SVG Europe, SportTech Journal 2024

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ADVANCING THE CREATION, PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION OF SPORTS CONTENT

PUTTING ON A SHOW Tech innovations bring the stories of Paris 2024 to life

Also inside: Euro 2024 • Wimbledon • European Athletics Championships EHF Men’s Handball Championship • FIS Ski World Cup Finals • Six Nations

PLUS: SVG Europe Sponsor Update for 2024

COMBINING FORCES

AN UNPRECEDENTED PARTNERSHIP IN THE WORLD OF GLOBAL PRODUCTION AND CONTENT, MEDIA SERVICES AND FACILITIES.

TNT

DAZN showcases its approach to covering

EPCR

BBL

Referee-mounted camera makes debut in Germany

Inside NEP Germany’s hybrid production operation

Aurora brings a never-before-seen sport to life

HBS captures record-breaking tournament

Inside the deal that created a global production and broadcast services giant

AI gets viewers closer to the high-speed action

TV Skyline on capturing the speed and excitement of Saalbach

Live drone shots deliver immersive coverage

Inside Aurora’s production of inaugural padel event 114 Major League

IMG goes for bigger and better MLS output

EMG Italy completes extensive infrastructure overhaul

Complex graphics workflow helps tell story of the game

Live from the Crucible with IMG

Dusseldorf event offers a glimpse into the future

Inside CBS Sport’s massive production effort

Meeting the logistical challenge at Rally de Portugal

SVG Europe’s sponsors share their highlights from a busy year of sport and look ahead to what 2025 could hold

Embracing evolution

As we approach the end of another actionpacked year of live sports, it’s hard not to be impressed by the achievements of those working in this industry.

From major events like the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, plus Euro 2024, along with the regular week-in, week-out coverage of ongoing leagues, competitions and events, the sheer volume of live sport content produced has been nothing short of staggering.

Each event always presents a fresh set of challenges, which in turn provide an opportunity to showcase the industry’s innovation, resilience and adaptability.

It’s important to reflect on the transformative shifts reshaping live sports broadcasting. A key lesson from this year is that survival and success in this space depend on adaptability — particularly around how we tell stories.

If we remain confined to linear channels and traditional formats, the industry’s relevance could be threatened. But the beauty of live sports broadcasting is its constant evolution. Embracing a 360-degree view of content production, where fans are met on multiple platforms with tailored experiences, is not just the future — it’s already our present.

At the heart of the evolution in live sports broadcasting is storytelling. Fans and viewers want deeper connections with the athletes and teams, and the desire for more intimate, behindthe-scenes experiences has grown steadily in recent years.

Today, every athlete is not only a competitor but also a storyteller, using their own platforms to engage with fans. And so broadcasters must weave these personal narratives into their coverage, providing a seamless, comprehensive story that keeps viewers engaged across all media.

But this is more than a technical challenge, it’s a mindset shift. The technology to enable multi-platform storytelling is readily available — whether through bonded cellular networks making live production more flexible, or cloudbased solutions improving efficiency.

One of the challenges is for editorial teams to adapt their approaches to fit this multichannel world, avoiding the reshuffling of content to fit new platforms. Instead, we must embrace an

integrated approach from the start, where every piece of content is created with flexibility in mind.

And, as with any industry at the forefront of innovation, live sports broadcasting must find the right balance between technology and creativity. We’ve seen how technological advances like 5G, remote production and cloud workflows have revolutionised live production, enabling broadcasters to produce more dynamic, highquality stories with fewer resources. But with so many memorable moments this year in Paris and in Germany, it has shown that technology is not a panacea, it’s merely a tool. The real magic happens when creative professionals harness this technology to enhance storytelling, using it to bring fans closer to the action in ways that were previously unimaginable.

Another major talking point this year has been the rise of generative AI (Gen AI) and its potential to reshape live sports production. From automating repetitive tasks to enhancing creative workflows, Gen AI offers the promise of producing more for less — an aspiration that has long been at the heart of broadcasting. But while AI has been a hot topic at industry shows like NAB and IBC, it’s important to remember that ‘more for less’ is not a new concept. The challenge lies in how we strategically integrate AI into our workflows, using it to free up human talent to focus on what matters most: the story.

AI has the potential to handle many of the routine, repetitive tasks that bog down production teams, allowing them to focus on storytelling and creativity. However, it’s essential that organisations ask the right questions before investing in new tools. Why are we using this technology? How will it improve our production process? And most importantly, how will it help us tell better stories? By keeping the focus on story-centricity, broadcasters can ensure that AI serves as a support mechanism rather than a distraction.

In closing, as we celebrate another remarkable year in live sports production, we should be proud of what we’ve achieved but remain mindful of the challenges ahead. The industry is in a constant state of transformation, driven by technological advancements and shifting viewer expectations. By staying adaptable, embracing new tools, and focusing on collaboration and storytelling, we can ensure that the future of live sports broadcasting is as exciting and dynamic as the events we cover.

ADVISORY BOARD

CHAIRMAN

Alessandro Reitano Sky Deutschland, Senior Vice President of Sports Production

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Tim Achberger

Sportcast, Director of Technology & Product Management

Jennifer Angell

Ten City Media, Consultant

Peter Angell

Sunset+Vine, CEO

Manuela Baraschi

Sky Italia, Head of Business Partners & Program Management

Konrad Bartelski

OTL, Consultant

Daragh Bass

Grass Valley, Director of Sales, Northern Europe

Andy Beale Consultant

Julia Boettger

Sky Deutschland, Director of Operations at Sky Sports

Bridget Bremner

Sky Sports, Production Executive

Robin Broomfield

Consultant

Alan Burns

OBS TV, NEP Broadcasting Services UK, Managing Director

Gordon Castle

AWS Sports, Director, Technical Business Development

Brian Clark Consultant

James Clement

IMG Studios, SVP of Technology and Operations

Lise Cosimi Consultant

Malcolm Cowan Consultant

Tony Coxon

Independent

David Crawford

Ravensbourne, Education Initiative

Michael Crimp

IBC, Chief Executive Officer

Claire Da Silva Consultant

Paul Davies

All England Lawn Tennis Club,

Associate Director, Broadcast, Production & Media Rights

Nicolas Deal

Orange Events, Chief Technical Architect

James Dean

ESL UK, Managing Director

John Dollin

Arsenal Football Club, Senior Product and Engineering Manager

Angela Gibbons

CTV Outside

Broadcasts, Sales Director

Bevan Gibson Consultant

Hamish Greig

EMG / Gravity Media, Director of Golf Operations

Jamie Hindhaugh

EMG / Gravity Media, Regional CEO — UK, USA, Australia & Middle East

Duncan Humphreys

SeeCubic, SVP Media & Value Creation

Steve Jenkins

President, NEP UK & Ireland

Robert Kis

TV Skyline, Chief Executive Officer

Jens Cornelius Knudsen

DMC Production Norway, General Manager

Timo Koch

Riedel Networks, Chief Commercial Officer

Michael Koegler

ORF Sport, Head of Directors

Dean Locke

Formula One Management, Executive Director, TV Production

Róisín McKeniry

Gravity Media, Head of Technology

Dan Miodownik

Host Broadcast Services, Chief Executive Officer

Florin Mitu

FIFA, Head of Host Broadcast Production

Nick Morgan

Premier League Productions, Managing Director

Richard Morgan

BBC Sport, Chief Engineer and Head of Operations

Eric Orengo

UEFA, Senior Broadcast

Engineering Expert

Christer Pålsson

NEP Europe, Chief Commercial Officer

James Pearce

DAZN, Head of Global Engineering

Emili Planas

Mediapro, CTO and Operations Manager

Inga Ruehl

Sky Sports, Executive Director of Production Services and Operations

Sotiris Salamouris

Olympic Broadcasting Services, Chief Technical Officer

Marcin Serafin

Ekstraklasa Live Park, Head of Operations

David Shield Consultant

Geert-Paul Slee

Broadcast Rental, Owner

David Tippett

Sunset+Vine, Chief Content Officer

Henk van Meerkerk

Director, Producer, Consultant

Anna Ward

Premier League Productions, Head of Production

Shane Warden

AWS, Principle Consultant, Sport Dom Wedgwood

Arqiva, CTO

Joachim Wildt

Red Bull Media House, Global Head of Content Distribution

Tom Woods

Woods Communications, President

There was only ever going to be one sporting event on the cover of this year’s Sport Tech Journal: the Paris 2024 Summer Games.

As I write this, the Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony took place almost two months ago. In the world of live sports production there’s little time to dwell on success, not only because of the professionalism and humility of those who work in the industry, but also because of the relentless sporting schedule which means there’s no time for wrap parties or extended reflection. Of course, given the size and scale of the Games — and its significance in advancing live production — it’s worth taking a moment to look back, and that’s why the front of the Journal has a selection of some of SVG’s comprehensive coverage of the broadcast of the Games.

Paris 2024 was my first Olympic Games since joining SVG Europe, and it was an amazing experience to spend a week in the city peeking behind the scenes of the broadcast operation with my SVG colleagues.

Before getting to Paris, I must have watched more of these Olympics than any other, hooked

ridiculous comeback and photo finish for Team GB to win gold in the women’s quad sculls.

It felt as though every day presented a new storyline, from those that were years in the making — such as Simone Biles bagging another three gold medals and one silver — to Leon Marchand’s first Games and dominance in the pool.

Often, as far as a viewer is concerned, technology is an invisible enabler to this storytelling; no one watching at home will have noticed that cloud was, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the main method of remote distribution to media rights holders.

But there were instances in Paris where the innovations were very visible, and none more so than when Noah Lyles won 100m gold by just

But it wasn’t only the athletes that were breaking records. Not many people can say that they had a role in breaking some Olympic records, but I’d like to make a claim for my efforts.

The BBC’s coverage was streamed a recordbreaking 218 million times online — double that of Tokyo 2020. And WBD’s average linear TV audiences were also double compared to Tokyo, with more than 7 billion minutes streamed over the course of the Games.

And I did my bit, flicking between the BBC, Eurosport, 5Live in the car, and various apps to keep up with the action. And I’m looking forward to being part of more attempts to break records during Milano-Cortina in a couple of years, and again for LA in 2028.

As far as the viewer is concerned, technology is an invisible enabler to this storytelling; no one watching at home will have noticed that cloud was, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the main method of remote distribution to media rights holders

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Celebrating the industry’s achievements

SVG Europe’s flagship conference and

Advisory Board, taking to the stage with SVG co-executive director Ken Kerschbaumer, to discuss the key production and technology trends that have shaped European sports

and business operations, spoke about the broadcaster’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Games. Next Monique Hamer, NOS executive producer, sports department and Sally Richardson, BBC Sport, lead director for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, discussed balancing their coverage between home athletes and the blue riband events, and where to focus their efforts.

Richardson also spoke about the need to be agile and flexible. “Every night, just before we would print the running orders, someone would say, ‘we may as well rip it up, we’re not going to stick to it anyway’. But years of experience help you to react, and the team around you helps you as well.”

Guests mingle at the SVG Europe Sport Production Summit
Scott Young, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, group senior vice president, content, production and business operations, on stage speaking to SVG Europe’s George Bevir about the broadcaster’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Games
John Murphy, BBC Sport, design director, Chris Izatt, AE Live director of innovation and virtual and Olaf Sperwer, Roe Visual, business development manager for virtual production, tell SVG Europe’s Will Strauss about BBC Sport’s studio setup for Euro 2024

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presentation studio setup for Euro 2024 was next on the agenda. John Murphy, BBC Sport, design director; Chris Izatt, AE Live director of innovation and virtual; and Olaf Sperwer, Roe Visual, business development manager for virtual production, took to the stage.

‘Generational change: Transforming the cost base of sports production with AI’ delved into the transformative impact that AI is having on sports broadcasting, with a specific focus on the financial benefits, opportunities and implications. On stage were Benjamin Stoll, FIS director of digital and innovation; Nima Malekmanesh, Evertz’ director of business development for live media solutions; Olivier Barnich, EVS, head of innovation and architecture; Ian Fletcher, Grass

group SVP EMEA broadcast services; Tom Broadcasting award to Sally Richardson, BBC
Chair Johannes Franken, HBS’ director of digital, is joined by Benjamin Stoll, FIS director of digital and innovation, Nima Malekmanesh, Evertz’ director of business development for live media solutions, Olivier Barnich, EVS, head of innovation and architecture and Ian Fletcher, Grass Valley’s CTO, to explore the impact of AI
Monique Hamer, NOS executive producer, sports department, and Sally Richardson, BBC Sport, lead director for the Olympic Games talked all things Paris 2024 with SVG Europe’s Heather McLean
Alessandro Reitano presents Sally Richardson, BBC Sport executive producer — Wimbledon and The Boat Race — and lead director for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, with the Outstanding Contribution to European Sports Broadcasting award
SVG co-executive director Ken Kerschbaumer and Sky Deutschland’s Alessandro Reitano, chair of the SVG Europe Advisory Board, discuss key production and technology trends

Debating the future of football coverage

The Football Summit 2024, sponsored by EVS, took place in Brussels at The Egg on Thursday 29 February, focusing on enhancing televised and online football coverage.

SVG Europe chair Alessandro Reitano was first on stage, where he set the tone for

the event, emphasising disruption as the new normal and reminding attendees that “every day is a school day”.

Next, Serge Van Herck, chief executive of EVS, highlighted the company’s growth, new products, and investments in AI as well as EVS’s 30th anniversary celebrations.

Lorin Parys, CEO of Belgium’s Pro League, then delivered the keynote address, setting out the changing media landscape in Belgium and Europe, piracy challenges, and providing

insight into the Pro League’s wide-ranging partnership with IMG, before Ampere Analysis research manager Daniel Monaghan provided an overview of the European sports rights market.

Monaghan and Parys also joined the first panel discussion — ‘Playing between the lines: The Rights Revolution and its Impact on Production’ — along with IMG managing director of football Robert Klein and Sunset+Vine executive producer/head of broadcast Nick Moody.

This was followed by Daf Van Campenhout, head of content at the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA), who showcased RBFA’s content strategy.

“The volume of content has exploded, so for us it’s a challenge to find our spot. It’s important for us to have a link with our fanbase on different platforms,” he explained.

After lunch it was time for the ‘Sensible Soccer?

Belgian Pro League
CEO Lorin Parys gave a keynote address at the summit
(L-R): SVG Europe’s Heather McLean; Sarah Cheadle, senior football director, Sky Sports; and Serge Bellens, head of directors, Telenet Play Sports
SVG Europe’s George Bevir (far left) was joined by Alexander Mölders, director of concepts & performance, Sky Sport; Sebastian Runge, head of football technology & data, FIFA; and Paul Hunt, sport business director, Genius Sports, to talk data and GFX

Inside the Gamification of Football Coverage’ panel with Uwe Koenig, VP of sport, Sky Sport Austria, Dennis Galejski, head of product management, DFL, and Emili Planas, CTO and operations manager, Mediapro, who discussed innovative approaches to presentation, enhanced graphics, and increased interactivity.

Then, consultant Andy Beale, Adam Marshall, CPO, Grass Valley, Sky’s Kevin McCue, and moderator and consultant Ronald Meyvisch explored cloud-based production’s agility and scalability for covering a wider range of matches.

Attendees were also given an update on the coverage of football in Saudi Arabia, with Peter Van Dam, SPL Media House, chief operating officer, and Tom Blake, Imagen from Reuters, sales director, discussing the rapid build and scale to cover the Saudi Pro League.

Then, Alexander Mölders, Sky Sport, director of concepts and performance, Sebastian Runge, FIFA, head of football technology and data and Paul Hunt, Genius Sports, sport business director, explored the use of statistics, data and graphics to aid the storytelling process.

Attendees were also given a behind-the-scenes presentation of the new Estadio Santiago Bernabéu and the use of IP media infrastructure for the multi-purpose sports venue by Telefonica’s César Bermejo Guerrero and Ana Marina Collado Jiménez.

The event concluded with a masterclass on the art of directing with Sarah Cheadle, Sky Sports, senior football director and Serge Bellens, Telenet Play Sports, head of directors.

Attendees were able to network in the stunning surroundings of The Egg in Brussels
Daf Van Campenhout, head of content at the Royal Belgian Football Association, showcased the association’s content strategy
Serge Van Herck, chief executive of EVS, talked AI, remote production and hybrid football productions
Ampere Analysis research manager Daniel Monaghan provided an overview of the European sports rights market
Attendees could get hands on with the latest tech from a number of manufacturers

Creating a community

SVG Europe Women once again hosted a number of events throughout 2024, starting with the now traditional trip to Glasgow for SVG Europe Women Scotland in March. Held in association with independent technical services provider QTV, this was the biggest event yet with around 70 guests crowding into the atmospheric Poetry Club.

Speakers included Tom Giles, IMG Studios’ vice president, director of engineering; EMG UK sales director Angela Gibbons; Heather Andrews, freelance sound designer and engineer; QTV chief technology officer Gareth Gordon; Timi Adegunwa, founder and chair of Black & Scot; EMG’s group environmental, social and governance director Rohan Mitchell; and QTV CEO Jack McGill.

In addition, SVG Europe Women’s annual IBC networking event welcomed ISB MD Ursula Romera, who discussed her work on the Olympics, Paralympics and the push forwards her company has made to ensure diversity within its crews.

SVG Europe Women’s Heather McLean in conversation with ISB MD Ursula Romera
Timi Adegunwa, founder and chair of Black & Scot, and EMG’s group environmental, social and governance director Rohan Mitchell, discussing inclusion in Glasgow with event host Alison Walker
SVG Europe Women networking at the RAI Amsterdam

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Making noise

Ahead of the in-person Sports Audio Summit, set to welcome speakers including Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) senior manager for audio, Nuno Duarte, and NBC’s senior director of audio engineering for NBC Sports and Olympics, Karl Malone, to Kings Place in London in November, SVG Europe Audio has held a number of successful online events this year.

The IP Audio Forum in February saw Pete Walker, Calrec, senior product manager; Tom Knowles, Solid State Logic, director of product management; Chris Goddard, broadcast systems engineer; and James Cowdery, Dolby Laboratories, senior staff architect, debate the longterm implications for all-IP environments and explore how ST 2110-enabled plant architecture is empowering HDR and immersive audio.

In June, attendees at the Future Audio Forum heard from Rupert Brun, audio innovator at Brun Audio Consulting; audio expert Dave Marston; Professor for Broadcast Production and System Design at University Darmstadt, Germany Felix Krückels; France Télévisions’ Yannick

product management.

Areas of discussion included how technologies including NGA codecs, S-ADM, IP transport, AI and the transition to DTC streaming are changing the way we capture and deliver broadcast audio.

Olivier, technology engineer, ISP exchanges department; Tim Carroll, Dolby Laboratories’ senior director for AV ecosystem, Americas; Rob Oldfield, co-founder and CEO at Salsa Sound; and Roman Rehausen, Jünger Audio head of
The IP Audio Forum explored the long-term implications for all-IP environments
Nuno Duarte, OBS senior manager for audio, at Sports Audio Summit 2023

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Winter sports, football broadcasting, AI and more explored

Sky Sport Austria and SVG Europe welcomed delegates to a stunning venue in Salzburg for the Austria Summit 2024 on Thursday 25 January, where a host of subjects were explored including the art of winter sports production and an in-depth look at the challenges and innovations specific to Austrian football broadcasting.

The German-language event also provided

a unique opportunity for networking in a beautiful location in a lodge at the foot of the Untersburg mountain.

The first session, ‘The State of Austrian Sports Broadcasting’, was moderated by SVG Europe chair and Sky Deutschland senior vice president of sports production Alessandro Reitano, with David Morgenbesser of ServusTV, Martin Szerencsi of ORF and Michael Radelsberger from Sky Austria. Together, they explored the challenges and opportunities faced by local broadcasters, production firms and facilities providers.

Next up was ‘Behind the Scenes: Winter Sports Production Excellence’, during which Michael Koegler, head of directors at ORF Sport, spoke about producing coverage of events such as the Hahnenkamm Races, and the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup race that takes place in Kitzbühel, Austria. Köegler was joined on stage by Heike Größwang, secretary general of the IBSF (International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation) and Robert Kis of TVSkyline.

Following that, Giordano Koch of Hyve explored the processes, industry trends and disruptive technologies that are shaping the future of live sports TV production, before Christian Ebenbauer of ÖFBL and Sky Austria’s Uwe König discussed football production in Austria.

The event concluded with a look at generative AI and sports production, exploring the impact of genAI on workflows and the way content is produced and delivered to sports viewers. Yves Rahm of Pixelschickeria, Jonas Michaelis of qibb and Vizrt’s Gerhard Lang shared their insights.

Sky Deutschland’s Alessandro Reitano; David Morgenbesser, ServusTV; Martin Szerencsi, ORF; and Michael Radelsberger, Sky Austria
The summit took place in a lodge at the foot of the Untersburg
Alessandro Reitano with Robert Kis, TVSkyline; Heike Größwang, IBSF; and Michael Koegler, ORF
Alessandro Reitano with Vizrt’s Gerhard Lang, Yves Rahm of Pixelschickeria and Jonas Michaelis of qibb

Sharing strategies for success

Held on 27 June at the Milan Santa Giulia headquarters of Sky Italia, the Sky Sport Italy Summit 2024 opened with Manuela Baraschi, head of content partner & Sky production services at Sky Italia, moderating a panel entitled ‘Euro 2024 Insights: Bridging Germany to Italy’. She was joined on stage by Globecast managing director Alessandro Alquati; Andrea Buonomo, executive sales manager of Cinevideo;

and Luciano Consigli, senior manager — broadcast engineering at Sky; while Ferruccio Zanotti, senior manager editorial production at Sky; and Fabio Buzza, chief technology officer, Globecast, connected from the IBC in Germany, to explain how Sky managed the UHD HDR production of the UEFA European Championship.

Carlo De Marchis, known as ‘a guy with a scarf’, made a welcome return to the summit this year, sharing his thoughts on the impact of generative AI in sports media. This was followed by a panel featuring Pierluigi Magliano, group director of origination & distribution

operation / director CT&I Italia, and Giuseppe Laurita, lead of production application development, along with Davide Gandino, head of group distribution, Sky Italia, which delved into the mechanisms behind Sky Sports Plus, which is dedicated to offering premium, exclusive and high-definition sports content.

Finally, Dante De Iulio, Sky Sport production director and Stefania Greco Lucchina, head of social media communications at Sky Italia, delivered a social media masterclass, sharing details of the most sought-after content and their consumption across the various social channels

Manuela Baraschi, Sky Italia, was joined on stage by Globecast’s Alessandro Alquati; Andrea Buonomo of Cinevideo; and Luciano Consigli, Sky
Sky Italia’s Rossella De Vivo moderates a panel featuring Pierluigi Magliano and Giuseppe Laurita of CT&I Italia, and Davide Gandino, Sky Italia, looking at the tech behind the new Sky Sports Plus service
Carlo De Marchis in conversation with Monica Peruzzi of Sky Sport

George

in discussion with Eric

CTO,

Monetisation, engagement and consumption habits top the agenda

London’s Kings Place was the venue for the second edition of Create Share Engage, held on 23 May.

Ed Barton, research director, Caretta Research, kicked things off with a thought-provoking presentation covering European sports video consumption across mobile, OTT, streaming and other digital products. A panel consisting of Thomas Schöneich, director of media & communications, European Handball Federation; Callum Baxter, senior sales director, Endeavor Streaming; Eric Black, CTO, Edgio; and Malgorzata Borkowska, rights consultant and board advisor, Ekstraklasa, Media, then delved further into the topics raised.

Tim Edwards, TikTok, sports lead — UKI & Nordics, discussed the short-form video platform’s relationship and relevance to sport, its audience and its place in the live and on-demand sports market, before Tim Stott, executive producer digital, HBS; Katie Matthews, partnerships director, Little Dot Sport; and Alexander Mölders, director of concepts & performance, Sky Sport, treated the audience to a 9:16 content production masterclass.

Afternoon sessions saw topics including fan engagement come to the fore, with World Rugby chief marketing & content officer James Rothwell; Rob Johnson, head of digital & content — The Hundred, at the England and Wales Cricket Board; and Jose Garnes, British Basketball League, chief content officer, sharing their insight.

Sessions ended with Glen Killane, executive director of sport, EBU, detailing Eurovision Sport, the EBU’s new direct-to-consumer streaming platform for Olympic sports.

Alexander Mölders, director of concepts & performance, Sky Sport; Tim Stott, executive producer digital, HBS; and Katie Matthews, partnerships director, Little Dot Sport give attendees a 9:16 masterclass
SVG Europe’s Will Strauss talks fan engagement with Jose Garnes, British Basketball League, chief content officer; Rob Johnson, head of digital & content — The Hundred, at the England and Wales Cricket Board; and World Rugby chief marketing & content officer James Rothwell
SVG Europe’s
Bevir
Black,
Edgio; Callum Baxter, senior sales director, Endeavor Streaming; Malgorzata Borkowska, rights consultant and board advisor, Ekstraklasa, Media; and Thomas Schöneich, director of media & communications, European Handball Federation

www.ateme.com

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2025

EVENT

Sky Sport Austria Summit 2025 in cooperation with SVG Europe (Regional Summit)

DATE LOCATION

January

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OBS CTO Sotiris Salamouris reflects on the technical legacy of the Games

SVG speaks to OBS CTO Sotiris Salamouris about the multi-year effort that produced a nice return to normalcy after the past two Olympics — the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games and the Beijing 2022 Winter Games — were severely affected by the pandemic and, without fans in the stands, lacked much of the energy that transforms an Olympics into something special.

“Empty venues impact us quite negatively in terms of how the sports appear,” he says. “Having fans creates an excitement that gets all the way up to the way that we’re doing the production. It affects the producers; it affects the directors,

even the camera people. It doesn’t change the technical setup, but it absolutely contributes to the quality of the final production. Here in Paris, there is also the beauty of the city, and it’s amazing how you see that reflected in the production.”

In the beginning…

Displaying the beauty of the Paris Olympics began on 24 July, when some competitions started. But, on Friday 26 July, the Opening Ceremony took place, and the production made waves — both literally and figuratively.

Instead of being held in a stadium, the Opening Ceremony took place on a nearly 8km-long portion of the Seine, from the Pont d’Austerlitz to the Pont d’Iena. The parade of nations comprised the Olympic teams on boats, with artistic elements performed both on the

river and alongside it for the entire route. The parade culminated at the Trocadero area with

“What was very different in this ceremony was that the parade was mixed with the artistic elements,” Salamouris points out. “That added another dimension of complexity especially if we also consider that on top that we had the aerial operation of seven drones and three helicopters

The drones and helicopters were part of a massive production plan for, arguably, the largest single-day event ever produced for television. Covering the route required hundreds of cameras, hundreds of microphones and a lot of

“We had close to 120 standard broadcast cameras that are deployed for events like this,” he explains, “but we had 220 additional mobile phones that were also live broadcast sources. And we deployed around 450 microphones. It was a massive number of video plus audio sources. Any kind of technology that works for a live event was used. We had wired connections but also wireless, and we even had a private 5G network along the route as well as at preparation zones.”

Besides the coverage from the shore and bridges and the mobile phones on the boats, the teams motoring down the Seine were covered by six camera boats deployed as chase boats. Four of them had three gyrostabilised robotic cameras each, mounted on a truss atop the boat (shading took place on the boats, but camera control was done remotely from the Opening Ceremony compound near the Trocadero); the fifth boat had two cameras. The sixth boat served as a landing zone for the drone.

Seven wireless receive sites located along the route ensured that signals were brought back to shore and to the long fibre running along the Seine to the IBC. Featuring 740-strand fibre, the ring began to be installed as soon as the OBS team learned of the plan to have the ceremony on the Seine.

“Before we saw the production plan,” Salamouris says, “we put the fibre in. That saved the show because it is an amazing number of strands put in by our telecom partner, Orange. All the content from the wired cameras that were deployed in the river or from the wired receivers along the river were connected to that network.”

The compound was built on a massive IP-based infrastructure, with three interconnected production units.

“It was all IP and SMPTE ST 2110,” he says, “with a spine-leaf topology where the spine is implanted in two layers: the upper [layer] could

OBS’s Sotiris Salamouris in the videoquality-control area at the Paris 2024 IBC

also be described as a super spine. It had all the signals coming from the river, plus any signals from the Trocadero area like the cameras in the grandstands all connected to that multi-layer spine-leaf network. All the cameras and signals were available in all three galleries, so they all had access to the same signals depending on what they were doing. In addition, there was of course a disaster recovery option that could be engaged in extreme circumstances if there was a major emergency with our Trocadero facilities.”

ST 2110 shines

The massive effort by OBS delivered nearly 5,000 feeds to rightsholders either in Paris or back home in a variety of ways: SMPTE ST 2022, SMPTE ST 2110, SRT, HLS for mobile device services and more. Managing and delivering that many feeds would have been impossible in an SDI environment, says Salamouris, although an SDI handoff to rightsholders was available via 12Gbps SDI for UHD services and standard SDI for those wanting 1080i.

“The old SDI world for us is kind of dead,” he says. “There is no way we can manage this complexity and this volume of distribution in a live environment using old technology. Everything is ST 2110, and we convert it only at the edge. But we see more and more broadcasters taking ST 2110 directly, and they also see a big difference in the ease of use because they no longer have to deal with a big spaghetti of cables to receive all the multilateral signals.”

The old SDI world for us is kind of dead. There is no way we can manage this complexity and this volume of distribution in a live environment using old technology
SOTIRIS SALAMOURIS, OBS

For an organisation like OBS, the move to IP allowed new services to be created and deployed much more easily. Salamouris cites this year’s launch of cloud-based distribution of the multilateral content feeds via Alibaba Cloud services as an example. The service is a second option to satellite delivery of the MDS signals and has been a hit, with 54 rightsholders taking cloud-delivered signals via Alibaba Cloud versus only 33 for the legacy satellite service.

The technical legacy

Every Olympic Games has a legacy, not only culturally but also technically. An event like the Olympics is the ultimate showcase and test bed for new services.

Salamouris suggests a couple of takeaways from this year’s Games, beginning with the move to IP and the new frontier it opens: “The full maturity of IP solutions is done and dusted in our case. These Games are the beginning of our next phase, which is moving in the direction of virtualisation of our infrastructure. Our Virtual OB Van project is a step towards more softwaredefined, and all the technology deployed here

proved that we are on the right path for that.”

Also, on his list of successes is demonstrating that true 4K UHD production is possible and makes a difference. “Everything here was UHD HDR,” he points out. “We strongly believe that this is the right format for a top-quality event like the Olympics. I fully understand the appeal of 1080p, and I understand that there are some limitations, but, if you can do better, then you should do better.”

Among other advances Salamouris notes are the stroboscopic coverage of key sports, virtual lines that helped tell the story (especially on sailing), and the use of AI-enhanced graphics to ‘pin’ data to athletes.

“There is a lot of things happening with AI on the backend, which is AI that we’re using to make our workflow more efficient. [For example,] automated highlights, which we did with Intel, have been very successful and popular. Now we have these two AI technologies: one is traditional machine learning; the other, the LLM or language learning models. We are using both of them to create new content and provide much more of it than is traditionally expected.”

A fleet of gyrostabilised boats with cameras and microphones captured views of the Opening Ceremony from the Seine. Picture OBS

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Inside the BBC’s IBC setup

BBC Sport has reported some recordbreaking figures for its coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics, with the Games streamed 218 million times online, more than doubling the Tokyo Olympic Games total of 104 million. As well as coverage via the BBC’s OTT service iPlayer, linear viewing — which switched between BBC1 and BBC2 — was healthy with a peak of over 6 million on 14 separate days. Keely Hodgkinson’s win in the women’s 800 metres final was the broadcaster’s most watched event with 9.1 million viewers watching on BBC1 and iPlayer, followed closely by Adam Peaty’s silver medal winning swim in the men’s 100m breaststroke with 8.5 million.

At the heart of ensuring that the BBC showed every Team GB medal moment live was the BBC’s broadcast operation centre (BOC) at the IBC in Paris, where all feeds from the host broadcaster Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), the BBC’s unilateral feeds from mixed zones and presentation positions plus commentary (BBC or host) are checked, lined up and then passed on to BBC Sport’s HQ in Salford, where the broadcaster’s two production galleries were based.

Speaking with SVG Europe at the IBC during the latter stages of the Games, BBC Sport major event technical operations executive Andy Wdowicki explains: “We have in excess of probably about 100 sources that we filter down to 28 lines. For the swimming, we’ve got two announce platform cameras, a mixed zone and a host feed. So that’s four feeds that go to Salford.

“When we run the athletics announce

platform in parallel, we have three announce platform cameras, two ISO cameras, a mixed zone and a stadium wide shot. So, in total, we’ve got about 12 to 14 feeds out of our 20-odd lines just when we use those two platforms. There’s a lot of management of those remaining lines to get the right sports down the right feeds.”

An EVS Cerebrum system was used for routing, while BT Media & Broadcast provided international connectivity, via a Nevion chassis with J2K encoding.

On display on the multiviewers in the BOC were images from the LiveU packs (the BBC has 12 field units deployed at mixed zones in the venues), along with unilateral feeds via VandA (video and audio — one video circuit along with audio channels) from the host broadcaster, typically for sports considered important for UK viewers, such as the urban park, track cycling and the gymnastics.

“They’re big sports for us,” says Wdowicki, “so we’ve paid for the video circuit from OBS. For some of the other sports, we’ve gone for IP connectivity, so we send a LiveU pack there, but we connect into the OBS internet in the mixed

BBC Sport’s Andy Wdowicki in Paris

zone so we’re relying on Ethernet rather than 5G connectivity or WiFi.”

One of the BBC’s aims for each major event is to simplify its operational workflow, because coverage of the event itself can be so complicated and the quantity of feeds so vast. In Paris, feeds from the BBC’s studio at Trocadero in central Paris also passed via the IBC before they are passed on to Salford. “In previous events where we’ve done that, we’ve played quite an active role in the middle where the studio would line up with us, and then we would on pass to Salford, and they would line up with us,” says Wdowicki.

“But we found that on previous events, you can end up becoming a bit of a blocker for the workflow being in the middle in the IBC, so we’ve taken a step back on this one. We’re involved in the rig, and we do the initial lineups, but now we step back as an operational role. We’re there if either party needs support, but we let them get on with it. That’s been quite a workflow change and it’s not really traditional. If you’re sending a signal from one place to another, and there’s a midpoint, you normally line up at each stage in the chain. But we’ve decided to let the studio in Salford get on with it,

so the signals pass through as data but we don’t actively monitor them.”

Smaller scale

Wdowicki’s first Olympics with the BBC was the Rio 2016 Summer Games, where he worked in one of the network galleries and oversaw the technical install of the studio on Copacabana Beach. He says that in terms of scale, [Paris 2024] is a lot smaller, because of the broadcaster’s need to provide the best value for the licence fee — resulting in efforts to shrink the footprint in Paris as much as possible.

“Because we split out it can be quite a challenging operation,” he says. “We have the studio in one place (Trocadero), and the galleries and main post-production operation where everything is ingested and edited in Salford, and the production office for all production staff based outside of the IBC and a 10-minute walk from the studio, plus the broadcast operation centre here, so it’s quite fragmented. But because the cost of putting things in the IBC can be high, we try and shrink the IBC as much as we can.”

Included in the BBC’s IBC setup is a small post-production operation of four edit suites,

remotely editing on edit clients in the UK to help save on the amount of hardware — and space — required in the IBC. That content is pushed down the BBC’s lines when there is less live sport competing for the BBC’s connectivity, or via Signiant file transfer.

The IBC base also includes four booths for off-tube commentary. “We still invest in commentary booths out in the venues, but where we haven’t purchased a commentary booth and we don’t want to spend on a Games-time bookable booth, we can bring commentators in here. We’ve typically done that for a few boxing bouts and for quite a lot of the tennis because it’s spread across different courts. Sometimes, it’s just logistically easier to have the commentators in one place here and feed them something to commentate on, rather than have them move around,” says Wdowicki.

There is also a “tiny” UHD gallery to manage the BBC’s UHD coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies, which included upconverted presentation bookending the start and end of the ceremonies.

“The programme is made in Salford, it comes to us here where we upconvert to UHD, and then

cuts to the host’s UHD feed of the ceremonies. The challenge with that is because you’re matching a UHD signal here of the ceremony that is quick, because it’s here [in Paris], and the programme that is coming back from the UK that’s comparatively slow because it’s been made in the UK, with AR cameras, and because it goes through the chain. So you have a quick UHD picture that you’re matching with a slow

programme, so you have to add delay to your UHD feed, but if your UHD feed doesn’t exist until five minutes before transmission, then you are putting that delay in moments before you go to air,” he explains.

Another tweak for Paris 2024 is the seating arrangement within the BBC’s IBC base. “Rather than have engineers hidden away in a room, we have them as part of the operation

Rather than have engineers hidden away in a room, we have them as part of the operation centre. I think this is quite unique to have them this close

centre,” says Wdowicki.

