J.LEAGUE FUROSHIKI / JLOC Hub function to consolidate the official videos produced by J.LEAGUE and the related digital assets

J.LEAGUE FUROSHIKI is a digital asset hub that consolidates all digital assets that J.LEAGUE holds the copyrights to, including official game footage and other video contents, still images, and stats data, and manages their production, editing, supply, and distribution centrally.
The construction of this digital asset hub began in 2016. After signing a broadcasting rights contract with British company Perform Group (now rebranded as DAZN) in 2017, J.LEAGUE took the opportunity to produce game footage videos on its own and hold the copyrights to such contents. By doing so, it strived to improve the convenience of video usage and branding under its own initiative, including producing contents under a unified format for all games and archiving contents digitally. Through the use of FUROSHIKI, J.LEAGUE not only aims to monetize its digital assets, but also anticipates its contribution in other ways such as content production to improve satisfaction among fans and supporters and attract new fans in Japan and abroad, and the application and utilization of digital assets toward improving football tactics and competitiveness. Furthermore, the video-related knowhow developed and accumulated through this initiative has also been applied to other sports, and is contributing to the development of sports business entertainment in Japan.

J.LEAGUE FUROSHIKI Concept

With the signing of the contract with DAZN in 2017, J.LEAGUE is now the main entity responsible for the production of official videos, replacing the conventional video production system under broadcasters. Video production and management had originally been carried out alongside DAZN staff, but members of the J.LEAGUE Multimedia Business Division are now fully responsible for all the relevant work, including the signing of contracts with official video production companies, and video supervision on game days. When producing official videos, the Division prepares guidelines, sets camera specifications, and carries out castings for the play-by-play report or commentary based on concepts designed by J.LEAGUE. It is also responsible for the quality control of all programmes related to featured matches, including arranging for additional equipment to produce more varied and exciting footage.

J.League Operation Center（JLOC）

J.LEAGUE official game footage produced at the respective stadiums of the 60 J.Clubs are collected at a central communications center located in Tokyo, via communication lines installed by J.LEAGUE at each stadium. The J.LEAGUE Operation Center (JLOC) is established inside this communications center and engages in the centralized monitoring of the official footage of all games. The communication lines providers, relay vehicles assigned to each stadium, as well as JLOC are able to communicate through the intercom at all times. This system enables them to detect problems that occur on game days, swiftly put in place countermeasures, and share the events occurring widely within J.LEAGUE and with stakeholders. The footage that JLOC receives from the game venues does not contain computer graphics (CG). JLOC is equipped with equipment for controlling CG, so the relay vehicles at each stadium carry out remote operations to produce footage containing CG and transmits them out to viewers. JLOC operates a management system that is capable to responding to various needs after the event by providing the videos that rights holders require at appropriate timings, and archiving these videos at the same time.

Production of official videos

• 注1：PGM: programme output signal
• 注2：Dirty video: Programme videos containing graphics and animated wipe effects
• 注3：Clean video: Videos that do not contain graphics and animated wipe effects

Expansion to other sports

In line with J.LEAGUE’s philosophy, J.LEAGUE FUROSHIKI aims to contribute to the development of Japan’s sports industry by providing knowhow on the management of digital assets to other sports organisations. It has been providing support to the basketball league, B.LEAGUE, since the latter’s inaugural year, by cooperating with it on the management of video archive management and the provision of footage to the media. It has also been working with the table-tennis league, T.LEAGUE, and the Japan Women’s Empowerment Professional Football League, WE LEAGUE, on video management work, in addition to helping in the production of their official footage in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons, and in improving the quality of their official footage. J.LEAGUE also exchanges information with various other sports groups and promotes the utilization of digital assets, including providing video management support to the Japan Sumo Association, and support for property management and sales work to the professional baseball team, Chiba Lotte Marines.