of our umpiring operations.”

Apart from the V-VAR solution, SailGP uses Tata Communications’ Video Delivery Network (VDN), which is a next generation low latency streaming platform for providing a direct broadcast experience to consumer.

Dhaval Ponda – Global Head of Media & Entertainment Business at Tata Communications said: “We are happy to further digital innovation & help reduce carbon footprint in live sports through Virtual Video Assisted Referee solution. Also, our low latency streaming solution enables global sports federations deliver video in sync or faster than live TV.

“From umpires to fans, these digital solutions enable organisations to offer a thrilling and high-drama experience to the entire sports ecosystem.

“Our experience of delivering over 9,000 global live events across multiple sports disciplines, has so far reached over 2 billion sports fans with sports content delivered across various broadcast platforms. We are excited to be a part of SailGP, a one-of-its-kind global event, and are looking forward to an exciting season.”

  Dhaval Ponda, digital transformation, India, London, New Zealand, Portugal, SailGP, Tata Communications, United Kingdom, V-VAR solution, Warren Jones