“I think this is quite unique to have them this close, because as soon as a director says there’s an issue with a feed or someone technical reports an issue, while I’m digesting what that issue is and what we need to do, the engineers can overhear it so they’re already clicking buttons and looking at things before I have to communicate to them what the problem is. We’ve found that really reduces reaction times. And usually what happens now is at the point a director calls out ‘there’s an issue’, or ‘why can’t I talk to that mixed zone’, or whatever it may be, we already have an answer for them.”

The BBC’s broadcast operation centre at the IBC in Paris

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RTÉ, ARD and ZDF innovate in Paris

Irish public service broadcaster RTÉ has made some major upgrades since Tokyo 2020, including the introduction of a Dantebased audio routing infrastructure.

Paris 2024 has seen the largest ever Irish contingent travel to the Olympics, with 133 athletes competing in the Games. To cover the action, RTÉ is delivering more than 250 hours of live action from France across RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, including three live daily programmes.

Speaking at the IBC in Paris, RTE live operations support supervisor Michael Moriarty says: “We’ve come a long way, technology wise, from Tokyo. Then, everything was analogue, and jack patching for audio was a manual, labourintensive task.”

This prompted an overhaul of the audio infrastructure, including the adoption of a digital

Dante-based system which has allowed RTE to transition from an analogue system to a remotecontrolled digital network.

“With Dante, we never touch the front of our racks,” says Moriarty. “Everything is now managed remotely, significantly reducing the need for manual intervention.”

RTÉ is using NEP Connect as its service provider. Via that connection, RTÉ is sending four HD video streams back to Dublin, with two HD video streams from Dublin back to Paris. A separate trunk is used for audio over IP, which is an AQ-based system, with 16 channels of audio from Dublin, and 16 channels of audio back to Paris. Codecs are all analogue, with analogue to Dante conversion via Tascam units.

RTÉ also recently upgraded its routing infrastructure in Dublin to SMPTE 2110, using EVS Cerebrum as the orchestration tool.

“We’ve a remote panel into Dublin from here, which we can use to control the switching on our lines coming from Dublin to here. So that’s been

Taking on Dante as our audio routing and distribution has been a game changer

MORIARTY, RTÉ

a really useful tool, because it means in Dublin, we don’t need somebody sitting on the desk, all day and all night,” he adds.

“And taking on Dante as our audio routing and distribution has been a game changer. I wasn’t in this role for Tokyo, but speaking to some of the team they would have to look on patch panels to find audio and headphones so just being able to see it all easily and distribute it easily has been really effective.”

RTE is taking some 82 feeds in from OBS with a MADI trunk for commentary positions from various stadiums around Paris.

“In terms of marrying the audio with commentary it’s a bit of a combination with some done in Dublin. We’ve got 16 satellite feeds coming into the building via satellite, and the bulk of what goes out to air comes in via satellite. Anything extra, if we have some ad hoc sport that isn’t available on the MDS (multichannel distribution service), we’ll switch it here and send it back via fibre.

Athletics was a key area of focus for the German broadcasters

“But all of our commentaries are coming by here in the IBC. The satellite feed comes in to Dublin, they strip out the international sound and then add in our commentary from the venue.”

ARD and ZDF connect the dots

Working as part of the German broadcast conglomerate ARD alongside public service television broadcaster, ZDF, Felix Ruhberg, technical director for the Games at German regional broadcaster NDR, has completed the ARD Olympic production and is about to pack his bags to return to Paris for the Paralympics.

ARD and ZDF share the rights for both the Olympics and Paralympics, taking it in turns to broadcast the Games day by day, while sharing the production, technical facilities and staff equally.

The only thing not shared completely is editorial, says Ruhberg. He explains: “The whole team works together; everyone works one day for ARD who broadcasts everything, and the next day we work for ZDF and broadcast everything.”

The ARD and ZDF studio is near the OBS broadcaster studios at Trocadero, at Place de

l’Alma. The reason an independent location for the studio was found was so the German broadcasters could utilise it throughout both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Explains Ruhberg: “The Trocadero studio would’ve been a problem for us. We cannot use it for the Paralympics because as far as we know, they removed them. We wanted to have a studio which we could use for both events, so we rented another space nearby.”

National teamwork

On the workflow, while again everything is shared, a natural split has occurred where ZDF, given its location closer to the Mainz-based National Broadcast Centre (NBC) in Germany, has tended to do more of the remote work at home, while ARD has taken more responsibility for the venues and teams in Paris.

Comments Ruhberg: “We had a bit more to do with the studio, the athletics team, we had a small crew at swimming, so all the unilateral activities that we have [in Paris], but even there, the teams working there are totally shared. It’s really a team working together from ARD and ZDF on these projects.

“Most of our workflow is produced remotely. So our programme control room (PCR) is in Germany. The whole postproduction is in Germany. All our editing is in Germany. We have sub-PCRs, smaller control rooms in Germany. We have small venues in Paris that we connect remotely, but that’s it. The studio, for example, is fully remote. It’s just a box with cameras and they’re being controlled from Germany.”

“The directors are in Germany, most of the editorial team is in Germany,” he continues. “We have a bunch of technicians on site, some production personnel of course, but most of the team is in Germany. We had a small remote venue at swimming and we had a bigger operations at the athletics, which we didn’t do remotely but used our own OB truck on site.

“Because of the concept that we didn’t have a third sub control room in Germany, it was easier for us to say, ‘there’s the truck already on site, let’s use it and do our own athletics programme in Paris as a whole’, but that’s it. Everything else was remote, even at the IBC. The IBC was basically an office for us; we didn’t do much, production-wise.”

Altogether ARD and ZDF used a combined 25 LiveU units across around 20 ENG teams

out and about in Paris. Says Ruhberg: “We also had many ENG crews with LiveU units and they were everywhere; we sent them to mixed zones and to do interviews in the city.”

The time zone was perfect for the German market, notes Ruhberg. “That was quite handy for us, much easier than Tokyo,” he says. “Everything went quite smoothly and we didn’t really have huge problems. What is difficult is that the whole operation, because of the

remote production, means we want to be able to connect every control room or editing suite with every reporter, with every LiveU and with every sports feed. So back in the day you had one sub control room that did swimming, and you had one editing suite for another sport that was important to you, maybe horse riding you did all the editing and stuff.

“Now you want every workspace to be able to connect with every off tube and every venue

commentary position and every feed and every LiveU, so there’s a lot of switching and planning involved. It’s a lot of dots to connect so that everything works.”

Paralympic prep

For the Paralympics, ARD and ZDF are using a scaled back plan compared to the Olympics, but this is in line with host broadcaster for the Games, Olympic Broadcasting Services’ (OBS’) production of the event.

Says Ruhberg: “We do scale back as well. We scale back unilateral facilities at athletics, for example, we won’t have unilateral activities at swimming. And we scale back a few off tubes and editing suites.

“But that’s about it. We keep the general production concept as well as our presence in Paris with our studio at Place de l’Alma. The team is much smaller because there’s not so much programming. For example, we have four live streams instead of the 10 that we had during the Olympic Games. But I think the number of feeds that OBS is offering is also scaled back, so [our production] rather fits into the signals we receive from OBS.”

RTÉ live operations support supervisor Michael Moriarty at the Paris 2024 IBC

WBD reveals Olympics broadcast operation

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) enjoyed a stellar Summer Olympic Games, reporting record viewership and engagement across its many platforms and channels.

Shortly after the closing ceremony on Sunday 11 August, WBD said it had achieved a cumulative reach of more than 215 million in Europe viewing Olympics content on WBD’s platforms (23% more than Tokyo 2020), including Max and discovery+, as well as its Eurosport TV channels and free-to-air networks in Norway (TVNorge), Sweden (Kanal 5) and Finland (Kutonen, TV5).

In total, WBD aired more than 3,800 hours of live content, providing outputs to 47 rights territories, with 59 linear channels — including 46 Eurosport channels across Europe in 19 languages — and a digital offering (Max, HBO Max or discovery+, depending on territory) providing viewers with every moment, peaking at 54 parallel events on the busiest day. Plus, specifically for Paris 2024, seven HD pop-up channels and one UHD pop-up channel was made available to 34 affiliates and partners across Europe.

Capturing, managing and delivering all that content was a mammoth task, and leading the department responsible for broadcast operations and technology across Europe was Matt McDonald, group SVP EMEA broadcast services for Warner Bros. Discovery.

Speaking with SVG Europe at the WBD House studio facility at Hotel Raphael during the Games, McDonald says there were two main elements to preparing for Paris 2024: the on-site prep (including the build of WBD House and the other on-site production facilities such as the mixed zones, venues and the NOC houses), plus the scaling up of WBD’s European sports platform.

He says: “We have an enormous 2110 capability based upon two tech hubs, one in London and another in Hilversum in the Netherlands. They support our two main operational hubs, in London (Chiswick) and Paris (Issy-les-Moulineaux) that provide core capabilities for all EMEA. These hubs also provide studios and galleries, plus we also have 10 other production hubs across Europe (Munich, Milan, Stockholm, Oslo, Lisbon, Madrid, Hilversum, Warsaw, Copenhagen and Stockley Park) and for Paris 2024, we also had engineering support and some post-production out of Atlanta in the US.”

“The main thing for us is that the two main operational hubs run everything — bookings, MCR, ingest, media management, playout — so those are the centres of the operation and Paris has made all the difference for us during the Olympics,” he adds.

With recent previous Games taking place in China, Japan, South Korea and Brazil, Paris 2024 was a ‘home fixture’ for WBD, which has its EMEA HQ in Issy-les-Moulineaux, in the south of the city. The fact it was a local Games not only provided a boost to viewing figures thanks to the favourable European time zone, but because WBD already had such an established site and ready-made production facility in Paris it also provided the opportunity to reduce its presence at the IBC.

WBD’s base at the IBC on the other side of the city consisted of a “small footprint” manned by 28 staff across two shifts to provide the on-pass of host broadcaster Olympic Broadcasting Services’ (OBS’) feeds of the Games.

The Paris location also provided a chance for WBD to showcase the city’s landmarks, with WBD House overlooking the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. The sizeable facility featured four studios used by production teams from the UK, Sweden, France, Poland, Italy and Germany as well as three stand-up positions used by WBD’s global news network CNN, and live broadcasts for Spain, Finland and Denmark, plus a bar area with three RF cameras and a Technocrane. This was in addition to Eurosport France operating a separate studio at Club France in the Parc de la Villette.

It was the build of the rooftop studio that provided McDonald and his team with arguably their biggest challenge.

“It’s a working restaurant on top of a prestigious hotel, so we had a very, very limited period to take everything off the roof and then get everything up here that we needed, and then assemble it,” he says. “The build was four days, so that was a challenge of planning and organisation that involved a lot of

Studio 1 at WBD House with a view of the Eiffel Tower

pre-build, and then there was a plan that literally went in 15-minute blocks over four days to make sure everything happened seamlessly.”

From its position on the 7th floor of the Hotel Raphael, WBD House was treated as an extension of WBD’s core network with each of the 11 territories producing content in WBD House able to remote produce from their homebase galleries, for example for Germany via Munich, and Poland via Warsaw.

Camera racking and vision control for WBD House was managed remotely from Stockley Park, while audio line-up and control was managed remotely from Chiswick Park. AR graphics were managed from Stockley Park — apart from the Swedish team which remotely managed a spin-off of WBD’s Cube studio technology from their home-base setup in Stockholm, with live tracking data being relayed to London and to Stockholm. Lighting for WBD House was a hybrid operation with the majority controlled out of Stockley Park.

The workflow of all feeds being made available in all production locations, and the ability to control any production or studio from any location, meant that less space at WBD House

instead be dedicated to production and editorial. It also supported the aim of making the operation an extension of WBD’s business as usual (BAU) operation; everything is based upon the idea that all of the lines can get back to WBD’s WAN and be ingested in two parallel hubs.

A temporary Olympic BOC was set up to co-ordinate the IBC and WBD’s two BAU MCR teams in its operational hubs in Issy-lesMoulineaux and Chiswick, with the BOC in London managing the return vision to studios

The MCR operation was split between London and Paris, receiving approximately 400 HD sources and 27 UHD sources from the IBC, WBD House, NOC Houses, venues and 43 Mobile Viewpoint backpacks around Paris.

In addition, the MAM and post-production operation was similarly sizeable, with over 70,000 hours of content ingested. The MAM operated with more than 650 daily concurrent users throughout the Games and over 100 concurrent users daily in post.

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Matt McDonald, group SVP EMEA Broadcast Services, Warner Bros. Discovery

The whole production was delivered on WBD’s Sport Tech Platform, which enabled everything to be remote produced over 2110. Says McDonald: “What we’re seeing now is maturity of 2110; in previous Olympics, there were a lot of challenges and we were working in a hybrid model of SDI and 2110.

“We’re fully 2110 for this Olympics for the first time, in terms of everything from production all the way through to playout. It’s all IP, and there’s no SDI handoff. I think what we’re seeing now is a much more mature, reliable, robust state, so that it works in an end-to-end fashion. It’s a lot more hardened, a lot more secure, a lot more robust.”

Orchestration and control were provided by Sony Nevion Video iPath and BNCS, with Arista switches (1200 switches on a media network spread across Europe) and overall, the 2110 network had approximately 300,000 NMOS endpoints.

“We believe — probably like everyone else! — that we’ve got the biggest 2110 network in the world,” says McDonald. “To do the scale that we operate in terms of production and distribution of up to 19 languages (WBD produced over 15,000 commentary sessions over the course of

Our

the games), it wouldn’t be possible to do it any other way,” he says.

Core MAM and playout was provided by Grass Valley AMPP FramelightX and AMPP PlayoutX. In keeping with the ‘BAU’ theme, McDonald explains that very little new infrastructure was added for the Olympics.

“The aim was to use all our homebase facilities and build as few temporary facilities as possible,” he says. “We did add 10 temporary VOBs in Paris within the office space. We used our estate of over 60 hardware-based PCRs/MFRs across Europe, but we did add one additional softwarebased PCR in Hilversum for our Netherlands market, with Vizrt Vectar (TriCaster Vectar), Grass Valley AMPP, Simply Live (RiMotion) and Waves audio mixer (Waves Cloud MX Audio Mixer).”

The BAU workflow for contribution, playout and distribution managed the UHD feeds, with WBD’s UHD channel able to use multilingual commentaries originated for WBD’s HD channels while still being able to switch between multiple different sports.

While little in the way of new infrastructure was added, there was of course a need for additional resource to support WBD’s coverage of the Games with around 3,100 staff in operations and engineering across Europe and the US working on the Olympics.

McDonald says it was a huge team effort. “Our software and broadcast engineering teams delivered a very stable platform and our operations teams executed brilliantly to enable our editorial teams to tell the stories of the Games,” he says.

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An in-depth look at OBS’ coverage plans

The Paris Olympics are less than 10 days away, and, for the team at OBS and the thousands of sports production professionals descending on Paris, it’s time to make sure all systems are go for everything from the Opening Ceremony, which will be the largest live-TV effort ever (with more than 1,000 cameras expected to be capturing it), to the 329 events to be played in Paris and beyond.

OBS expects to produce more than 11,000 hours of content around the Games, with upwards of 4,000 hours of sports and ceremony coverage and 2,350 hours of additional content available to rightsholders via the multi-clip feed (MCF). With 72 native UHD contribution multilateral feeds, 28 MCF feeds, 81 UHD distribution feeds (and 82 HD

feeds) produced via 47 production units out of 70 production galleries, it’s the largest Olympics effort ever.

At the core of OBS’s efforts is an internal staff of approximately 160 representing 28 nationalities. The group will oversee an army of 8,300 OBS games-time personnel from more than 110 countries. The team has relocated from its Madrid headquarters to Paris and has been hard at work setting up the 40,000sqm International Broadcast Centre in four halls at Paris Le Bourget Exhibition Centre and the 36 venue compounds. The IBC is the centre of production efforts and signal acquisition and distribution not only for OBS but also for more than 30 media rights holders (MRHs) and 100 broadcast organisations, who took possession of spaces there in May. The IBC was operational as of 26 June.

OBS continues efforts to reduce the footprint of IBC and venue operations. The Tokyo 2020 footprint, for example, was 23% smaller than the Rio 2016 footprint, and this year’s IBC is 13% smaller than Tokyo (space across 36 venue compounds is down 11%). Deployment of OBS Cloud has enabled significant reductions in physical space and power requirement.

In addition, new workflows, along with the introduction of more remote production options, have helped MRHs reduce resources and personnel requirements without lessening the quality of the OBS coverage or services to the MRHs.

Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony will be the first ever to be held outside of a stadium. The parade of athletes will take place on the river Seine, with 200 Olympic teams transported more than 3.5 miles on more than 80 boats. It will be the largest broadcast production at an Olympic Games in terms of broadcast equipment and resources, and new technology and camera systems have been developed (OBS participated in an operational test, organised by Paris 2024, last July).

Four custom-made stabilised boats, fitted with specifically designed camera systems will be at the centre of the efforts, and 100-plus camera systems (three times the number of cameras used at Tokyo 2020) will include drones, robos, cranes and cable cams. Also, look for more than 200 mobile phones to be deployed on the athletes’ boats.

Extending beyond the IBC, the OBS presence comprises TV studio facilities in the Place du Trocadéro and stand-up positions across the city. Also, in collaboration with Paris 2024 and French authorities, OBS has developed a provisional production plan for aerial coverage of the Games: up to 12 beauty cameras, highlighting the most iconic images of Paris, are planned to be installed.

Production philosophy

OBS’s production efforts are based on the goal of delivering clear, objective coverage of all Olympic sports. International TV and radio signals or world feeds are delivered to rightsholders via the Multi-channel Distribution Service (MDS). At that point, rightsholders complement the feed with their own images, interviews, data, analysis and commentary.

On the delivery and technology side, OBS will produce all coverage natively in UHD HDR and immersive 5.4.1

Four customised camera boats will help cover a unique Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

sound. Cinematic lenses will be used for the first time across all sports, and the effort will deploy more than double the number of multicamera slow-motion replay systems than were used for Tokyo 2020.

For graphics, more live data will be driving the storytelling, and more than 10 disciplines will have new ‘effects’: positioning data, performance metrics, etc.

New this year, virtual studio backdrops and augmented reality (AR) content will be available for several venues, beauty camera positions, and interviews from the Athletes Village. That will allow live studio interviews from the Village direct to an MRH’s studio, and MRHs can opt for different levels of complexity for integration with their home studio.

AI will be deployed to unlock new opportunities to improve internal workflows, enhance the viewer experience, enhance storytelling and better explain sports events. OBS has been developing solutions with such partners as Alibaba (multicamera replay systems); Omega (athlete and object tracking); and Intel (automated highlights generation). Examples of new AI-based applications are intelligent

stroboscopic analysis in three sports/disciplines and enhanced data graphics for diving.

The cloud

One of the highlights of the production effort this year is the LiveCloud unilateral link from the venues, establishing a video and audio circuit from

a venue directly to the MRH remote destination, over the cloud and even the public internet securely and reliably. That allows more content than ever to be provided to rightsholders, including increased athlete-centric coverage, behind-thescenes material, interviews with coaches and athletes, and pre/post-competition content.

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Numbering 160 people, the internal OBS team will be at the centre of production and technical operations for the Games

OBS doubles down on Athlete Moments

Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) is expanding its Athlete Moment initiative for Paris 2024, with the setup to be rolled out to more than double the number of sports in a bid to share more of the emotion of the Games with viewers at home.

Athlete Moment, which allows Olympians to connect with their family and friends straight after finishing their competition, was introduced at the Tokyo 2020 Games in partnership with Kiswe, an interactive streaming company. Due to Covid-inspired restrictions, only athletes and officials were allowed into arenas and stadiums for the Games in Japan, which meant no spectators — including athletes’ entourages — to witness and celebrate their achievements.

“As broadcasters, we know very well the

importance of a live audience for sporting events, so we thought about how we could create some atmosphere; if you have an event, especially the Olympic Games, and you have empty seats, subconsciously people might think, ‘Why on earth am I watching, nobody’s here!’,” explains OBS chief executive Yiannis Exarchos.

In contrast to the enforced absence of spectators in Tokyo, organisers expect the Paris 2024 venues to be full, but they still want to see the athletes connect with people that they love, which has prompted ‘Athlete Moment 2.0’, explains Exarchos.

“We did 15 disciplines in Tokyo [with Athlete

Moment], and that will go up to 35 in Paris, with the ambition of covering almost 80% of the athletes. There are some sports or some disciplines where it’s impossible to do or makes less sense, such as team sports,” says Exarchos.

The inspiration for Athlete Moment came shortly before the Tokyo Games took place. OBS was speaking with Kiswe co-founder and chief marketing officer Wim Sweldens and his team about the use of emerging technologies for the wider distribution and aggregation of signals and remote editing for Tokyo 2020. Those conversations were then broadened to include physical athlete stations on the field of play in the venues.

“We trusted the technology, but then we had to resolve a number of questions around logistics and organisation,” says Exarchos. “So we had a commitment from Kiswe that they could deliver the solution across 15 sports, which was a very, very big deal and done in only three months.”

Sweldens says: “Those 90 days between

It’s a far more advanced system compared to what it was

in Tokyo

YIANNIS EXARCHOS, OBS
Around 580 hours of Athlete Moment content is expected to be produced in Paris

March and June 2021, I will not forget easily! But it was really very powerful teamwork between OBS and our team, where we all worked together to get this done, and it was such a phenomenal success. They’re all super excited about expanding it to Paris.”

While the setup in each venue is relatively straightforward and is comprised of a display monitor to show live video footage of friends and family, along with a remotely operated camera and microphone, the logistics involved are far from simple.

Adds Sweldens: “When a family member or friend clicks on the link from any device, they will be connected to a moderator in the Brussels control room wearing an OBS shirt. The moderator will confirm they are who they say they are, and that they are connected to the right athlete. They’ll also check their connectivity and make sure it’s properly framed and lit so we can create TV-quality images.

“Once they pass the moderation check, they go into the next step, which is a producer or remote producer who will then have all the family members together. They might arrive up to an hour early because we don’t know exactly when

the Athlete Moment will happen, or when the athletic performance is done. But then, they will wait. There is close coordination with OBS and a field producer - someone on the ground or at the field to play - who will wrangle the athlete at the right moment.”

Adds Exarchos: “The images can be used in the venues, and we have the technical capacity

to isolate these images and exchanges so that broadcasters can use them in the narratives that they want to create because this is unique footage. So it’s a far more advanced system compared to what it was in Tokyo, and we’re expecting to produce around 580 hours of Athlete Moment content, all remotely over the cloud out of Kiswe’s Brussels control room.”

Athletes Moments at Tokyo 2020 Pictures: Owen Hammond

France Télévisions makes the most of being the home turf rights holder

France Télévisions is making the most of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics being on its home turf. The rights holder for France is gathering a plethora of experts and commentators to bring every sport to life for viewers at home this year, as well as sending a huge team of ENG crews out into Paris to conduct live interviews throughout the Games.

“The expectations are quite high,” notes Pascal

Golomer, France Télévisions’ deputy director of sports. “When you broadcast at four o’clock in the morning normally, even if there’s something not as perfect as we had expected, it’s not big story. But primetime for the Olympics in Paris, we can’t make mistakes; we have to pursue the zero-defect goal because we know that people are expecting the best from us. So, it’s going to be tough.”

Expert opinions

France Télévisions is bringing in more knowledgeable voices than ever before for Paris 2024 as part of that push to be the best. Golomer states: “We have hired 65 expert consultants, most

Primetime for the Olympics in Paris, we can’t make mistakes; we have to pursue the zero-defect goal

PASCAL GOLOMER, FRANCE TÉLÉVISIONS

of them former sports athletes, and we have 80 journalists as reporters, commentators, editors, and more. That’s a huge team compared to what we did in Tokyo, Rio, and London. Even London in Europe, it was smaller than Paris.”

Although this sounds like a grand plan, it is not without issues, adds Golomer: “It’s a lot of people and we didn’t have the time and the opportunity to test them on real competitions [in advance of the Games]. Of course, we talk with them. Some of them, they made some tests. But we cannot be sure 100% they’re going to be able to be passionate, and at the same time experts able to explain the rules to the audience. It’s a hope that they will be at the top of their game!”

Home turf advantages

Being on home ground does create interesting advantages for France TV, Golomer says. “There are a few things we’re going to do in Paris that we won’t do in Los Angeles, and we have never done before [on an Olympics]. For example, sending several crews live with the 4G transmission across Paris to make live segments. They’re going to interview people live that are attending the competitions, or volunteers at the Games.”

Adds Golomer: “Usually we do [these kind of interviews] in short segments with editing that would be broadcast in the evening, but in Paris the crews will be live on motorbikes going from one point to another, and they’re going to be on our channels France 2 and France 3 maybe five to seven times per day. This means our audience can experience the atmosphere in Paris.”

France Télévisions will have approximately 40 crews filming during the Olympics, each of which will be equipped with 4G transmission solutions from LiveU, TVU and Aviwest. The teams will be made up of journalists and editors from France TV’s news department — which is sending around half of those crews — and the rest from its regional stations. All content from those crews will go to a central server, which will be indexed by a dedicated team.

Continues Golomer on the content on the central server: “There’s one rule; once the rushes and the interviews are in the server, anybody can use it. The first one who needs it can use it. It’s the first time [we’ve done this] in the Olympics. We thought of it a year ago. We considered it was not possible to work separately. For example, at the Mixed Zone at the athletics, there will be only one crew for France TV. We’re not going to send several TV crews — one for the regions, one for the news, one for the sports — it won’t be possible. Once we designate one crew, this crew is going to work for everybody.”

France Télévisions is bringing the journey of the Olympic flame to millions of viewers live for the first time
K. Mainoo

France TV’s Frédéric Gaillard talks innovations and logistics

Ahead of Paris 2024, SVG Europe caught up with France Télévisions’ Frédéric Gaillard, head of production in charge of Olympics and Paralympics Games, to find out how the French rightsholder for the Games is tackling this epic event’s coverage on its home ground.

I’ve heard you’ve worked on a lot of Games. How many Olympics have you worked on so far and how have you seen coverage evolve over that period?

I’ve been covering the Olympics since Barcelona 1992. Paris will be my eleventh Olympics. We were on SD in Barcelona in 1992, HD in Beijing in 2008, and to remote production (the sets in Beijing and the control rooms in Paris), and this year UHD.

Are you throwing everything at this production because it’s in your home country?

We are using 90% of the resources of the France Télévisions group — La Fabrique — and there will be more than 1,000 people mobilised on these Olympics and Paralympics. We can say that we are doing everything possible to ensure that the coverage is total.

What are the major challenges you’re facing?

The multiplication of live locations and therefore of technical means forces us to be more demanding in terms of implementation and processes.

The main challenge lies in the fact that there are three simultaneous aerials 24 hours a day on three remote sites where our studios are located.

As with any event of this scale, logistics are paramount. We have to manage the movements of 42 pairs of commentators spread across the country. And there are more than 1,000 technical and editorial staff involved, to whom we will have to provide technical and above all logistical answers.

Are you producing blanket coverage of this event?

For the Olympic Games, OBS is in charge of the international signals at all the venues. For the Paralympics Games, OBS is also in charge of the venues, but we will be covering power lifting, badminton, taekwondo, wheelchair fencing and wheelchair tennis.

What’s the live output for France Télévisions?

For the Olympics, we will be on air 24 hours a day on our two premium channels, France 2 and France 3 in linear, and France.tv Paris 2024 in digital. This represents over 1,000 hours of live coverage.

For the Paralympics Games, we will be on

air 24 hours a day alternately on our France 2 and France 3 channels in linear and offering all the competitions on France.tv Paris 2024 in digital format. This represents more than 300 hours of linear coverage and 1,500 hours of digital coverage.

What is your camera set up?

We’ve kept the model used at the previous Olympics and we’ll be using remote cameras, with three control rooms and an OB van (UM1) at headquarters and the sets elsewhere in Paris.

The France 2 set will be at the Trocadéro with its 13 UHD cameras (remote Sony, crane, aerial camera, camera on rail, etc), our France 3 set will be at La Villette at Club France with its 15 cameras (remote Sony, crane, aerial camera, camera on rail, radio camera, etc,) and our digital set will be in the France Télévisions hall with its five cameras (remote Sony, cinematic, etc).

How many trucks does it take to work the Olympics?

Two OB vans, both our own: UM1 at our headquarters for France 2’s UHD broadcast, and UM3 at the Stade de France for athletics.

Are there any particular challenges around cabling at for the Olympics?

At head office, the first cabling work has started because connecting the control rooms to our nodal/traffic system is a long and complicated job, because during this time the control rooms are running on a daily basis.

On a site like the Stade de France, we are subject to OBS rules and the cabling windows are only a few days wide, so you don’t want to have forgotten a cable…

What’s the studio set up?

Our two main sets are remote, so we have wired our two studios at Trocadéro and La Villette to bring the cameras directly back to headquarters. These are temporary studios in Lahyer structures that will be dismantled afterwards, one after the Games and the other after the Paralympic events.

Are there any audio innovations and what are the challenges for audio at the Olympics?

With the transition of our antennas to UHD, we have decided to work in Dolby Atmos. We have 75 international feeds plus 42 commentator positions, 42 mixed interview zones, 50 camera crews and over 100 microphones on our sets, not to mention the order networks. That says it all. This will be an unprecedented challenge for La Fabrique’s technical teams.

France Télévisions is working with three physical studios. Pictured is a mock up of Club France, in the Grande Halle de la Villette, in the east of Paris, the home of Team France and its 900 athletes

Inside UEFA’s International Broadcast Centre

Just before the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 took place, SVG Europe took a tour of UEFA’s International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Leipzig, Germany. Located in hall 4 of the Leipziger Messe exhibition building, the IBC serves as the hub of UEFA’s host broadcast operations and a base for 27 of UEFA’s broadcast partners.

At the heart of the 21,000sqm IBC are the master control room (MCR) and the quality control rooms (QCR), which ensure the seamless broadcast and quality control of live feeds. It also hosts a range of operations and services, including digital broadcaster services, Fan Zone TV, UEFA’s ICT services operation, and is a hub for UEFA Editorial Content Services.

The IBC is also the central hub for UEFA’s broadcaster services team for the tournament who employ over 100 staff members across the ten host venues and IBC, all focused on providing support to more than 130 broadcast partners operating in over 200 territories worldwide.

They are supported by CAA Eleven, UEFA’s partner agency.

Additionally, it is the centre for video assistant referee (VAR) operations for all 51 matches of the tournament. The Football Technology (FTECH) Hub is where VARs and assistant video assistant referees operate from four dedicated rooms to oversee all tournament matches.

The FTECH Hub also processes data from various technologies, including goal-line technology and electronic performance tracking systems (EPTS), as well as sensors embedded in Kinexon’s connected balls. This data is quality controlled in real time and distributed to UEFA’s applications, such as the new semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) and the performance analyst portal.

Hawk-Eye supplies the technology for goalline technology, VAR, SAOT and EPTS and medical and tactical video review systems.

UEFA’s Editorial Content Services

UEFA’s Editorial Content Services (ECS) offers comprehensive content support to broadcast partners. With 108 people based in London at

the headquarters of supplier Whisper, it provides a more sustainable approach to producing nonlive content and is a continuation of the model adopted during the Covid-restricted Euro 2020 tournament, which took place in 2021.

Pre-Euro 2024 coverage provided by ECS included the Road to UEFA Euro 2024 magazine show, access days with teams and host city content. During the tournament, ECS has delivered highlights, review shows, curated ISO compilations and a daily Euro bulletin.

In London, the ECS team operates 14 edit suites, with 30 producers and APs, 22 editors, 13 production managers, eight graphic designers, and seven engineers and tech support personnel. They are supported by a few staff in Leipzig overseeing a KVM setup that allows for a remote operation with workstations in London editing via a 50-gig connection content that resides in Leipzig.

The OB operation is a pan-European affair, with five companies supporting UEFA’s host broadcast setup at the 10 venues used throughout the tournament, including Germany’s TVN (responsible for the final in Berlin and matches at Hamburg), plus Mediapro’s trucks from its Spain

The master control room at the IBC

and Portugal operations (based at Frankfurt and Leipzig), as well as EMG UK (Dusseldorf and Cologne), AMP Visual from France (Gelsenkirchen and Dortmund) and NEP from both Germany and Italy (Munich and Stuttgart).

A UEFA spokesperson explained: “We’re acquiring everything in 1080p50 HDR, bringing it back to the IBC and then converting to 1080p50 SDR and 1080i50 SDR before we send the signals back to the venue. The low latency to do all conversions here at the IBC gives us a lot more control.”

A dedicated production quality control (QC) team is responsible for monitoring the consistency and quality of all multilateral feeds from all venues. The QC team is in communication with the UEFA production teams on-site at the venues on match day (MD) and match day-1 (MD-1). They monitor consistency of coverage, ensure the principles set out in the TV Directors Guidelines are adhered to and review broadcast partner feedback.

A dedicated audio expert, also based in the production quality control room, listens to all audio components and liaises with the stadiums to ensure the highest audio quality and consistency. A team of specialists monitor and control all aspects of picture quality from the dedicated HDR quality control room. In addition, there are dedicated MD-1 and Fan TV quality control rooms.

Each broadcast venue team, led by the broadcast venue manager and broadcast engineering manager, also includes

a UEFA live producer, reporting to the IBC QC team, who works closely with the TV match director at their respective venue. The UEFA live producer is responsible for quality control on-site, ensuring that all feeds meet the standards, guidelines and requirements laid down by UEFA.

With a 50-gigabit connection to Whisper and a 200-gigabit diverse connection to each venue, the IBC handles approximately 5TB of data. The telco interface room (TIR), delivered in partnership with Deutsche Telekom, Eurovision Services and HBS,

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The 21,000sqm IBC hosts a range of operations and services, including digital broadcaster services, Fan Zone TV and UEFA’s ICT services operation

manages the incoming data flow. Eurovision Services also oversees the distribution of signals to broadcasters via the Content Hub, while

clips and footage.

Many of UEFA’s broadcast partners, including ARD and ZDF in Germany, are taking their

UEFA gets set for Spain vs England final

When England take on Spain in the final of Euro 2024, hundreds of millions of viewers are expected to watch the action at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

UEFA estimates that the Euro 2020 final was watched by 328 million fans — on par with the record set in 2016 — and broadcasters will be hoping for similar numbers at the weekend.

A 47-camera coverage plan — in use from the quarter finals onwards — will be used to share the action with viewers. Some 33 of the cameras will be used to capture the on-field action, while the rest, including an external crane beauty shot, will focus on events surrounding the match, such as team arrivals, fan coverage and helicopter shots, providing supplementary content for the range of feeds provided by UEFA.

For the first time at a UEFA Euro final, broadcasters will have the option of hosting some of their coverage on the pitch at the Olympiastadion. UEFA has offered stand-up presentations on the pitch for Champions League matches for some time, but it’s a new addition for the Euros with broadcasters from the participating teams’ countries — subject to their rights deals — able to present from the pitch for a limited time ahead of the match.

Leading coverage of the final will be experienced director Laurent Lachand, whose recent credits include the FIFA 2022 World Cup Final and the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final.

The host broadcast of the final will be supported by outside broadcast firm TVN, with the German facilities firm responsible for matches in Berlin and Hamburg throughout the tournament.

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How (and why) BBC Sport opted for a mixed reality presentation studio

One of two UK rightsholders, BBC Sport is based in Berlin for the duration of Euro 2024. The corporation’s live and highlights coverage is helmed from two mixed reality presentation studio areas installed in a

Broadcast Media Solutions (BMS) temporary studio complex opposite the Brandenburg Gate: one on the roof terrace and one inside.

Both make use of extended reality (XR), augmented reality (AR) and LED screens to provide a museum-themed look and feel that complements the local architecture, and engaging on-screen visuals to showcase match data and statistics for viewers.

studios came to fruition, and how it has played out so far.

“We’ve been working with virtual studio production for a long time now,” he says, discussing the back story.“We have been on the fringes of going with LED XR for a couple of years but there are various factors to consider and this just felt the perfect project for it.”

“Equally,” he continues, “the space wasn’t really set up for green screen in the studios and once we knew we could make the LED concept work then there was no requirement for green screen anyway.”

Following a discussion with ROE Visual, the developer of LED screen technology, the team came to an agreement that would allow them to use LED screens.

BBC Sport’s live and highlights coverage is helmed from two mixed reality presentation studio, one on the roof terrace and one inside

Design

Once it was confirmed that the team had two presentation spaces, allowing for both good and bad weather as well as dual match coverage when two games are playing simultaneously, thoughts quickly turned to the look and feel of the sets.

“We’re at the Brandenburg Gate,” says Murphy. “There’s lots of history. So we started thinking about adopting a virtual Euros museum based on the architecture of the Brandenburg Gate. We did some research and visited the Berlin Neues Museum. That was then taken as a reference but also we then had to consider the pinball design that forms our promo campaign and titles. The blending of the bright, colourful pinball graphics we have created and the more traditional museum feel works because it brings colour and vibrant reflections into the VR spaces.”

