The rolling news channel, BFMTV, reinforced its position today as France’s leading broadcaster on digital by launching ‘Live Vertical’, a new smartphone user experience that is a world first. Developed in collaboration with French start-up, Wildmoka, the ‘Live Vertical’ solution automatically converts the horizontal frames of standard TV streams to a vertical format better suited to smartphone screens.
  • ‘Live Vertical’ is the first innovation of its kind in the world for vertical live streaming
  • The technology strengthens BFMTV's leading position in digital
  • It is aligned with Altice France's strategic prioritization of innovation
‘Live Vertical’, a world-first The launch of ‘Live Vertical’ is a world first. Developed in collaboration with French start-up Wildmoka, it revolutionizes the TV viewing experience on a smartphone. Thanks to a new way of managing live production workflows and the addition of a dedicated stream, the traditional horizontal format of television are automatically ‘rezoned’ into a mobile-friendly vertical format. Now, whenever BFMTV is viewed from a smartphone, the entire mobile screen will be occupied with content, regardless of device, brand, or model. This is a major improvement on the standard approach which broadcasts a horizontal image into the vertical screen making it too small and difficult to watch.   Turning horizontal TV images to a vertical format represent a significant technical advance. It also responds to the central role smartphones now occupy in the consumption of news media. By being the first news channel in the world to offer vertical viewing on smartphones, Altice France and Wildmoka have defined a new standard for the industry. This innovation also overcomes the mismatch between the fact that most smartphone users naturally hold their devices in a vertical position, whereas TV content continues to be broadcast for a horizontal screen. Wildmoka, based in France, specializes in real-time enrichment of digital media content and has exclusively developed ‘Live Vertical’ in collaboration with Altice France.
  • Technology strengthening BFMTV's leading position on digital
Already firmly established as France's leading news organization, BFMTV is also a trailblazer when it comes to mobile among news sites, particularly the ‘anytime, anywhere’ approach these devices have introduced. With ‘Live Vertical’, Altice France is making BFMTV the first channel to use all of the screen space offered by smartphones. This further widens the lead BFMTV has over the rest of the field in digital - not to mention BFMTV’s innovative use of easy-to-read graphics, lower thirds, on the ground reporters interaction, and other crucial components of rolling news. This enhancement of BFMTV’s experience on the smartphone screen increases the strength of the channel and its leadership on mobile. Already a frontrunner of the radio format on TV, this innovation will allow BFMTV to combine the professionalism of its editorial teams and the technical excellence of its image production crew at its Altice Campus studios with the responsiveness needed for news consumption on mobile. Always ‘first on the scene’, this development helps BFMTV to further increase its lead by being the channel that offers the best viewing experience on smartphones.
  • Innovation – a strategic priority for Altice France
The partnership between Altice France and Wildmoka represents a shared ambition to innovate and improve not only the experience of viewing on mobile but also the ‘real estate’ value of the space on mobile screens. As the only French group offering this global innovation, Altice France soon will offer ‘Live Vertical’ using Wildmoka's technology on other group outlets such as BFM Business. Thanks to the strength of this world first, and its impact in terms of audience engagement, Altice demonstrates it is making innovation a strategic priority. Whether through the products and services designed by Altice Labs, or partnerships with start-ups like Wildmoka, Altice demonstrates its commitment to investing in network distribution and media innovation. Arthur Dreyfuss, CEO of Altice Média, said: "It is a source of real pride to be the first TV channel in the world to offer an innovation that makes television the best way to get real-time news on a smartphone. Altice France is adding a new dimension to the medium of television, with a unique user experience that will further enhance the leading position of BFMTV and the group's channels. This innovation is the result of our historical and eternal desire to explore new formats, to continue our investments, and to combine technical progress with editorial quality to present ever more accurate information". Thomas Menguy, President and CTO of Wildmoka added: "Wildmoka is proud to have gained the confidence of several Altice Group channels over the past three years and to once again be able to launch, within Altice France, a global innovation based on artificial intelligence and the latest cloud technologies. After assisting in the creation of sports content for RMC Sport, it is BFMTV's turn to use Wildmoka's unique expertise around AI and ML to verticalize its content for News in real-time, in order to better respond to an increasingly connected and mobile audience." Video introduction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU2LQA7u2zE