Virtual Eye wins 4th Sports Emmy
Virtual Eye, the sports division of Dunedin company Animation Research Ltd (ARL), has just won its fourth Sports Emmy award at the 46th Annual Sports Emmy Awards ceremony in New York.
And Virtual Eye commercial and production executive vice-president Ben Taylor said, given the company's trajectory, there could be more in the future.
It collaborated with several other technology companies around the world to provide groundbreaking cover of the 2024 PGA Tournament using drones.
For that, it won the George Wensel Technical Achievement Award, beating other companies working on other large-scale sporting events, including the XXXIII Olympic Games (Immersive Audio at Scale), the NFL (StatusPro Visualizer VR Technology) and Thursday Night Football (AI Feature Latency).
The award recognises the biggest leaps ahead in technical achievement in sports broadcasting.
Mr Taylor said its new technology allowed golf viewers to get up above the trees and see the makeup of the course and where the ball was going — all in real time.
"So, in the event, we would fly the drone up above the trees, and about three seconds after the player hits the ball, there's a predictive circle that animates where the ball's going to land.
"It allows viewers to get above the trees and see around the corner of the dog leg."
The technology allowed the company to "tell the whole story of the game", and it had resonated with the viewers, he said.
"Although it was a very, very technical achievement, the whole thing for us is around storytelling.
"And that's the reason I think it won, because what it allowed the broadcaster to do is to show all of the graphics people are used to seeing, but from a live drone.
"That's never been done in golf before."
None of the companies involved in the project went to the awards ceremony in New York, Mr Taylor said.
The award was accepted on their behalf by representatives from the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA).
"Getting one Sports Emmy is an amazing achievement. Getting our fourth — it's incredible.
"Again, I think it's kind of recognition of the work that the team is doing down here, that we can stay so consistent and so relevant on the leading edge of innovation, from here in Dunedin.
"I think it's a blueprint for other companies working in Dunedin, working in New Zealand and working globally.
"I think that's probably the most satisfying thing about it."
The team were "very proud" of the achievement, Mr Taylor said.
"And I don't think we're done yet either.
"The team continues to push the boundaries and I think that's why we've been recognised these four times, and why hopefully we'll be recognised again in the future as well.
"Winning awards like this never gets old."
john.lewis@odt.co.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
15-06-2025
- RNZ News
Gold and bronze medals for Kiwi rowers
Ben Taylor and Oliver Welch after winning gold in the Men's Pair at the World Cup regatta, Italy, 2025. Photo: Supplied / Rowing NZ A gold and two bronze medals for New Zealand rowers at the first World Cup regatta of the season in Italy. Ben Taylor and Oliver Welch beat the Olympic champions to win the Men's Pair. Ben Mason and Finn Hamill launched their partnership in style with bronze in the Men's Double Sculls, while Stella Clayton-Greene and Kathryn Glen had a reunion row to remember with their bronze in the Women's Double Sculls. Croatian brothers Valent and Martin Sinkovic are perhaps the most celebrated combination in pairs rowing after New Zealand's Hamish Bond and Eric Murray. They won gold at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. "Seeing them next to us on the start line was real exciting. Like, I've watched them win Olympic gold medals. [But] from the times in the heats and the semis, I was quietly confident we'd be able to beat them if we raced our best race," said 21-year-old Oliver Welch. Welch and Taylor, who were the fastest qualifiers, made a quick start and then continued on to win. " I'm really glad that I chose Oli, it's really paid off. I've said to a few people that I'm pretty excited about this one... it feels pretty special and I think that showed today... really excited to see how far this can go," Taylor, who is now the senior sweep athlete in the men's squad, said Ben Mason and Finn Hamill finished third in a photo finish with Italy in the Men's Double with Switerland taking the win. Their coach Gary Roberts said he knew there was potential based on the performance of previous crews he's had in his nine years with New Zealand's elite athletes. "They've been training well back in New Zealand... there was just an unknown as to where they would stack up. It's a nice surprise." It had been a refreshing experience in other ways as well. Stella Clayton-Geene and Kathryn Glen won a bronze medal in the Double Sculls at the U19 World Championships in 2018. Clayton-Greene has been fighting a chest infection this week and the pair's time in their fourth-place finish in the heats was just good enough to get them into the A Final. Their reunion finally got off properly in last night's medal race. "I've always wanted to be back in the boat with Stella," Glen said. "It's exciting to be in a boat with someone that you trust a hundred percent. It's fun as well so I don't get as nervous when I race because you're rowing with your best friend?" China, whose programme is headed up by New Zealander Ian Wright, crossed in 6.43.24, the Dutch in second (6.44.17), New Zealand in 6.48.44. The lead-in for the Women's Four has also been affected by illness, with Ella Cossill having to hop into the boat for Juliette Lequeux. They finished fourth. The Men's Four of Flynn Eliadis-Watson, Campbell Crouch, Zack Rumble and Josh Vodanovich finished sixth. The regatta also hosted the first Mixed Eight competition with the USA winning the test event. The New Zealand team now heads to Lucerne for the next World Cup regatta. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
