Having Piero enables CANAL+ to enhance its coverage of football and rugby.

CANAL+ will use Piero on its Ligue1, Champions League and Premier League games each week as well as in its weekly magazine shows. The broadcaster will also use Piero’s 3D graphics in its rugby analysis to illustrate tactics to its viewers.

“With Piero increasingly being adopted by broadcasters all over the world, we are delighted to be working with our first broadcaster in France. CANAL+ is the largest premium pay television channel in France and we are looking forward to seeing what they will accomplish with Piero’s sophisticated functionality,” said Karl Stone, Head of Business Development for Piero at Red Bee Media.

Piero is used by broadcasters to illustrate critical moments from football and rugby matches using 3D graphics and replay them in a virtual stadium from angles that can’t be captured by conventional cameras. Piero will enable CANAL+ to analyse the action, live in the studio, by using a touch screen. This allows commentators to draw directly onto the pitch and switch between real and virtual views at the touch of a button.

The most recent development in Piero technology enables presenters to move players with their finger on the touch-screen from one area of the pitch to another. CANAL+ will be one of the first broadcasters outside the UK to use the new ‘moveable player’ feature, along with other tools such as the ‘magnifier’ and ‘spotlight’. These features help commentators highlight the players they are talking about and easily illustrate their view on the game.

“Our content is premium and deserves the best in technology. Once again CANAL+ is pioneering, using leading technologies that will benefit to our subscribers. The exclusive use of Piero for football in France will keep our subscribers ahead of the game,” said Alexandre Bompard, Head of Sports at CANAL+ Group.

Piero is used by major broadcasters in the UK, Italy, Poland, Turkey, the Middle East, Brazil, Hong Kong and now France.