“In the interior studio, we created a museum look using extended reality elements in the LED walls. We then masked that off with virtual reality for the full 360-degree effect. We put AR not only in front of the presenter and pundits but also inside the screens as well. This includes data-driven graphics, player idents and team formations.

The terrace is where it gets really interesting. We thought it’d be cool to link the two studios together with the architectural theme. As the terrace is on top, that is when we considered using an LED floor

“But the terrace is where it gets really interesting. We thought it’d be cool to link the two studios together with the architectural theme. As the terrace is on top, that is when we considered using an LED floor.”

LED floor

The graphics displayed on the LED floor provide TV viewers with a glimpse of the architecture within the inside studio that is, in virtual terms, directly below it.

“During the daytime, it just looks like a glass floor,” acknowledges Murphy. “You don’t get to see what’s underneath it as much. But at night time is where it really pops. The beauty of this whole setup, for the talent and for editorial, is that they get the amazing location by the Brandenburg Gate but with the full suite of

AR and editorial graphics that they get in a permanent studio. And the presenter and the pundits can sit there and be looking in the screens and actually see what’s being shown on television. It’s all linked together creatively.”

3D designers Paul Kavanagh and Peakash Patel modelled the virtual world based on the initial concept. AE Live then implemented and delivered the virtual extensions in Unreal Engine and continue to manage and playout all the graphics.

Jens Weber completed the physical set design and construction while Faber Audiovisuals from the Netherlands did the set installation, supplied the screens, and is providing on-site support. Two optical camera tracking systems from stYpe, called Follower and RedSpy, are also being used.

Behind the scenes with ITV, RTVE and TV2

Spain’s RTVE, the UK’s ITV and Denmark’s TV2 have all unveiled technological innovations for coverage of this year’s Euros.

ITV Sport is doing presentation from Pariser Platz in the German capital, adjacent to the Brandenburg Gate, in an Academy of Arts building where it has created two different presentation areas, a production gallery and a production office. It also has a small presence at the IBC in Leipzig.

“We’ve adopted a ‘reverse remote’ type production for Euro 2024,” explains technical director Tony Cahalane.

“We have a remote gallery in Berlin. We have a presentation position up on the 4th floor balcony and a studio down below. Our connectivity is all centred there too in a little MCR. We

have a remote gallery in the Academy of Arts controlling and feeding back to Gravity Media in Westworks, London.

“We’ve adopted this model to reduce the number of people travelling and go as green as we possibly can.”

The two presentation areas are fitted out with nine cameras between them. On-site is a vision mixer, director, PA, producer, autocue op and a small tech and lighting team.

“Working this way reduces the number of crew we need on-site by half,” says ITV Sport lead production manager Gabby Houghton. “We now have a 30/70 split between the two locations, Berlin and the UK.”

The remote production workflow sees the kit housed in a Tech Hub in London, but vision mixed from Berlin.

“Everything’s linked together by 10Gb diverse paths back to the UK hub from both Leipzig and the remote gallery/studio,” Cahalane says. “We are just controlling the equipment in the gallery. EVS replay, sound and graphics is all based back

in the UK. But, as usual, from a production point of view, ITV likes to be close to the talent and close to where the story is, which is why we are in Berlin. This is an incredibly green way of achieving that.”

RTVE has also positioned itself at Pariser Platz in Berlin, with a studio and production setup in the same temporary facility as ITV.

As well as the studio setup looking out towards the Brandenburg Gate, RTVE - the exclusive broadcaster of Euro 2024 in Spain - has an OB van attending all of Spain’s matches plus several LiveU-equipped ENG crews.

Speaking with SVG Europe in Berlin, TVE sports producer Alfonso Martín Alonso described the setup in Germany as “classical”, as the Spanish public broadcaster looks to balance its efforts during a busy summer of sports.

The Pariser Platz facility in Berlin, built by BMS, is the focal point of RTVE’s presentation in Germany and includes a studio upstairs, studio control downstairs with mixer, director plus a production office for journalists and editors.

In addition, during the height of the tournament the broadcaster also has one ENG crew attached to the Spanish team, plus four more ENG crews in other parts of Germany, for example covering teams that will play Spain, to gather news, plus pre- and post-match content.

ENG content is fed directly to RTVE’s Madrid base, along with content gathered by the OB van.

ITV Sport has adopted a ‘reverse remote’ type production for Euro 2024
By adopting virtual productions and advanced technology, we believe we can create a dynamic, visual and engaging experience for our viewers
KRISTIAN HYLDGAARD, TV 2 SPORT

Feeds from UEFA are routed to Madrid via the IBC in Leipzig, where another six RTVE staff are based.

“It’s not the IBC we may all have been used to in previous championships and Olympics. Nowadays, the technology allows us to receive everything without being there, so the big deal for us is our MCR in Spain,” says Alonso.

The Danish approach

Due to the size of Denmark and its population, TV 2 has nowhere near the resources and capacity of the largest sports broadcasters in Europe, but it was still keen to put on a spectacular show, the man in charge of the production tells SVG Europe.

A core element of TV 2’s Euro 2024 production is its virtual studio, which has been set up in the middle of the Danish fan

zone at Islands Brygge, a harbourfront area in Copenhagen, which also shows the matches projected on a big screen.

The studio hosts the technical production teams and support staff, with the rest of the production being done at TV2’s headquarters in the city of Odense. “This set-up functions as an OB truck, but instead of a physical truck, we have placed a long fibre cable between the studio and production, and the advantage of having the production in Odense is that we have direct access to all the signals from Germany, which would have been a lot more challenging with an OB truck at Islands Brygge,” TV 2 Sport’s chief of content Kristian Hyldgaard explains.

During the transmission of Denmark’s matches, a smaller pitch-side studio supplements the main virtual space.

TV 2’s Euro 2024 production is split across three locations. In Germany, the broadcaster has a team of 20 people, including editorial staff as well as experts pulled in for the tournament. Of those, 15 are working daily during the tournament. Additionally, for each Denmark match, seven production staff are also required. Sixteen production staff are required daily for the Islands Brygge set-up, and, in Odense, 17 staff are working on the production split between editorial and transmission.

Live transmissions from Germany are received via satellite and fibre connections. Sixteen video line transmission feeds have been established between Germany and Denmark which makes it possible to receive multiple signals. This includes the transmission of two matches underway at the same time as well as several extra recordings, and additional camera angles. Through these feeds, the Odense production and transmission centre receives its own as well as internationally produced interviews.

“By adopting virtual productions and advanced technology, we believe we can create a dynamic, visual and engaging experience for our viewers,” Hyldgaard concludes.

All-new ESPN broadcast centre adds flexibility and focus to coverage

It’s been a year of change for ESPN at Wimbledon. Not only is it settling into a completely overhauled broadcast centre, complete with eye-catching new studios, but it’s also working with a new vendor and adopting new broadcast video formats and a new production workflow.

Following an 18-month project, the roll out of a state-of-the-art new broadcast facility spread across two floors marks a transition to IP technology for ESPN. Following an extensive RFP, this year is also the first year of a new deal with EMG / Gravity Media.

“We just went into a multi-year deal with EMG / Gravity, so this is their first time supplying our kit for the show,” explains Larry Wilson, senior manager operations, ESPN. “We were very comfortable with Gravity’s technical solutions, as well as their pricing and the relationship that we’ve had with them on other slams; they also handle Roland-Garros, Australia and the US Open.”

Going to RFP gave the team the opportunity to start from scratch and assess all the technologies and equipment that they wanted to deploy in the expansive new centre, which boasts expanded studio space, two new 1080p HDR control rooms, shared replay, graphics, and video areas, edit rooms and a whole host of technology innovations.

Sam Olsen, senior technical specialist, ESPN, adds: “That was good to be able to specify an IP solution and switches with specific options and configurations that we wanted, the same with the audio consoles. We went all VIA in the EVS world and deployed a Riedel Bolero network across the site. And we continue the spirit with Gravity and with good partners, and we’ll develop technology as it presents itself in the market.”

Scale was one of the key reasons behind the decision to go down the IP route.

Olsen continues: “The number of feeds that we take from hosts, coupled with the size of the system we have on site even as a rightsholder, it made sense to go IP. We’ve got that scalability to continue to deliver whatever production asks for. The other thing is space. We’ve been able to put the engineers in a dedicated master control room and have a dedicated equipment room. But to fit everything into that, if that was done in an entirely baseband world, I don’t think we would get everything into that room. So IP solutions just make sense.”

Enhanced coverage

As domestic rightsholder for the US, ESPN is taking content from host broadcaster Wimbledon Broadcast Services (WBS) so a lot of production could be done simply by putting the world feed on air, however ESPN opts to significantly enhance its coverage and IP is also enabling this.

Wilson explains: “We have 25 additional unilateral cameras, we have our own graphics, we have our own edits, we have a massive 19 VIA servers that are downstairs doing ingest and replay, two control rooms, all that

The number of feeds that we take from hosts, coupled with the size of the system we have on site even as a rightsholder, it made sense to go IP

The state-of-the-art new broadcast facility marks a transition to IP technology for ESPN

to customise that content from WBS for an American audience.”

ESPN’s coverage is also benefiting from a new 900sqft studio space (Studio 3), which is enabling the production team to be more flexible in their broadcasts, while also showing viewers the beauty of Wimbledon thanks to a 34ftx6ft window overlooking Court 18.

Wilson says: “The studio changes the way that production thinks about how they want to handle the broadcasts. They can shoot four different sets within that one set. They’ve got their touchscreen, they’ve got their mega wall video display, they’ve got their four-person desk, and they’ve got a sit down position.”

In addition, studio 12 has been enlarged by

EMG Connectivity and ACS add new cameras for championships coverage

EMG Connectivity and ACS (Aerial Camera Systems) made some significant enhancements to their support of the host broadcast operation at Wimbledon, with new camera positions including a flown rail cam on Centre Court.

ACS provides specialist cameras and crew, while EMG Connectivity is RF equipment supplier to the championships.

The installation of a new 20m suspended flown rail camera on Centre Court was a prime example of rigging cameras and cables close to spectators.

EMG Connectivity UK & group commercial director Chris Brandrick said: “For stadium sports, we might be rigging in car parks, gantries and hoists where spectators aren’t allowed. But here, we’re among the fans.”

The rail camera consists of an in-house designed ACS SMARThead with a Sony HDC P50 with a wide-angle lens that is capable of capturing UHD/ HDR footage. It is controlled remotely by an operator based in the Centre Court OB truck.

In addition, WBS was keen to add more

combining two studios and moving a corridor wall back, providing a more relaxed space for interviews. “This has become our up close and personal type of operation, but it still has a lineage to what we’re doing in the major studio,” says Jamie Reynolds, executive producer, tennis. “We’re modernising and bringing the whole presentation up.”

“movement” to the Whisper-produced Access All England feed, prompting the addition of the ACS FanCam Cine — a cinematic style RF camera on a gimbal — for the 2024 championships.

A drone — supplied and operated by Aerios — was also introduced for this year’s Wimbledon Championships, providing aerial shots of the grounds. EMG Connectivity fitted a miniature HEVC transmitter to the drone, which allows full UHD/HDR video to be sent from the drone supplied on site to the compound along with a Cyanview camera control system to rack the aerial camera. A reception site was established on the roof of the broadcast centre which allowed the drone to work in multiple locations around the site.

Sally Richardson on the BBC’s complex coverage

The BBC is once again providing comprehensive coverage of Wimbledon across BBC1 and BBC2, with all matches shown on iPlayer, plus coverage via radio, online and the broadcaster’s app. With a minimum of 175 scheduled hours across both networks during the Championships, it is a considerable — and sometimes complicated — undertaking, as executive producer Sally Richardson explains.

“Besides the Olympics, this is one of the most complex operations and it’s grown over the years,” says Richardson, who is working on her 25th — and final — Wimbledon Championships.

“I liken what we do at Wimbledon to buying your first starter house, which might be a twoup two-down. And then you might have kids, and maybe you get a dog, and then the motherin-law comes to live with you, and you build an extension, and then maybe a carport, and then you knock through the roof.

“Then it gets to the point where you realise you are trying to cram an awful lot in, and

you’ve outgrown the structure. And so, if you were to start from fresh and have a look at providing coverage of Wimbledon for two BBC networks at the same time, you might not start with it this way.”

Richardson is referring to working out of one (NEP) OB truck with one presenter, and the “complexity” of servicing two network channels at the same time with different output.

“NEP is here on site for the BBC’s domestic operation for over eight weeks,” she says. “They are the first to arrive on site, five weeks ahead of the Championships. Then, they are here for two weeks during the tournament, and then they’ve got a week to derig. They know every single cable and every fibre intimately, and touch wood, we have very few technical issues at all.”

Richardson adds: “We have a very long standing and great relationship with AELTC and latterly WBS. We’ve got eight presentation positions around the grounds, which is great and gives us real immediacy for our viewers, and the ability to be really in and among the action, particularly with the positions that we have behind the nets on No.1 and Centre Court.”

Last year, the BBC considered a presentation position on the roof of the new media centre

but decided against it because it was a bit too exposed. This year, however, it has added two cantilevered parasols on the Hill Lawn Platform which provides an external wet weather position.

“We always have the safety of our fabulous VR studio, but we do like to get out and about as well because we’re on air for up to 12 hours a day so it’s nice to be able to refresh our coverage and provide chapter headings for the viewers,” she adds.

Online enhancements

While there are no major changes to the BBC’s coverage this year, there is greater emphasis on collaborating with multiplatform colleagues and digital teams. Prior to last year, daily highlights programme Today at Wimbledon was live from Wimbledon, but inclement weather meant matches continued and knocked the programme off its network slot.

“We looked at the end of the 2022 Championships and said we need to reinvent this, because we’re not getting value for money having a team here working on Today at Wimbledon which may not hit the air because of live play, which we obviously must cover,” says Richardson.

“So last year, it became a tape-based programme with links recorded and edited on site and put together as an entire programme which was then scheduled to go out at 9pm if play was not ongoing.

“If we were still on air with live play, it would go on the iPlayer at 9pm instead. What that revealed was a 300% increase in iPlayer viewing, which really confirmed it was the right decision.”

The BBC presents from its virtual studio as well as getting out and about at Wimbledon

TNT Sports talks production and pride

The UEFA Champions League Final is the zenith of professional club football in Europe, and this year Wembley Stadium plays host as Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund go head-to-head on the hallowed turf to be named Champions of Europe.

Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe’s TNT Sports is the host broadcaster for this weekend’s match (Saturday 1 June). David Moss, head of football at TNT Sports, spoke to SVG Europe about the plan.

Moss says: “We’re extremely excited and privileged to be the host broadcaster for Saturday’s Champions League Final at Wembley. We have plenty of engaging programming in the lead-up to the match that will set the scene for the 90 minutes of football — perhaps more, if it goes to extra time and penalties — that lay ahead for Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.

“We’ll be working with EMG as our outside broadcast provider and closely with UEFA as the competition organiser; two partners we are proud to work with. Saturday’s coverage of the UEFA Champions League Final will be the biggest single sports event that TNT Sports has done as a host broadcaster.”

Production plans

On the production, Moss states: “We will be fully on-site and we’ll have 300 people involved in the operation, 40-plus cameras including a helicopter camera, Spidercam, Polecams, super-slow Steadi cams — which is a first for a Champions League Final — and mini remote bench cams.

“The camera feeds will be cabled back to the multilateral truck with video signals routed via the technical operator centre (TOC). In total we will have four trucks — as host and TNT Sports TX, plus other additional cabins.”

There will be excellent viewing and listening possibilities for viewers at home. Moss adds: “In terms of innovations, delivery will be in

The UEFA Champions League Final will be the biggest single sports event that TNT Sports has done as a host broadcaster

1080p, HDR and Dolby Atmos. Wembley is a well-established venue from where we have broadcast major sporting events on many occasions and very seldom are there unwelcome challenges.”

He continues: “We won’t have a studio, but consistent with how we have presented our football coverage throughout our first season as TNT Sports, Laura Woods and the team will be pitch side at Wembley and right by the fans to really capture the atmosphere and get a feel for the occasion.

“As the graphics partner for TNT Sports since launch, Moov will produce the graphics once again on Saturday. Deltatre, meanwhile, will produce the graphics and data for UEFA’s world feed. In terms of audio, we’ll be using Dolby Atmos and 5.1. There aren’t any major challenges as such but it’s fair to say the scale of the operation is absolutely huge.”

Young: ‘Every year the Champions League Final delivers action, drama and victory. All pillars of a great story’
Picture: Christopher Lee — UEFA: UEFA via Getty Images

Build up to the big game

Discussing what viewers can expect to see from TNT Sports this weekend, from build up to the big game, Moss continues: “Our buildup to the blue-riband event on the European club football calendar kicked off on Thursday evening [30 May] with a filmed event in front of a live audience at Boxpark, just outside Wembley, where fans were able to get involved in discussions with a host of our on-screen pundits.

“We’ll then have a 90-minute preview show live from Wembley Stadium on Friday night [31 May] where we’ll speak to some of the key protagonists from both sides. A pre-show party from 15:00-16:00 on Saturday will be followed by a countdown to the Top 10 Champions League Finals to have been played. Every angle in the build-up will be covered before we go to air at 18:00.”

“Starting at 18:00 on Saturday evening, we will start to tell the

story of what viewers can expect via our panel of esteemed football experts,” continues Moss.

“We’ll have Rio Ferdinand, Steve McManaman and Owen Hargreaves on our panel, each of whom knows what it is like to win a Champions League winners medal, while we are incredibly

AnythingAnywhere IP Solutions

excited to welcome José Mourinho to our broadcast. José certainly divides opinion among the public — and that’s a good thing — but ultimately he has coached Porto and Inter Milan to Champions League titles during his illustrious managerial career, he isn’t one to mince his words and is someone always worth listening to.”

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Host broadcaster pride

Meanwhile, Scott Young, group SVP content, production and business operations at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, is immensely proud of TNT Sports’ role in the UEFA Champions League Final. He comments: “To be champions of the European League is something that every football fan dreams of. The Champions League means that as a player, manager and fan, you’ve transcended your national league, to possibly be crowned the greatest football club in Europe this season. The energy and enthusiasm is nothing short of epic.

“It’s a privilege to be the host broadcaster of the Champions League Final. Our teams have been working closely throughout the football season with UEFA and Team to bring this unique sporting event to life in many different ways. Warner Bros. Discovery is a storytelling company, and sport is at the heart of many of those stories. Every year the Champions League Final delivers action, drama and victory. All pillars of a great story.”

“In addition to the Olympic Games, the Champions League Final sits alongside as one of the most significant productions that we will undertake this summer,” Young continues.

“We have a dedicated team, with the skills and passion to ensure our coverage of the final is one to remember and enjoy. It starts at Wembley Stadium with a massive two-hour build up to make sure that every moment of the road to Wembley is told.”

“As a fan-first broadcaster we will make sure that fans of these two teams, of Real Madrid and Dortmund, and fans of football get to live the spectacle of the Champions League final across our linear, streaming and digital channels,” Young concludes.

Host broadcast facts and figures

The final will be broadcast in UHD-HDR 1080p50 HLG (NBC LUT package). On audio, Dolby surround sound will be available on the HD feed, while Dolby Atmos Immersive audio will also be available on the UHD feed.

UEFA has allocated a plethora of unilateral broadcast facilities. These include 136 TV, radio and social media commentary position desks.

Coverage of the game is set to be huge, with two pitch view studios and 20 tribune presentation positions, as well as 20 pitch presentation positions, 11 flash interview positions and five super flash positions.

On cameras, there will be 38 unilateral camera positions behind goals and 17 social media cameras.

There will be a 43-camera coverage plan for the

final, including:

• Aerial camera system

• Helicopter

• Seven super-slow motion

• Two hi-speed cameras

• Two crane cameras

• Two Polecams

• Two coaching cameras

In addition, on site on the day will be eight unilateral broadcast partner offices. These will be within the broadcast compound, which will cover 11,000sqm of space to accommodate everyone involved in the broadcast.

Over 140km of fibre has been pulled by UEFA to deliver services to those broadcast partners.

Inside DAZN’s host broadcast of the UWCL

When Barcelona takes on Lyon in the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) Final in Bilbao on Saturday (25 May), it will be a clash between two of the most successful teams in the competition’s history — as well as the culmination of another season of comprehensive coverage of women’s club football for DAZN.

Holders Barcelona will play in their fourth straight final, aiming to become the third team to win three titles. Meanwhile, in four competitive meetings so far — including two finals — record eight-time winners Lyon have won on every occasion.

For DAZN, which has positioned itself as ‘the global home of women’s football’, the final provides the perfect opportunity to showcase the streaming platform’s approach to covering the top tier of women’s football.

“Every year, it’s got bigger and better,” says Dave Wade, DAZN head of football and multisport. “For this particular match, we start off with our mantra that we have for every single match, which is we want to tell every story, cover

every single angle and convey the live excitement and atmosphere inside the stadium to viewers, whether they’re watching on their phone, their tablet, or in their living rooms on the TV.”

It was back in July 2021 that DAZN acquired global rights to broadcast the UWCL and was awarded host broadcaster duties for the next four seasons to 2025. This was also the first time UEFA had centralised all Women’s Champions League matches globally. In a bid for further exposure and growth, DAZN entered into a partnership with YouTube to make the competition live and free for fans around the world for the first time.

For the final, as well as producing its own unilateral coverage, DAZN is host broadcaster for 13 sub-licensees from across Europe plus Brazil and Mexico, each with their own unilateral presentation positions.

To support its production, DAZN appointed Mediapro as technical services provider. Says Wade: “We looked at a range of companies and considered who’s best placed to deliver what we need, and in this case, it was a fairly easy decision to go with Mediapro with the expertise that they’ve got, plus they know Bilbao and the San Mamés.

“They also have a predominantly female crew (including host broadcast director Claudia Santos) which is an example of how forward-

thinking they are as an organisation. We always want the best person for the job; there is no tokenism. And we don’t patronise in our coverage. The game has grown up sufficiently that it’s judged on its own merits.”

Working alongside Wade is DAZN production manager Courtney Pascuad, plus Jemma Archer, DAZN’s senior producer of women’s football. Says Archer: “We feel quite strongly that what you won’t see in our broadcasts is 15 minutes dedicated to the rise of the women’s game, because we’ve heard that a million times before. It’s treated as football in a pure sense. This is a match between the best players and our job is to tell the story.”

DAZN FanZone

Archer will work on DAZN’s preview show airing on Friday and the integration of second screen experience DAZN Visa FanZone, available via DAZN in more than 200 countries including Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain. Functionality includes interactive features such as quizzes, live chat and viewer polls — allowing fans to engage with the content and each other in real-time. These social and interactive elements are designed to add further dimension to the coverage.

Says Archer: “We’ve had 72 million impressions, 890,000 interactions with fans from the quarter-finals, so it’s been an amazingly successful initiative because it’s the first time that the DAZN women’s football team has worked on that with a brand like Visa.

“It’s something you can’t replicate with a traditional linear broadcast so it’s unique to DAZN as a streaming platform and with such a young demographic. We will integrate it within the live broadcast as well, with a few nods to it and various dedicated live updates to harmonise between what you see on second screens and in the traditional live broadcasts.”

Planning process

Production planning for the final started in the summer, straight after the 2023 final in Eindhoven. The first site visit to Bilbao was in September of last year. Wade says: “With UEFA, we spent a day looking at every single aspect of the stadium, whether that’s the camera positions, the presentation positions, where the tunnels are — everything that will help us to tell the story and all the subplots.”

They considered using a box in one of the upper stands for the DAZN presentation position, but it was deemed too far removed from the action so instead, presenters and pundits will be pitch side with no ‘furniture’ between them

Dave Wade, DAZN head of football and multisport, with Jemma Archer, DAZN senior producer of women’s football

and the viewers. “Viewers will see the players walking immediately behind and after the match, they’ll come over to our press position and talk to us, so it’s really embedded within the day itself,” says Wade.

To tell the story of the final, the multilateral camera plan will be comprised of 17 cameras — a significant uplift on UWCL group stage games, which typically have between three and five cameras to cover the action.

The Spidercam was “already plugged in” at the San Mamés, a great example of how suited the stadium is to broadcast, says Wade. “I’ve been working in football around the world for a few years now, and this is one of the best stadiums I’ve been to; everything is catered for. It’s an amazing arena, every conceivable angle has been thought about when it was designed. It’s purpose built for TV.”

In addition, a selfie stick — Batcam ‘Selfie’ — will capture crowd reactions and emotions before and during the match and then be made available to whichever team is celebrating after the final whistle. It was introduced at last year’s final — a first for a UEFA Final — where Barcelona used it to capture their post-match celebrations.

Wade says: “We’ll be doing that again because it was such a big success — you couldn’t get much more immersive than the players filming themselves. And literally a week later it was used in the men’s Champions League Final in Istanbul. So that’s an example of some innovation that the women’s game has pushed through into the men’s game.”

This year’s final will be produced in HD-SDI

1080i50, while the audio production will be full 5.1+2 surround sound with a Dolby E multichannel audio mix, the same as last year’s final. The host broadcast signal will be distributed via SNG, while the DAZN unilateral will be distributed via fibre to BT Tower, and then to DAZN’s production and TX hub in Leeds and then to over 200 countries around the world.

In numbers: UEFA Women’s Champions League Final

• 17 match coverage camera plan for the final including an aerial camera system

• Produced in HD-SDI 1080i50

• Audio production will be full 5.1+2 surround sound production with a Dolby E multichannel audio mix

UEFA has allocated the following unilateral broadcast facilities:

• 33 TV, radio and social media commentary position desks

• 1 tribune presentation position

• 14 pitch presentation positions

• 10 flash interview positions and 4 super flash positions

• 27 unilateral camera positions and 13 social media cameras

• 6 pitch reporter positions

• 1 indoor studio

• 2 VIP positions

• 1,950sqm of broadcast compound space

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Live from London: EPCR finals take over Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

The Sharks from Durban overcame Gloucester Rugby to take the Challenge Cup on Friday evening (24 May) and Stade Toulousain edged out Leinster Rugby after extra time on Saturday afternoon (25 May) to lift the Champions Cup at the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) Finals Weekend at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“In my eyes this is the best stadium in Europe today,” EPCR head of broadcast and media rights Carl Bengtsson told SVG Europe on Friday morning. “We were supposed to come here some years ago and then Covid hit. The stadium then was brand new, and that would have been an event in itself as people would have come out of curiosity to see the stadium.

“But operationally speaking maybe it’s a good thing because the stadium team know their stadium a lot better now, they know what they can and cannot do, and I realise now that going to a brand-new stadium would probably have been a bit challenging. We had this situation in Lyon a couple of years ago, when the football stadium was brand new; it’s complicated to go to a new stadium.

“So we were lucky in a way, and it’s still the top stadium in Europe. All the facilities for hospitality are top of the line. It’s quite easy for broadcasters to rig camera positions as the stadium had been designed with TV in mind. All the camera positions are catered for — obviously for football but we can still use them for rugby. You have a lot of positions on the gantry, commentators have a lot of space, it’s completely pre-cabled as well which makes such a difference to older venues where you have to cable everything.

“It’s a very easy stadium to use, and the local team here is fantastic. They know how to host events outside of their own football team. We know it’s an NFL stadium, and they’re really working to be a great venue for anyone to come here and play.

“The NFL has helped us as well as the team here is used to different requirements and

It’s a very easy stadium to use, and the local team here is fantastic. They know how to host events outside of their own football team
CARL BENGTSSON, EPCR

routines. Sometimes you go to football stadiums and they say ‘this is the way we’ve always done it’ and they’re not willing to change. Here they are happy to give us a hand and facilitate.”

Production effort

Last year in Dublin saw a complex production facilities situation with two separate host broadcasters, BT Sport and RTÉ, for the Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals on consecutive days. This year TNT Sports was EPCR’s host broadcaster for both finals in London, with Buzz 16 providing the production team.

“This time around TNT Sports is hosting both finals, which makes things a lot easier as they are in charge,” said Bengtsson. “And then we have add-ons, obviously, for the five other broadcasters present. On the English-speaking

side we have RTÉ and ITV for free-to-air in Ireland and the UK. And then we have France Télévisions for French free-to-air and BeIN Sports for pay-TV.

“We also have ESPN for LatAm, who are here mostly to do interviews with the Argentinians playing for Gloucester and Toulouse. There’s a huge interest in our competition in Latin America, and they have come to the quarterfinals, the semi-finals and now to both finals this weekend. That’s the general set-up, so it’s quite busy.

“The Buzz 16 team has been here already this season, covering the Saracens vs Harlequins game in the Premiership in March. Obviously it’s a bigger operation this time around, and they have gone with a very good camera plan for both games so we’re well covered. We never take it less seriously for the Challenge Cup; we respect both competitions in the same way.

“Before the merger Sunset+Vine provided the BT Sport production for our games and the Premiership as well. Then it changed to Buzz 16 and a lot of Sunset+Vine staff went over to Buzz 16, so it’s familiar ground for us. They’re still contracting EMG for facilities so it was extremely reassuring to know that we were dealing with people we knew with EMG behind them and we knew for sure they would do a great job.

Matthis Lebel scores what proved to be Stade Toulousain’s match-winning try during last Saturday’s epic final against Leinster Rugby Picture: EPCR

“ITV Sport and TNT Sports are working with EMG. RTÉ only has a small add-on so it uses facilities through EMG as well, and then both French broadcasters have a historical relationship with NEP Ireland, working with them for many years — and this makes things a lot easier here on-site as you basically have two facilities teams in EMG and NEP.”

Richard Wright was unit manager for EMG and Jonathan Endley for NEP Ireland. NEP had two trucks on-site, one each for France Télévisions and BeIN Sports, with seven ISO cameras for each broadcaster pitch-side (one a radio camera for France TV) enabling pre-, half-time and post-game unilateral show presentation.

“Gari Jenkins is executive producer for Buzz 16 and Dom McGuire is the production manager,” continued Bengtsson. “He’s been the one coordinating these finals since we first came here almost a year ago, working on this project and being the main man overseeing all the different needs from all broadcasters. It’s a lot of responsibility, and he has done an incredible job.

“You know what it’s like; broadcasters all have their needs and they change their minds last-

minute on everything from camera positions to commentary positions, catering, partner accreditation… It’s not an easy job to coordinate all this. And meanwhile Dom has to take care of his main employer, TNT Sports. A lot of respect to him, because I know it’s been tough.

“The pitch here is a little strange as it is narrow down the sides, with less space for cameras both in front and behind the LED. We have TMO cameras in front of the LED in the north and

behind the LED in the south. When they’re behind the LED boards it’s difficult to fit in photographers, because obviously we need the TMO cameras to be able to see the entire try line.

“But on the other hand we’re lucky to have a huge OB compound because we have the school across the road and we can go into the school yard. It is fairly easy here; we don’t have the same challenges we would in older venues. They had broadcast in mind when they built this stadium.”

Carl Bengtsson, head of broadcast and media rights, European Professional Club Rugby

EBU provides comprehensive coverage and technology debuts in Rome

The 2024 European Athletics Championships begins today (7 June), with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) acting as host broadcaster for the event, and 29 additional broadcasters on site in Rome, Italy.

For the first time at the event, the use of drones and monowheels as mobile cameras will be used to capture the action, with the championships also providing — via an accelerator programme — an opportunity to test augmented reality and a cloud-based mixer.

Taking place 7-12 June, the championships will be broadcast live across Europe and the world by at least 35 broadcasters, including 33 EBU Members, with 1,200 hours of live coverage planned for linear TV.

Broadcasters will be providing supplementary content across their digital platforms that will build on those of the previous European Athletics Championships held at Munich’s Olympiastadion.

Additional, complementary coverage will also be streamed live on the new Eurovision Sport

platform, which the EBU said would “allow fans to catch every moment of their favourite sports, with all qualifiers and events not covered by broadcasters available on the platform, enhancing the extensive coverage provided by Europe’s public service media”.

Immersive coverage

The event will feature more than 50 cameras within the stadium, including 3D cablecams, railcams and segways, to cover track and field events. Twelve additional cameras will cover external races, including a helicopter for the half marathon and, for the first time at the European Athletics Championships, the use of drones and monowheels as mobile cameras.

These innovations will bring viewers closer to the athletes, the EBU said, delivering more immersive coverage. Additionally, specific cinematic cameras will capture behind-thescenes and warm-up activities, providing emotional and engaging content.

Another significant innovation project is the Road to Rome accelerator programme, developed in partnership with Hype Sports Innovation. The programme has selected companies to test augmented reality elements within the production concept and a cloud-based

The partnership with EBU and the cutting-edge technologies employed will showcase the very best of European athletics

live mixer. This technology allows rights holders to produce their own unilateral feed without the need for traditional studios or galleries.

Eurovision Sport director Glen Killane said: “We are thrilled to offer comprehensive and innovative coverage of the 2024 European Athletics Championships, particularly as this will be the last chance to see Europe’s top athletes ahead of the Paris Games. Our aim is to bring fans closer to the action than ever before, using cutting-edge technology to enhance the viewing experience. We are ensuring unprecedented free access through our Eurovision Sport streaming app, designed to complement the first-class coverage delivered by our Members.”

European Athletics president Dobromir Karamarinov added: “The European Athletics Championships 2024 marks a pivotal moment for our sport, offering an unprecedented opportunity for fans to engage with athletics through diverse and innovative broadcast methods. The partnership with EBU and the cutting-edge technologies employed will showcase the very best of European athletics, inspiring the next generation of athletes and fans alike.”

Christian Milz, CEO, European Athletics, said: “The extensive live coverage planned for this year’s championships highlights the importance and appeal of athletics across Europe. With the invaluable support of EBU Members, we are ensuring that fans everywhere can experience the excitement of the event. We look forward to displaying the incredible talent and dedication of our athletes on a global stage.”

More than 50 cameras within the stadium will cover the track and field events Picture: European Athletics

https://technology.panasonic.eu/av-digital-world/

Eurovision Sport on the Road to Rome

tech initiative

The 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, which concluded on Wednesday (12 June), provided Eurovision Sport with the opportunity to introduce technology from sports technology startups during the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) host broadcast of the event.

Eurovision Sport — which manages a range of media rights on behalf of EBU members — launched a search for “pioneering sports broadcasting tech” in partnership with innovation accelerator Hype Sports Innovation in November last year.

Eurovision Sport senior project manager audio and innovation Christophe Pasquier said the Road to Rome initiative aimed to harness innovative technological solutions to “enhance the broadcast and overall experience” of the Rome Championships.

He said: “This initiative emerged from a collaboration between us at Eurovision Sport and Hype Sports Innovation, focusing on integrating cutting-edge technologies into sports broadcasting to improve production quality, digital streaming, AI-driven data analytics and event management systems such as ticketing.

“This is the first time we have partnered

with Hype Sports Innovation; however, we have worked on additional projects involving technology in sports events.”

In June last year, the EBU explored the practical use of AI in sports broadcasting with a voice cloning project during the European Athletics Team Championships in Poland.

“This project used AI to replicate live blog content and create audio versions with the cloned voice of a former athlete, Hannah England, providing fans with more dynamic content across multiple platforms,” said Pasquier.

For the Road to Rome initiative, the selection process was split into four parts: applicants submitted their solutions, followed by a proposal, review and validation of concept.

The search for solutions

“After meeting with the Road to Rome board, we compiled a solutions shortlist before the selection and implementation phase,” said Pasquier. “When we launched the search, we specifically looked for tech founders ready with innovative solutions that could impact the European Athletics

Championships 2024 in Rome, particularly in production and engineering, digital streaming and OTT, athlete AI and data analytics or metadata production.”

A cloud-based mixer was highlighted by EBU ahead of the event in Rome. Pasquier explained: “The cloud-based mixer allowed for unilateral feeds, enabling rights holders to produce customised content. Rights holders responded positively to this technology after successful deployment during the championships, and appreciated the flexibility and efficiency it provided in producing tailored content.”

With the Rome event now concluded, Eurovision Sport will evaluate all of the initiatives based on their performance and feedback from stakeholders. It is anticipated that the names of the individual suppliers will be announced in the coming weeks.

“We aim to analyse the PoC effectiveness and impact of these technologies to determine their suitability for future events where we act as the host broadcaster,” said Pasquier, who added that the EBU plans to run similar projects in the future.

“We want to emphasise the importance of leveraging new technologies to enhance the delivery and experience of sports broadcasts,” he said. “Within the EBU, we have an incredible technology and innovation department that helps us identify and implement the best AI-based solutions, such as Eurovox.io, an open toolkit for transcription and translation. We anticipate future collaborations with Member broadcasters and federations, aiming to implement innovative solutions across various competitions.”

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The view of New York from London

When SVG Europe visited the Ealing Broadcast Centre in London during the Friday practice for the New York SailGP event (22-23 June), CBS host, analyst and former American football player Nate Burleson was midway through a ‘Sixth Sailor’ experience on the US team catamaran.

As well as providing a chance for celebrities and influencers to experience the thrills of high-speed racing, the Friday practice also gave the production crew valuable time to rehearse camera angles and smooth out any technical issues.