22-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Virtual Eye wins 4th Sports Emmy
Winning Emmy awards never gets old, it seems. Virtual Eye, the sports division of Dunedin company Animation Research Ltd (ARL), has just won its fourth Sports Emmy award at the 46th Annual Sports Emmy Awards ceremony in New York. And Virtual Eye commercial and production executive vice-president Ben Taylor said, given the company's trajectory, there could be more in the future. It collaborated with several other technology companies around the world to provide groundbreaking cover of the 2024 PGA Tournament using drones. For that, it won the George Wensel Technical Achievement Award, beating other companies working on other large-scale sporting events, including the XXXIII Olympic Games (Immersive Audio at Scale), the NFL (StatusPro Visualizer VR Technology) and Thursday Night Football (AI Feature Latency). The award recognises the biggest leaps ahead in technical achievement in sports broadcasting. Mr Taylor said its new technology allowed golf viewers to get up above the trees and see the makeup of the course and where the ball was going — all in real time. "So, in the event, we would fly the drone up above the trees, and about three seconds after the player hits the ball, there's a predictive circle that animates where the ball's going to land. "It allows viewers to get above the trees and see around the corner of the dog leg." The technology allowed the company to "tell the whole story of the game", and it had resonated with the viewers, he said. "Although it was a very, very technical achievement, the whole thing for us is around storytelling. "And that's the reason I think it won, because what it allowed the broadcaster to do is to show all of the graphics people are used to seeing, but from a live drone. "That's never been done in golf before." None of the companies involved in the project went to the awards ceremony in New York, Mr Taylor said. The award was accepted on their behalf by representatives from the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA). "Getting one Sports Emmy is an amazing achievement. Getting our fourth — it's incredible. "Again, I think it's kind of recognition of the work that the team is doing down here, that we can stay so consistent and so relevant on the leading edge of innovation, from here in Dunedin. "I think it's a blueprint for other companies working in Dunedin, working in New Zealand and working globally. "I think that's probably the most satisfying thing about it." The team were "very proud" of the achievement, Mr Taylor said. "And I don't think we're done yet either. "The team continues to push the boundaries and I think that's why we've been recognised these four times, and why hopefully we'll be recognised again in the future as well. "Winning awards like this never gets old."
Otago Daily Times
22-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Virtual Eye wins fourth Sports Emmy for groundbreaking tech
Winning Emmy awards never gets old, it seems. Virtual Eye, the sports division of Dunedin company Animation Research Ltd (ARL), has just won its fourth Sports Emmy award at the 46th Annual Sports Emmy Awards ceremony in New York. And Virtual Eye commercial and production executive vice-president Ben Taylor said, given the company's trajectory, there could be more in the future. It collaborated with several other technology companies around the world to provide groundbreaking cover of the 2024 PGA Tournament using drones. For that, it won the George Wensel Technical Achievement Award, beating other companies working on other large-scale sporting events, including the XXXIII Olympic Games (Immersive Audio at Scale), the NFL (StatusPro Visualizer VR Technology) and Thursday Night Football (AI Feature Latency). The award recognises the biggest leaps ahead in technical achievement in sports broadcasting. Mr Taylor said its new technology allowed golf viewers to get up above the trees and see the makeup of the course and where the ball was going — all in real time. "So, in the event, we would fly the drone up above the trees, and about three seconds after the player hits the ball, there's a predictive circle that animates where the ball's going to land. "It allows viewers to get above the trees and see around the corner of the dog leg." The technology allowed the company to "tell the whole story of the game", and it had resonated with the viewers, he said. "Although it was a very, very technical achievement, the whole thing for us is around storytelling. "And that's the reason I think it won, because what it allowed the broadcaster to do is to show all of the graphics people are used to seeing, but from a live drone. "That's never been done in golf before." None of the companies involved in the project went to the awards ceremony in New York, Mr Taylor said. The award was accepted on their behalf by representatives from the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA). "Getting one Sports Emmy is an amazing achievement. Getting our fourth — it's incredible. "Again, I think it's kind of recognition of the work that the team is doing down here, that we can stay so consistent and so relevant on the leading edge of innovation, from here in Dunedin. "I think it's a blueprint for other companies working in Dunedin, working in New Zealand and working globally. "I think that's probably the most satisfying thing about it." The team were "very proud" of the achievement, Mr Taylor said. "And I don't think we're done yet either. "The team continues to push the boundaries and I think that's why we've been recognised these four times, and why hopefully we'll be recognised again in the future as well. "Winning awards like this never gets old."
