Two former Tightrope Media Systems executives responsible for much of the success of a popular tech tool have taken ownership of it.
With that, the executive have big plans for the future of ZEPLAY, the tool used for instant replay in sports and live events by broadcast media professionals.
While ZEPLAY was a Tightrope product, it will now come under ZEPLAY LLC — a newly formed company led by former Tightrope CEO Andrew Starks and VP/Engineering Brandon MacKenzie.
Their initial plans call for an evolution of ZEPLAY’s hardware and software, with new features and capabilities to be unveiled at the 2018 NAB Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Specific details will be announced closer to the event.
As the inventor of ZEPLAY, Starks’ passion for live sports production initially planted the seeds for the product. His goal of bringing an intuitive and affordable solution to market that didn’t require extensive training or specialized operators was quickly realized, as ZEPLAY became the go-to solution for production trucks, TV stations and venues seeking to balance professional production requirements with modest budgets.
Meanwhile, as Tightrope’s co-founder and long-time CEO, Starks was responsible for the strategic business initiatives behind ZEPLAY that established its reputation as the instant replay solution with the best price, reliability, speed and feature set for broadcast and production professionals.
Starks said, “We are investing heavily in its future with the goal of building on ZEPLAY’s core strength – simplicity – by evolving it for the changing needs of dynamic, live productions. This is especially important in a broadcast market that has rapidly embraced software-oriented solutions, and software has always been the real driving force behind ZEPLAY’s operation.”
MacKenzie added, “When I set out to make ZEPLAY, I started with what I wanted to see in a replay system. We have heard it repeated by every customer we have spoken with: they love ZEPLAY. They love the uncomplicated way it works, its speed, and how much they can do with it. They trust it because it makes them look good. That’s what drives me to push this system even further. We share our customers’ excitement and we are confident that our business strategy and development efforts will bring more stations, trucks and stadiums on board.”
ZEPLAY LLC will exhibit in the StartUp Loft in North Hall at Booth N2632SUL-B at the 2018 NAB Show.
