On March 6, 2024, KPIX TV CBS Bay Area kicked off CBS’s America Decides 2024 election coverage, with Myreze playing a key role in bringing the experience to life through real-time augmented reality graphics.
For this landmark broadcast, Myreze developed a visually engaging and highly informative virtual graphics package designed specifically for election night. The goal was to push the creative possibilities of broadcast graphics while keeping communication at the heart of the experience: clear, accessible, informative, and visually compelling.
Turning Election Data into Visual Stories
Election night comes with an overwhelming amount of information — numbers, percentages, maps, projections, and results constantly changing in real time. The challenge was to transform this complex data into graphics that viewers could quickly understand while still creating a memorable visual experience.
Working with CBS News, Myreze adapted a virtual studio environment originally created for sports broadcasting and transformed it into a flexible election-focused space. Using Unreal Engine and real-time data technologies, the team integrated dynamic maps, charts, 3D elements, and augmented reality experiences throughout the studio.
Some of the key features included:
- Interactive U.S. Maps: Positioned around CBS’s iconic “Eye” floor design, the maps could move seamlessly between national overviews and individual states and districts, helping viewers follow results as they developed.
- Dynamic House and Senate Visuals: 3D representations of representatives and election results added depth and context to the presentation of congressional races.
- Augmented Reality Windows: Virtual environments and fly-through sequences brought locations such as the U.S. Capitol into the studio, combining physical space with real-time election information.
Reimagining the Virtual Studio
The existing CBS studio needed to support a wide range of election coverage, from detailed analysis and discussions to large-scale data visualization. Myreze therefore created a clean and open visual environment inspired by CBS’s established design language.
The studio featured several dedicated presentation areas, allowing broadcasters to move naturally between traditional analysis, interactive maps, and AR-driven storytelling.
A major visual element was the Capitol ceiling extension, which transformed the studio environment with large-scale candidate imagery and election information. At the same time, the AR floor graphics — built around CBS’s distinctive “Gretel” design — created a central visual anchor for live data and interactive presentations.
Bringing Election Coverage to Local Markets
The project also extended beyond the main studio environment. CBS brought virtual production and real-time graphics capabilities to several local markets, including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco.
Each market used these technologies to combine local election stories with the wider national picture. From immersive virtual sets in CBS Chicago’s Election Center to augmented reality graphics in CBS Philadelphia, the approach demonstrated how real-time graphics can make election data more engaging and easier to navigate.
Technology, Creativity, and the Future of Broadcast
The collaboration between CBS News, Myreze, and Zero Density demonstrates how virtual production and real-time graphics can transform the way major live events are presented.
For Myreze, the project was about more than creating visually impressive graphics. It was about finding new ways to communicate complex information clearly, helping viewers make sense of an extraordinary amount of data as events unfolded.
By combining creative design, real-time technology, and data-driven storytelling, Myreze helped create a flexible new visual language for election coverage — one that connects national developments with local stories while keeping the viewer at the center of the experience.
We’re proud to have contributed to CBS’s America Decides 2024 and to have been part of this exciting chapter in the evolution of broadcast storytelling.
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