Jennifer Armand
Contact - France Télévisions
Innovation / Tech
The RGLab returns to Roland-Garros
Sport, a fertile ground for innovation at France Télévisions
Committed to developing the technologies of tomorrow, France Télévisions collaborates throughout the year with startups to make innovation one of the cornerstones of both content creation and consumption, thereby ensuring a renewed and enhanced experience for all audiences.
Each year at Roland-Garros, France’s leading media group presents the RG Lab — a space dedicated to discovering technological innovations, the result of a long-standing vision and dedicated work led by the Digital Innovation Department.
The RG Lab showcases disruptive technologies that are transforming user practices, audience experience, and content consumption, while also improving the quality of image and sound production and broadcasting during sports events — a true testing ground for these innovations.
This year’s edition of the RG Lab, set up at Roland-Garros for the entire duration of the tournament starting Sunday, May 25, will feature immersive and augmented reality devices for new visual experiences, demonstrations of AI use, and technological advances promoting digital sobriety.
All of these innovations are developed both internally and in collaboration with leading players in the French and international tech ecosystem — partners of France Télévisions.
An ever more realistic immersion…
Among this year’s key innovations, the Digital Innovation Department is introducing a technological breakthrough that allows audiences to experience Roland-Garros in real time with unprecedented image quality and realism — notably through immersive 180° stereoscopic Immersive Video livestreaming at 8K per eye and 50 frames per second (a world's first) on Vision Pro, in partnership with Focal Point VR* (capture) and Ateme* (encoding).
Spatial videos — filmed from multiple courts — are also available on the Vision Pro headset via an internally developed app. These will be enhanced by additional content captured with mobile and lightweight Dual Fisheye equipped cameras provided by Canon*.
AI coaching and technique analysis
France Télévisions is partnering with SportAI* and its AI-powered technology. This groundbreaking technology delivers instant 3D visualizations and performance insights, designed to enhance coaching and player development while engaging fans around the globe. During the event, SportAI technology is accessible via a tablet app, demonstrated in near real-time on the RGLab terrace and displayed on screens in the lab, providing analysis from French Open matches. Additionally, a mixed reality experience developed by the Innovation Department allows users to train against a virtual player and receive technique feedback from an AI coach.
Augmented reality and glasses-free 3D
The RGLab is also showcasing an innovative, modular, and scalable augmented reality application that sets the augmented experience apart from the traditional “lean back” experience by offering an interactive mode for tennis fans. Live matches are broadcast on a portable virtual screen, featuring replays, multiscreen options, and statistics. An AI agent, developed in partnership with StatsPerform and AWS, enriches the experience by allowing fans to interact with a virtual tennis expert. New monetization opportunities, such as targeted advertisements and sponsorships, redefine how brands engage with sports audiences. This immersive experience has been developed by Accedo* for the XREAL augmented reality glasses.
A glasses-free 3D display provided by Samsung completes the setup. It allows users to access immersive content — including stereoscopic videos and real-time conversion of live 2D matches into 3D — without the need for a headset or any specific equipment.
Optimal video compression: “green” encoding
To combine innovation with digital sustainability, the Digital Innovation Department of France Télévisions is testing an optimized video encoding method in collaboration with Cutz*. The setup allows for a side-by-side comparison of classic and compressed UHD video sequences on two screens. The first screen displays a stream at 100 Mbps, while the second, using Cutz compression, runs at an average bitrate of 3 Mbps. The goal of this test is to demonstrate the ability to deliver UHD-quality video streams with a better quality ratio than standard FHD at 6.6 Mbps, while significantly reducing bandwidth consumption.
All these experiences are available to discover at the RGLab throughout the entire fortnight of the tournament.
France Televisions is France's leading audiovisual group, offering high quality, diverse and unifying programms for all audiences. The group's contents can be found on the france.tv and franceinfo digital platforms, on five national channels (France 2, France 3, France 4 (dedicated to Okoo during the day and Culturebox in the evening), France 5 and franceinfo), 24 regional channels and 9 global TV/radio/web media in overseas territories. Okoo, Slash and Lumni complement this diversified offering with programs aimed at young audiences, school children and teachers. 3 out of 4 French people watch the group's programs every week, making France Télévisions a real link builder.
About France Televisions partners
Focal Point VR is a world leader in high-resolution live immersive video. Specialising in ultra-high fidelity 360 and VR180 video streaming, the company delivers cutting-edge virtual reality experiences for live sports, entertainment, and cultural events. Its proprietary technology and end-to-end platform bring audiences closer than ever, offering unmatched clarity and immersion in real time across the latest XR devices.
Ateme is a global leader of video compression and delivery solutions, helping tier-one content providers, service providers and streaming platforms boost their viewership and subscription numbers.
Canon is the first imagery brand to propose a unic solution to capture content at 180 degrees, 3D photos and immersive 8K videos thanks to the combination of Canon EOS VR SYSTEM, the dual CANON lenses and VR software. Thanks to Canon technical solution, combined with the growing availability of untethered VR headsets, Immersive VR content is easier to shoot, edit and experience than ever before.
SportAI is a B2B sports technology company dedicated to enhancing sports techniques and tactical coaching, commentary, and analysis using AI. With expertise in computer vision and machine learning, SportAI offers instant data-driven insights to racket sports federations and academies, broadcasters, retailers, and equipment brands. By seamlessly integrating with video, apps and streaming systems, SportAI provides coaches and players of all levels with actionable data, making pro-level analysis accessible to everyone.
Accedo is a global provider of award-winning software and services to optimize, grow, and evolve video streaming services. Our expert teams have helped many of the world’s leading video companies become more competitive. Our offerings range from no-code video solutions and immersive applications to complete OTT managed services, always backed by a data-driven approach and with the end-user experience in mind. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Accedo operates 15 global offices, delivering world-class solutions that shape the future of video streaming.
Cutz is the eco-responsible video encoding solution awarded the French Tech and GreenTech Innovation labels. Thanks to smart compression - based on Machine Learning - it guarantees all your videos exceptional visual quality, for higher performance while reducing costs and carbon footprint.
