Heart Of Midlothian Choose ADI To Enhance Matchday Experience
Heart of Midlothian FC have become the latest football club to install ADI’s Live Venue solution, as part of a new multi-led screen deal that went live at Tynecastle Park in early September.
The Live Venue infrastructure and two 88 sqm superwide LED screens were fully operational during Hearts’ Europa Conference League game against İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. on Thursday 8th September.
The screens, which feature ADI’s proprietary MT LED hardware, have been installed in both the Main Stand and Wheatfield Stand to further enhance the club’s brand activation platform and enable tailored messaging to be sent directly to the terraces.
Alongside this, a high-speed fibre network has been installed which provides connectivity to ADI’s Live Venue solution.
This allows matchday content to be created and managed remotely from their production galleries in Lancashire without the requirement for the installation of production studio infrastructure at Tynecastle Park.
The connectivity will carry a mixture of content, data and telemetry all designed to enhance the fan experience and bolster the club’s commercial offering.
As part of the deal, a crew of specialist ADI staff will be on-site during matchdays, including an LED screen technician and engineer, and ongoing training will be on offer to upskill club employees.
Next Generation Product
With LED standards evolving and the focus shifting towards sustainability, ADI designed and built a ground-breaking MT series that is not only eco-friendly, but also places maintenance simplicity and image quality at its core.
The impressive series has been used to build both screens positioned in the Main Stand and Wheatfield Stand, with the steel structure, power supply and data included.
The tiles used are 50% lighter and slimmer than the last generation of screens, which translates into lower installation costs due to the reduction in steelwork required. Also, the LED is quicker, more reliable because of the reduction in points of failure, and is 10% more efficient, therefore using less energy.
The product was custom-built in 2020 and now sits within 42 football stadiums across Europe. It has been designed in-house by the ADI team and takes the learnings of over 20 years of LED screen manufacturing to meet the evolving needs of modern-day customers.
“It has been great working with ADI, who understood our needs from the very start and offered a stadium-wide solution that will undoubtedly enhance the matchday experience for all,” explained Catriona McCallum, Marketing and Communications Director at Heart of Midlothian FC.
“We will be working very closely with their specialist team to ensure content creation and delivery is of the highest quality.
“The two superwide LED screens have brought a new and improved feel to Tynecastle Park, and with the integration of ADI’s unique Live Venue solution, we are confident that we will be able to interact with our supporters and commercial partners in a more engaging way.”
Live Venue Solution
Hearts have joined 18 other European sports clubs to install ADI’s Live Venue infrastructure. By doing so, the requirement for a broadcast studio and production team at the stadium is no longer necessary and, instead, content can be easily created and delivered to stadium screens via high-speed fibre optic links to ADI’s central studio.
Its benefit is that the infrastructure allows for pre-match content checks to be facilitated in the days prior to the match or event day, resulting in high-quality output.
Whilst most football clubs have fragmented digital platforms with multiple operators and disparate control systems, Tynecastle Park can now seamlessly distribute content across both in-stadia LED screens, enabling far more effective management of stadium-wide communications and promotions.
Content Delivery
Through the Live Venue fibre connectivity, ADI will be providing an end-to-end service in live programming and content delivery, alongside operation of all LED inside the stadia bowl.
A Producer and Editor will be assigned to craft, mix and deliver bespoke Heart’s content to entertain fans and promote partner brands.
Working from their Lancashire-based headquarters, the wider ADI Production department will collaborate closely with Hearts’ matchday media team to ensure the messaging is delivered in the right tone of voice and at the right time.
Claire Fitzgerald-Firth, Head of Engagement & Client Services, ADI, said: “We’re really pleased to be given the opportunity to enhance the matchday experience at Tynecastle Park, whilst also creating a first-class digital platform in which to attract and promote commercial partnerships for the club.
“The Live Venue solution is reimagining what can be achieved in regard to brand activation inside stadiums.
“Through the two new superwide screens and Live Venue infrastructure, the club now has multiple ways of connecting with fans, while also enhancing the commercial offerings for partners and sponsors.”