“When you’re racing somewhere like Manhattan, it’s really important that we’re getting the amazing backdrops and iconic images like the Statue of Liberty into our coverage, as well as the crowds on Governors Island,” says

executive producer Chris Carpenter.

“In some respects, when you are in a place like New York, it doesn’t matter where you point the cameras because it all looks iconic, but the challenging thing about sailing is that we can practise today and then the wind might have changed by 190-degrees tomorrow, so the racecourse could be completely different and therefore how we cover the races might be completely different.”

US traction

Last weekend was SailGP’s first return to the Big Apple in five years, with the New York event the 12th stop on a 13-event global sail racing championship in which teams compete on identical flying catamarans at speeds of over 60mph. In New York, New Zealand’s Black Foils triumphed in front of 8,000 spectators in the purpose-built Race Stadium on Governors Island. Those not in New York were able to watch the live racing via SailGP’s own app, Facebook page

and YouTube channel, while viewers in Europe can also watch live coverage or highlights via deals with a host of broadcasters including ITV in the UK, Canal+ in France, Servus in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and Ziggo in the Netherlands.

The SailGP calendar also includes events in Chicago, Los Angeles, Saint Tropez, Dubai, Sydney, plus the final race in the calendar in San Francisco in July, but wherever in the world the 10 teams are racing, live coverage is produced by the SailGP production team at Timeline’s Ealing Broadcast Centre in west London.

The in-house team of around 100 people takes over much of the centre during a race weekend. Around 13 edit suites receive the programme feeds, creating highlights packages and prebuilt features. These include a US-focused, 90-minute duration, overnight delivery for CBS (which given the New York location is a lengthier cut compared to the usual 44-minute show) plus a 47-minute show for ITV4 and an international

(L-R): Director’s assistant Liza Rowlandi; executive producer Chris Carpenter; vision mixer Tim Cook; and director Lyle Fielmich in the Ealing Broadcast Centre
We use

AI

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is

who on each boat, because you can’t see their face. We also have a human QA, because your computer is only so clever
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highlights package. In addition, there’s a 47-minute French-language show for Canal+ and a Spanish-language show for RTVE.

All of this is supported by five EVS machines with four ops and a VT coord taking in some 47 feeds, including two helicopters, three chase boats, three onboards per catamaran and three onshore RF cameras. Another EVS is used by analysis producer Zoe Pike, who creates technical breakdowns at the end of each race.

Also based in Ealing is the commentary team of Todd Harris from the US, former Olympic sailor Stevie Morrison as a colour commentator, and Emily Nagel who specialises in the numbers and data to provide stats and analysis.

That means there is only a “minimal” production crew on site, including camera operators, the race management team, plus a

crew supporting the LiveLine graphics team and 20 people from remote production partner Riedel, which has partnered with SailGP since season 2 and handles all the RF, comms and onshore coaching tools.

Team talk

Like all sports, SailGP is keen to get viewers closer to the action. As part of these efforts, it recently launched Team Talk, which takes the audio from mics worn by sailors and converts the speech into text via a system from LiveLine before it is shared on screen with viewers.

Overseeing it is producer Kyle Stoneham. He says: “If I see anything interesting during the racing that’s relevant, I can export it and make it available to Chris.” It’s then presented on screen with a small graphic of the name of the

sailor and team, plus the audio, akin to F1. It also automatically translates into French and Spanish for their live feeds and highlight shows.

New for the SailGP New York event is Foil Cam. Located underneath all 10 boats to show a new angle of the foils — which allow the boats to move at an increased speed through the water — the live footage from each camera is transferred via a T-Mobile private 5G network.

“All 10 of those angles are coming in via 5G and I have a little vision switcher to operate, because we only actually receive one at full bandwidth at any one time over the Tata fibre connection so I’m switching which one we could cut to live,” he adds.

Another relatively new element is an onboard tracking graphic which can follow the sailors as they move across the boat. It was used for the first time in Halifax, Canada (the race prior to New York) and uses AI to tag the image of a sailor with their name as they move across the boat.

Speaking about the onboard tracking shot, SailGP director of LiveLine Tom Peel says: “We use AI to recognise who is who on each boat, because you can’t see their face. We also have a human QA, because your computer is only so clever, and then we can fix and polish it.”

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IPC to bring unprecedented coverage to fans

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is set to bring unprecedented coverage of the 2024 Paralympics to viewers globally, as it has secured a record number of rights holding broadcasters that will share the 549 medal events with 1,400 hours of live coverage from all 22 Paralympic sports.

Speaking to SVG Europe, John Lisko, the IPC’s managing director of global media rights, says: “We’re really excited because for the first time we will have coverage in every market

We have global coverage for the planet; the whole planet has the ability to see the Paralympic Games

around the world. It’s a combination of linear platforms, and the majority of them — I think almost all of them — will have a streaming platform as part of it. We have YouTube as an overlay in the markets where it’s applicable, because it’s not all markets that can stream our platform, but together we have global coverage for the planet; the whole planet has the ability to see the Paralympic Games.”

Every sport live

Compared to Rio 2016, where there were 16 live sports available to rights holders, Paris 2024 marks a rapid growth in coverage of the Games. This Paralympics marks the first time each of the 22 sports will be available to broadcast live. Lisko says: “All sports will be live, which we’re really excited about. We had 19 of the 22 sports live in Tokyo. [This year] we’ve increased the overall production coverage with OBS.”

At Tokyo the IPC had over 150 broadcasters signed up, but Paris 2024 marks the 160-plus figure, and even at this late stage there may be more to come, Lisko says. “It’s a reshuffling of some broadcasters, and there’s still some deals that we’re finalising now, so it’s great; right up until the end. If there’s room, we’ll take ’em!”

On why the Paralympic fan base is growing so quickly, Lisko remarks: “I think it’s a testament to the growth of the movement overall. The Paralympic movement and the quality of sport, the investment that’s been made around the world with the federations and the NPCs in the sport, I think the sport continues to get better.

“I also think the growth of the digital platforms is helping tremendously, especially to engage new fans, younger fans. Television is phenomenal and gives us a great base for the broad coverage that we need, but digital content is just a great solution for streaming and the on-demand component. I think the combination of it all is just working.”

On the digital strategy for Paris 2024, Lisko says: “From the streaming standpoint, our YouTube channel will be our video player for the Games. So in markets where it’s allowable, where we don’t have it geoblocked, we have a distributing platform where a customer can come in and stream the Games live on our YouTube channel, which is fantastic. That gives them an opportunity to be on the site, have the experience.

“In addition, we have a whole plan of global content that we’re putting up, with sports highlights every day focused on different athletes and fun moments. We also have a lot of content that’s being created to help inform customers about the sport.”

Growing commitment

The IPC is pleased with the commitment that global broadcasters are now showing the Paralympics. Previously Channel 4 in the UK was the flagship broadcaster globally for the Games, but now others are giving the Paralympics the coverage it deserves.

When SVG Europe caught up with Lisko last year to discuss the planning for Paris 2024, it was noted that the US was a target market for the Paralympics as the profile of the Games in the US is a lot lower than in Europe. However, NBC has now taken the Paralympics and run with it.

“We’ve had a variety of rights holders who have really stepped up,” continues Lisko. “I think NBC’s done a great job with a variety of different ways that they are advancing the platform. They’ve made some really nice additions to the coverage consistently to expand it, but also to create new opportunities for viewership, and I think that’s important because the next Games will be in Los Angeles. So to make sure that the US audience is fully engaged in the Paralympic Games now will help us lay a really strong foundation for the next four years leading up to and including the LA Games.”

JOHN LISKO, IPC
All 22 Paralympic sports will be available to broadcast live for the first time

Playoff Finals go remote with in-house production team

The British Basketball League Playoff Finals returned to the O2 Arena on Sunday (19 May), and while the venue may have been familiar, it’s been all change behind the scenes in recent months.

Following last year’s playoffs, Jose Garnes, chief content office at the British Basketball League (BBL), told SVG Europe of his grand plans to bring production of the league in house and move to a remote production model. Twelve months on, those plans have been fully realised, with Sunday being the 226th game delivered by that in-house team.

Speaking ahead of the Playoff Finals, Garnes explained that while a fully remote production

is now the norm for BBL, in recognition of the importance of this event, more of the team will be on site than during a normal league game.

“All of our games apart from the tentpoles have been done remotely,” he explains. “The people that we send to the arenas are our reporter on the games that go on Sky and the camera crew, which is provided by Timeline, our facilities provider.

“The O2 is an enhanced coverage to the traditional broadcast that we would do on linear TV. So we have up to 16 cameras covering every element of the game, we have two super-slow mo cameras to help us with analysis but also to showcase the occasion and the venue that we’re playing. We have an on-site pres too. Whereas normally during the regular season, all of our presentation is remote from our studios, on this one we actually go into the O2 Arena. And then

For us, it has been important that we don’t just stay within the channels that people know they can watch

we have a different set of guests depending on whether we’re covering the women’s game, or the men’s game. That way on these tentpoles we can feature the Women’s League and bring them up to the same level of production as

To enable effective remote production, fibre was installed in all of the league’s arenas before

“We own that connection,” adds Garnes. “All of those connections and data feeds come into Timeline and from that we produce the games remotely. At Timeline in Ealing we have the ability to do two concurrent broadcasts and we can do up to three games per day. That allows us to create volume, while also optimising the cost.”

Quality and consistency

“In the past all of the games that were broadcast had completely different production levels and resources, and the commentators and production team used to go to every arena,” he continues. “If we tried to follow that same model, our costs would be very high and our production values would change a lot because there would be a disconnect among teams travelling up and down the country. Now we can keep everything in one location, and I’d say it’s delivering that consistency of quality as well.”

Throughout the season, one game a week has been broadcast live on Sky. In addition, the matches have been picked up by the US, with NBC, Yes Network, Bally, NSN and Fubo all showing live games, including the finals. Social media is also playing a pivotal role in building awareness of the sport.

“On Twitch, we’re going to do a preview show ahead of the final. We have two young basketball fans, one is an influencer and the other works within the scene,” he adds. “They’ll be talking to a younger set of fans about what is coming up and then driving the viewership to tune in on Sky Sports or YouTube. For us, it has been important that we don’t just stay within the channels that people know they can watch, we are looking to expand and bring them on board with content that makes sense on those platforms.”

The finals are being show live on Sky as well as on US networks Picture: British Basketball League

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DMC and Superligaen realise Matchday Production vision

When Danish top-flight football league 3F Superliga started its new season in July this year, it was with a completely new broadcasting set-up. Last year, production company DMC and Superligaen A/S, the company owned by the 12 clubs competing in the Superliga, created Matchday Production, an entity whose main objective is to deliver a comprehensive broadcast feed of live matches sold to broadcasters.

To discuss this setup in further detail, SVG Europe spoke to Claus Thomsen, chief executive of Divisionsforeningen, the body that represents all the Danish football leagues including the Superliga, and Mats Berggren, chief operating officer at DMC.

Streamlining systems

The new production company has been established with the main objective of streamlining the live-broadcast process. It has an almost even split across the two partners, with Superligaen A/S owning a 49% share and DMC a 51% share.

To avoid confusion, Thomsen felt it important to clarify the difference between Matchday Productions and Superligaen A/S, explaining

that the new company decides everything that directly relates to the production, such as how many cameras, angles, the quality and the production set-up, while Superligaen A/S decides the planning of matches such as on what days and time the matches are played.

Another objective behind establishing Matchday Production was to create a more centralised and efficient service. Thomsen says: “Before Matchday Production, different companies would handle the production of the matches which would then be bought by the broadcaster. This is the function that Matchday Production will now take on.”

The Divisionsforeningen head further explains that Matchday Production’s remote production set-up means that all of Denmark’s 55 stadiums are connected to the Matchday HQ in Copenhagen, via a contribution ring, allowing it to film in one location and do the production in another.

Berggren says: “We can do remote production from all Superliga venues but right now, in the start-up phase, to ease the pressure on our MCR we are limiting it to two simultaneous Superliga games at the most.”

The contribution ring is a ring network that has been procured by Matchday Production to give them full control of the network. It features 10Gbit ‘sprouts’ to the arenas and redundant

100Gbit lines to the broadcast centre. The network provider is TDC, the largest telecom operator in Denmark. “We also have redundant lines to the broadcasters,” Berggren adds.

Making it a reality

In order to make Matchday Production a success, DMC brought in Germany’s Broadcast Solutions, who helped them create the Copenhagen HQ.

The new facility is equipped with Grass Valley Kula switchers, Kayenne control surfaces and GV vision mixers. It also features mc²36 audio consoles from Lawo, a talkback system and MediorNet Horizon processing platform from Riedel, while EVS provided XT servers as well as its Xeebra platform to handle VAR. Net Insight’s Nimbra application enables remote production, while the graphics systems was tailor-made by Danish company TV-graphics.

In addition, Zero Density provided an end-toend solution for two white-label virtual studios in Copenhagen. The setup includes Zero Density’s Reality5 virtual production platform, plus Traxis Camera Tracking, Traxis Talent Tracking, and EVO II render engines.

The Copenhagen facility covers 1,800sqm, including a 400sqm studio, four main control rooms with capacity for up to 40 cameras, including Grass Valley’s LDX 98 which is used for all production purposes, DJI’s Ronin 4D, used for ENG and effects footage, and the DJI Mini 4 Pro Drone, which is used for aerial as well as external shots.

Berggren adds that an ambition of Matchday Production was “to create a centralised remote production facility”, one that would reduce the need for extensive on-site equipment and personnel.

All 800 matches of the Danish leagues will be broadcast live, “though not all of those would be broadcast on linear TV, with some available as video on demand”, he adds.

While it is Matchday Production that oversees the full production, the facility is also set up to cater for its clients; in the case of Superligaen it is tailored to meet the requirements of TV 2 and Viaplay who share the broadcasting rights.

“We have three production models, based on the size of the production,” Berggren explains. For a standard Superliga match the set-up is generally six cameras in total — two large, two medium and two small — to ensure all the action is captured. It is produced in HD at 1080p, though Berggren underlines: “It is our ambition at the start of 2025 to deliver HDR, but it is dependent upon broadcasters being able to accept it.”

FIRST PUBLISHED 1 OCTOBER 2024
All of Denmark’s 55 stadiums are connected to the Matchday HQ in Copenhagen via a contribution ring

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DMC switches to remote production

The 10th anniversary of Nordic-based motorsport RallyX has been given a remote production shake-up by facilities provider DMC in the form of Grass Valley AMPP. Mats Berggren, COO, DMC Norway, calls it “a small revolution and a totally new workflow approach”.

He says: “So far, the biggest limitation for proper remote production has been the need for large bandwidth connectivity to get all the camera signals to your remote centre. With a remote vehicle installed with AMPP servers, it is a totally new ballgame. You can do high-quality TV coverage over a regular internet line as long as there’s enough bandwidth for the PGM output, a multiview feed and some control signals.”

Previous championships, which run across five weekends in the Spring, have been produced as a conventional outside broadcast, but this year it has gone entirely remote, saving considerable cost and CO2 on travel while giving rights holder RallyX greater scope to increase production value.

As you’d expect, RallyX does not take place in cities or generally in stadiums, but typically on circuits “in the middle of nowhere”, says Jens Envall, CTO of DMC Sweden.

Examples include Nysum, one of the most spectacular locations in the championship, located 40km south of Aalborg in Denmark, and the Tierp Arena, two hours from Stockholm and 30 minutes from Scandinavia’s oldest university city of Uppsala.

Connectivity challenges

Since RallyX occurs once a year at each venue it’s not cost effective to install permanent broadcast connections.

“We need to rely on existing internet connectivity for these tracks,” explains Envall. “Some of them have good connectivity but others are really poor so we decided our remote set-up would need around 100Mb/s.”

Earlier this year DMC Production went on air for one of the Netherlands’ largest sports channels from a DMC-built and equipped live, post and playout production centre at Hilversum outside of Amsterdam. The centre is based on GV AMPP giving the team confidence to expand the use of the technology for RallyX live sport production.

The production uses LDX 98 series cameras with Fujinon 14x to 107x lenses, including 3x super slow-mo and a wireless link from Vislink. Action is produced in 1080p50 and distributed to the RallyX YouTube channel.

From this year two small vans equipped with two production servers are running AMPP apps for vision mixing, audio mixing, replay, multiview and graphics as well as for processing outgoing RTMP streams to YouTube and

monitoring — essentially the entire AMPP ecosystem. It means that the main production crew, including the director, chief audio engineer, replay op, vision engineer and graphics operator, can now work from DMC’s broadcast centres cutting travel and hotel costs.

“We’re utilising the crew we already have at the broadcast centres [in Norway and Sweden],” explains Berggren. “Since we already have vision engineers [shaders] in Oslo working on 800 productions a year, we’re just adding RallyX production on top.”

Currently, RallyX is covered by approximately eight cameras including studio cameras and PTZs. RallyX is exploring the use of onboard cameras and Envall says the number of cameras can be increased thanks to the GV AMPP set up. “We can set up 8, 16 or 24 cameras using the same bandwidth. It means we can scale up and down without additional investment.”

Adds Berggren: “One of the biggest challenges with remote is high bandwidth connectivity, especially with venues we do not visit so regularly but with the AMPP approach we can reduce the need for bandwidth tremendously. We can still do a 10-camera or larger production using limited bandwidth.”

Instead of having to feed 10 cameras back to the broadcast centre, the signals are processed by the server on-site with the control remote back.

“Now we can retain high-quality coverage with all the camera signals fed straight into the server and send one high-quality output via existing 100Mb/s connectivity,” he concludes.

One of the biggest challenges with remote is high bandwidth connectivity, especially with venues we do not visit so regularly but with the AMPP approach we can reduce the need for bandwidth tremendously

DMC is utilising Grass Valley AMPP to enable its remote production

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Referee-mounted camera debuts in Bundesliga

Acamera was mounted to a referee during a German Bundesliga fixture for the first time on Sunday (25 February 2024), with the official in charge of the tie between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg equipped with a Riedel-developed camera and microphone.

Referee Daniel Schlager was fitted with the RefCam device to provide viewers with a closeup view of the referee’s perspective and to show

microphone will be used from 12 March in a monthly 30-minute programme ‘Referees Mic’d up — Bundesliga’. Produced by DFL Digital Sports, the programme will be made available to national and international media partners.

The initiative was authorised by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and required coordination between various stakeholders including the German Football Association (DFB), the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, the participating clubs, and the referees.

It’s really important to know what referees think, and how they use this kind of technology

engineered technologies paired with supervision and support by Riedel-qualified engineers, one of the first projects overseen by the division was the DFL’s work with Riedel to design a reliable infrastructure for German Bundesliga referee communications.

Referee Daniel Schlager tested RefCam on 17 December during the match between Arminia Bielefeld and TSV 1860 Munich in the 3rd division.

The use of a ref cam builds on some previous uses of mics in other European countries last season; in April last year, referee Emily Heaslip wore a mic during Chelsea’s match against Reading in the Women’s Super League. In the same month, Ligue 1 referee Benoit Millot was mic’d up for the fixture between Lyon and Nantes, with Amazon Prime sharing footage on social media.

JAN
Referee Patrick Kessel with the head unit of Riedel’s RefCam

Leave the boom mic, plant mic, and interview mic exactly where they are and make necessary transmitter adjustments from the comfort (and quiet) of your cart, bag, camera, or truck. Axient Digital ShowLink delivers comprehensive, real-time control of all transmitter parameters from the mix position; not from wherever the mic is. Plug on the ADX3 and stay put. We’ve got you.

Inside NEP Germany’s hybrid production operation

Germany boasts a vast market for sports like handball, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, and hockey, with an estimated 23 million enthusiasts. However, the absence of quality streaming services has long frustrated fans. Recognising this potential gap in the market, former DFL boss Christian Seifert created the streaming platform Dyn in 2023 to service coverage dedicated to these underserved sports.

Dyn’s recipe has already proved to be successful with 1,700 matches broadcast since beginning operations last summer.

At the heart of this endeavour is NEP’s innovative production strategy. Drawing on both remote and decentralised approaches, Dyn has been able to provide groundbreaking sports coverage for a mixture of different tiers of sports and matches.

Both Zlatan Gavran, managing director, NEP Germany, and Andreas Heyden, chief executive, Dyn Media, agree on the term ‘hybrid production’ to describe NEP’s approach. Giving NEP remote production capabilities are six mobile production units dubbed ‘venue kits’.

Each converted VW Crafter has a core rack in a flight case with three stage boxes, connected over fibre. Typically, six cameras plus minicams feed into the core rack, along with microphones and other audio sources, all using SMPTE ST 2110 standard equipment.

These kits, compact and versatile, enable seamless coverage across various locations, with signals routed to NEP Germany’s Munich and Cologne headquarters for centralised management.

NEP’s proprietary broadcast control platform, TFC, is used at both facilities and within the venues to make setup, use and management of the 2110 infrastructure faster and more intuitive. Gavran says TFC and NEP’s global experience deploying it is the key to the successful launch of Dyn Media’s hybrid production solution in less than 10 months.

“If you are coming from a conventional

broadcast infrastructure and moving to an IP network, TFC guides that transition,” Gavran says. “If you are having a traditional EIC (engineer in charge) operate a network, you need to have something in between, and that’s TFC.”

Elevating lower tier sports

Whereas previously it may not have made financial or logistical sense to send several OB vans to cover and produce a lower tier sporting event in a remote part of Germany, NEPs hybrid approach makes covering even the most remote matches possible — with the same production treatment as higher tier games.

Heyden was also keen to underline the fact that the remote venue kits enable the coverage of different events simultaneously. As a result, Dyn has the ability to cover and stream a number of lower tier and main league events on the same day — an approach which it is hoped will attract new audiences to the diverse world of sports in Germany.

The partnership between Dyn and NEP is also unique for its active embrace of remote working habits.

Gavran says: “We knew we needed to change something in our approach after Covid, because it was clear that people don’t want to travel thousands of kilometres anymore, especially when the technology is there to be doing it remotely.

“Working around our two production hubs in Munich and Cologne, we’ve found no problem in attracting great talent who are appreciative of our model.”

Building the Dyn platform from scratch allowed Heyden and his team to develop a platform based upon a set of ideal principles. Notably, sustainability was one of the key cornerstones of Dyn Media’s ethos.

Adds Gavran: “NEPs partnership with Dyn is successful because sustainability is at the core of what we do. By switching the ensemble of OB vans with our flexible venue kits, the scale of on site support has been drastically reduced, thus drastically reducing our carbon footprint at each game we cover.”

Working around our two production hubs in Munich and Cologne, we’ve found no problem in attracting great talent who are appreciative of our model

NEP’s production strategy draws on both remote and decentralised approaches
Picture: Dyn SPC Köln

Bringing a never-seenbefore sport to life

Creating a broadcast for a brand new sport is no easy task. However, Aurora Media Worldwide has taken to this challenge once again with the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) E1 World Electric Powerboat Series, which took to the water for the first time at the beginning of February.

The creation of the first E1 broadcast took up much of 2023 for host broadcaster Aurora. Lawrence Duffy, founder and CEO at Aurora, explains: “We knew a bit about how we’d cover E1, but really we were developing the coverage plan and particularly the graphics pack most of last year because, with a new sport like this, so much of it is about the data and the technology.

“We had to work out the course layout and the integration of the course layout, the boats themselves, the data on the boats, what data we

required to be able to visualise the course and the competition, and then get to camera technology; what cameras and what graphics would we use.”

Remote complications

As with its work developing another start up, Extreme E, Aurora decided that the best plan for the E1 broadcast was remote production, given the complexity of what it wanted to achieve technically as well as from a sustainability perspective.

Duffy explains: “We made it even more difficult for ourselves by deciding to be remote straight out of the box. We only did that because we’d had the experience of being remote successfully for Extreme E, and we thought we could broadcast from anywhere in the world, which we can. We would never have taken this into the remote world had we not had the positive experience with Extreme E.”

The major challenge of this production was

that it was a brand new sport that is quite unlike anything else, which meant Aurora had to stretch the imagination of its collective team to develop the plan.

The team pulling this host broadcast together were Aurora’s executive producers Laura Watts and Mike Scott; director Ben Spencer; technical architect and, according to Duffy, “all around brain” David O’Carroll; plus Danny Koelewijn, head of creative graphics at NEP

The Netherlands, Presteigne Charter project manager Mick Bass and unit manager Simon Atkinson, as well as Mark Sheffield, broadcast and innovation director for E1, and head of content at E1 Laurence Boyd.

Hot moments

As to how race one went, Duffy says: “It went really well. Typically, we had some challenges around getting all the data points that we needed on some of the testing. But when we were broadcasting to the world, it all went very well!”

“There were some hot moments where you were asking yourself, ‘have you done the right thing? Wouldn’t it just have been easier to bring a truck?’,” Duffy goes on. “But you wouldn’t have got the level of output sought by the stakeholders and us. To do that you’ve got to take some

Aurora Media Worldwide has taken up the challenge of creating the UIM E1 World Electric Powerboat Series broadcast from scratch
The journey has really just started. We’re happy with what we’ve done, but there’s much more to do

AURORA

calculated risks and you’ve got to think, ‘can our partners deliver this pretty ground-breaking technology on the water in this championship?’ And the answer is yes, they can.”

“Now, we want to go further, but it takes a while,” Duffy ponders. “This development phase just takes a while and it’s not easy. Another nature of start-ups is even though you never get to perfect, what you do want to get to is repeatable. You have to make it consistent. I think that’s what we want to get to next so that we take the successful learnings of Jeddah, and make it repeatable, which I think we can do. So the journey has really just started. We’re happy with what we’ve done, but there’s much more to do.”

Scott says there is now a list of things he would

“Obviously there’s a million little things that we still think, ‘oh, that could be a little bit better, that could be a bit bigger…’. But I think the next big leap, tech-wise, is we’re trying to do the AR off a drone flying around, following the boats, as well as on a fixed position camera, which has got a

it’s not a helicopter. The drones have only got certain payloads and they move around a bit. But we’re trying to do that. We’ve had a wee bit of success doing that in the past, but I think to do it over water would be mega. So that’s our next level. We’ll try and do it for race two.”

Aurora staff on location in Jeddah for the first E1 race. (L to R): production manager
Kelsey Gallagher, Laura Watts executive producer, and technical producer Emily Merron

HBS captures recordbreaking EHF Euro 2024

The 2024 EHF European Men’s Handball Championship took place 10-28 January. With Germany, the heartland of European handball, hosting the tournament, anticipation soared to record levels. To ensure a truly global audience could share in the excitement of this year’s championship, host broadcast partner Infront Productions crafted a memorable production plan for an unforgettable live production experience.

Unlike previous editions, which were spread across two or three countries, this year’s tournament was centralised in six German cities: Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Mannheim, Düsseldorf and Munich with over 7 million people around the world tuning in live to watch each match.

The pressure was on for broadcast partner HBS to deliver exceptional coverage, particularly with the record-breaking attendance during the opening games in the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, which drew a crowd of 53,586 spectators — a new world record for handball.

“Since the EHF Euros are our premier national team event, delivering a top-notch live production was paramount,” comments

Thomas Schöneich, director of media and communications of the European Handball Federation. “We wanted to capture the electrifying atmosphere in the arenas and bring it directly to fans watching at home, making them feel like they were part of the action.”

Tailored approach

Although the main camera plan was consistent across all venues, each location had its own tailored additions, adjusted according to the tournament’s progression. The principle was to incrementally increase the number of cameras for each round, starting with 14-15 cameras in the main round and expanding to 21 for the semi-finals, placement matches and final, for which a drone was added to capture shots outside the arena.

To provide live broadcasting and control of video and audio feeds, OB vans were supplied by Studio Berlin for the matches in Düsseldorf,

Cologne and Berlin, with Antenna Hungária and TV Skyline looking after Munich, Hamburg and Mannheim, respectively.

For the opening events in Düsseldorf and the finals in Cologne, Studio Berlin supplied its Ü9 OB trucks, which were equipped with a Grass Valley Kayenne switcher with nine channels for processing 1080p signals. A six-channel RAM recorder ensured every moment was captured, while 64GB of storage provided ample space for replays and highlights.

A comprehensive set of monitors included 10 46in Sony displays for the control room, with 12 24in Neovo monitors for slow-motion replay, and additional Sony and Postium displays for technical areas. For capturing the opening games from various angles, 20 Grass Valley LDX 86N cameras were deployed, along with three wireless camera systems for dynamic shots.

For audio, a Lawo mc²56 mixing console, equipped with Waves Soundgrid processing, handled the 48 available audio channels. Riedel Artist digital matrix and stageboxes provided flexible routing and connectivity, while GP 640 interfaces ensured compatibility with various audio sources. This robust setup ensured a premium broadcast experience, faithfully recreating the atmosphere of the EHF final for viewers at home.

Accentuating the action

To effectively capture the magnitude of the recordbreaking opening matches and finals, HBS project director Birgit Schiller and her team at Infront Productions deployed additional cameras to accentuate the action on court.

This included the utilisation of a Spidercam which came in handy at the grand opening ceremony, as well as a Sony FX 3 (ILME-FX3) provided by TV Skyline, specially requested by the EHF to provide shallow depth of field player shots before and after the match and crowd shots during play.

Furthermore, a Vislink Gigawave InCam system operated at court level during walk-in, anthems and the ceremonies, while an outside drone captured beauty shots from the arena and city during the final in Cologne.

This year, we really succeeded in bottling the energy and spirit of the game… handball fans throughout the world could feel like they were part of the action
BIRGIT SCHILLER, INFRONT PRODUCTIONS
Capturing Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Georgia in Mannheim
Picture: EHF/kollektiff

Despite limitations on camera placement within sold-out stadiums, Infront positioned a mix of cameras at court-level and in upper-tier positions. This diverse range of angles proved successful in capturing the flow of the games, harnessing the excitement within the stadiums for the millions of remote viewers.

Despite Infront’s experience in live production for handball, the game’s dynamic nature presented unique challenges for Schiller and her crew.

“The fast-paced action often limits the use of certain shots during live broadcasts,” she comments. “While this makes for exciting sports viewing, we have to accept that we aren’t going to capture every ball movement through the live feed.”

To overcome this, Schiller’s team created packages of various unseen camera angles, such as ISO angles, super slow-motion shots and emotional shots during the match which were played out during halftime and post-match and were also utilised by the EHF for highlights and social media content.

which exceeded 17 million for the day of the finals alone.

Despite logistical challenges and venue limitations, the production successfully met the demands of the record-breaking live audience,

www.techex.co.uk

However, this year’s EHF tournament wasn’t just about breaking viewing records. Thanks to Infront Production’s live production, the fastpaced action, teamwork and the raw passion of players and fans could be experienced and celebrated by viewers everywhere.

“This year, we really succeeded in bottling the energy and spirit of the game,” concludes Schiller. “As a result, handball fans throughout the world could feel like they were part of the action.”

The Spidercam in action at Germany vs Switzerland Picture: EHF/kollektiff

Inside the EMG / Gravity Media merger

On 11 January, EMG and Gravity Media agreed a merger that will create a global production and broadcast services giant.

The new venture — which will be rebranded — will have significant global capability, including more than 100 outside broadcast trucks and flypacks and 40 studios and production facilities across Europe, the Middle East, the US and Australia. The business will also have 30 offices across 12 countries, with some 2,000 permanent employees.

The big question is, what will happen to both organisations’ brands.

Shaun Gregory, the current chief executive of EMG, who will serve as global chief executive of the combined business, acknowledged that it is an “emotive” subject. He said: “It’s one of those

things that people get super-emotional about, so we have taken specialist outside resource — companies that are deep rooted in taking the best of both brands — to come up with something really exciting.

“We’re also taking the time to consult our own people who clearly have expertise and value to add to that process, and we will also consult with our customers and take the correct amount of time to get it right; a lot of companies rush into this, but we want to do it properly.”

Both EMG and Gravity Media are no strangers to undertaking rebrands. Gravity Media was formed by Newton in 2000 and subsequently

acquired — and rebranded — established broadcast and production houses Gearhouse Broadcast, HyperActive Broadcast, Input Media and Chief Entertainment. Just under two years ago, EMG rebranded its subsidiaries CTV and Telegenic under the EMG banner.

According to John Newton, executive chairman of the newly combined EMG / Gravity Media group, one thing is for sure: “We don’t want to be like Elon Musk who moved Twitter to X and destroyed between $4 and $20 billion of

He said: “We are a B2B business anyway, so our clients know what we do and there is a brand awareness of both companies, but when we land on the right outcome, that will be messaged.

“It’s fair to say that you have two strong brands, and there’s brand equity in those, so we don’t want to make a quick and hasty decision… during 2024, we will come up with our brand architecture and our go-to-market strategy.”

Newton also revealed that the Covid-19 pandemic

He said: “We are both private equity-backed businesses. We saw the alignment and the geographic reach of both businesses and the complementary nature of that, and our services, and so we started having discussions.

“The deal was relatively complicated because of the number of stakeholders and the geographies so there were a lot of moving parts.

“We were very close to closing things off but then Covid hit and that derailed it. We had to wait for Covid to end, and for the business to get back on track and then we picked up the discussions in the second quarter of last year. The commercial terms were agreed quickly, and the deal was completed just before Christmas, but we thought given the time of the year it was best to hold for a bit before we launched.”

Both Gregory and Newton will join the main board of the newly combined group, along with EMG’s existing shareholders PAI Partners, Ackermans & Van Haaren, Watchers & Co and Banijay. TowerBrook Capital Partners, which currently has a significant shareholding in Gravity Media, will retain a stake in the

[The deal] provides a much bigger and better stable company in an industry that’s been through some difficult times SHAUN GREGORY, EMG / GRAVITY MEDIA
(L-R): John Newton and Shaun Gregory, EMG / Gravity Media

combined group. Newton will maintain his “significant” interest in the combined entity, of which PAI Partners will be the majority shareholder.

The two companies will now be merged during a particularly busy year for the live production industry, with Paris 2024 and the UEA European Championship in Germany taking place this summer.

Gregory said: “It is an incredibly busy year for sure, and of course, there will be challenges, but the reason why we went through a very thorough process and conducted a beauty parade for external advisors was to receive support from companies that do this day in, day out; they do nothing else but integration, and that was to make sure that we have credibility in the decision-making process and that we do things properly. And to make sure that we integrate as quickly as possible, and that it’s seamless.”

In terms of what the deal means for employees of EMG and Gravity Media, Gregory said: “Firstly, you’ve got greater scale, with good geographical coverage now globally. So, it provides a much bigger and better stable company in an industry that’s been through

One of the reasons and the rationale for doing the deal is that our geographic markets are quite separate

JOHN NEWTON, EMG / GRAVITY MEDIA

some difficult times, not just with Covid. We’re all familiar with some of the smaller competitors that have, sadly, suffered, and I think [this deal] provides a much bigger, more stable business.

“Secondly, it gives people a great amount of opportunity in terms of their roles and what they can work on… When you see the showreels of what we work on, it’s pretty breathtaking.”

When asked about the potential for redundancies, Newton said: “I think the crossovers are quite limited. One of the reasons and the rationale for doing the deal is that our geographic markets are quite separate.

“[Gravity Media has] a big position in APAC, and we have a bigger position in the US than EMG. We have some overlap in the UK, but our UK business provides slightly different services to what EMG does, so there’s a good story for the aggregation of those services.”

Gregory added: “This is an industry that’s experienced a lot of turmoil, and a lot of companies have fallen by the wayside. You now have a significant piece of consolidation, with two great companies that will provide stability, along with more products and services, so that’s something [customers] should be excited about.

“This industry needs consolidation, and these businesses need investment to give customers the confidence that they can deliver to a high quality, and you can’t do that without the scale and the attributes that we’ve got with this deal.”

Newton said that together, the group will offer new products, new services and enter new markets. He added: “If you look at our matrix of the countries we operate in as a combined business and the services that we offer across the group, we don’t necessarily offer all of those services to all of those markets.

“So there’s a process of saying, ‘If we do speciality cameras and RF, and we do it well in Europe and in Australia, should we not be doing it in the US as well?” The ultimate goal, Newton said, will be to provide a universal offering, depending on the level of demand in each market. Picking up on the point, Gregory spoke about the opportunities presented by countries such as Germany, where EMG is “pretty much studiobased, and then you’ve got the production and

facilities that the legacy Gravity organisation offers that aren’t in most of our markets”.

He added: “If you look at all those geographies, we have to ask, ‘What can we offer that we do very well, that customers value us for that we can then take to those markets?’ And then you’ve got new markets on top of that, of which there are many — plus existing markets where we can scale up, like the US which is a great opportunity because everything we do in all the different

Unlock the Power of Interoperability

component parts is world class and renowned so we wouldn’t be taking stuff over to the US that people aren’t going to be aware of. There are some great opportunities.”

London facilities

Between the two organisations, EMG and Gravity Media have a host of facilities and offices in and around London, including a production centre in Chiswick and a newer production centre at Westworks on Wood Lane, west London. In addition, Gravity has a base in Watford just outside London where among others its UK management team is based along with rental and systems integration teams. Some 20 miles west, is EMG’s UK head office in High Wycombe.

