Case Study: How Welt is producing ServusTV’s German output

In early 2023, Austrian network ServusTV partnered with Axel Springer’s Welt to handle the production of its German output – branded as ServusTV Deutschland.

Programs including “Servus Nachrichten Deutschland” and “Guten Abend Deutschland” are now broadcast from Berlin using the secondary studio of Welt.

Welt was chosen by ServusTV to handle both the editorial realization and technical production of these programs, with ServusTV retaining editorial control and licensing while focusing more intently on content creation. Welt was the perfect partner for ServusTV because of its 2021 facility upgrade, moving to a new broadcast facility built with software-defined switcherless workflow for the production control rooms. 

WELT automates production, workflows in new facility with Vizrt tools

“By partnering with Welt as a strong production partner, ServusTV is able to bolster its plans for the German market, while Welt is further strengthened as a producer of high-quality television formats in the long term,” wrote Pedro Sugasti, Vizrt specialist at Welt, on LinkedIn. 

One key element of this partnership is integrating three Vizrt products – Mosart, Multiplay, and Content Pilot Edge – into ServusTV’s operations to create an automated program pipeline. 

Mosart, an automation system, simplifies control of all production equipment and processes through a single user interface. This helps streamline the workflow and makes switching between different content sources easier. Similarly, Multiplay provides a flexible platform to manage content displayed on the studio’s large LED video walls.

Advertisement

This allows the creation of custom layouts and templates adaptable to different types of content, such as live video feeds and graphics necessary for a daily news program.

Meanwhile, the integration of the software with ServusTV’s newsroom system, Octopus Newsroom, allows staff to create and manage graphics content within the system. This further optimizes the workflow, reducing the time and effort required to create and publish graphics content.

The centerpiece of this partnership is the automated video IP infrastructure and video wall solution, a visually engaging element of ServusTV’s broadcasts that reflects the sophisticated integration of Vizrt’s products.

ServusTV Deutschland plans to continue linear operations through the end of 2023. The network will switch to a digital-only format in 2024 with distribution through ServusTV’s web platform and various applications.