LONDON—ITV Studios, the production arm of the U.K.'s largest commercial broadcaster, has deployed the Cuez live production platform to manage three back-to-back live shows from a single platform, handling live rundown and studio automation.
ITV runs three back-to-back daytime magazine, talk and lifestyle shows, “This Morning,” “Loose Women” and “Lorraine,” from the same London studio. They share a single technical crew but have different hosts, branding and graphics, and their own editorial styles.
To produce these shows, ITV Studios needed a solution to unify the three shows while handling every production role from producers building rundowns to gallery operators managing playout.
The Cuez platform allowed ITV Studios to handle the entire creative process from a single environment and employ a leaner crew, ITV Studios Executive Director Barry Thomas said. “Our production teams range in technical ability, yet suddenly they all use the same newsroom system and that's really unique,” Thomas said. “Other systems don't offer this sort of full capability.”
Adam Scott, ITV Studios gallery playout operator, added: “Using one application, we were able to play multiple graphics systems and VT playout systems together very easily. This results in the crew having a clearer view of the show, and less margin for error when transitions between programs run to minutes.”
Production team members said the Cuez platform is easy to adopt.
“From the minute I started, I noticed it was much easier to use than other systems I've used in the past,” Producer Jonathan Hughes said. “It’s really user-friendly. Once you've had just a little bit of a play-around with it, you’re completely across it. Last-minute changes are critical for all three programs.
“Cuez Rundown keeps everyone in sync,” he added. “You type something in the control room and this instantly gets on set. The live synchronization is exactly what we needed. Those changes also reach the camera operators in real time. They’ve replaced their bundles of printed rundowns with a modern iPad attached to each camera, displaying the synced Cuez Rundown.”
Thomas added: “Being able to have one universal tool that we can communicate in, and see exactly what is happening next, is a real game changer for creatives and directors.”
Cuez is a cloud-based platform for news programs and live entertainment programs that connects with and controls content creation devices via API or MOS. Its three main elements are Storydesk, Rundown and Automator.
For more on Cuez, watch the video below.