“We’ve built phase one of Westworks, and we’re now building phase two, and we will migrate technical services and others from Chiswick,” said Newton. Referring to EMG and Gravity’s Watford and High Wycombe bases, he said: “Ultimately, for efficiency, they should be in a single location that can accommodate the scale of what’s required, but there’s leases in place so that’s not something that’s going to happen overnight.”

EMG and Gravity Media have a host of facilities and offices in and around London

Veritone_SVG Sport Journal AD_Halfpage_0624_PRINT.pdf 1 6/5/24 10:06 AM

Capturing the action with new camera angles and AI

Getting viewers closer to the action is one of the priorities for all sport production teams, and for Formula 1 that means contending with the “really tough” environment of a Formula 1 car.

“We’re always looking and trying to come up with new angles,” explains Formula 1 director of broadcast and media Dean Locke. “Something we’re looking at is a new rear light camera. The very rearmost part of the Formula 1 car is the rear light, and for a while we’ve been trying to get a camera in there because you’ll get the nose of one car and the rear of the other car at their closest.

“We’ve worked closely with Aston Martin to develop that, and we are very confident we’ll

roll that out this year, hopefully from Miami onwards. It will be added to the rulebook so it could be used on any car.

“We also did some really nice stuff towards the end of last year with the side chassis camera, which shows the undulations in the track and we’ll do a bit more with that, because we were surprised at how good that looked.”

The Formula 1 broadcast team is also looking at the amount of vibration that viewers see; without any damping elements a camera is likely to be shaken apart, but as with the helmet camera Locke wants viewers to experience some of the vibration.

He explains: “Being able to see that kind of violence really gives the viewer a bit more admiration for those Formula 1 drivers. So we’re hoping to dial some of that in to be able to give that true reference of what it’s like for the driver in the cockpit.”

New AI-enhanced replay system

With so much action taking place at the same time on different parts of the track, replays are an essential aspect of the Formula 1 production setup which this year has been overhauled.

“We have so much that relies on how we replay that content, but also how we include those replays, because we don’t get natural breaks,” says Locke.

“So when we looked at a new replay system IP was a big part of what we were looking for, and AI was a big element too because we want to make it easier for our operators to find content, whether that’s putting data into the pictures so we can call those back, or whether it’s some of the fantastic developments around creating interpolation and making up frames and creating slow motion shots from normal speed cameras — that really blows my mind when I think back to my oldschool broadcast training. Some of the testing we’ve done so far has been really exceptional.

“Also, the network capabilities have improved dramatically over the years which is important because we’re always operating two sites. We do have high motion replays on site at tracks as well, but it’s also our disaster recovery replay system, so having a really strong bond between those two systems is great and it makes it easier for us to get operators in as well.”

Last year’s F1 Miami Grand Prix: This year’s race could see the rollout of a new rear light camera
Picture: Brandon Brieger/F1 Miami GP

Vizrt SVG Journal 0824.pdf 1 7/26/2024 1:35:59 PM

Last year, I was particularly proud of Monaco and Las Vegas — we did a lot of work on the audio placement around Monaco because we’re so close to the action

Audio enhancements

One of the aspects of the in-person viewing experience that is arguably hardest to replicate for armchair fans is the sound of 20 Formula 1 cars hurtling around a circuit. As Locke explains, it is not just how that sound is captured but also how it’s managed and processed that is important — particularly with many Formula 1 viewers arriving via post-produced shows such as Netflix’s Drive to Survive and the potential for more fans to flock to the sport when Apple’s untitled Formula 1 feature starring Brad Pitt and Damon Idris is released.

“Last year, I was particularly proud of Monaco and Las Vegas. We did a lot of work on the audio placement around Monaco because we’re so close to the action. And the same with Las Vegas — there was a lot of planning in that, because of the number of tall buildings around the circuit and the echoing, there was quite a lot of work. So I’m very proud of that.

“It’s harder, of course, at the big open circuits to get that audio. We’ve been working very closely with the Formula 1 movie team; they take all our audio strands and take it to the Skywalker Ranch and do some incredible magic in there. So we’re very alert to the fact that’s what people will think Formula 1 sounds like, so we need to push our boundaries to say, ‘Ok, we can’t quite do what they’re doing in a post

Locke: ‘We’re always looking and trying to come up with new angles’ produced environment, but can we improve it a little?

“I had a meeting with the audio team last week to discuss some concepts and some ideas, particularly the on-car — how can we improve that even a little bit? That’s the challenge.”

Kid-friendly broadcasts and a boost to team radio

Formula 1 director of broadcast and media Dean Locke sheds light on the latest developments aimed at enriching the coverage and understanding of the motorsport, including new initiatives catering to younger audiences plus a boost to team radio.

“We did some F1 Kids broadcasts last year, with a dedicated international feed and we have taken some elements from that. Augmented reality, for example, which we did a lot more of in the F1 Kids broadcast, we’re looking to utilise some of that in the world feed to help viewers identify cars easily. It sounds simple [identifying cars], but it’s not always easy when we’re moving from one battle to another, so it helps to tell the story.

“We want viewers to understand why we’ve moved to another battle and to identify what that battle is, so we’ve got some really nice tagging graphics, which we’ve rolled out a bit more on to the

helicopter and hopefully on track cameras as well.”

Locke estimates that there will be six or seven F1 Kids races this year, starting in Saudi Arabia at the weekend.

“It’s a space that we want to develop further because our fan base is getting younger all the time.”

Team radio

Team radio is another area set for improvements with a new radio system potentially being rolled out this year. The structure of team radio setup and how content is curated and shared is also being explored and a new system is being trialled alongside the current setup.

“Team radio is a really good storytelling asset, and we haven’t done much in that space for a little while,” says Locke. “While it works really well, we just want to make sure that we address the 5% of the time where we might miss something, or we’re unable to

deliver it in a timely manner because it goes out of date so quickly. The question for us, is how can we get the broadcaster — and the fan — the really key pieces of team radio to get that real insight into the driver and what they’re doing.

“We have really talented operators in the team radio area, but it can get very frantic, because we can get all the radio at the same time, whether that’s a red flag or incident, or a safety car, a virtual safety car.

“Team radio is mostly delayed, but can we reduce that delay? If we have four drivers all talking at the same time, can we turn that around quicker? Or, occasionally, you’ll get a very long piece of team radio but in the middle of it, there might be a really interesting piece; can we make that edit process of being able to take a small chunk out of a large chunk of radio really quick and then publish that to the world feed?”

TV Skyline completes record winter sports season

The final rounds of the FIS Ski World Cup take place over the next few days, with the Women’s and Men’s Super G today (22 March) and the Women’s Downhill (23 March) and Men’s Downhill (24 March) contested on the Zwölferkogel mountain in Saalbach Hinterglemm, Austria.

As well as being the season finale and the last opportunity for the international athletes to compete for World Cup points, the weeklong event has also served as a run through for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, which will take place on the same course in Saalbach in 2025.

Not only is it a dress rehearsal for the athletes, it’s also a chance for those tasked with organising and producing coverage of the event — including TV Skyline — to make sure all is in order before 2025.

For this week’s FIS Ski World Cup Finals, Germany-based facilities firm and OB provider

TV Skyline is providing production services and support for host broadcaster ORF as well as supporting the Austrian public service broadcaster’s unilateral coverage.

TV Skyline conducted a site visit back in September — when snow was in short supply — hiking around the course with host broadcast

some three phase and some six phase cameras, plus around eight high-speed cameras (SSM500s from Dreamchip). In addition, cameras to capture shallow depth of field shots are positioned at the start at the warm-up area, with another at the finish to capture the emotion of athletes and spectators.

Drones in action

To convey the speed and undulations of the course, two drones are in use: one first person view to ‘chase’ skiers as they move down the mountain, and another regular drone for beauty shots, with both provided via Theis Media.

TV Skyline’s technical operation in Saalbach has been led by Alex Wenke, technical director. He explains that TV Skyline has five trucks in action, including its G10 truck, which has work spaces for the directors and production teams, with two galleries in operation.

The main OB unit is TV Skyline’s OB11, equipped with a Grass Valley switcher, EVS servers, Lawo audio console and Riedel Artist intercom. In addition, flight pack OB cases positioned next to OB11 are providing coverage for ORF.

One of the most significant challenges of working on such a large-scale production is the many logistical aspects to consider and plan for. For example, the TV compound is approximately 1.5km away from the finishing area. The technical teams are making use of fibre pre-cabling installed over the last year, with an installation of fibre on different points around the hill installed specifically for the 2024 and 2025 events.

Equipment also has to be packed into different cases and delivered to the mountain by helicopter, and the warm weather has also proved

FIRST PUBLISHED 22 MARCH 2024
Cinematic Saalbach: Capturing a shallow depth of field at the finish line
TV Skyline trucks in the TV compound in Saalbach

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How live drone shots helped ORF produce immersive coverage

The Streif racecourse in Kitzbühel, Austria, is the ultimate downhill skiing challenge. A highlight of the FIS Men’s Alpine Ski World Cup, and home to the Hahnenkamm Races, the steep and winding route starts at 1,665m above sea level and propels the skiers at speeds of up to 90mph. The first jump, the ‘Mausefalle’, has a gradient of 40.4º and sends skiers flying 80m through the air. It’s icy. This is not a race for the faint-hearted.

For many years, TV viewers have been able to enjoy the spectacle from the comfort of their living rooms, thanks to coverage provided by host broadcaster ORF Sport. Broadcast cameras have always captured the action brilliantly, but two-dimensional images haven’t always been able to reflect the speed of the skiers and

how steep the course is. That is, until drones were introduced.

In 2022, ORF Sport head of directors Michael Kögler, the man at the helm of the host coverage, took a punt on a drone. By this year’s race, three UAVs were providing what Kögler describes as “an enormous insight into how fast the skiers go, and what kind of skills they’ve got to have”.

However, very much like finishing the race itself, getting to this point wasn’t easy, as André Theis, CEO and founder of wireless video systems company theis.media, the man responsible for the provision of the drones in Kitzbühel, explains.

“We had to build trust,” says Theis. “We had to prove to everyone that what we were doing and how we were working was safe.”

Safety first

The lengths that Theis has gone to in order to get the drones accepted are impressive. He explains: “We have our own drones. We build

the frames. We have a GPS rescue system so if we lose contact then the drones come back to us. We also decided to use six or eight propellers so that in case one breaks, there would be no problem. We successfully tested this.

“But perhaps the biggest issue was having good pilots who could make sure that they kept their distance [from the racer] or that they kept an angle. So if they go nearer, they have to be in at an angle so that if something goes wrong, the drone will fall to the side or behind the racer. And, of course, the quality of the broadcast has to be high.”

To make this possible, Theis created a FPV drone that could capture live shots, that weighed less than 800g and that was safe, broadcast quality and piloted by experts who know the sport.

“It has taken us some time to find FPV pilots that do good framing,” he adds. “They read the sport and they fly with the guys. This was a big step. As soon as we got all this together, the safety, the quality of the broadcast, and also the pilots, then we could approach Michael Kögler.

“Hahnenkamm is always the place for doing something big, and Kögler is the one for doing something big, of course. We did some tests and after just one flight he said: ‘That’s it. The search is over’.”

With permission granted by the Kitzbühel Ski Club and Austro Control, the organisation responsible for air traffic throughout Austrian airspace, theis.media provided one live drone in 2022. The year after it was two drones — one between Lerchenschuss and the edge of the Hausberg, the other from the traverse to the target slope.

“That was something special,” continues Theis. “The first drone followed [the skiers] coming down the hill, and then on a long straight, and then a little bit further down the hill. From that point, we had the next drone following almost to the finish zone. But we cannot fly through the finish zone because of spectators. You need to have a minimum of 50m from the spectators. Despite this, the feedback was [very good].”

For 2024, they moved things on further still. The opening shot at the start of the course was captured with a crane in previous years. It provided a good but limited picture. To improve it, ORF opted to use a third drone.

“And this is really what we saw at the start of this year,” says Theis. “It was crazy and something special. It really shows the angles, the speed and everything. This is a very good position.”

Daniel Ausweger pilots a drone in Kitzbühel, Austria

Feel the speed

“You can feel the speed and how dangerous parts of the race are,” he enthuses. “It works for everyone but particularly younger people who are familiar with video games. They are now finding their way to watch television. We have had people contact us saying that it’s the first time they have watched normal TV for sports. So this is about viewers feeling the speed.

“To be ‘with’ the skier is really something. These are pictures viewers have never seen before. You are just 10 or 20m behind the racer and you follow the athlete at the same speed. You go with him through the curve or follow him through the straight, or through the trees. It helps you to get more into the broadcast.”

Shots are mainly cut in live but they are also used for replays. “On ski jumping, drone shots are always used for replay. For other winter sports, it’s nearly always a live shot.”

Theis adds: “Michael does a great job of not using the drone for every cut. He will mix it up. This is good for us because then I can tell we’re not overdoing it. I think it’s the right way.”

The length of the drone shot that can be used is defined by the production team’s ability to track

To be ‘with’ the skier is really something. These are pictures viewers have never seen before
ANDRÉ THEIS, THEIS.MEDIA

its flight path.

“By law, we must have a spotter who can see the drone with his own eyes,” he explains. “That gives him a limit. What we do now is place the operator in the middle of the flying track. We could do longer, because, in some points or some areas, it’s a very clear line of sight, if it’s good weather. But we stick to a maximum of 500m in either direction. We could cover the complete mountain. That’s not the question. It’s more the question of the limitations of the spotter.”

For every winter sports event, the drone team consists of a broadcast engineer, a pilot and the spotter per drone. The spotter is also a pilot, available as a back-up should anything

happen to the main pilot. For the Hahnenkamm Races, with three drones flying, there were eight people in total: three pilots, three spotters and two engineers, including pilot Daniel Ausweger.

A small drone base was installed in the middle of the flying track with the receiver gear inside. It was heated, perhaps unsurprisingly as it’s Austria in January, but mainly for the benefit of the drone batteries rather than the operators. The pilot is positioned outside the base, alongside the spotter.

“This is how we do all winter sports,” says Theis.

The company has gained a lot of experience already, so much so that it has also been supporting FIS with the development of its safety and broadcast rules for drone usage.

Now that safety and quality are proven, and the benefit to the viewer is a more immersive experience, what happens next? Will we see anything different in Kitzbühel in 2025?

“I don’t think that we need more drones,” concludes Theis. “But I can imagine that we will do a little bit more with behind-the-scenes stuff. But, for now, we rest for a few months and then new ideas will come up.”

Inside Aurora’s production of inaugural team padel event

The Hexagon Cup, a new mixed-gender padel tournament based on teamaccumulated points, witnessed a convergence of elevated technology, strategic storytelling and creative vision in cameras, audio and graphics.

Led by host broadcaster Aurora, the event set a new standard for padel coverage, showcasing the sport in a fresh and engaging light. Aurora actually carried out two ‘first’ broadcasts of two brand-new competitions back to back. First, the Hexagon Cup took place from 31 January to 4 February, followed by the UIM E1 World Electric Powerboat Series in Jeddah from 2-3 February (see page 94).

The journey of the Hexagon Cup began with a vision to take padel broadcasting to the next level. Aurora founder and CEO Lawrence Duffy traced the project’s roots to a conversation with Enrique Buenaventura, one of the founding members of Formula E, which took place around one year ago.

Duffy says: “Some of the shareholders of Hexagon are some of the same shareholders that were involved in the launch of Formula E. I was approached by Enrique Buenaventura, who’s the chief legal officer of Formula E, about a year ago at a Formula E event; he was a very good padel player in Spain, and he wanted to create a marquee padel event in Madrid. He thought he could get the best players in the world to participate for the largest prize money that had been offered in padel to date.

“He was on the way to doing that and he

Padel coverage is good, and we are very respectful of that. We also thought there were maybe a few things we could ask some of our partners to bring to it that might add some value in terms of production

approached me and said, ‘Lawrence, we want to try and make the television different, and we’d like you to have a think about doing it’, so we started to develop the project around the fourth quarter of last year.”

Delving into the research

Inspired by Buenaventura’s vision to transform padel coverage, Aurora embarked on a journey to create a broadcast that would captivate audiences worldwide.

First came the research. “We spent a lot of time looking at padel coverage,” says Duffy. “Padel coverage is good, and we are very respectful of that. We also thought there were maybe a few things we could ask some of our partners to

Aurora created a signature style for the Hexagon Cup broadcast, which went out from 31 January to 4 February 2024

bring to it that might add some value in terms of production.”

The difference between this padel competition and others already on the market is the team element. Traditional padel is formulated very much like tennis, with singles and doubles competitions. However, the Hexagon Cup has a male pair, a female pair, and a next gen pair, who for 2024 were men under the age of 22 — the gender of the next gen pair will alternate each year — with all six in one team contributing to their overall points to win the cup. Altogether six teams compete in the cup, with each team owned by celebrities, including tennis stars Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal, football player Robert Lewandowski, and Hollywood actor Eva Longoria.

Comments Tom Crump, Aurora’s director of development: “Not only are we trying to tell the story of those individual tournaments — male, female and next gen — but also the wider Hexagon Cup output including the coaches and celebrity owners.”

As part of the elevation of this new product Aurora decided to bring something new and different to its output with cameras, audio and graphics.

Here comes cameras and sound Crump continues: “Padel is one of the fastestgrowing sports out there so there’s already a built-in audience. But how could Hexagon Cup expand on that audience, and how could they tell the story differently? They wanted to separate themselves through broadcast from existing products.

“We looked at the existing camera plans of other tournaments and thought, how can we elevate this? How can we bring a unique broadcast signature to this? So having a fourpoint wirecam was something that was really important for us. We were at a venue that was quite tricky for that, but Mediapro supplied it for us; it was an important point of difference for the coverage.”

“We brought some enhanced audio as well,” continues Crump. “For the first time ever, we wanted to bring people closer to the action. We mic’d up the coaches so when there was a change of ends we could get some elite insight into the tactics and what’s being talked about.”

That insider audio was in Spanish, so Aurora found colour commentators that could understand what was being said and interpret for

English-speaking broadcasters.

Aurora brought in British sports journalist and television presenter Ned Boulting, and Argentinian professional padel player and coach Mauri Andrini to commentate on the English feed. Comments Crump: “Ned is obviously a very experienced broadcaster, but with very limited experience in padel. However, he was a revelation; his take on the sport and understanding of the sport was great.”

The graphics package also needed to bring a point of difference to create the signature look unique to the Hexagon Cup. Notes Crump: “We looked at a few companies that could bring something slightly different in terms of data, but we decided to stay with FoxTenn [for live data gathering and player performance analysis] and wTVision [for real time graphics and playout automation] who have a lot of experience in the padel arena.”

With FoxTenn gathering the data points and wTVision interpreting that into graphical data for broadcast, Aurora had a strong team to push forwards. Crump says: “Our point was to take existing companies working in padel, but try to push them to new levels and new data captures

and new expressions of data. So FoxTenn had 26 cameras dotted around the court — little black and white cameras that collected all the data — and wTVision would then implement that data.”

“The main augmented reality innovations we looked at were heat maps,” continues Crump. “Then we asked, what are the real points of difference in padel? ‘Smashes’ was the thing that came out from speaking to the Hexagon guys and other padel players; if you could smash

well, it was really advantageous. So smash speed and how many smashes you could get out the court are two data points that we really wanted to showcase.”

FoxTenn helped to build those templates for smash capture to provide that point of difference for the graphics. Creative agency Interstate Creative Partners then designed the graphics look and feel for Aurora, in line with Hexagon’s overall guidelines.

Aurora also wanted to showcase the players in the Hexagon Cup within the graphics package to raise their profiles on screen. It had to capture still imagery of each athlete as they arrived on site shortly before the tournament, and turn those images into ‘hero’ characters for the graphic package.

Social media success

On top of the main linear broadcast was a full multi-platform content plan covering a comprehensive digital approach. Lightbros, a Madrid-based creative agency, worked on the digital side alongside Aurora. The pair developed and pushed out 10 live streams that then became video on demand, six daily highlights across the week of the event, plus a full event digital highlights show and over 300 live clips published across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts and X.

Adds Crump: “Some of the numbers on YouTube were staggering. We had over 5.5 million impressions on YouTube, 1.2 million views with an average watch time of 28 minutes, which is exceptional. So in a channel that was just launched at the start of the week we did really amazing numbers.”

Aurora developed innovative new graphics to illustrate ‘smashes’ on the court, which are a differentiator between padel and other racket sports, and which give players a solid advantage over their competitors
‘Every time a match or a studio show is produced, it’s an opportunity to create content that can be amplified across every channel or platform’

IMG on capturing fan rituals and delivering consistent coverage

With the first season of MLS production for Apple under its belt, IMG has made some key new hires, added a focus on fans and outlined plans for more consistent output as it aims for “bigger and better” coverage of the US soccer league in 2024.

Major League Soccer (MLS) entered a new era in 2023 having signed a 10-year rights deal with Apple, which is sharing coverage with viewers via its MLS Season Pass streaming service.

Working with facilities provider NEP, IMG has been tasked with creating the editorial — making sure the right directors, producers and crew members are in place to produce coverage of some 950 MLS matches.

For IMG, the 2023 season was something of

a learning curve. “One of the key lessons we’ve learned is that MLS has all the ingredients to be one of the most entertaining leagues in the world, if it isn’t already,” says IMG vice president and head of football content Richard Bayliss.

“It’s always had amazing storylines, and obviously Lionel Messi’s arrival is one. But so too was the incredible story of St. Louis in that first season. And with the Men’s World Cup in North America on the horizon, we really want to continue that impressive and consistent growth over the coming years.

“We’re incredibly proud of what we did in 2023. But now as we shift our focus to 2024, and with the aim of bigger and better this season, we’ve taken onboard certain lessons from last year and added to our production team in terms of personnel with a huge amount of experience and expertise from both English and Spanish language coverage, with perspectives from around the world.”

offseason with MLS is to set consistent match

IMG head of football production Richard Bayliss
Garcia:

production standards that we can build upon editorially but that ensure viewers are given that unique MLS experience. The way we do that is through an enhanced world feed delivery, which will enable studio shows and MLS digital channels to access more content from stadiums with a particular focus on fan rituals and atmosphere which is maybe underappreciated globally as to how incredible that is in MLS.”

Bayliss adds that IMG has created “an enhanced playbook” with the aim of setting certain standards. “In bringing in a lot of that outside experience, we’ve got much more into the detail as to how we produce not only matches, but studio shows as well, to make sure the output that the audience sees is of a high standard and continually improving,” he explains.

A new hire for MLS this season is Ignacio Garcia, SVP/executive producer at MLS Productions, who has spoken about developing a 24/7 approach to coverage of the league. Speaking with SVG in the US, he said: “I come from that 24/7 network environment so one of my goals here is to provide not only the great coverage on match days but also great shoulder programming.”

Within five seconds of turning on a Premier League or Champions League match, the audience knows exactly what league it is and we want to ensure viewers have a similar experience with MLS

That’s an area that IMG is hugely experienced in, says Bayliss. “Increasing the volume and quality of output is a focus for all of us, and we’re fortunate at IMG to bring a lot of experience in that area to this project. Take, for instance, our work on Premier League Productions, where shoulder programming is crucial not only for the value it adds for consumers and broadcasters, but because it also provides multiple ways into that interaction between the sport and the audience.

Our view is that every time a match or a studio show is produced, it’s an opportunity to create content that can be amplified across every channel or platform.”

As part of a push for more content across more platforms this year, production teams will look to include more atmosphere and colour with DJI Osmo cameras used for behind-the-scenes

content and fly-on-the-wall fan perspectives.

Bayliss also spoke about the potential to be more innovative and experimental with MLS coverage, thanks to American sports in general providing greater access to players in leagues and competitions such as the NFL and NBA where players are often mic-ed up and access to locker rooms granted.

“That base level expectation for a US audience is higher than it is potentially in other places. Also, if the MLS is to grow at the rate we all believe it can, heroes will be a key part of that. Lionel Messi is just one example of that. The quality of players in the MLS is improving all the time and MLS is really passionate about making sure those key players are heroes, and the best way to do that is to provide access to them. We’re definitely looking forward to experimenting more.”

Solutions for

EMG Italy completes extensive stadium infrastructure overhaul

The Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, named after the legendary Italian footballer, also known as the San Siro due to the Milan district where it stands, is the largest sports facility in Italy and one of the largest in Europe by capacity.

Inaugurated in 1926, it is owned by the Municipality of Milan and managed by the M-I Stadio. Today it boasts 75,923 seats and is home to two teams, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

In addition to Serie A football, the venue also regularly hosts concerts and religious events, as well as Coppa Italia, Italian Super Cup, Champions League, Europa League, World Cup and European Championship matches.

Infrastructure renewal

Following an intensive design and construction period, EMG Italy has recently renewed the outdated audio, video and data infrastructure of the San Siro. The work began at the conclusion of the 2022/23 Serie A football season and took more than five months, culminating in

the successful testing of the solution in midNovember last year.

The new and advanced technological infrastructure was first utilised on 2 December 2023, for the television production of the Serie A match between AC Milan and Frosinone.

“We have redesigned the entire infrastructure,” says Francesco Donato, CTO of EMG Italy. “This project involved not only updating the cabling to current technological standards, but also considering new shooting formats that necessitate a different and more up-to-date configuration of the camera positions. The focus of modern storytelling is undoubtedly on maximising the spectacle of sporting events. Therefore, we have implemented new solutions and positions previously only achievable through additional temporary systems.

This project involved not only updating the cabling to current technological standards, but also considering new shooting formats that necessitate a different and more up-to-date configuration of the camera positions

EMG Italy has renewed the audio, video and data infrastructure of the San Siro
Photo taken at the Paname. More info: paname.lu
The new solution allows for the production of significant events from a narrative and technological complexity standpoint
FRANCESCO DONATO, EMG ITALY

“Furthermore, to facilitate connection with the shooting equipment located in the TV compound, we designed and installed all necessary terminations and active equipment within a designated container, ensuring optimal connectivity to and from the stadium. We have also implemented control solutions to verify the functionality of both the active and passive components that comprise the system infrastructure.”

He continues: “The new solution allows for the production of significant events from a narrative and technological complexity standpoint, while also enabling a rapid installation process for the camera positions and all necessary equipment for interviews.”

New setup

The setup incorporates 23 new internal camera positions in the stadium, along with an additional cabling termination point housed within a container located in the TV compound.

The cabling for the camera positions utilises SMPTE cables and dark fibre for all locations. Additionally, active devices for transporting video and audio signals were installed in specific positions. Finally, for a select few positions, copper connections were also created, to be used exclusively as a backup system.

The system is designed with a high degree of scalability to accommodate potential temporary expansions should the need arise for large-scale

shooting configurations.

Donato adds: “The new infrastructure has been designed to enable the future implementation of television production in ‘reverse’ mode. This would essentially allow for two simultaneous productions to be carried out if required, significantly increasing the commercial benefits due to doubled sponsor visibility.”

EMG Italy, acting as the main contractor, oversaw all aspects of the engineering project and monitored the physical implementation by CRV Sistemi. Professional Show also played a crucial role by supplying the system’s active components.

Double security

“One of the fundamental objectives of this project,” emphasises Simone Sofia, technical resources manager at EMG Italy, “was to guarantee absolute security for the system, which essentially meant achieving complete redundancy. This involved meticulously planning the cable routes between the shelter and wall boxes, ensuring dedicated pathways and avoiding any intersection with old conduits. Additionally, particular emphasis was placed on the redundancy of the electricity supply to ensure uninterrupted service for any event.”

The power supply is duplicated and feeds the shelter and wall boxes from both the stadium’s protected grid and a backup generator unit

employed during events. The same principles apply to preventing malfunctions caused by excessively high temperatures.

The shelter housing all connections, located in the TV compound, operates at a constant, controlled temperature and humidity. All wall boxes are also equipped with internal ventilation that manages and maintains a consistent temperature, safeguarding the equipment even under direct sunlight.

EMG handles both the maintenance and daily management of the system, entrusting a technical supervisor with the responsibility of assisting broadcasters in setting up events, coordinating all active components of the system from a dedicated control station.

The new system offers significant advantages in terms of both setup and operational efficiency. Additionally, it is fully modular and adaptable in terms of both utilisation and flexibility.

Donato concludes: “It is worth noting that this new configuration also allows the stadium to potentially implement technological advancements, develop in-venue communication and entertainment strategies, and adopt new service systems, such as 5G technology solutions that enable the capture and distribution of content dedicated to audience entertainment.”

Technical specifications

• 30km of cable (SMPTE and dark fibre)

• 60 SMPTE camera points

• 200 dark fibre connections

• 82 SDI-to-fibre and fibre-to-SDI video trunks

• 210 audio-to-fibre and fibre-to-audio trunks

• 30 trunks with media converters

Simone Sofia, technical resources manager at EMG Italy
The TV compound

Complex graphics workflow simplifies story of the game

With France thumping Wales, Italy stunning Scotland, and England edging past Ireland thanks to a last-minute drop goal, the penultimate weekend of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations Championship was the usual blend of action and drama, setting the stage for an exciting round of final matches on Saturday (16 March).

Graphic solutions provider AE Live has worked with Six Nations Rugby for many years and is currently in a contract that runs until 2025. AE Live produces the world feed graphics for the Men’s, Women’s and Under-20s Six Nations as well as the Autumn Nations and Summer Series.

Along with the world feed the company provides any unbranded feeds as required. AE Live also delivers multi-language graphics — in French, Italian and Welsh — at the same time as the world feed. The graphics company also works with most of the broadcasters on their unilateral

presentation of the competition, including BBC Sport, France TV, ITV Sport and S4C.

In terms of how the Six Nations graphics palette has grown, latest additions are the on-screen and in-venue shot clock, the bunker TMO foul play review process, and data from Sportable’s Smart Ball which is integrated into the match graphics by AE Live and out to air.

“At AE Live we use Vizrt as our foundation renderer, and we write all of our own software,” AE Live project manager James Smith tells SVG Europe. “All the applications we use across the Six Nations are written in-house, and we’ve used those for many years across lots of different broadcasters.

“Those pieces of software provide a link between our tech department and our partners:

Stats Perform, Sportable and Swiss Timing. This allows us to provide graphics at a rate that we can’t do in any other sport. It’s as good as it can possibly be on rugby, with about five or six pieces of software running at any time.

“AE Drive is our rugby output software that actually generates the graphics. We have our AE Catch data handling system — you can see where we’re going here with Catch and Drive — where the data comes in and we ‘catch’ it. Then there’s AE Tick, which controls the clocks which have now become an enormous part of the game.”

“AE Snap, our CIS [Commentator Information System], is the tool that does an awful lot of work in pulling together the timing, scoring, Stats Perform and the Sportable Smart Ball data into one usable screen that is shared around the OB and is visible to everyone in production, commentary and graphics,” says Smith.

“And finally the one without the catchy title is our MQTT software, which stands for Message Queueing Telemetry Transport. We’ve only written that in the past two years or so, since we’ve been working more closely with Sportable. It allows us to lay out Sportable captions without having to touch them at all. The data comes straight from Sportable into our software; we are hands-off, and it animates on-screen.

All the applications we use across Six Nations are written in-house, and we’ve used those for many years across lots of different broadcasters

Action area stats illustrate a good opening 20 minutes for England with 64% of play in the Scotland half

“They provide two feeds on-site that we’re interested in: the first one that I talked about is the MQTT, our software that is pulling down what we would call Snap Stats. When the ball is kicked into touch, a little Sage-sponsored dropdown appears that says ‘52 metres’. Distance to try-line, territory gain and longest pass are the other common ones you would see on-screen.

“That on-site data is transmitted via fibre and as soon as the ball lands it sends a trigger to our MQTT software that picks it up and animates it on-screen. Now we don’t put everything on screen so we have to ignore an awful lot of information. If it’s not adding editorial value it is dismissed by our software.”

He continues: “The second feed they send is a regular API and we pick it up in the way we do for a Stats Perform file. We pull that down with our AE Catch software and it is more editorially led, so comparing one player’s number of passes with another, for example — information that is collected over the course of the game. That allows the producers to pull out stories as the game unfolds.

“Six Nations is blessed with having a number of people across this, which is great. On-site there is

a [Six Nations] world feed producer, a broadcast producer and a world feed graphics producer, as well as our graphics team. They are there specifically to look at these data sets and drive them into production. It is really helpful to have these people on-site, away from our ops who are doing the actual graphics, producing the show and picking up stories that we want to push.”

Kicking shot clock set-up

With the bunker TMO and other innovations coming into rugby, it’s more imperative than ever

that the entire production team is fully briefed going into each match on what is happening on the pitch, as rugby continues to become a more complex game and thus potentially a more confusing spectacle to watch. And, needless to say, the palette of on-screen TV graphics now plays a key role in making the unfolding match understandable to viewers at home, and in pubs and clubs.

“I think Six Nations are really good at this,” says Smith. “To share information and tell their story, they need everyone to be on the same page.

Sage-sponsored stats for Scotland vs England on Saturday 24 February help to tell the story of the first 70 minutes

They have a broadcaster meeting before every tournament to go through what’s in the general package, how the world feed running orders are going to go, but also any innovations and updates — which is really important.”

Despite all its commitments, the AE Live van at each stadium still contains just two members of staff.

“We’re pleased to still only have two AE people on-site for the world feed element. We actually have a very small footprint and turn up on TX-1 for set-up. Our AE van houses all the equipment we need including Viz and our own software. These vans can house up to five people but we prefer not to have five people in there. And we now have the official timekeepers in that

truck as well, connected via talkback and visual to the referees.

“The small team on-site is supported by an enormous team here at AE, including our software and design team which is permanently on call to fix, change or update anything our partners may wish us to change over the weekend.”

ITV Sport powers ahead with on-site broadcast coverage

ITV Sport is placing a greater emphasis on pitchside presentation for the Guinness Men’s Six Nations 2024, with fewer matches produced remotely via its virtual reality Sports Studio. The UK broadcaster is also taking a significant first step this year in deploying limited battery power rather than diesel-generated power at England home matches in Twickenham, for which it is host feed provider.

ITV Sport will be on-site at the stadium for five of its eight away matches, opening with pitch-side presentation for France vs Ireland in Marseilles and Italy vs England in Rome this weekend.

Timeline Television is providing the OB trucks for its away matches.

“Both of our OBs this weekend have five cameras with multiple positions, and then taking in lots of host match feeds as well, in fact up to 12 host feeds for in-depth analysis and tournament colour. Connectivity for the OBs is via BMC in Italy and Globecast in France,” ITV Sport technical director Tony Cahalane tells SVG Europe.

The other three of ITV Sport’s eight away matches will be presented from its VR Sports Studio, hosted by Timeline TV and Moov in Timeline’s Ealing Broadcast Centre.

According to Cahalane, the studio has been continuously improved since its introduction at last year’s Six Nations.

“In an unreal world, in a VR world, we’ve now got shadow tracking to generate shadows behind presenters and guests as they move on the floor; it’s like the nirvana of VR when you start to see those type of high-spec, high-quality things,” he says. “The other area we’ve been looking at is that the set itself has three floors and multiple areas, so how can we transition between those areas to make use of that overall VR studio design to give the impression of being in a very large space?”

Next-Level Sports Broadcasting Starts Here

We specialize in creating exible, future-proof multimedia infrastructures for broadcasters, production companies, and sports venues. Enhance your sports broadcasting capabilities with our innovative xed and mobile facilities.

Pictures: Dyn Remote Production Hub

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WHERE INNOVATION MEETS IMAGINATION

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Live from the Crucible with IMG

When the World Snooker Championship trophy is lifted in a few days’ time, a significant chapter in the tournament’s illustrious history will close as IMG’s 26-year tenure producing coverage of snooker’s Triple Crown events ends.

Taking place over 17 days, and with the final a best-of 35 frames contest, the World Snooker Championship is renowned for being something of an endurance event for the 32 players taking part. And the same can be said for those tasked with producing coverage of the contest.

In addition to the world feed, IMG is also responsible for the BBC’s produced coverage, including its presentation. At this year’s championship, IMG has partnered with Slam Media, and is also supported by facilities provider NEP.

During the earlier rounds of the championship, each day features three sessions of play resulting in potentially lengthy days crewed by staff operating on split shifts. IMG senior producer Dominic Wright explains: “Logistically, it’s a huge operation and snooker’s not like most other sports. Tennis is similar, but if you take football for example where the match is usually 90-minutes so you can work back two hours or whatever it may be for your call time, and you know you’ll be off air an hour or so after the final whistle.

“With snooker, you can start at 10am and play can overrun, so you might have to go straight into the afternoon session which can overrun again, and evening matches can easily be a midnight finish.”

High and wide

With this World Championship being the final event of the current contract cycle, technical changes and advances are incremental rather than radical. In terms of the world feed, the biggest

change this year is the introduction of a high and wide camera position.

“[The high and wide camera] gives viewers a bit of the crowd’s perspective because you get some of the crowd in the foreground and it provides a sideon look at the table, which gives a better sense of the length of a pot,” explains Wright.

