Sky to launch live Who’s Who innovation for Royal Wedding

Ahead of the Royal Wedding on Saturday 19 May, Sky News will use pioneering cloud-based machine learning and media services to name guests as they enter the chapel, and enrich the video content with facts about the attendees. The live stream service is based on a collaboration between Sky News and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Accessible in the Sky News app or via skynews.com, the ‘Royal Wedding: Who’s Who Live’ functionality is innovative in the way it uses machine learning to enhance the user experience of a live-streamed major news event. The additional information associated with the live video will go beyond subtitles to provide relevant facts about the guests.

To enable this unique experience and deliver this service at scale, Sky News is collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and two AWS technology partners, GrayMeta and UI Centric. As guests make their way into St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, AWS will capture live video and send it to cloud-based AWS Elemental Media Services for multiscreen viewing optimisation. An on-demand video asset, including catch-up functionality, will also be generated. In parallel, Sky is combining the GrayMeta data analysis platform with the Amazon Rekognition video and image analysis service for real-time identification of guests and tagging with related information. 

Finally, Sky News is using the Amazon CloudFront content delivery network to unify the content for rapid distribution to viewers. UI Centric has designed and developed the front-end application and video player to enhance the experience and user interface accessed by Sky News viewers.

Video content from the application will also be made available on demand after the event.

David Gibbs, Director of Digital News and Sports Products said: “Sky continuously searches for ways to innovate and bring better coverage to its customers. This new functionality allows Royal Wedding viewers greater insight into one of the biggest live events of the year, wherever they are. We’re excited by the software’s potential and ability to give audiences new ways of consuming content”. 

On top of the ‘Royal Wedding: Who’s Who’ function, those watching on the go can enjoy all the live coverage as well as live blogs and bespoke video content on the Sky News app.

On TV, Sky News will be the only broadcaster to cover the Royal Wedding on 19 May exclusively live in Ultra-HD.

The broadcast will be fronted by Kay Burley from special studio locations in Windsor covering everything from guest arrivals and the bride’s entrance to the couple’s nuptials in St. George’s Chapel at midday and the subsequent carriage procession. (5/18)

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