Intro
“In Cyprus, football isn’t just a sport. It is a religion.”
Adrien Hadjialexandrou knows this firsthand. He is a former footballer-turned coach, now the Viz Libero expert and lead analyst at Cablenet Sports. Soccer is played and watched everywhere on this island nation. And sports fans here, like anywhere else, demand the best viewing experience.
Since entering the sports broadcasting scene in 2019, Cablenet Sports has been committed to turning every match they produce into must-watch TV. With Vizrt’s Viz Libero and Viz Arena, the team led by Head of Sports, Andreas Paraskeva, has redefined how fans experience the game, on TV, online, and on all other screens.
Challenge
A production revolution
Paraskeva is passionate about football. His mandate for Cablenet Sports was for production to match fan passion. And, to better engage not just fans, but also sponsors.
“Every year, we increase the level of our production. Production is not just about how many cameras we use or the overall technical quality. It’s about the experience we create for our viewers. That’s why Vizrt brought a new layer of value to our productions – not only in terms of visuals, but in the way we engage and immerse the audience in the game.
“We started with on-field advertising, then introduced pop-ups during the match. Last year, we added AR starting lineups and tactical formations. We are constantly thinking ahead, exploring new ways to offer more to the fans – before kick-off, throughout the game, and after the final whistle.
“Our goal is for Cablenet Sports to be the fans’ number one choice – whether they’re tuning in for live matches or following our sports shows,” says Paraskeva.
“We looked at a lot of games to see how they were produced in other countries. We are rights holders for several Cypriot clubs. So, we even looked at NBA and NFL, to see how they were using Vizrt tools. And we thought, why shouldn’t we bring these tools to Cyprus?”
Today, Cablenet Sports deploys razor sharp analysis, and immersive visuals powered by Viz Libero and Viz Arena to bring clarity to every touch, play and key moment to fans – both in Cyprus and beyond its borders via its live streaming platform.
Educating and engaging with Viz Libero
For Hadjialexandrou, Viz Libero is non-negotiable.
“I said, if you want me to come work for Cablenet Sports, I want to work with Viz Libero because I know that it is quality software. The first principle in any production is quality, and then graphics, which are key for the viewers.
Every show – from pre-game hype to post-game analysis – relies on Viz Libero to simplify complex tactics into compelling visuals. From measuring defensive blocks in real-time to showing player moves, spotlighting players, attack formations, 3D camera flights to show angles not captured by stadium cameras, shots on goal and more, the graphics don’t just explain football – they teach it. It’s a masterclass in tactics for fans.
“Even if they are watching in a café and don’t hear me, they will still understand the game [from the graphics]. Only with the graphics will they understand the message I want to pass to them [about what is happening on the pitch],” Hadjialexandrou explains.
Solution
Increasing revenue opportunities via Viz Arena
Cablenet Sports loves to deliver for fans but also needs to balance commercial numbers. To unlock ad revenue, the Cablenet team invested in Viz Arena. Starting with virtual advertising on the pitch, they have expanded into sponsored highlights and goals, turning graphics into monetizable assets.
“We currently use it for placing virtual advertising, which we change every few minutes, so have many different sponsor logos on the field during a match. Viz Arena is also used to display the 3D formations to highlight key players.
“But we’re not just showing ads – we’re also enhancing the game experience with 3D graphics,” says Viz Arena operator Alexis Koutoukas, a former club-level goalkeeper. “And fans love it.”
“I have worked with many other tools in the past. For the last three and a half years we have been using Viz Arena. The difference with Viz Arena is that it is very user friendly for the operator, very efficient and fast.”
Storytelling with stats
All the stats from the matches are collated into a self-developed stats sheet.
“We are here in the OB van putting the stats in and by doing that we can relay the input into Viz Arena and it does its magic.
“What I like about Viz Arena is that it gives you another way of looking at football. Different statistics with 3D representation on the field. Using Viz Arena in a live game, you can simulate a computer game – which makes it much more appealing,” explains Cablenet Sports programmer Michael May.
In short, the production team uses Viz Arena like you would a gaming engine – inputting real-time data and automating renderings that simulate video game visuals. The result is a more immersive broadcast that keeps fans and sponsors happy.
Outcome
Partnering to win
Despite operating with fewer in-house resources than major networks, Cablenet Sports has succeeded by being agile, passionate, and supported 24/7 by Vizrt and its channel partner Comart.
A lot of work goes into getting each game day production right, and the team at Cablenet Sports make production and keeping sponsors happy look effortless.
“Sponsors expect to see their logos, so if something goes wrong and we don’t show their logo, then we are losing money. So, we are dependent on good support to make sure nothing goes wrong on match day.
“This is a live production, and if you have technical problems you have to move fast. The communication with Comart and Vizrt is fast, 24/7, and our problems are fixed quickly,” says Paraskeva.
“Cablenet Sports is not a typical broadcaster. The market here in Cyprus is quite small. It’s a country of just over 1.3 million people. So, they are working on a much smaller scale. They are very flexible; they don’t have tools that all the big broadcasters have but performance wise they are very strong. They can create quality shows at a lower cost, and generate revenue using Viz Arena,” says Simos Hajiraptis, Managing Director of Comart.
“They knew exactly what they wanted to do, right from the beginning. They came to me and said, we want to use Viz Libero. People here are devoted to football, and they follow the local league closely. So having Viz Libero was very important for Cablenet, because the graphics and analysis really add value to their programming. Then we had to look at their technical capacity and put together a plan and Vizrt portfolio that matched their needs.”
Blueprint for modern fan engagement
Fan engagement doesn’t end with the final whistle.
Match clips are repurposed for social media including Facebook and YouTube, extending the broadcast’s impact and driving viewership across platforms. Cablenet Sports is also streaming matches globally, reaching Cypriot diaspora from Australia to the UK.
Cablenet Sports is proof that you don’t need to be the biggest to be the best. You just need the right tools. Viz Libero brings clarity to analysis, while Viz Arena transforms the pitch into prime advertising real estate. Together, they’ve helped Cablenet Sports to:
And they’re just getting started. AI-driven calibration, more real-time stats, and deeper integrations with Viz Arena are already on the roadmap.
As Paraskeva puts it: “I want my company to be the number one [in Cyprus]. For fans to talk about Cablenet Sports as the number one sports channel. And, if you want to be the first in this industry, you need to work with the best. That’s why we use Vizrt.”