“If you’ve played pool, you might think snooker is easy until you step up to a snooker table and realise that it’s a totally different kettle of fish; the professionals make the game look so easy that it’s not until you play that you realise just how big a snooker table is, and that new angle helps.”

For the opening rounds up to the quarterfinals, the venue is split in half, with two tables separated by a divider. For the semi-finals and final it moves to a single table setup, with the whole audience focused on a single match at a time. It results in a significant change in atmosphere and provides an opportunity for a re-rig of cameras.

“We bring in more cameras for the final: we have the high-mo cameras and a jib, and we can reutilise all of the PTZs that we use on the other table, putting them into the dressing rooms and into the practice room, for example,” he says.

“People want to see more of what the players get up to behind the scenes. Obviously, it’s a tough balance for an event like this because it’s the World Championship — it’s not an invitational tournament. So, it’s all about

World Snooker Championship 2024: Host and commentator Rob Walker ahead of the quarter-finals

striking a balance.”

While viewers might want to see more behindthe-scenes action, not all players are always so keen and those watching at home may have noticed players wandering around backstage before play begins.

“There’s a holding area with a sponsors board, and they’re meant to stay around there but of course they know there’s a camera there so that’s some of them being a bit cuter; you’ll see Ronnie (O’Sullivan) just walks all the way down the corridor towards the press room, others will go into the tournament office because they think they’re safe there, which is understandable because it’s the World Championship and it’s their moment,” adds Wright.

One of the BBC presentation positions is in the player’s practice room, which provides another opportunity for a glimpse behind the scenes.

“We chose that location because it has that unique access; we had the guys talking on camera the other morning, and both Kyren (Wilson) and John Higgins were practising behind and heard what was being said and so they interrupted and joined in, which is great,” he says.

Such an interaction was aided by Kyren Wilson being part of the BBC presentation team,

We’ve always tried to innovate, but with snooker I think it’s important to change a little bit at a time
DOMINIC WRIGHT, IMG

with Wright speaking of a “big shake up” of BBC presentation a couple of years ago.

It followed some comments from current world number two Judd Trump back in 2021, when he spoke about modernising the game, including changing how players dress and what was described as an obsession with the past including a focus on ‘people who were popular 30 years ago’, a failure to showcase younger talent and ‘commentators who have been around a long time’.

“I’m very pleased with how we reacted to Judd Trump’s comments about how the sport needs to be younger and attract new audiences,” says Wright.

“A lot of the people who are playing snooker now were playing in [IMG’s] very first tournament when we first started covering the

snooker. So, you’ve got to tell the same story in a different way. But when Judd made his comments, we got him into the studio, and I asked him to tell us what he felt was wrong and we addressed those issues with him. The fact that we now have new voices is a massive plus.”

For the world feed, the biggest change in recent years was the addition of the score graphic to all cameras in 2022. “It might not have been universally popular when we made that decision, but I think now, most people appreciate why it’s been done. It means we can bring in lots of additional information throughout the game,” explains Wright.

Since then, new graphics have been added below the main score information, including a tournament high break ladder, player profile, player specific comparison stats and a deciding frame win percentage bar providing the punditry team with reference to a wider range of data.

“IMG is involved in so many sports, so there’s lots of experience of introducing new technology and we’re always looking at whether some new technology can be transferred from one sport to another. We’ve always tried to innovate, but with snooker I think it’s important to change a little bit at a time.”

Moov provides GFX for 2024 championship

The World Snooker Championship is the pinnacle of the sport, and graphics provider Moov is responsible for shaping the visual narrative of this prestigious event.

Arguably the biggest advancement in terms of graphics was implemented a couple of years ago, when GFX were made available on every camera shot — not just the main camera 1 position — which enabled the use of stats at any time in the match.

“The decision to make the main scoring graphic available on every camera shot has enabled us to push out more tournament, session and match stats throughout each match,” explains project manager David Cain.

“After our first year — and once viewers had grown accustomed to this — we have continually looked to use this area and present data in different ways; we have created several new graphics, including a tournament high break ladder, player profile, player-specific comparison stats and a deciding frame win percentage bar. All these developments have allowed the punditry team to reference a wider range of data, and this has led to further talking points in analysis and commentary.”

Moov has developed two bespoke tools for its

snooker coverage, including its Snooker Orion scoring software.

“This bespoke software first allows us to create a database of players, events and matches before then being used through an event by both scoring and presentation teams,” explains Cain.

The second piece of bespoke software is a commentary information screen. “Working with members of the punditry team, we have

been able to optimise this system so it displays the most relevant and up-to-date statistical data for the commentary team to easily access and refer to,” he continues.

“For the World Championship we also offer a touchscreen analysis system, and for this we use Chyron’s Paint product. This product allows the pundits to telestrate over live footage and premade clips which are supplied via a network with EVS.”

Moov graphics shape the visual narrative of the championship

A glimpse into the future

Tracking systems that help to generate real-time 3D graphical representations of sporting action, as well as mobile-first streams, and immersive ways to watch sport, were in plentiful supply at Sports Innovation in Dusseldorf (20-21 March 2024).

Mobile-first was a theme during a session

called ‘Towards New Horizons: Innovating the future of sports media & broadcasting’.

Sky Germany SVP of continental production operations Alessandro Reitano showcased 9:16 live coverage of Der Klassiker between Bayern Munch and Borussia Dortmund.

“You have to pick up the new fans where they sit,” he said. “There are potential customers out there who only want highlights or comments. It’s not the million-dollar business case yet, but you

AI dominates discussions

Artificial intelligence (AI) and in particular generative AI (genAI) was a key talking point at Sports Innovation 2024, with interesting broadcastrelated innovations countered by warnings about the challenges AI might pose.

On stage, the DFL announced that it has extended its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), a move that will see genAI used to create multiple real-time personalised text versions of match commentary during Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 matches.

But, in his opening comments, DFL CEO Steffen Merkel argued that the sports world has a responsibility when it comes to genAI.

“We welcome progress,” he said. “We will use AI where it helps us create media. But we will always make clear what is genuine and what is not. It is our duty to be a role model.”

He added that the DFL is developing guidelines on the use of AI and genAI.

During ‘Navigate the AI Revolution: Strategies for leadership and innovation’, Shelly Palmer from The Palmer Group said of genAI: “The only way to get anything out of those tools is through subject matter expertise. Anyone can prompt craft and prompt engineer. But if you are great at your job, this toolset will make you three to five times more productive. It is a skills amplifier, not a skills democratiser. If you suck at your

have to explore 9:16.

“Give these new viewers what they need. Produce content in a different form and talk to them. We take the world feed and add to it. This is not a short game. You have to orchestrate it.”

Barney Carleton, director of broadcast planning and strategy at the NBA, added: “9:16 is important for the customer journey. We get valuable data on the fans and then utilise that data to better serve them content.

“[GenAI] can help us to create a whole lot of content. We view this as an opportunity to better serve fans content but also create that content. We are cognisant of how we position that content and the messaging. It’s about personalising it for the fan.”

Sports Innovation Dusseldorf — Former Germany and Borussia Dortmund right-back Patrick Owomoyela taking on the AWS Free Kick challenge during Sports Innovation 2024
GenAI was a major talking point throughout the event
It’s not the million-dollar business case yet, but you have to explore 9:16

ALESSANDRO REITANO, SKY GERMANY

Immersive experiences

The DFL showed enhanced Bundesliga match coverage on an Apple Vision Pro headset, working with immersiv.io.

In the demo, the user in a virtual environment could customise and personalise the experience, moving and watching different modules showing live video feeds or statistics, for example.

It also included a tabletop 3D graphical representation taken from skeletal data of the players provided by Tracab. This included player name data overlays. The addition of AI will bring more data to this, it was noted.

Luccas Roznowicz, DFL head of digital innovations, said: “This is an immersive experience that could transform the market. It’s incredible that we can put each step of our media value chain into one product. It opens up a lot of room for innovation such as camera views specifically for the immersive viewing experience. It’s a test case for now. Let’s see what the fans say about it.”

Ben Ladkin, MD of MLB Europe, on the same panel, added:

“Different fans want different things. The tech is there to allow us to provide that.”

The key, it was agreed, was that whatever the media, product or device involved, the experience must be simple for the user.

“There are lots of opportunities to recreate the fan experience,” said Roznowicz. “These advances need to be easy to use though. This is important. And we might just be at the point where it is as easy as drinking a cup of water.”

Tracking the play

Inside the largest Super Bowl production ever

With 165 cameras, Super Bowl LVIII is set to be the largest Super Bowl production ever, with CBS Sports preparing since 2022 for the match between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Patty Power, EVP, operations and engineering, CBS Sports, who’s working on her fifth Super Bowl, says: “We’re going to have a total of 165 cameras, which includes 24 4K cameras, which is a record number at a Super Bowl. And, for the first time ever, we’ll have six small 4K ‘doink’ cameras in our [goal posts] so we can get the right angles for all those [field goals and extra points].”

She notes that 23 cameras with augmented reality capabilities will be deployed across Allegiant Stadium. Four sets will be located at the Bellagio and used all week for shows across the CBS family; on game day, there will also be two sets at Allegiant Stadium, one inside and one outside.

“On top of all of that,” Power adds, “we’ll have nearly 1,000 CBS personnel in Vegas. It’s a big show, it’s a big stage. We’re excited.”

With 165 angles of camera coverage, the storytelling begins with the replay operators, who sell possible shots to the replay producers, according to Mike Francis, VP, engineering and technology, CBS Sports. “They are trying to evaluate, in real time, who has the best look. It’s a big collaboration to get a replay on the air,” he says.

Added Harold Bryant, executive producer/ EVP, production, CBS Sports: “We’re going to find out what works to help tell the story of the game, the story of the moment. We’ve got layers of people, not just producer Jim Rikhoff and director Mike Arnold; we’ve got replay producers, and I’ll be in there. We’re all looking to say, ‘Is that an element that works in this process to help tell that story and to make that story better? Is it cool? Is it the wow factor that we’re looking for?’ It’s a collaborative group, and we have to make very quick decisions as Jim and Mike are on the front lines along with Ryan Galvin, lead replay producer.”

Doink camera

One of the most eagerly awaited new camera angles is the doink camera. The idea for the camera came straight out of last year’s Super Bowl, when the Chiefs’ Harrison Butker hit the upright on a field-goal attempt.

“Mike and I were at the Super Bowl last year in Arizona and were sitting by the upright where Butker hit the post,” recalls Jason Cohen, VP, remote technical operations, CBS Sports. “We looked at each other at the same time and were

We’re

going to find out what works to help tell the story of the game, the story of the moment

BRYANT, CBS SPORTS

a camera similar to what we’ve done with the pylons — [embedding cameras] inside the pylon — but we put them in the uprights.’ We had to come up with some engineering drawings and schematics to show what the plan would look like and to make sure that the integrity of the goal posts wasn’t going to be compromised.”

The result, after testing at Metlife Stadium last August and again at Allegiant Stadium in October, is a camera system that installs three small cameras on each goal. Cohen says the team consulted with CBS announcer and former kicker Jay Feely on the best location for the cameras. In each upright, a camera faces out to the field and the kicker; the third camera shoots straight across from one post to the other.

“The cameras have 4K zoom capabilities so we can zoom in tight,” Cohen says. “They’re also going to be super-slow-motion so we can get a nice slow replay of the ball going through. We’re not reliant just on the doinks. Obviously, if we get a doink, we’ll all be very excited and probably high-five each other in the truck. But we can also get other shots from the field that are from a unique perspective. We also can get an interesting viewpoint of the pylons and the field.”

Cohen says the pylon cameras have also received a refresh from BSI, Antelope.

“They now have a 4K camera inside of them, with the front goal lines pylons having three cameras but one is the new Antelope 4K zoomable camera,” he says. “And then we have

The HDR monitor wall inside NEP’s Supershooter CBS mobile unit in Las Vegas
CBS will deploy small cameras in the goal-post uprights

C360 cameras in the back pylons and back goal line cameras.”

Another new camera position is the Red Cat cam, a RED Digital Cinema camera located on the catwalks above the field. According to Francis, it will offer a real bird’s-eye view above the goal line.

“We will have the ability to shoot straight down at a higher resolution and high frame rate,”

he says. “Even with all the pylon cameras and other angles, there are obstructions because of the way the players are huddled up together. If a play happens, we might not have a look from our traditional angles. Those overhead cameras will give us something we haven’t had before.”

Those cameras are 4K, and Francis explains that the higher frame rate will solve motion-blur problems, which, in those critical moments, can

be an issue. “We opted to go for a higher-framerate camera vs a camera with a higher resolution.” That camera will be connected via fibre, allowing video to be imported immediately to Adobe After Effects. Clips can be repurposed by key-framing a player or ball and doing follow work within After Effects. Notes Cohen: “It will give viewers a different way of looking at the game.”

CBS Sports rolls out 1080p HDR production workflow

Fans tuning in to watch Super Bowl LVIII on Paramount+ will have a chance to experience the Big Game in 1080p HDR. Producing it has been a year-long process of experimentation and new workflows, moving towards a production environment in which this year’s show is produced in 1080p HDR, up converted to 4K HDR for select MVPDs and vMVPDs, and down converted to 1080i SDR for mass delivery to viewers on CBS.

According to Greg Coppa, VP, technology, CBS Sports, CBS recognised a year ago that, to flip the HDR switch on Super Bowl LVIII, the technical,

operations and production team needed to be working in 1080p HDR all season long. “We had to be able to produce our NFL A game in HDR beginning with game 1 of this season if we wanted to do the Super Bowl.”

Getting to this point has meant being ready to get content from legacy shows or edits and graphics converted to HDR but also things like converting the monitor wall in the production truck.”

“We want the director and TD [and others] to see an accurate representation of the production,” Mike Francis, VP, engineering and technology,

CBS Sports, says. “We made upgrades to a fullHDR monitor wall for the NEP Supershooter CBS production unit for our NFL A games. That means they can see it in a native HDR format and not have to question something that may look a little washed out.”

Almost 100% of the cameras will be HDR native. “We do have a few POV cameras that will need to do colour mapping to get the HDR look,” Francis says. “But the vast majority of cameras, even our pylon vendors and most of our POVs, are able to do native HDR and can operate in HLG.”

WRC readies for iconic Rally de Portugal

The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) moves to Portugal on 9 May for the start of the European gravel phase and promises spectacle in and around the city of Porto.

“Rally de Portugal is a really big broadcast for us. It’s a spectacular rally and one of our biggest in terms of on-site audience attendance,” says Florian Ruth, senior director content & communication at rightsholder WRC Promoter.

Difficult stages

There are 22 stages, more than any here since 2012, spread across a large geographic area and a total length of 1,690km, plus a night stage in the host city itself. This makes the event logistically complex.

On the ground Portuguese national broadcaster RTP is supporting WRC with production facilities particularly for the Porto night stage. WRC runs four OB vans across the different stages with the live world feed gallery produced at WRC TV’s production hub in Helsinki managed by technical production provider NEP Finland.

Aerial coverage is provided by two helis (one with Cineflex, another carrying Shotover) and a pair of drones. These are just four of over 100 camera sources. Each of the first 15 cars are fitted with three to four onboards (around 45 onboards in total). These are bespoke builds developed by NEP for the WRC.

For main stage coverage feeds from the

onboards, heli and some selected ground cameras are relayed via a relay plane to Helsinki. This isn’t the only connectivity pathway.

Ruth explains: “We can send feeds from the OB trucks via the plane and we can send line cuts from the trucks via satellite and also via LiveU. For example, we transmit all the live TV stages of the main race on satellite. Then, when the support categories [WRC2 and WRC3] begin, we switch to RF contribution. In addition, we have a variety of other camera crew also providing feeds via LiveU. All of RTP’s feeds are contributed over domestic fibre, managed by Tata Communications.”

In Helsinki, WRC teams produce the world feed adding commentary, graphics and final mix before distributing to rightsholders via fibre, by SRT streams or via satellite.

Capturing the excitement

Editorially, a chief goal of WRC coverage is to combine the action on the circuit and in the cars with the excitement of the live event. To do this

The

stadium stages

of the Rally de Portugal in particular will focus a lot on the crowd atmosphere. We expect 30,00040,000 spectators and we want to see their emotion

WRC PROMOTER

the team selects camera positions from which it can pan from racing action to emotion in the crowd.

“The stadium stages of the Rally de Portugal in particular will focus a lot on the crowd atmosphere. We expect 30,00040,000 spectators and we want to see their emotion,” he adds.

Audio comms between driver and co-driver is a unique aspect to this motorsport and one which WRC coverage leans into. A multimedia box installed under the driver’s seat records driver and co-driver exchanges and transmits them via the plane back to the Helsinki base. External mics on the car, positioned to pick up the engine as well as the sound of gravel (rocky or sandy) terrain, are also fed back from the car. Additional audio is gathered from mics arrayed around the circuit and among spectators.

Sunday’s decisive stage will be made up of double passes through the 19.91km of Cabeceiras de Basto, of which 12.6km are completely new, and the iconic 11.18km of Fafe, attended by 100,000 people many of whom will have stayed to party overnight. The hillsides overlooking the sweeping bends that precede it are a magnet for fans.

“When the first car comes through, they sing like a football crowd and that is what we want to hear and transmit,” says Ruth.

In all the team will produce 22 to 25 hours of live coverage across the four-day event, culled from over 400 hours of total content. That translates to between 15TB and 20TB of material.

All key footage is transferred via fibre to the Helsinki hub. There the WRC produces daily highlights, news packages, digital clips, social media content and assets all of which lands in a new digital archive system launched in conjunction with Moments Lab.

Six of the 22 stages of Rally de Portugal are packaged as live TV stages for distribution on mainstream channels.

“The live TV stages are where we do wider storytelling, character building and updates as to what has happened in the rally so far. If you’re not so deep into watching every moment of every stage we can catch a broader audience,” he adds.

The competition is a race against the clock rather than head-to-head on the track so the editorial leans into the personalities of the drivers and in particular the relationship between driver and co-driver in the cockpit.

“That’s an aspect we focus on a lot in our storytelling because it sets us apart from every other motorsport,” Ruth says.

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2024 SPONSOR UPDATE

In a year of major sporting events, including the Paris Olympics and Paralympics and Euro 2024, it’s been a busy time in the world of sports broadcast. Michael Burns speaks to SVG Europe’s sponsors to find out more about what they’ve been up to and how they see the industry developing over the next 12 months

808 TALENT

BEN SWANTON CEO AND CO-FOUNDER

“We partner with companies across the sports production ecosystem (vendors, rights holders, federations and clubs) to help them design and execute talent strategies that meet their business needs,” says 808 Talent CEO & co-founder Ben Swanton.

“Our focus is to understand the industry challenges and pain points and provide solutions to help our clients identify the right and best talent to help them achieve their business objectives.

“Over the past 12 months, we have partnered with several start-ups and scale-up technology vendors to recruit key commercial, sales and operational talent in both the North American and Middle Eastern markets, which have seen strong growth. Concurrently, we have been engaged with a couple of innovative sports agencies and production companies, representing some of the most forward-thinking sports properties, helping to scale up their production teams globally. While the industry in 2024 has not seen a bounce back many were predicting, there are still exciting new technologies and new sports properties coming to the forefront.”

He adds: “808 Talent continues to be a trusted talent partner to many of SVG Europe’s sponsors and beyond in the sports media tech ecosystem. In the past 12 months alone, we have recruited roles such as chief revenue officer, chief product officer, CTO, production manager, unit manager, regional sales directors, solutions architects, head of broadcast, managing director for the Americas, and project management in countries including the US, France, Germany, Belgium, the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, Dubai, Spain, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

“Our consulting and coaching practice has been thriving; we help senior leaders and business owners overcome challenges in finding talent, as well as help them focus on retaining the best talent within their business. We also work closely with individuals within the industry looking for career advice or guidance on all issues that they might face within the workplace.

“On the M&A side of our business, due to our trusted relationships and 20 years of experience in

these industries, we’ve worked with several vendors to help facilitate strategic partnerships, investments and/or acquisitions. We expect this to be the fastestgrowing part of the 808 Talent business in 2025.”

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STUART COLES

CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER

“[Last Autumn] Ignite, AE Live’s in-house creative design agency, delivered a unique design package for the Rugby World Cup France 2023 world feed in Paris,” says AE Live CCO Stuart Coles. “The design package boasted a surprisingly playful title sequence and an innovative match graphic system that allowed for all data to be played live during the tournament.”

Acquired by AE Live in 2023, Silver Spoon is an expert in innovative, real time virtual production content. It has worked for the past two years with CBS and Nickelodeon on ‘Nickified’ simulcasts, with the goal of bringing NFL to a younger viewing audience.

“After Nickmas (a Christmas Day broadcast), the partners teamed up for the Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, with the aim of telling a cohesive creative story, developing flexible AR moments to keep viewers entertained, and pushing the technical boundaries of what had been done in live AR on TV,” says Coles.

The project involved 18 tracked cameras, two simultaneus broadcasts of the Super Bowl on CBS and Nickelodeon, over 40 unique AR graphics all built in Unreal, a completely 3D animated rendition of ‘Sweet Victory’ and live motion capture with the real SpongeBob & Patrick, Larry the Lobster and Sandy Cheeks.

“The game broke new ground in real-time broadcasting, built entirely in Unreal Engine 5.0, featuring game-controlled characters on live TV,

and utilising real-time facial capture technology for live on-air commentary from an animated character,” adds Coles. “Silver Spoon won three Sports Emmys for its work on the CBS and Nickelodeon Super Bowl broadcasts and the Toy Story Funday Football broadcast.”

“With the assistance of its long-term partner AE Live, BBC Sport covered the Euro 2024 competition from a purpose-built complex in the Pariser Platz in central Berlin that boasted two stunning presentation areas deploying the latest in XR and AR virtual technology, designed following the central theme of a football museum,” he adds. “In addition to the overall technical integration, implementation and operation of the real-time LED and AR set extensions, AE Live delivered presentation graphics and a match clock across 27 matches, plus graphics for highlight programmes.”

AI-MEDIA

JOHN PECK

VP INTERNATIONAL SALES

“Since September 2023, AI-Media has delivered several key projects and technological partnerships for European sports customers,” says John Peck, VP international sales at AI-Media. “We established a notable partnership with DAZN, marked by the integration of AI-Media’s AI-powered Lexi Tool Kit into its workflow, enhancing DAZN’s live and recorded captioning capabilities across its vast array of sports content. The Lexi Tool Kit, equipped with the latest in AI captioning technology, includes Lexi Live for realtime captioning and Lexi Recorded for post-production content. The Lexi Tool kit was delivered via our Alta IP caption encoder, fully automated via API. This new setup has enabled DAZN to provide captions in multiple languages, including Spanish and English, with plans to expand further, supporting DAZN’s commitment to accessibility and to reaching a broader audience.”

Peck continues: “AI-Media provided live English captions for Ipswich Town’s Town TV platform using our SDI Encoder Pro and Lexi solution, making the club’s football content more accessible to fans. We have also extended these services to UK cricket grounds during the summer by displaying

live captions on digital signage, significantly improving audience engagement and accessibility during live games.”

Peck says Lexi Live has improved significantly over the past year. “We’ve seen accuracy improve with smarter audio filtering, ensuring that background noise of the crowd and games don’t interfere with the key commentary being captioned. Speaker identification accuracy has also improved which is essential for comprehension of multiple commentators who are usually not on screen.”

“Our range of encoder products have become easier to deploy in any sports production facility, either using our SDI hardware encoders or virtualised Alta encoder to handle transport streams and ST 2110 in any ancillary data specification,” he continues. “The recent release of Lexi Recorded has meant that AI-Media can now provide automated captioning and translation for VOD content as well as live captioning.

“[Going forward] we are launching automated topic models, critical for captioning sports content with often hundreds of specific proper nouns as well as niche terminology and stylisations. We’re leveraging generative AI to automate the production of Topic Models per the content being captioned, allowing our sports customers to spend less time on the captioning process and more time on their production.”

AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS/PHOSPHOR

“One of our biggest launches this year, the Ki Pro Go2 multichannel recorder, has received a warm welcome by the sports market, especially from more niche sports productions looking to capture high-quality HD recordings that are smaller in file size,” says Nick Rashby, president, AJA. “It offers simultaneous 4-channel H.265 (HEVC) recording or 4-channel H.264 (AVC) recording directly to USB drives. It has real-time network storage recording, extremely helpful for creating highlight reels and promos to integrate later into a sports stream; you’re able to access content right away without interrupting the USB drive recordings that you might need to hand off for producing VOD content post-match.

“At NAB 2024, we demoed several updates across the AJA product line that ultimately benefit sports production professionals, such as 4K/Ultra HD down-conversion and 4K/2K cropping to new ACES Metadata File (AMF) support, and ARRI Wireless Video Optimized LogC4 (WVO) compatibility for AJA ColorBox v2.1. New firmware for FS-HDR, AJA’s realtime HDR/WCG converter and frame synchroniser added BBC HLG LUTs v1.7 and new motion adaptive deinterlacers and updated channel-to-channel HFR sync controls. AJA’s FS4 four-channel 2K/HD/SD or single-channel 4K/Ultra HD frame synchroniser and up/down/cross-converter also received improved motion adaptive deinterlacing control and improved user-configurable channel-to-channel HFR sync control, and we previewed enhancements to our Bridge Live IP video workflow bridge, including a new Rocky Linux 9 operating system, SRT v1.5.3 bonding, an NDI v5.6 update with multiple discovery server support, AAC-HE v2 encoding/decoding, and 20-bit Dolby E passthrough.”

“We’ve seen several esports production companies and studios leverage our gear,” adds Rashby. “For instance, Japanese production company NTV Technical Resources is using Helo Plus H.264 recorders/streamers and AJA Kumo 6464 3G-SDI routers in its M-Cube virtual production studio, which supports some of Japan’s largest gaming leagues.

“AJA technology is also deployed for production across the broader sports spectrum, from larger European and American football productions through to more niche triathlon and off-road racing events. Additionally, AVC Systems Switzerland is helping stadiums and installers leverage AJA tools like the OG-12GM 12G-SDI/SDI muxer/demuxer, OG-Dante12GAM 12G-SDI/Dante embedder/disembedder and AJA Kumo SDI routers as digital glue to supply LED jumbotrons and cubes with production signals.”

AMAGI

SRI HARI THIRUNAVUKKARASU

SVP SALES — EMEA

“DAZN announced the launch of 10 new channels, in collaboration with Amagi, to further scale up its free sports offer,” says

Sri Hari Thirunavukkarasu, SVP sales — EMEA, Amagi. “Building on a partnership with Amagi, these channels will offer an array of captivating sports content. The deal further cements DAZN as the ‘Global Home of Combat Sports’ with the launch of two new boxing channels which will provide fans with 24/7 content, complementing the extensive portfolio of more than 150 live top-tier fights which DAZN broadcasts each year.”

Thirunavukkarasu continues: “In recent months, we’ve made significant strides in terms of company development. We’re excited to have brought on Richard Perkett as our chief product officer. His deep product expertise will be instrumental in driving our next growth phase.”

Last November Amagi acquired Tellyo. “This deal enhances Amagi’s tools for live sports and news, improving video streaming and editing for global customers. Tellyo enables real-time video creation, clipping and sharing across multiple platforms, boosting audience engagement,” he continues.

“On the product front, we’ve launched Amagi Dynamic, a solution for single live event broadcasting. This, coupled with our existing suite of tools, has enabled us to deliver exceptional results for clients like Krave Media and acTVe. Our partnership with Krave Media has redefined the motorsports streaming experience, launching their flagship MTRSPT1 channel on leading CTV platforms. We’ve also empowered acTVe to create and distribute five premium sports FAST channels, reaching wider audiences and driving monetisation.

“These successful partnerships highlight the power of our platform in transforming the sports broadcasting landscape. We’ve helped clients increase viewership, enhance fan engagement and unlock new revenue streams.”

Thirunavukkarasu says Amagi will focus on enhancing live production and distribution capabilities in the sports market. “We’ll invest further in our set of cloud-based solutions, including Amagi Cloudport and Amagi Dynamic, to give broadcasters and rights owners maximum flexibility and efficiency in managing live sports events. We will also, in due course, integrate the Tellyo ecosystem for end-to-end tools in real-time content creation and distribution. Our goal is to empower clients with the right technology so that they can continue to deliver exceptional live sports experiences across multiple platforms.”

AMAZON WEB SERVICES

JULIE SOUZA

M&E PRACTICE LEADER, SPORTS

“In the past year, AWS has continued to partner with major sports leagues and broadcasters to help accelerate sports innovation via AWS solutions and services that span the full spectrum of sports organisations’ IT operations from fan engagement to performance analytics and beyond,” says Julie Souza, M&E practice leader, sports, Amazon Web Services (AWS). “We’ve worked to help customers in sports leverage data to promote, monetise and deliver personalised experiences that enhance fan engagement; support performance analytics that help leagues and teams monitor athlete health and safety and optimise scouting, officiating and performance; and facilitate low-latency, high-quality broadcast workloads backed by the most agile, flexible, scalable and reliable cloud infrastructure.”

AWS offers over 175 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, robotics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, mobile, security, hybrid, virtual and augmented reality, media and application development, deployment and management from 77 Availability Zones within 24 geographic regions. The company has also announced plans for 18 more Availability Zones and six more AWS Regions in Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Spain and Switzerland.

Earlier this year, Verizon Business partnered with AWS and the NHL on a new 5G-enabled cloud broadcasting solution. Running on AWS Wavelength Zones, a mobile edge compute service that delivers ultra-low-latency applications for 5G devices, this solution accelerates the speed from content capture on ice to broadcast, going from seconds to milliseconds.

ANTENNA HUNGÁRIA

GYÖNGYVÉR

CEO

“In February, as a subcontractor of Al-Dawri & Al-Kass Sports Channel, Antenna Hungária broadcast the water polo, diving, open water swimming and high diving competitions of the World Aquatics Championships — Doha 2024 with a creative crew of nearly 100 people,” she says. “Our broadcasting team also worked on the UEFA Europa League Final in Budapest in 2023. The world feed at the EHF Women Champions League Final4 in MVM Dome, Budapest,

media service providers have extended our involvement in various sporting events, including VAR for top football leagues,” says Matthew WilliamsNeale, VP of marketing, Appear. “Most notably, Appear’s media processing and delivery technology supported thousands of camera feeds, reaching billions of fans globally during the 2024 Summer of Sports.”

The company recently unveiled the state-of-the-art OB7 van, equipped with 18 4K/HDR cameras.

“Antenna Hungária’s new OB truck will be able to handle the most demanding, high-quality broadcasting and transmission tasks in Hungary and internationally thanks to its unique specifications in the Hungarian market, such as 4K resolution and HDR image quality, as well as Dolby Atmos surround sound,” says Papp-Gerlei. “We expect the investment to increase our company’s competitiveness and secure further high-profile contracts in the region.”

The firm’s OB11 van was recently upgraded with Lawo’s VSM as the central control system for the entire broadcast workflow. “Touchscreen operation, several hardware operating panels, the system’s scalability, and automation capabilities enable Antenna Hungária to optimise its operations and deliver exceptional content to audiences,” PappGerlei explains.

PAPP-GERLEI

Antenna Hungária is the leading telecommunications operator in Hungary and the Western Balkans, the integrator of 4iG Group’s telecommunications portfolio, and the market leader of national digital terrestrial television, analogue radio broadcasting and broadcast production in Hungary.

According to CEO Gyöngyvér Papp-Gerlei, the company is involved in more than 1,700 productions per year, ranging from sports and cultural events, through public events and television broadcasts, to internet streaming.

She adds: “[We are] continuously working on arranging international and domestic projects that support Antenna Hungária to keep its leading position in both the Hungarian and the CEE region broadcasting market. We are committed to delivering high-quality sporting events and other ceremonies to millions of viewers.”

APPEAR

MATTHEW WILLIAMS-NEALE

“Since September 2023, Appear has achieved significant milestones in sports production. Our partnerships with leading

Williams-Neale says Appear has made significant developments in sports production this year. “Broadcasters are increasingly focusing on sustainable live production methods, as seen with ITV Sport’s ‘reverse remote’ production for Euro 2024, which used multiple remote galleries and a centralised MCR,” he says. “Additionally, the Paris Olympics aimed to reduce emissions by 50% compared to 2012 and 2016, employing cloud-based technologies to minimise their carbon footprint.”

“To support these initiatives, we have focused on developing the functional versatility, space- and power-efficiency of our solutions,” he continues. “This includes recent X Platform product enhancements, featuring optimised latency reduction to deliver endto-end content below 100ms. We’ve also introduced a new double density JPEG XS module, which enables delivery of eight full HD channels per module, equalling a possible 96 JPEG XS full HD channels across a single 2RU chassis. These developments highlight Appear’s commitment to sustainability and excellence in live sports production and underpin why we have become the preferred choice for premium global sporting events, including football, tennis, motorsport and international multi-sport events.”

Later this year, Appear will be introducing new additions to its portfolio to enable efficient and scalable live media production through a combination of hardware, software and managed services.

“The industry has taken a large step towards reducing its carbon footprint by embracing solutions that emit fewer carbon emissions and use less energy, positioning us to meet the evolving needs of the industry and drive sustainable advancements in media technology. Additionally, we have identified that the biggest players need more integrated solutions and services, which we have been working on throughout the year,” he concludes.

ARKONA TECHNOLOGIES

ERLING HEDKVIST

SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Arkona Technologies, a provider of IP core infrastructure solutions, has partnered with Manifold Technologies to support manifold Cloud virtualised tier-1 live production software.

“Earlier this year NEP Belgium deployed its Virtual OB concept for the first time at an international sporting event in Asia,” says Arkona’s Erling Hedkvist. “Virtual OB is a new and completely softwarebased product offering from NEP which allows for a software-defined and virtualised workflow for live television production at the highest level; NEP Belgium selected manifold Cloud to drive its signal processing and multiviewer systems. Following a flawless performance at its debut in Asia, NEP followed up the success by deploying manifold Cloud at another major sporting event in Europe during the summer.”

He continues: “manifold Cloud provides NEP Belgium with access to an on-demand pool of easily configurable functionality available as services through a single-sign-on web UI. An ideal platform for NEP Belgium’s Virtual OB, manifold Cloud easily handles the most demanding live sports, entertainment and news productions while providing the benefits of scalability, resiliency, quick deployment and unified control.”

In another recent development, Arkona is partnering with manifold to provide a major US sports organisation with a massive IP core infrastructure consisting of a Bladerunner IP router and manifold Cloud for multiviewer and format conversion. Hedkvist adds: “The system comprises over 550 ST 2110 sources and close to 300 unique multiviewer and format conversion sevices, making it one of the largest configurations of its kind.”

ARQIVA

CAROLINE CARDOZO DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT

“This year saw what felt like the ultimate summer of sport, with the European Football Championship, the Olympics and Paralympics, T20 Cricket World Cup, Wimbledon, Tour de France and The Open,” says

Caroline Cardozo, director of product, Arqiva. “It’s during these huge sporting moments that our cloudbased interchange really comes into its own, providing rights holders with the ability to package up and distribute their content to global audiences.”

ARRI

“Without a doubt, one of the most important developments at Arqiva over the past few months has been the growth of the technology team,” Cardozo continues. “Earlier this year, James Lelyveld, our new director of software, and myself joined the business and we’re working closely with Arqiva’s CTO Dom Wedgwood to drive collaboration and technological transformation across our key business units.

“Having joined our ranks from DAZN, James brings a wealth of experience in developing the necessary software to ensure that those all-important sporting moments are being delivered seamlessly by our customers, to their end users. We have a lot of broadcast and sports-broadcast experience in our ranks, and we’re able to really understand what the market needs, and how we, as a managed service provider, can deliver tangible business benefit for our customers.”

THOMAS STOSCHEK

SALES MANAGER CAMERA SYSTEMS

ARRI has achieved several notable milestones in sports production since late 2023. “A standout moment was our collaboration with International Sports Broadcasting (ISB) for the World Karate Federation Championship in Budapest,” says Thomas Stoschek, sales manager camera systems, ARRI. “This worldfirst event utilised our Amira Live cameras in a plugand-play workflow, delivering cinematic quality to live karate coverage.”

Thanks to ARRI’s lighting business unit working with Claypaky, ARRI is now also able to offer lighting solutions for live sports. “This allows us to provide a comprehensive suite of products that enhance the viewing experience,” says Stoschek. “We have formed a dedicated team focusing on live entertainment with emphasis on robust and reliable systems, and with considerable service, support and training resources.”

Cardozo continues: “It’s easy to look at the current landscape and think ‘everyone wants streaming’, but if this past summer’s sporting schedule shows us anything, it’s that the demand for linear TV remains strong. At Arqiva, we’re committed to helping our customers achieve the balance of meeting the modern consumer where their needs are, while retaining the linear services that are at the beating heart of television consumption.

“We’re developing capabilities to provide our customers with more visibility than ever before, including value adds such as monitoring, support and assurance throughout the lifetime of their services.”

