RCS FOUNDATION

MLB Network implemented RCS Foundation to help address multiple challenges. Firstly, like NFL Network, they needed a central hub for multiple data sources including official stats, betting odds from multiple bookmakers and more. These various data sources were then refined before being distributed to end points that included Vizrt Content Pilot, a ticker, RCS Cobb for Singular.live graphics and a wide range of custom controllers built by RCS.

Adopting Foundation was key to enabling MLB to make several upstream changes with minimal impact on production. Firstly, the removed their reliance on additional vendors to collect and process stats. In addition to cost savings, this streamlined the process making it easier to troubleshoot any issues. Betting sponsorship changes happened dynamically and often with little notice to integrate a different bookmaker API. The Foundation system for MLB has been built to make this process quicker. Most recently, when MLBN took over production of NHL Network content, it was a much easier process to insert an NHL-based Foundation system inline to mirror all the existing operations but with NHL data.

The first instance of Foundation was delivered to NFL Network to help them streamline their data. At the time, they were facing a growing problem with the confluence of multiple data sources.

Official game stats were delivered via XML files on an FTP server. Fantasy Stats were delivered via a Web API. The live ticking clock feed (that came directly from the stadium) was delivered via a bespoke UDP stream. Meanwhile Combine and Draft data had a wide range of sources ranging from manual player databases built in Excel to move live ticking clock feeds like the Draft timer for example.

RCS Foundation was challenged with collecting all of these various data feeds into one centralized server and ultimately simplifying the process of delivering this data to various insert graphics systems (of which there were many!). At the same time, our solution needed to have minimal impact on NFL Network IT resources.

Following a successful roll out, some of the additional benefits that Foundation delivered included having one single ‘source of truth’ for all on screen data. This ensured consistency but also made troubleshooting much easier if there were any discrepancies in any of the data. The other significant benefit was the optimized workflow which made the whole process of calling up data and getting it visualized on air was now possible in real time without the delays that were being experienced prior to Foundation. NFL has an enormous data archive and as it continued to grow, making data calls was becoming a longer process.

DAZN has used a bespoke RCS Foundation service since 2017. It provides all the live data parsing for all territories, delivering real time sport data to their on air graphics. As a global sport platform they ingest a very large amount of live data on a daily basis. With productions and events occurring all over the world, having a single source for all data helps ensure consistency and the managed service means DAZN can focus on producing content rather than managing data services.