A door into soccer-loving Italian homes has been opened for Linius Technologies (ASX: LNU) with the tech company confirming they have secured a purchase order from Sky Italia for a trial of its personalised TV platform. 

The agreement will see Linius develop a Proof-of-Concept to integrate their world-first Video Virtualisation Engine (VVE) into Sky Italia’s broadcasts which will enable audiences to personalise their viewer experience and access data not otherwise available through a static live broadcast. 

The initial trial will focus on soccer leagues Serie A, English Premier League and the Champions League which are broadcast on Sky Italia, Italy’s largest Pay-TV broadcaster. 

Commercial terms are minimal at this stage, with Linius to be paid USD $39,250 for the trial, a personalised channel builder and general support. 

Existing research by Quantum Market Research on Sky UK subscribers indicated that 96% of viewers would pay a premium for personalised channels with Linius’ VVE capable of doing so. Users can select their preferred teams and leagues, access instant video replays and search for specific videos within the platform. 

The key to VVE’s functionality is the patented technology which indexes and tags individual frames within conventional video to build personalised channel interfaces that show specific video criteria as selected by the user. 

Using the VVE platform, Linius aims to assist clients by boosting fan engagement, drive subscription revenues and increase advertising income. 

Serie A is set to resume league play on June 21 and English Premier League on June 18.