“Sustainability has become a non-negotiable, and it’s vital that we’re helping our customers along their journeys,” she adds. “Arqiva is committed to more sustainable services and providing insights that enable our customers, in turn, to demonstrate how they’re being more sustainable, such as tracking energy or reducing their carbon footprint. We’ve also recently joined the Greening of Streaming forum where we’re playing an active and collaborative role in creating a more sustainable industry.”

At NAB 2024, ARRI launched the Alexa 35 Live — Multicam System. “This cutting-edge technology is currently undergoing field tests with some of the world’s most prestigious sports productions, promising to set new standards in live broadcast quality,” Stoschek adds. “The system has been carefully designed for plug and play with existing broadcast infrastructure with fibre-enabled capability and communications. It is capable of 102db signalto-noise performance. The dynamic range handling means that for a stadium where half is in shadow and half is sunlight, the system will protect for shadow detail with excellent exposure latitude while not clipping the highlights within the same frame. The depth of field can also be controlled if required.

“Looking ahead, we’ll continue to refine and expand the capabilities of our live production systems based on real-world feedback from our partners in the sports broadcasting industry. We’re committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in live sports coverage, ensuring that viewers around the world can experience every moment with unprecedented clarity and immersion.”

ATEME

JULIEN MANDEL

“Since September 2023, Ateme has played a pivotal role in several highprofile sports productions, leveraging its advanced video delivery solutions, including Titan, NEA and Kyrion technologies,” says Julien Mandel, senior solution marketing director, Ateme. “A major highlight of Ateme’s recent achievements is its collaboration with Viacom18 Media during the Indian Premier League 2023. Utilising Titan encoders, Ateme delivered UHD video with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, providing an immersive experience in 17 different languages. This marked the first time Indian viewers enjoyed such high-quality immersive UHD TV

workflows,” says Audinate senior product marketing manager, Jim Kidwell. “From the AWS-sponsored NHL digital broadcast prototype to several other dark-fibre sports production deployments, Dante Connect has become central to the cloud-based audio production requirements of broadcasters.”

championship, as the official microphone services solution provider to Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of the series.

“Ateme’s future-proof solution, supporting both linear and OTT services, enabled Viacom18 to deliver outstanding audio-visual quality across various platforms, from living rooms to mobile devices. The system’s capability for dynamic ad insertion also laid the groundwork for targeted advertising, enhancing revenue opportunities,” adds Mandel. “This collaboration reached 31 million concurrent views during the final match, showcasing the immense popularity of cricket in India and the effectiveness of Ateme’s technology in delivering an in-stadium atmosphere with exceptional image and sound quality.”

He continues: “Ateme’s partnership with SES has been instrumental in improving the global distribution network for major sports events. SES utilised Titan encoders, multiplexers and decoders for delivering ultra-high and high-definition content via ground and satellite infrastructure. The integration of premium frame rate conversion and HDR support ensured an enriched visual experience, while the BISS-CA encryption standard provided enhanced security.”

AUDINATE

“Over the past year we have been working with dozens of tier-1 broadcasters to integrate Dante Connect into their cloud-based production

“We at Audinate have also worked to expand the cloud-based audio production ecosystem that supports Dante,” he continues. “By publishing the Dante SDK, Connect Edition, we are enabling software developers to send and receive native Dante audio in their cloud-based production applications. Signals can come from any Dante-enabled device — on premise or in the cloud — allowing broadcasters the flexibility to use existing technology with new cloud workflows. The cloud-based Dante audio production ecosystem now includes products from Solid State Logic, Waves, LAMA and Sienna with more expected in the coming months.”

Additionally, Audinate has restructured how customers license Dante Connect. “To make it easier for sports broadcasters to purchase only the licensing required for discrete events, Dante Connect can now be purchased on an event basis,” says Kidwell. “To keep costs low, many cloud-production systems are spun-up only for the duration of an event, and then torn down immediately afterwards. Purchasing licensing only for these durations just makes sense. This method also makes it easier for broadcasters to tie event production costs directly to the event, without the need to amortise annual subscriptions.

“We plan to continue building the Dante-enabled cloud-based production infrastructure to give customers the flexibility to choose the right hardware and production software to meet their needs. We will also continue our work with the tight group of reseller partners to enable deployments across multiple outlets in the sports broadcast community.”

AUDIO-TECHNICA

ROD THOMAZ

PROJECT MANAGER, BROADCAST PARTNERSHIPS

Audio-Technica continues to be heavily involved with the broadcast audio of MotoGP, the Grand Prix motorcycle racing

Rod Thomaz, project manager, broadcast partnerships at Audio-Technica, explains: “In addition to all trackside and onboard audio, we also now play a role in delivering the post-race press conferences, where our 3000 Series wireless systems are in use. It’s another key part of the race experience that brings riders into viewers’ homes for race analysis.”

“We’re seeing increased interest in the opportunities that immersive audio offers broadcasters to really put viewers in the middle of the action,” he continues. “Our BP3600 Immersive microphone has attracted attention from broadcasters across Europe, for example, as audiences are demanding more than simple stereo or even 5.1 audio these days.”

Further afield, Audio-Technica has been working with the MotoAmerica Race Series in the US as the official broadcast partner for microphones and headphones for the organisation. “As with Moto GP, Audio-Technica broadcast and production microphones are used to capture everything from the sounds on the track, to interviews of the riders after the competition and on the champion’s podium,” says Thomaz.

BACKLIGHT

CRISTIAN LIVADIOTTI EVP OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

“During this summer’s Olympic Games, Wildmoka was used at scale by several prominent rights holders in broadcasting — including NBC and Eurosport — to produce near-live clips, highlights and full VOD replays to digital destinations,” says Cristian Livadiotti, EVP of customer experience, Backlight. “As is common with multi-day and event competitions, there is too much content to air on television, so Wildmoka’s hyper distribution solution was key to enabling rights owners to deliver content to fans so they could watch their favourite Olympic sporting events. All competitions were available simultaneously on our customer’s owned & operated platforms and apps to enable fans to watch their favourite events in their entirety.”

Looking ahead and Backlight is set to release two updates to its media asset management and collaboration solution iconik, both of which are designed to make sports production simpler and

“The iconik Automation Engine brings powerful media management automation to asset managers, creative teams and marketing departments in sports organisations that need to manage complex media libraries that never stop growing,” he explains. “Via no-code workflows, every team member, regardless of their technical expertise, can easily contribute to and benefit from the full spectrum of iconik’s automation potential. Whether tech-savvy or not, the Automation Engine opens up a world of possibilities, allowing users to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency across their media library. With the Automation Engine, teams are better equipped to tackle complex media tasks.”

Iconik’s AI-powered facial recognition technology automates the identification of individuals in any media archive, so users can find the assets that feature the people they care about quickly to create or share content.

“Based on iconik’s own facial recognition software, this AI-powered feature takes the pain out of identifying and tagging individuals, making sure every bit of content featuring chosen personalities is neatly organised and easy to find,” says Livadiotti. “This is particularly useful for sports teams, who can whip up player highlight reels or perform game analysis with clips automatically tagged that feature specific athletes. With rapid access to the people who matter most to a sports organisation’s audience, their content will hit the mark every time.”

BATCAM

CEO & CO-FOUNDER

Batcam has had an action-packed year in the world of sports, delivering cutting-edge camera solutions across the globe.

“At the start of the 2023/2024 season, in collaboration with the Premier League, we revolutionised match coverage by installing the first-ever permanent moving camera 1, known as Batcam Trax,” says Jon Hurndall, CEO & co-founder,

Batcam. “This innovative system introduced a fresh perspective to Premier League broadcasts, offering a dynamic angle which was dubbed ‘Game Mode’, eagerly adopted by both UK and international channels. Batcam Trax runs the length of the touchline at the Emirates Stadium, just below camera 1, providing a main view reminiscent of football video games. We believe this new angle enhances the viewing experience, offering a more tactical perspective that the traditional camera 1 can

broadcasting and related activities. Our mission is to simplify complex broadcasting processes and enable seamless content delivery, ensuring high-quality viewing experiences for audiences around the world,” says Guillaume Arthuis, founder and general manager, BBright.

Batcam has also developed AR tracking data, enabling broadcasters to overlay player tags, speeds, distance from goal and more, further elevating coverage for fans.

“Our coverage extended to horse racing in the UK, Dubai and Saudi Arabia,” continues Hurndall. “The Dubai World Cup featured our Batcam Fly, Batcam Drive and Batcam Trax system, while the Saudi Cup in February boasted the longest-ever two-point Batcam wirecam (Wire2pt). With the explosive growth of boxing in Saudi Arabia, we were the primary specialist camera supplier for coverage of the unified Heavyweight Championship of the World in Riyadh. We also had teams on the ground at the biggest football and athletics events this summer in Germany and Paris.

“In September 2024, we launched BatcamFly Lite, our cutting-edge aerial platform. It delivers the same professional broadcast RF quality as our standard Fly system, but with a take-off weight of under 10kg it can now stay airborne for over 20 minutes. Equipped with FlightSafe batteries, BatcamFly Lite can be handcarried on standard airlines, significantly reducing costs for international projects by saving on freight.

“Also this year, we expanded our global footprint with new offices in Ireland (our European hub), the UAE and the US. Over the next 12 months, our goal is to strengthen our presence in these new markets and take even more Batcam products worldwide.”

BBRIGHT

GUILLAUME ARTHUIS

“BBright is committed to delivering innovative solutions for live content, particularly focusing on easing the workflow for customers involved in sports

“The recent Paris Olympic Games highlighted two significant trends in the industry: the substantial increase in content contribution over public internet using the SRT protocol, and the ongoing migration from SDI to the SMPTE ST 2110 standard for professional media over IP networks. These trends align perfectly with the strategic technological directions that BBright has chosen to pursue.”

In response to the growing adoption of the SRT protocol, BBright has enhanced its solutions by introducing advanced security features. Arthuis continues: “We now offer the ability to decrypt BISS [Basic Interoperable Scrambling System] on SRT streams, further securing the transmission of valuable broadcast content. This enhancement ensures that our customers can deliver live content reliably and securely over the public internet, meeting the highest standards of data protection.”

BBright now supports the ST 2110-41 standard for transmitting metadata, with specific focus on SADM (Spatial Audio Data Model) for advanced audio capabilities and ISXD for HDR with Dolby Vision. “These technologies empower broadcasters to deliver the ultimate Ultra HD experiences, enhancing both visual and auditory elements of live broadcasts,” says Arthuis.

“A core element of BBright’s strategy is to provide flexible, hybrid solutions that are available both on-premises and in the cloud. Following the successful launch of our BBright RMD monitoring solutions on AWS Marketplace, the next step will be to introduce the BBright IP Gateway, which will also be cloudenabled. Additionally, we are developing the new generation BBright Integrated Playout 2.0, designed to enable broadcasters to effortlessly create highend UHD channels complete with HDR and Next Generation Audio capabilities.

“Through these advancements, BBright continues to position itself at the forefront of broadcast technology, driving innovation and supporting our customers in delivering exceptional live content experiences.”

BRIGHTCOVE

“This year marked the second year of Brightcove’s partnership with the Badminton Horse Trials, an esteemed annual equestrian event that attracts elite fans worldwide,” says head of EMEA Paul Myers. “Brightcove developed the event’s apps and facilitated seamless live streaming to a virtual audience unable to attend in person.”

He continues: “Brightcove’s streaming solutions have been instrumental in enhancing the viewer experience and extending the reach of these prestigious sports events. Powering many broadcasters worldwide, Brightcove’s technology continues to be the conduit for bringing various major sports events to fans worldwide. Through innovative technology and seamless and reliable delivery, Brightcove has continued to set the standard for on-demand and live sports production in 2024, driving significant growth and engagement for its growing roster of sports customers.”

Reliability and prompt delivery were vital for the Badminton Horse Trials. Myers adds: “Brightcove’s live clipping tool played a crucial role, enabling the streaming team to create on-demand versions of live sessions within minutes. This efficiency ensured the content was quickly available on the app, meeting the demands of the global audience.”

The event saw significant engagement, particularly for the cross-country live streams on 11 May, with more than 90,000 views and a peak viewership of more than 13,500. The day’s total video views (live and on-demand) reached over 135,600 online views. The Badminton Horse Trials experienced a remarkable 44% growth in live stream viewership compared to the previous year.

BROADCAST RENTAL

PAUL CHAMALAUN CCO

“It’s not only about sports in 2024 for Broadcast Rental, but a large chunk of it is,” says Paul Chamalaun CCO, Broadcast Rental. “Ahead of this year, we expected busy times with both the Euros and the Olympics. With a lot of investment made during the last quarter of 2023, we were ready and prepared for this busy period. Among the investments were EVS UHD Vias, EVS X-files and RF equipment, as well as adding

“Together with Videosys, Broadcast Rental has developed the new HDR Movi-Ben setup. Based around a Sony FX6, Videosys developed the wireless video control system to be fully integrated in our regular multi-camera RF workflow. We’re looking forward to another great year.”

BT MEDIA AND BROADCAST BENJAMIN WEBSTER HEAD OF TV OUTSIDE BROADCAST

“As a leading UK provider of TVOB services, the past 12 months have been phenomenal due to the volume and scale of showpiece live events we’ve had the privilege to deliver, alongside all our regular calendar of sporting events,” says Benjamin Webster, head of TV outside broadcast, BT Media and Broadcast.

“By selecting Brightcove as its streaming partner, the Badminton Horse Trials delivered a secure and reliable viewing experience to its large, global audience,” Myers explains. “The impressive figures of the event’s live stream highlight the power of this technology partnership and demonstrate how streaming can effectively help to grow sports businesses.”

Additionally, Brightcove announced it was the official streaming partner for MotoAmerica, North America’s premier motorcycle road race series. “Brightcove powered the live and VOD capabilities of the MotoAmerica Live+ streaming service, which exclusively broadcast the 82nd running of the Daytona 200 in March 2024,” says Myers. “For this broadcast, MotoAmerica utilised Brightcove’s platform to stream its races globally, as this year counted on multiple international competitors.”

“Early in 2024, our new HD/UHD flypack based around the Ross Ultrix FR12 was completed and found its way to its first customers,” Chamalaun continues. “With our new Ross Ultra 60 panel, it was ready just in time for a big sports event in Saudi Arabia. With the start of the MTB season, Broadcast Rental has provided the RF setup in partnership with EMG, composed of up-to eight wireless camera solutions, RF video return and two guarantee crew members.”

The summer was not just about the Olympics, however. He adds: “While one crew was provided for the IBC operation for the NOS at the Olympics and Paralympics, another team from the company was involved with esports, with wireless camera setups for large-scale concerts around Europe and shows in the Netherlands.

“Over and above these busy operational times, we like to look ahead. After being awarded the contract for wireless cameras for European soccer in the Netherlands from Ziggo for the coming years, Broadcast Rental has invested in more UHD/ HDR RF solutions.

“During the 2023/24 season we delivered: over 380 English Premier League games with over 7,000 visions and around 100,000 hours of booked content; all UK-based UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League matches for UK host broadcasters and international rights holders, [including extensive broadcast, internet, satellite and downlink support for the 2024 UEFA Champions League Final at London’s Wembley Stadium]; data services for 100 international broadcasters at UEFA European football matches in the UK; over 250 rugby matches in the UK, with more than 3,000 visions over the season out of each stadium; as well as full remote production at all UK stadium venues.”

Other regular deliveries include horse racing, speedway, basketball, boxing, netball and Scottish Premiership football.

“We’re proud to have played a pivotal role in ensuring seamless live video, audio and data connectivity for UEFA Euro 2024,” he continues.

“Using state-of-the-art infrastructure, our dedicated team worked tirelessly throughout the tournament to deliver a managed network service for the BBC, bringing contribution feeds from Germany to the UK. We continued our summer of sport by heading straight to Paris to deliver live video, audio and data connectivity for the Olympics. This was the second major managed network service for one of our UK

broadcasters, bringing contribution feeds from Paris to the UK.”

Webster continues: “Our intelligent media platform Vena is now underpinning the carriage of the TVOB contribution network for most of the services provided. Our Virtual Media Connect Occasional Use (OU) variant is offering more ways to provide content into our London Switch and onto Vena.”

CALREC

DAVE LETSON VP OF SALES

“This summer’s sporting calendar was packed with prestigious events around the world. With many of these competitions running back-to-back, there’s a demand on both assets and people,” says Dave Letson, VP of sales, Calrec. “Calrec was delighted to have played a vital role in this busy programme of events, including SailGP, The French Open, US Open, Wimbledon, Euros, Open Championship and Formula E, as well as being part of the Summer Games OB operation with a mix of consoles onsite, and remote production using Calrec’s RP1 and an array of consoles at various facilities.”

highest profile events are testament to the pedigree of Calrec’s solutions in terms of reliability, audio quality and flexibility and we’re immensely proud to support these events from our little town of Hebden Bridge.”

He highlights the Open Championship in Royal Troon, Scotland, as being particularly technically demanding. “The 151-camera and 225-microphone operation included Calrec Artemis consoles and RP1s for IFBs,” he recalls.

“Remote production at Formula E reduced the carbon footprint up to 50%, with a 40% decrease in freight, 35% reduction in space requirements and 25% reduction in on-site personnel,” Letson notes. “With minimal equipment on-site, the commentator’s mix was provided by Calrec’s RP1, with audio sent back to a remote production centre based in WestWorks and mixed on a Calrec Artemis console.”

At Wimbledon, all games across 18 courts were mixed on 21 Calrec consoles, a mixture of Brio, Summa, Apollo and Artemis along with an ImPulse core for IP routing. “The Summa consoles were provided as de-rig, with three large OBs onsite,” says Letson. “The turnaround was so tight that some of the OBs drove straight to Paris immediately after finishing Wimbledon. These quick turnaround times at the

aquatics infrastructure. Underwater cameras and camera rails have been refurbished to UHD/4K resolution and are also fully HDR compliant.”

Understanding the industry’s reliance on freelance workers, Camera Corps has taken significant steps to enhance its pool of crew through comprehensive training sessions. It has also engaged with local educational institutions to attract and retain new talent.

Camera Corps, a broadcast camera rental specialist, has played a pivotal role in numerous major global sports

“Our expertise lies in creating customised setups that go beyond just providing cameras and into providing a managed service,” says Barry Parker, commercial manager, Camera Corps. “It’s about how these cameras are positioned, controlled and integrated into the production. This includes native HDR goal cams for football, stump-cams for cricket and our innovative basecam for baseball.

“We are unable to disclose specific tournament event names, but our work during the summer included setting up a beauty cam on the Eiffel Tower for a significant multi-sports event, staging specialty cameras in multiple football stadiums across Germany, and deploying PTZ cameras for mixed martial arts and mountain biking. These broadcast projects have reinforced our reputation in the sports industry and demonstrated our ability to provide unique and highquality production solutions.

“Since September of last year, we have developed and launched an advanced intelligent robotic head to remotely control the pan, tilt and zoom functions of a camera. Developed from the feedback of our production partners, this modular and robust mount is designed for sports and outside broadcast applications. It offers ease of setup, rigging and remote control with just a single cable, and is uniquely compatible with a wide range of cameras and lenses.

“Additionally, we have invested in upgrading our

“We also acquired a substantial inventory of Sony P50 cameras, making us one of the largest stockists of these cameras for broadcast rental purposes,” Parker adds. “We will continue to upgrade and expand our rental stock, focusing on 4K and HDR capabilities to meet the high demands of modern broadcast standards.

“While our focus remains on outside broadcast and sports, we are expanding our studio work, building full studio setups for temporary locations and specific rights holders, managing the entire control and network infrastructure required for such an operation.”

CATON TECHNOLOGY RAN TOO KER WEI HEAD OF MARKETING

“Since its launch in April 2023, Caton Media XStream has been a gamechanger for the broadcast industry. This innovative platform leverages distributed cloud infrastructure and AI technology to deliver exceptional reliability, achieving an uptime of over 99.9999% and ultra-low latency,” says Ran Too Ker Wei, head of marketing, Caton Technology.

Ran Too continues: “Caton achieved AWS Managed Service Provider Status in November 2023. This strategic partnership combines the power of AWS cloud infrastructure with Caton’s IP broadcast solutions, offering broadcasters unparalleled scalability and reliability.”

“Caton Media XStream was pivotal in ensuring high-quality live sports broadcasts for DAZN during Taiwan’s FIBA 3X3 World Tour 2024,” he adds. “DAZN faced challenges delivering smooth video streams from Romania and Hong Kong due to unreliable public internet connections and third-party decoder issues, which threatened its ability to broadcast the highprofile games. Caton’s solution addressed these issues

within 24 hours. XStream’s AI-powered distributed cloud infrastructure transformed the public internet into a managed network, eliminating inconsistencies. Additionally, Caton Prime, a high-performance video processor, ensured exceptional picture quality and integration with DAZN’s existing workflow.”

According to Ran Too, this collaboration resulted in significant improvements for DAZN, including ultra-reliable IP transport, superior video quality, reduced downtime and enhanced operational efficiency. “Caton guaranteed a stable connection, eliminating buffering and disruptions,” he says. “DAZN viewers experienced exceptional picture quality throughout the broadcasts. Caton’s proactive monitoring and swift issue resolution minimised downtime, and our expertise in broadcast operations led to improvements like cold backup solutions. This successful partnership highlights Caton’s ability to deliver reliable, high-quality broadcast experiences, even in challenging scenarios.”

Looking ahead, Ran Too says Caton is dedicated to “pushing the boundaries of broadcast technology. We are constantly innovating and developing new solutions to empower broadcasters to deliver exceptional experiences for their audiences.”

CLEAR-COM

DAVE MACKINNON

“One of the standout moments for Clear-Com since September 2023 was our involvement in the 2024 professional international football draft,” says Dave MacKinnon, VP of product management, Clear-Com. “We deployed our Gen-IC Virtual Intercom and SkyPort Virtual System Management Platform to ensure seamless communication for a complex event that included 36 at-home users and 20 remote draft picks from around the globe. Countries involved included Germany, Mexico, Nigeria, Ghana, the UK, Ireland, Australia and Spain. The draft event, followed passionately by American football fans, saw an impressive 765,000 attendees throughout the weekend.

“The Gen-IC system proved its worth by offering rapid connection times and supporting intensive channel use — 24 channels were active during the draft. This deployment not only highlighted the capabilities of our technology but also underscored Clear-Com’s commitment to facilitating large-scale global events. The Gen-IC and SkyPort systems were pivotal in ensuring smooth coordination and communication across multiple time zones and locations, truly showcasing the strength and reliability of our solutions.”

MacKinnon adds: “Since last year, Clear-Com has made significant strides in enhancing our virtual communication solutions. The Gen-IC Virtual Intercom system and SkyPort Virtual System Management Platform have been pivotal developments. These technologies are designed to integrate with existing hardware or operate as standalone solutions, providing broadcasters with flexibility and scalability.”

“We’ve tackled the challenge of latency in virtual intercom systems head-on,” he continues. “Our unique application minimises latency by deploying on selectable regional targets, ensuring seamless and effective communication. This innovation has significantly improved collaboration capabilities, making our systems ideal for missioncritical productions.

“Our virtual clients, including the Agent-IC mobile app and Station-IC virtual desktop client, continue to deliver exceptional audio quality and reliability. Integrating these with our hardware ecosystems through the LQ Series IP interfaces has simplified setup and removed the need for dedicated interfacing requirements, streamlining the user experience.”

“Clear-Com is looking forward to expanding the capabilities of our virtual communication solutions,” MacKinnon says. “We’re focused on enhancing the user experience and ensuring our systems integrate seamlessly with both existing and new production workflows. Drawing on the success and feedback from recent deployments, we’re poised to drive further innovation and continue supporting the broadcast media community with cuttingedge technology.”

CLOUDBASS

“In April, Cloudbass unveiled an innovative solution with its Tesla Battery OB unit, revolutionising the way live broadcasts are powered,” says Steve Knee, Cloudbass MD. “This cutting-edge technology leverages Tesla’s advanced battery systems to deliver a reliable, sustainable and efficient power source for outside broadcasting.”

At the heart of the Tesla Battery OB solution is the utilisation of Tesla Powerpack batteries. “These batteries provide a stable power supply that can endure the demands of live broadcasting, ensuring uninterrupted coverage even in remote or challenging locations where traditional power sources might be unavailable or unreliable,” says Knee. “The system’s advanced monitoring capabilities provide real-time insights into power usage and battery health, enabling proactive management and maintenance.”

It’s also more sustainable. “By integrating Tesla’s battery technology, Cloudbass significantly reduces the carbon footprint associated with outside broadcasting,” he adds. “The Tesla batteries offer a clean, quiet and efficient alternative to diesel generators. The batteries are capable of being recharged from renewable energy sources such as solar panels, further bolstering their environmental credentials and reducing operational costs over time.

“In a specific case, 135kWh allows for Cloudbass OB5 to work for 15 hours, more than long enough for a one-day rig and TX. A generator is also present to provide a complete back up and top up as required.”

Cloudbass has also embarked on a project with Grass Valley’s Agile Media Processing Platform (AMPP). By integrating the cloud-based AMPP into its operations, Cloudbass can deliver scalable, softwaredefined solutions that enhance the speed and quality of live broadcasts.

“With AMPP, Cloudbass can facilitate remote collaboration among production teams, enabling them to work from various locations without compromising on quality or efficiency. This not only improves operational flexibility but also expands the possibilities for global broadcast coverage,” continues Knee. “Key to the AMPP workflow is being able to drop down users anywhere in the world using domestic internet connections. By leveraging cloud-based solutions, the need for physical infrastructure is significantly reduced, leading to lower energy consumption and a smaller carbon footprint.”

COBALT DIGITAL

“An overwhelming tool of choice for sports broadcasters is Cobalt Digital’s 9904-UDX-4K audio/video processor card which was selected by many national broadcast facilities in France, the UK, Denmark, Switzerland and Italy to air the FIFA World Cup,” says Suzana Brady, SVP worldwide sales & marketing, Cobalt Digital. “Those same broadcasters maximised this Cobalt solution to air large sports events that were recently hosted by Germany and France.”

CUEZ BY TINKERLIST

“Unique in its openGear form-factor, this card is packed with features that place it in a class of its own, bringing numerous and desired capabilities to sports broadcasters. The 9904-UDX-4K is capable of up/down/cross conversion, audio routing, colour correction, 3D-LUT processing, as well as SL-HDR encoding and decoding powered by Advanced HDR by Technicolor,” she adds.

“It supports all popular formats including 1080i50 HDR (PLQ), which was the choice format for tremendously popular sports events during June and July.”

“It incorporates Dante’s IP-based audio networking solution on a licence-basis,” Brady continues. “The +UDX-Dante-16x16 option, which is field upgradable, supports embedding and de-embedding all the way to 12G with full audio routing capabilities between SDI, MADI, and Dante, both input and output, adding up to 32 channels to existing 9904 cards for a high-density solution without the need for any new hardware.”

“Moving on to Paris, Cobalt’s 9904-UDX-4K also helped a major US broadcaster achieve SDR-to-HDR conversion and colour correction during the summer of 2024, and Cobalt’s 9902-UDX up-down-cross converter with the company’s frame rate conversion option was used to get news feeds back to Canada during this same event,” Brady reveals. “Other Cobalt gear used in Paris included fibre solutions, support for 12G and HDR, and MPEG compression products.”

AARON NUYTEMANS

HEAD OF GROWTH

“Since September 2023, we have significantly expanded our client base with numerous major sports productions,” says Aaron Nuytemans, head of growth, Cuez by TinkerList. “Large companies, such as Whisper Productions, utilised our platform to support major events such as the Paralympics, FA Cup and Formula 1. Our constant involvement in the process, as well as customer support and private demos, helped their production processes, contributing to more efficient broadcasts. Companies have also leveraged Cuez for various sports events like WTCS, Boat Races and the Great Manchester Run. They particularly appreciated our template functionality, which allowed them to duplicate and adapt content quickly on the go, which was crucial in increasing production speed and consistency.”

“Our most significant development in the past year was the EVS investment in Cuez, signed in August,” he adds. “EVS sees a natural synergy between our Cuez Rundown system and our new planning system Storiez. This partnership will not only enhance our offerings but it will also help us increase our involvement in sports production.”

Cuez enables users to remotely manage all aspects of sports event production, from planning to live timing updates.

“Cuez script and the rundown system ensures realtime synchronisation across all devices, facilitating last-minute adjustments and keeping everyone on the same page, which is crucial in sports production,” says Nuytemans. “Our system also allows for easy sharing of progress with rights holders, ensuring transparency and real-time updates. By integrating EVS’s industry-leading products with Cuez, we plan to expand and improve our solutions available for sports production houses.

“Looking ahead, our plans focus on strengthening our collaboration with EVS to create a compelling offering for sports, as well as other clients. This partnership aims to combine our forces to make sports production even smoother for our clients

and improve the compatibility of our platform with multiple EVS technologies. Our goal is to ensure that our clients benefit from the most reliable, intuitive and productive solution in the industry.”

CVP

For more than 30 years, CVP Group has been one of the leading broadcast and professional video solutions providers in the United Kingdom and Europe, with a comprehensive UK sales and support infrastructure.

“CVP’s primary focus is its ongoing collaboration with major partners and industry leaders in sports broadcasting,” says Alun Milton, senior account manager, CVP. “Technologies and services are collectively revolutionising how sports are played, viewed and analysed, driving the industry’s growth and evolution.”

New technology or services CVP has found most successful this past year include continued refinement and adoption of VAR. “VAR in sports like football support and enhance referees’ decisionmaking accuracy through reviewing video footage,” says Milton. “AR and VR have enhanced both fan engagement and training. VR training simulations for athletes and AR features in broadcasting such as enhanced replays and player stats overlays have gained significant popularity. Meanwhile services such as ESPN+, DAZN and Amazon Prime Video have expanded their sports offerings, giving fans more ways to watch live games and exclusive content.”

Milton continues: “Development of advanced analytics platforms and AI-driven tools are enabling teams and coaches to make data-informed decisions. Leading companies in this space include IBM, Stats Perform and Catapult Sports. The rollout of 5G networks has improved the quality of live streaming and enabled more interactive and immersive experiences for fans, both at home and in stadiums.

“The esports industry continues its rapid growth, with platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming experiencing increased viewership. Games such as Fortnite from Epic Games, and League of Legends and Valorant from Riot Games, maintain large active player bases and audiences.”

CYANVIEW

“Our products are used for remote shading of specialty cameras, mostly on high-end events,” says David Bourgeois, CEO & founder, Cyanview. “This year the use of cinema-style cameras to cover sporting events continued to gain traction among major broadcasters. Our RCP was in all three trucks used for this year’s Super Bowl where several dozen field camera feeds

Bourgeois reveals that Cyanview products were widely used during the 2024 Paris Games.

“Orange and Haivision deployed private 5G networks for the opening ceremony, for sailing in Marseille and on some rugby games, on which we controlled all cameras, including the mobile phones — 200 were on the boats at the opening ceremony and then on each boat for the sailing competition — and also some Sony camcorders like PXW-Z750 and HDC-5500,” recalls Bourgeois. “Camera Corps and others deployed a lot of Dreamchip mini-cameras and SSM500 slow-motion cameras, while ACS used slow-motion cameras and Sony FX3/FX6 cameras on gimbals for cinematic shots.”

“NBC Olympics had multiple FX6 gimbal kits and Sony Z750s,” he adds. “They also controlled EVS Neuron colour correctors via Cyanview. Meanwhile AMP used a lot of wireless FX3/FX6 cameras, and XD motion used our RIO and RCP to control cameras on their drones, from small FPV to larger drones. Additionally, a lot of mini-cams from Proton and Panasonic PTZs were used in Tahiti for the surfing.”

Bourgeois continues: “Cyanview allows wireless control of cinema and mirrorless cameras for covering sports competitions with a new visual style, such as large-sensor cameras during Roland Garros, and with RED cameras on LaLiga in Spain.

“Remote production continues to be a recurring request from our customers. For example, the PGA still covers multiple events at once, controlling Sony ENG cameras on golf courses from its control rooms in Florida.

“We’ll continue to develop integrations of the main cameras over any kind of network or communication channel; we’re also developing higher-level software

to manage clusters of devices. New developments on our VP4 image processor enable support of log signals over the public internet, which gives more latitude to do corrections in post while maintaining the best image quality.”

DELTACAST

LIONEL DUTILLEUX

INTERNATIONAL SALES MANAGER

“Already in use at major broadcasters for live football storytelling and postgame analysis, Deltacast Augmented Reality technology was utilised for the first time at the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France,” says Lionel Dutilleux, international sales manager, Deltacast. “TF1 chose Deltacast to transform live data into powerful insights with AR graphics by quantifying collision intensity. The solution considers the calculation of player speed from its tracking data based on broadcast cameras. Combined with the weight of the player, the system can then display the collision intensity in kilograms to the delight of fans and commentators.”

Dutilleux continues: “Deltacast has also completed the integration of its offside technology in the VAR systems by Evertz and Riedel and is currently working on an upgraded version of its FIFA-certified virtual offside technology to speed up VAR offside calls. Deltacast offside tech is currently being used in 10 domestic leagues. The technology will be ready to be introduced after one of the autumn international breaks.”

According to Dutilleux, it will provide quicker and consistent placement of the virtual offside line, based on AI continuous improvement and R&D investments, and will produce high-quality broadcast graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for supporters.

DISGUISE

manager, broadcast, EMEA, Disguise. “The main use case for Disguise is that it enables broadcasters to tell better stories with the latest and greatest technology.”

“This started this year with the NBA GlassCourt — a brand-new interactive LED court during the NBAs All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis in February,” he continues. “Produced by ASB GlassFloor and powered by Glasscourt OS (which includes Disguise), the court featured spectacular reveals and animations, live-tracked hosts and entertainers, as well as fully interactive game moments.”

Gunkel continues: “For major broadcast events this summer, such as the Euros and the Olympics, Disguise has been used by broadcasters including TUDN, RTHK and beIN Sports, for exciting datadriven and AR graphics as well as digital flyovers and virtual backgrounds of memorable cities. This follows a long history of Disguise supporting unique graphics and data-driven stories for broadcasters like TelevisaUnivision, NBC, TV Azteca and more.

Gunkel describes the broadcast services team as “one of the biggest successes for us in the past 12 months”.

“They have used highly innovative techniques such as MetaHumans, digital characters, AR graphics, datadriven graphics and more to help leading broadcasters tell compelling stories,” he explains. “In 2023, they even won an Emmy for Technical Excellence: News for work done on NBCs coverage of the US midterm elections.

“On the technology side, our Porta graphics control software allows for a streamlined endto-end broadcast workflow integrating Unreal Engine graphics into any production environment. Broadcasters can deliver dynamic real-time content that enhances live broadcast shows and cultivates a more engaged and loyal audience. This toolset has been trusted by broadcasters such as Televisa, TUDN and DAZN; it allows them to access the latest 3D motion graphics and 2D layer design tools to create on-air compatible graphics.”

BENJAMIN GUNKEL

SALES MANAGER, BROADCAST, EMEA “2024 is a year full of huge sport events, which means Disguise has been used to great results in all kinds of sports productions,” says Benjamin Gunkel, sales

“Our next few months will be full of exciting new live sports projects, all marked with the innovations that Disguise is well-known for: data-driven AR graphics, high-quality virtual environments to increase viewer engagement, and much more,” he concludes.

Forging

Host

Multi-platform

Remote Production Galleries

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DIVERSIFIED

“In the year leading up to the World Cup, Super Bowl and Women’s World Cup also known as ‘Jewel Events’, the technical operations team at Fox Sports conceptualised an innovative new broadcast system that would be transportable via aeroplane, rapidly deployable and cutting-edge flexible,” says Francis Williams, technical commercial director (media) EMEA for Diversified.

DIZPLAI

ED ABIS CEO

In April, Dizplai and World Archery signed a partnership to reinvent World Archery’s broadcast graphics and put fan engagement at the heart of its live coverage.

Fox Sports partnered with Diversified to validate the technical and financial feasibility of the concept and then worked together to develop and test the dual first-of-its-kind SMPTE ST 2110 Flypack Broadcast System.

With the help of partners Tag Video Systems and EVS Broadcast Equipment, the flypack was executed to fulfil Fox Sports’ vision. There are two systems, one for content creation and another for distribution and monitoring, each containing 20 foldable racks, divided into four pallets. Each pallet weighs approximately 5,000-6,000lbs. The pallets are interconnected using MPO12 cables, allowing the system to turn an empty room into a working central equipment room (CER) in five hours. Each CER is capable of handling 3,000+ 2110 streams. To accommodate worldwide usage, the system can simultaneously handle 50 and 60fps.

“Flypacks are not a new concept to the industry, but this version took the concept one step further to accommodate air transportation, rather than by sea, and ensure smooth deployment,” says Williams. “The Flypack Broadcast System was then redeployed for the recent Euros in Germany.”

Building on success in North America, in September 2023 Diversified expanded into the sports and arenas markets in EMEA, “up from the ground level in this region”, notes Williams.

“We are investing in having a significant presence at national and international sports and arena trade shows across Europe, building brand awareness with press and partner sponsorship opportunities,” he adds. “We continue to grow the sports and arena internal teams within Diversified EMEA to support the increased opportunities in this exciting vertical.”

“World Archery launched its first watchalong in April with simple social, scoring and fixture graphics, created by Dizplai. This was followed by new sets of graphics created for watchalongs for three world cup tournaments in May and June,” says Dizplai CEO Ed Abis. “In June Dizplai announced the 100% acquisition of the PickGuru gaming platform. It brings together two innovators in the fan engagement space and will enable PickGuru to drive greater experiences for fans across both first and second screens.”

“We also announced the launch of Dizplai Creative, a creative agency focused on driving greater audience engagement and brand value through content innovation and technology,” says Abis. “Following the launch, Dizplai was announced by Comcast as one of the 10 startups chosen for the 2024 Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Accelerator Program.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board used Dizplai’s platform to integrate live graphics, fan engagement and social content during the live stream of The Hundred draft on YouTube. “Dizplai’s work saw a 350% increase in website traffic, driven by dynamic graphics and interactive features,” says Abis. “Dizplai also announced a partnership with IMG, the R&A and Mastercard. In six Golf Matchups games throughout The Open, users picked one player from each tee time to win the day, with points awarded for correct answers.”

The United Stand, and its sister channel That’s Football, also used the Dizplai platform to power live graphics for watchalong and breaking news live streams. Over the Euro 2024 opening weekend, the That’s Football YouTube channel gained over 2.5 million views.

“Looking forward, we will deliver a post-production service to generate assets that can be added to production workflows for non-live content,” says Abis. “Our Graphics Operator Panel is also nearing completion. This will be a widget-style interface that

can be embedded into production tools, allowing graphics to be driven from inside the same tool used for vision mixing. Other tools planned for the remainder of 2024 include AI processing of images from inside the Dizplai interface.”

DOMO BROADCAST SYSTEMS

MIKE BUDGE

“One of our most significant company developments this year has been the purchase of Wave Central in the US after a long-established relationship as our US reseller,” says Mike Budge, broadcast unit director for Domo Broadcast Systems. “The acquisition allows us to offer our cutting-edge technology and responsive support directly in the US, enhancing our service and presence in this critical market.”

“It was an honour for all of us at Domo to have helped bring the World Endurance Championship — particularly the 100th anniversary of Le Mans — to race fans around the world,” he continues.

“Our turnkey solution, the AOBTX2 in-car system, combined a H.265 encoder and COFDM transmitter and allowed for 24 transmitters. At Imola, those 24 transmitters in the field supported 96 live cameras that could be switched between to deliver a full racing experience to viewers.”

Domo’s encoders, decoders, COFDM, fibre and Mesh solutions have also been integral for transmissions of other premium events including Eurovision 2024, World Rally, the US Tennis Open, SailGP, Superbikes, Formula 1 and football championships.

“Our involvement in the E1 Boat Racing series has been a major highlight of our year. Capturing high-speed action from multiple angles in a marine environment and producing a fully remote live broadcast posed unique challenges,” says Budge. “Central to our solution was the Sapphire TXRPM transmitter, chosen for its ability to handle inputs from four onboard HD cameras on each boat. Despite high-speed manoeuvres and splashing water, the transmitter’s HEVC encoder ensured uninterrupted high-quality coverage. Signals from the race boats were received by our Sapphire RXD4 receiver and streamed back to the MCR in the UK. Onshore footage was captured using traditional wireless camera

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“Our Onyx encoder delivered ultra-low latency HEVC IP output with redundant network streams, ensuring reliable transmission of high-quality video feeds. These feeds, embedded with data, were synchronised and decoded back in London, allowing seamless integration of graphics and footage as if all production elements were on-site.

“Domo’s IP Mesh nodes played a pivotal role in creating a private, single-frequency network. This supported bidirectional IP connectivity, linking race boats, support vehicles and the shore for precise location data, AR graphics and race control. It also facilitated program audio communication and team coordination, with PTZ camera control available over the mesh network.”

DREAMWALL

THIBAULT BARAS HEAD OF MEDIA SOLUTIONS & SPORTS DEPARTMENT

Dreamwall offers its partners valueadded services for live adaptive augmented reality inserts for sports and events through its DreamSports AR Track system.

“This past June, the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa took place at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit as part of the Fanatec GT Word Challenge Europe, organised by SRO Motorsports Group,” says Thibault Baras, head of media solutions & sports department, Dreamwall. “Thanks to a new partnership with the circuit, Dreamwall is able to provide high-value augmented reality for the race production, in order to increase partner visibility, enhance the venue, enrich the content or activate fan engagement on social networks.”

AR elements included virtual paint on grass areas, placement of banners in specific zones, advertising billboards on walls, LED screens and virtual archways.

“The virtual insertions were integrated so seamlessly that they were virtually indistinguishable to spectators,” says Baras. “They enhanced the visibility of the event’s primary partner, enriched the production setting and reduced costs associated with traditional setups. Additionally, they minimised the environmental impact by avoiding the use of large quantities of paint on the different areas of the track.”

As well as integration, Baras points out the adaptability of augmented reality to the external conditions of a 24-hour race.

“It’s essential that virtual inserts remain visible day and night and adapt to changing weather conditions, so our teams developed dynamic lighting solutions and adaptations for various weather conditions for all the virtual inserts, which were particularly appreciated at Spa-Francorchamps, a circuit renowned for its unpredictable fog and rain,” says Baras.

“This hyper-realistic AR service is based on an aggregation of different technologies such as video game engines, camera data tracking and drone tracking, and cutting-edge image insertion technologies based partly on AI. But technology would be nothing without the internationally recognised expertise acquired over 20 years, highlighting the teams’ know-how, attention to detail and constant pursuit of perfection, which are part of the Dreamwall DNA.”

EDGIO

MATT KRAMER

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MARKETING

ReachTV, which has over 2,500 screens in more than 90 airports and hotels across North America, faced challenges in its operations including the crucial acquisition of licensed broadcast and NFL feeds. “It needed an experienced partner capable of effectively managing streaming workflows to ensure uninterrupted content delivery together with experienced live events personnel that can manage the technical aspects of acquiring and streaming live sports events,” says Matt Kramer, director of product

“Edgio’s Uplynk Media Platform transformed ReachTV’s Digital Out of Home into a Connected TV experience using Uplynk’s SmartPlay, enabling seamless content control in airports and hotels, while Uplynk’s server-side ad insertion and easy ad partner integration facilitates effective monetisation. Edgio’s live event operations team ensures uninterrupted live streams, while our video expert services team helps ReachTV optimise infrastructure and explore new business models, including streaming to connected devices and syndicating channels to hotels.”

Another client this year was Everpass Media which streams live sports, including NFL Sunday Ticket, to bars and restaurants. “Edgio enhanced content acquisition, live event management and syndication through Uplynk,” says Kramer. “Using Uplynk, feeds are acquired from leagues or broadcast networks. Edgio manages live event operations, providing testing, stream monitoring, backup services and support to handle complex sports league licensing requirements efficiently.”

Kramer highlights collaborative efforts with Edgio’s Uplynk Media Platform and Sinclair’s Broadspan Datacasting Platform that are “transforming OTT broadcast delivery”, while a partnership with Bitmovin focuses on improving IP content delivery through data-driven mid-stream multi-CDN switching.

“This collaboration enhances the user experience with advanced player analytics, resilient SSAI and industry-leading performance,” says Kramer. “Future plans include integrating AI technology for better CDN economics and pre-positioning assets on the edge.”

He continues: “At Edgio we’re addressing market and customers’ needs head-on with solutions. Whether using one piece of our tech stack or several, we’re open to having a conversation and finding the right technical solution. Cost continues to be a frequent topic and is a significant hurdle in streaming and distribution. We’re looking to pave the way with new technical approaches, changing the discussions from reservation fees and SLA structure, into flat rate costing and leveraging proven broadcast distribution approaches to IP workflow.”

EDITSHARE

LEE GRIFFIN VICE PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

“All the major sports teams worldwide now have extensive video production facilities,” says Lee Griffin, vice president of global business development, EditShare. “They collaborate with broadcast partners, they have in-stadium productions, and perhaps most importantly they continue to engage with fans via social media. Many teams are developing new ways of making game day even more exciting. In the US, at least one NHL team bases its pre-game entertainment around projections on the ice.

• Setup in very short timeframe

• Tried and tested for sports contribution around the globe

“This is driving ever more sophisticated production architectures, built around shared content storage and connectivity. Because EditShare has asset and workflow management software Flow embedded in its storage solutions, it is increasingly seen as the winning solution for sport.”

Griffin continues: “Kansas State University has an extensive athletics programme, which the school covers through K-StateHD.tv, as well as providing facilities for visiting broadcasters. The EditShare storage network provides the hub and Flow the content management. The amount of content is continually growing, and Kansas State has a programme to transfer its legacy content into the online store, so they rely on the ready scalability of EditShare storage and its ability to seamlessly archive in the cloud.

This year, Eluvio had its full commercial launch of the next-gen Eluvio Content Fabric — Casablanca Release and Application Suite to deliver premium live streaming, PVOD, FAST channels and video archive monetisation at scale.

“NHL team Florida Panthers has producers shooting content for screens in the Amerant Bank Arena and online. When on the road with the team, these producers can log into the EditShare shared storage network, upload via the cloud, and access all the content in the archive, thanks to the comprehensive tagging in the metadata.”

Beyond the US, Griffin says EditShare is delivering its EFS storage system and Flow integrated asset management to Singapore-based Asian Tour Media. “This company provides coverage and content distribution for the Asian Golf Tour, the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia,” he adds. “With this installation, Asian Tour Media benefits from the same sophisticated production and asset management capabilities, ensuring seamless content creation and distribution across the region. That is the goal for every sports team: to keep its fans engaged and cheering them on. EditShare workflows empower better, faster and more extensive content, fuelling that engagement.”

ELUVIO

MICHELLE MUNSON CEO AND CO-FOUNDER

“Eluvio is solving the generational problems of video over the internet for sports and entertainment companies,” says CEO and co-founder Michelle Munson. “The traditional content publishing and distribution stack has so much complexity because the media, metadata and processing are all part of siloed workflows, and achieving fast or scalable streaming performance is often by brute force. This structure leads to unnecessarily higher costs, inefficiencies and resource demands. It also creates a lock-in of the tech stack that prevents media re-use and personalisation — the kind of innovation media companies need right now, especially in the age of AI.”

“The Eluvio Content Fabric significantly simplifies video distribution by replacing file-based workflows and legacy media clouds and CDNs with a hyperefficient and extensible media delivery pipeline and streaming solution in protocol,” says Munson. “This novel approach dramatically reduces the bandwidth and storage used as compared to traditional clouds and CDNs and slashes costs and carbon footprint. It also enables unlimited re-use of the same content without making file copies or redistribution, enables emergent and personalised experiences, and provides inherent content security, proof of authenticity and rights control. The software protocol runs decentralised over TCP/IP on an open global network of nodes, without third-party CDNs or media clouds.

“The Casablanca Release brought the novel invention of the Content Fabric protocol to practical scale with advanced streaming features, enterprise grade management, end-to-end audience analytics, proven ultra-low latency performance at global scale, AI content search, summarisation and clip generation, and turnkey digital properties for OTT streaming and archive monetisation.”

Companies and creators whose content experiences have been powered by Eluvio include European Professional Club Rugby, Fox, Amazon Studios/MGM, Sony Pictures, Telstra Broadcast Services, UEFA, Warner Bros, WWE and others.

EMG / GRAVITY MEDIA

“There is no doubt that the biggest company development since September last year was when EMG and Gravity Media joined forces and expertise at the beginning of 2024, creating an unprecedented global partnership in the M&E industry,” says interim chief commercial officer Eamonn Curtin. “With two complementary companies merged, our technical innovation and operational excellence have gone to another level.

“A great example of this is our Production Centre at The WestWorks building in White City, London, creating an efficient, innovative and sustainable stateof-the-art remote production hub. For TNT Sports, the move to The WestWorks resulted in a change to an 80/20 model, ensuring 80% of all live outside broadcasts are delivered remotely. We have also seen a positive impact on the environment with major live remote broadcasting projects such as UEFA Euro 2024 for ITV Sport where they had a 30/70 split in personnel, saving the environmental impact of moving crew and kit into Germany from the UK.”

“Both EMG and Gravity Media are known for their expertise in live sports globally, and now that the two companies have joined forces, we have grown even stronger,” continues Curtin. “UEFA Euro 2024 ranks among the largest live broadcasts we have managed since the merger of our two companies. Together, we created innovative and sustainable workflows to support UEFA and partners like ITV in the UK, NOS in the Netherlands and Optus Sport in Australia throughout the tournament.”

The group has also made history with sports that aren’t as well-known, such as England Netball. “Building a remote production workflow with In Touch Productions we helped expand coverage and bring the sport to a growing audience via the BBC iPlayer and live streaming specialist Netball Pass,” he adds.

“Our plans for the next few months involve expanding our production capabilities, enhancing our content and media services while still finding new ways of keeping sustainable and innovative workflows. As well as this, we’re upgrading our facilities across the group to continue being a leading force in the broadcasting industry.”

ES BROADCAST

“The end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 has been an extremely busy time for ES Broadcast with our delivery of some very large technology builds for our clients, including RaceTech, QTV, DAZN and two new customers in Supponor and Uniqfeed, two of the biggest players in the sports virtual advertising space,” says Greg de Bressac, managing director, ES

Broadcast. “We are also midway through delivering a full technology refresh and upgrade to one of the largest stadiums in the US. While completing all of that we have been involved in all of 2024’s largest European sporting events, though we cannot possibly provide any names of those events. We will just leave you to guess.”

Over the past year, Eurovision has undergone several key developments to strengthen its position in the sports broadcasting sector. “We’ve established a new customer-focused management team to better align our technological offerings with client needs,” he explains. “Additionally, we appointed a new CTO and a head of product, positioning us at the forefront of market and broadcasting technology advancements.

tools — including our DreamCatcher replay system — and operators located remotely in other cities around the country, is an industry-changer, allowing the NHL to rethink its production of regular season or international games. At NAB 2024, we took the system a bit further and shadowed two games from the NAB floor over the Verizon 5G network.”

He continues: “We have expanded our business dramatically, formally opening both our new North American sales and systems business and our European sales operation in Germany and France. This gives our customers global access to the ES Broadcast brand and amazing service, duty free!

“Our plans are to massively grow our continental European equipment sales business, providing not only high-quality used equipment but brand-new equipment from all of the major manufacturers with whom we are a top tier partner.”

“We will deliver on the very large projects we are currently undertaking in North America, showcasing that ES Broadcast can support the biggest customers on the biggest projects in the biggest market globally,” he adds. “In the UK we will complete a huge programme of work for a global sport brand — again that we are not allowed to name. We will also continue to support our customers in the transition to a remote production solutions-led UK sports production market.”

EUROVISION SERVICES

FABIEN ROBINEAU

CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER

“During this past year, Eurovision Services has experienced remarkable advancements, particularly following our acquisition by Dubag,” says chief commercial officer Fabien Robineau. “This acquisition has driven major investments focused on prioritising our clients’ needs. One of the most significant highlights has been the strategic partnerships formed with top media partners, simplifying our clients’ production workflows while broadcasting. These partnerships turn Eurovision Services into a one-stop shop for all things broadcasting, integrating all content enrichment tools into our workflow. Our involvement in the largest UEFA Euro event to date further showcased our ability to provide high-quality, uninterrupted coverage, reinforcing our industry leadership.”

“In terms of technological innovations, we invested in the NESI Project, which integrates SRT with traditional satellite and fibre broadcasting. This innovative approach offers a superior, cost-effective solution for our clients. Our team has also grown significantly, ensuring we can develop and execute projects at an optimal speed while maintaining high quality. These developments have allowed us to deliver exceptional services and stay competitive in the fast-evolving broadcasting landscape.”

Looking ahead, Robineau says Eurovision is focused on several strategic initiatives.

“We will continue refining our technologies to offer the best go-to-market solutions, emphasising quality delivery and flexibility. Further investments will be made in projects similar to NESI, integrating cutting-edge technologies to provide superior broadcasting solutions. We aim to further grow our team, ensuring we have the capacity to meet increasing client demands and maintain our high standards of service. Additionally, we will continue to build and leverage strategic partnerships with top media partners, further enhancing our clients’ abilities to deliver outstanding sponsorships and all content enrichment options.

“These plans are designed to solidify our market position and ensure we continue to lead in sports broadcasting innovation.”

EVERTZ

MO GOYAL

“Evertz has had a few sports production highlights this past year, the biggest being the live cloud production showcase of an NHL game with our partners at Amazon Web Services and Verizon,” says Mo Goyal, senior director, international business development, live media solutions, Evertz. “The ability to do several live hockey games with cameras in the stadium and the production suite of

“Internationally, we have seen a growth in our live media tools including DreamCatcher, Bravo Studio and Studer audio mixing consoles,” he continues. “We have added new tools that leverage deep machine learning to help content creators and owners amplify their stories more efficiently. Our AI Highlight Factory is a great example of this, where packaged highlights with multiple angles are created in seconds using only the technical director’s voice.”

Goyal continues: “Customers are looking to upgrade their current production workflows. The delivery of content has changed as audiences want more personalised experiences across multiple platforms. To accomplish this, a new approach to production is required. We have been focused on developing tools around Bravo Studio to help generate more stories and shorten the distance from the production to the consumer.”

In the next few months, Evertz will continue to add new tools to Bravo Studio. He continues: “One area of focus is developing more deep learning algorithms for facility integrity within Magnum-OS. These tools will help address the management of complex systems whether it’s SDI, IP, cloud or a hybrid of all. Anomaly detection with these ML algorithms are areas that help our customers identify and resolve issues with their facility. We look to consolidate information from various sources and present them in natural language to quickly address the detected anomalies.”

EVS

SÉBASTIEN VERLAINE

SENIOR BRAND & CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

EVS launched VIA Map version 1.0 earlier this year. “VIA Map is a comprehensive media asset platform at the core of EVS’s vision for a premium live ecosystem,” says

Sébastien Verlaine, senior brand & corporate communications manager at the company. “Through an intuitive HTML5 web interface, users can access VIA Map’s Core and Creative applications, each finely tuned for a specific function such as baseband ingest, file import, advanced editing, content metadata enrichment and management, archiving and more.”

“It ensures seamless convergence and integration of EVS’ core solutions, creating a unified environment that covers the entire content lifecycle — from live acquisition of content to production, post-production, distribution, and monetisation,” says Verlaine. “By bridging the gap between every critical phase, VIA Map streamlines operations, enhances collaboration, and maximises creative potential and monetisation opportunities.”

In August, EVS announced the acquisition of Portugal-based MOG Technologies, a “strategic move that enhances the EVS portfolio with state-of-the-art file-based and software-defined video solutions”. EVS says the acquisition will enable it to broaden its live production ecosystem by expanding its file-based ingest and transcoding capabilities.

The company also made a strategic investment in TinkerList, developer of the Cuez cloud-based rundown management system. As part of the investment, TinkerList’s SaaS products will be integrated into EVS’ asset management and flexible control room solutions.

FARMERSWIFE

“Last year, we successfully launched farmerswife 7.0, featuring the highly anticipated Dark Mode feature. This update was well-received by our users, significantly enhancing both the user experience and interface,” says farmerswife CEO Stephen Elliott. “Building on the success of version 7.0, we have focused on developing and refining farmerswife 7.1. This latest version includes numerous enhancements and new functionalities that further streamline project management processes and improve overall efficiency.”

“We have concentrated our development efforts, heavily focusing on Cirkus, striving to make it the premier end-to-end solution for project management,” he continues. “With several new features and improvements, Cirkus has become a more powerful and versatile tool for managing projects from start to finish.”

This year has also seen some strategic expansion with new hires specifically to support growth in the APAC region. Elliott adds: “This expansion aims to provide better and more localised support to our clients in Asia-Pacific. Establishing a stronger presence in the APAC region has enabled us to better understand and cater to the unique needs of our clients in this market.”

Going forward, product enhancements and AI integration are on the roadmap. “We will continue improving both farmerswife and Cirkus by incorporating new features and enhancements driven by user feedback and industry developments,” he says. “Recognising the expanding role of AI in the media sector, we will enhance the project management experience with advanced automation, AI assistant and resource scheduling tools.

“In line with future sustainability targets, we are developing new features to help clients monitor their carbon emissions impact. This will ensure that production budgets consider both client needs and environmental sustainability.

“We also plan to introduce new initiatives to enhance customer support and engagement, ensuring our clients can fully utilise and benefit from our products. Our focus will remain on innovation and development to stay ahead of industry trends and offer cutting-edge solutions to our customers.”

GENELEC

HOWARD JONES COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

“The Paris Games were a big highlight for us, with our Smart Active Monitoring systems being used for global broadcast production,” says Howard Jones, communications director, Genelec. “Several production units and OB vans were equipped with Genelec immersive monitoring setups, and we had our own staff in Paris during the preparations. Systems engineers were busy on-site setting up and calibrating

these monitoring systems, and we were extremely proud to play a part in ensuring that the Games and spectacular ceremonies were broadcast around the world with the finest possible sound quality.”

In terms of product development, the focus has been on the Unio audio monitoring ecosystem. “We launched it at IBC last year and further expanded it at IBC2024 with the addition of the 8550A professional reference headphones and Aural ID V2.0 binaural headphone monitoring technology,” Jones continues. “Unio brings together the power of our smart active monitors, GLM calibration software, 8550A headphones and Aural ID, all under the tactile hardware control of the 9320A reference controller. By using the 9320A to combine a calibrated smart active monitoring system and the 8550A headphones with Aural ID, the user can enjoy accurate mixes that translate reliably between monitors and headphones for a smooth, uninterrupted workflow — wherever they choose to work.”

Jones says the next few months will be focused on demonstrating the benefits of Unio globally. “With an increasing number of broadcast engineers working in a variety of acoustic environments, we recognise the need to be able to rely on accurate monitoring — whether that’s via in-room loudspeakers or professional headphones,” he explains. “By providing a bridge between those two methods of monitoring, we firmly believe that we’ll be helping engineers to achieve a faster workflow — and create better audio mixes.”

GLOBECAST

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE PERIER CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

This year, Globecast has supported the Premier Padel Tournament in Rome for Supertennis (Italian Tennis and Padel Federation’s TV channel) and the Malaga Premier Padel P1, as well as the UEFA European Championships in Germany.

“We experienced a large shift in the distribution and delivery model being deployed for Premier Padel 2024,” says Jean-Christophe Perier, CMO, Globecast. “Premier Padel utilised a unilateral delivery via fibre infrastructure for remote production and the Malaga

Premier Padel P1 was delivered via an IP/cloud distribution mix. Globecast supported both Sky Italia and RAI with unilateral delivery via fibre for the UEFA European Championships.”

“Globecast’s delivery methods have changed over the years. New technologies with smaller encoders have allowed us to improve the quality and safety of signal delivery, thanks to a redundant architecture,” he says of the latter tournament. “The 1GB redundant fibre ring connecting the IBC to Milan Santa Giulia was supported by a disaster recovery solution with an alternative path connecting Rome. In case of problems, the Sky fibres connecting the two locations are used. The technical configuration involved the use of new encoding platforms. The most significant change was the switch to J2K encoding to avoid latency problems and allowing for greater variability.”

Perier says there has been a major investment in cloud technologies and an expanded cloud-focused team. “Our ‘Cloud Your Way’ strategies were designed to assist customers with transitioning to the cloud,” he explains. “These include the integration of our connectivity capabilities and infrastructure of IP, satellite and fibre networks also known as the CloudMediaHub. Continuing to work with our partners and third-party industry leaders, we are focusing on advanced transmission and connectivity capabilities and end-to-end hybrid cloud solutions.

“Other notable sporting events include the final of Coppa Italia for EI Towers/Lega Serie A, the conclusion of the season of Serie A, the Giro d’Italia for RCS and EMG with the usage of Hot Bird satellite, and the Italian Tennis Open for Supertennis with a unilateral delivery via fibre.”

GRABYO

CLARE BUTLER

SVP MARKETING

“Over the past year, Grabyo has developed its advanced live broadcasting feature set by adding compression and custom automations to its 64-channel audio mixer, a brand-new tally light system, plus support for SCTE-35 and SMPTE 2308 data passthrough,” says SVP marketing Clare Butler. “Broadening its interoperability with sports

production workflows, Grabyo has also released a desktop app, which acts as a bridge to local network connections for production teams. This bridge enables users to connect Grabyo’s cloud platform with local devices, such as cameras with in-built tally lights. This functionality has large potential to bridge the gap between traditional and cloud-based production tools. Another notable update on ad marker insertion is YouTube RTMP markers. Grabyo is one of the select platforms able to offer custom live ad insertion for live broadcasts delivered to YouTube.”

Grabyo is one of the first cloud platforms to release a native Threads publishing integration and has introduced AI highlights to its live clipping platform, giving users the ability to automate highlights logging and creation for rapid publishing.

“The AI highlights workflow is built in partnership with Magnifi, and doesn’t rely on sports data inputs to generate highlights, but uses computer vision to detect and create clips,” says Butler.

She continues: “Grabyo’s platform has powered the video content strategies of the world’s biggest sporting organisations. For The Championships, Wimbledon 2024, the AELTC’s social and digital team used Grabyo to create and distribute realtime highlights from across its 18 courts, using Grabyo’s multi-stream live clipping functionality to monitor the action from multiple courts at once and scale its output.

“New York Road Runners, organisers of the New York City Marathon, streamed all professional races on the marathon’s official app using Grabyo, offering a second screen experience to the race broadcast on TV. Its team produced four additional streams for the app using Grabyo, managing camera switching and graphic overlays within Grabyo’s virtual control room. The in-app race feeds attracted over 200,000 live viewers, a 14% increase from the previous year.”

GRASS VALLEY

ADAM MARSHALL CPO

“In recent months, our customers have achieved exceptional results in various segments of live sports production using our product solutions, particularly the implementation of fully software-based

production workflows for regular sports productions, powered by AMPP,” says Grass Valley CPO Adam Marshall. “NVP has successfully produced and distributed Lega Pro, Italy’s third football league, using an AMPP-based installation with cloud processing. This transition to a SaaS-based workflow significantly reduced production costs and minimised the environmental footprint. For RallyX motorsport events in Northern Europe, DMC replaced the traditional OB-based production with a cross-country AMPP-based remote production with processing at the venue, achieving similar cost reductions and environmental benefits.”

Marshall continues: “This summer, our latest product solutions were extensively used at major sporting events in Europe. These events showcased our seamless simultaneous HDR/SDR productions, facilitated by newly integrated 3D LUT converters in the LDX 100 series cameras and the K-Frame series video production switchers. Additionally, the LDX 135 RF and LDX 150 RF cameras enabled Pacific Broadcast to use optimally integrated wireless transmission technology alongside the exceptional performance features of the LDX 100 series cameras in surfing competitions in Tahiti.”

Marshall says cloud-native solutions from AMPP have seen increasing adoption in sports productions, both in on-premise applications and cloud environments.

“The key drivers for this adoption include the need for better cost efficiency, a smaller environmental footprint, and improved scalability and flexibility,” he adds. “Additions to our AMPP solutions include the Maverik X video production centre and the FrameLight X content management system, both playing crucial roles in live sports production. Our continuous investment in hardware solutions has also led to successful product launches, particularly in cameras and video production mixers, which include new advanced I/O-boards for the K-Frame video production centres supporting 100GbE interfaces and JPEG XS codecs, contributing to our overall business success. We’re driving accelerated development of AMPP software, but we’re also investing heavily into our hardware product offering, with all new products across cameras, live production and infrastructure built from the ground up to be fully integrated into AMPP as an inclusive offering.”

HAWK-EYE INNOVATIONS

BEN CROSSING MD

“It has been a busy time at Hawk-Eye with the establishment of our Broadcast Solutions division, independent of our core officiating and data business, whose responsibilities are on delivering a marketleading live production product suite,” says MD Ben Crossing. “We brought in Doug Price, an industry veteran, to lead our global commercial and operations. We have heavily invested in the team to keep up with the continuously growing demand and continue to build on our synergies with Sony, our parent company.”

“Our focus has been to develop new ways to simplify and improve replay at the highest level of broadcast,” he adds. “We implemented our unique quad split screen outputs for the Super Bowl, and we were the first to integrate 4x UHD super slow-motion replays with the Sony HDC 5500 UHD cameras including HD cut outs.”

“We are excited about our partnership with the PGA and its new world-class broadcast and production facility in Ponte Verde, Florida,” he continues. “We also can’t forget our partnerships with our broadcast partners in the States: CBS, ESPN, Fox, and this year NBC and Amazon. We also worked with Vox this past year on season 2 of the Netflix show Full Swing and are working on season 3 now.”

“Currently we are working on a new release slated for the end of the year with some exciting new features,” continues Crossing. “We just announced our release of HawkNEST at IBC, our new fully integrated asset management and load balancing solution that works within the HawkREPLAY ecosystem.

“This release is a huge milestone for us on the Broadcast Solutions team; a lot of work has gone into getting this out and the team executed it in record time. You will continue to see new ideas and features coming on this product.

“Our customers continue to push us to be more disruptive and reimagine replay. We are working on some new things for NAB 2025, and we have a pretty robust roadmap heading into the new year and beyond. Great things are coming and we are super excited to bring them out when they are ready.”

HITOMI BROADCAST

RUSSELL JOHNSON

“Hitomi has continued to be the industry standard for lip-sync and latency management in live broadcasts of high-profile sporting events worldwide,” says Russell Johnson, director at Hitomi Broadcast. “A standout example is our involvement in the Summer Games in Paris, where our technology ensured precise synchronisation across multiple venues and

“One of our other major projects was supporting WWE’s live television coverage at London’s O2 Arena. This complex production involved multiple audio and video signals travelling over 5,500km between London and Stamford, Connecticut, as well as worldwide distribution. Our MatchBox technology was crucial in minimising latency and ensuring synchronisation across all signals.

“We’ve also been extensively involved with Formula E, working alongside Gravity Media on one of the most complex remote productions yet undertaken. With around 90 live feeds from each race location back to London, our MatchBox system played a vital role in eliminating lip-sync errors and managing latency across this massive operation.”

A significant company development has been the integration of SMPTE ST 2110 compatibility into the MatchBox solution. “This enhancement allows seamless integration into IP-based broadcast environments while maintaining our innovative lip-sync and latency measurement capabilities,” he says. “We’ve expanded our MatchBox features to support hybrid SDI/SMPTE ST 2110 setups, enabling a smooth transition to IP workflows while maintaining compatibility with existing SDI infrastructure.”

“Looking ahead, we’re intensifying our focus on cloud-based solutions and software development,” he adds. “Our aim is to expand the applications where our timing measurement technology can be deployed. This will provide broadcasters with even more flexibility in remote and distributed production environments.

“We’re in the final stages of developing a new software analyser specifically for high channel count

productions. This tool will be particularly valuable for complex sports broadcasts, allowing for realtime monitoring and adjustment of multiple feeds simultaneously. It’s designed to integrate seamlessly with both traditional and IP-based broadcast infrastructures.”

IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS

“The highlight of the past year for sports production companies and sports fans alike — Imagine included — were the 2024 Summer Games,” says John Mailhot, senior vice president, product management at Imagine Communications. “There are thousands of Imagine Selenio Network Processor (SNP) units actively deployed around the globe for more than 100,000 video channels worth of video processing, and many of them were on the ground this past summer in Paris. It was a watershed event for remote production, and

Mailhot continues: “One of our most important recent developments for the sports market was the introduction of SNP-XL. It delivers all the functionality of our industry-proven SNP — including UHD and HDR conversion, multiviewers, master control and JPEG XS — and adds support for HD, 3G and 12G-SDI in and out in all combinations. Also new, a double-density gateway personality delivers twice the gateway capacity within the same unit footprint, making it ideal in space-constrained mobile production environments.”

“For the many sports production operations that are still heavily invested in SDI, SNP-XL offers a highdensity synchronising gateway that enables our customers to migrate to IP at a pace that aligns with their overall system strategy,” adds Mailhot.

“Like every other industry, sports broadcasting is increasingly feeling the impact of regulatory changes around sustainability in the EU and other regions. As the market works to reduce its environmental impact, Imagine will continue to focus on power and space efficiency as part of our design process, as well as innovation that supports remote production — which is a boon to sustainability by reducing the amount of equipment on site and related travel and freight costs.

“We will also continue to focus on tech innovation that enables media operations to easily and economically shift key production tasks to the cloud. Ongoing advances will enable the deployment of flexible hybrid cloud workflows — ideal for customers who are looking for an efficient way to create and deliver niche or tier-2/tier-3 sports content on new services, such as FAST channels.”

INSYNC TECHNOLOGY

JAMES TAYLOR

“What a bumper year of sports broadcasting we’re having in 2024 with global and regional sporting delights for us all to watch,” says James Taylor, CEO, InSync Technology. “InSync has been busy ensuring the video standards deliver the highest quality to all screen sizes, from mobile phones to large projection screens, SD to UHD, wherever they are around the world.”

“Our dual channel HD converter, the MCC-HD2, has been used for the Olympics, Euros and US Open tennis,” he adds. “We have seen a significant climb of over 250% in the usage of cloud-based FrameFormer conversions. This includes live events, such as the Olympics, for major broadcasters as well as file-based conversions into the libraries of global sports federations.

“What has been interesting for InSync and the industry over the past year have been two key developments: a rise in the demand for ST 2110 requirements with major broadcasters, and a general industry acceptance of 1080p HDR as the best value-quality balance for high-quality sports distribution. Our launch of the world’s first 1RU, HD dual channel standards converter with ST 2110 at IBC is no coincidence, as we have listened to customer demands such as the need for low power, low carbon emission and space-saving devices. [As a result, we have] saved customers thousands of dollars in power costs and reduced carbon emissions by tons in some cases. Our ongoing commitment to minimising environmental impact across everything we do has seen us remove plastics from packaging this year and have fully recyclable, as well as recycled, packaging wherever possible.”

Taylor sees AI evolving as compute resource

and knowledge progresses. “InSync has been using supervised machine learning, or ML, for nearly 10 years to develop and train our algorithms,” he says. “There is a vast difference between this and generative AI in compute resource requirement, and the benefits suit certain activities but not all.”

LAMA

AND CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER

“At the start of 2024, LAMA achieved a major milestone for a well-known Dutch broadcaster,” says co-founder and CCO Ewan Cameron. “We were part of a project creating a PCR setup with nine AutoMix instances. This configuration enabled a single person to manage both video and audio simultaneously across multiple channels. The system has been operational since March and has significantly improved the broadcaster’s workflow, where the majority of programmes are now mixed using AutoMix.

“Furthermore, Connect is now utilised in real production environments at major broadcasters, routing audio between applications and converting between Dante, Ravenna/2110 and NDI audio in PCR setups.”

“Additionally, we undertook a parallel production of Formula E through the IBC Accelerator Programme,” Cameron continues. “In this project, we showcased a software-only solution where Connect converted Dante to and from NDI so that it could be easily picked up by virtual machines (VM). Using a laptop, we performed the conversion and simultaneously controlled instances of Mix, AutoMix and Connect on a VM cluster. This setup allowed us to manually mix the ambience while the commentator mix was fully automated, maintaining latencies within the 10ms range.”

LAMA also became a partner with JB&A, a distributor of video and audio products, significantly expanding its presence in the North American market. “This partnership will make our products more accessible to channel partners and end-users across the region,” says Cameron.

He continues: “One of our key innovations is the ability to embed audio into NDI video streams,

introducing video processing to our workflows. We are also providing other modules for Connect, such as an automatic main/backup switcher and a decentralised intercom panel, compatible with stream decks. We have also introduced the first (Windows) version of our NDI virtual soundcard, with OS X and Linux versions in development.”

Looking ahead to the next few months, LAMA is focused on making its products more user-friendly for cloud productions. “We are developing web GUIs for all our products to simplify their use compared to remote desktop solutions,” he says. “This initiative aims to enhance the user experience and increase the accessibility of our technologies for remote and cloudbased sports productions. We are also working on native 2110/AES67 support and are in the process of porting Connect and Mix to OS X and Linux.”

LAWO

WOLFGANG HUBER PR MANAGER

“In 2024, Lawo’s unified IP infrastructure platform delivered a remarkable performance in live sports productions at the summer’s global events,” says PR manager Wolfgang Huber.

“Almost 100 Lawo .edge gateway devices formed the backbone infrastructure for SDI/IP conversion and both compressed and uncompressed signal contribution from the venues to the broadcast centres,” he adds. “Furthermore, .edge was utilised for on-site signal distribution and routing.

“In addition to the Home-based IP infrastructure management, a vast number of video and audio processing solutions, including the Home Apps serverbased processing platform, ensured proper signal format, audio delay and multi-format processing of streams for rights holding broadcasters.”

“Numerous VSM hard- and software panels provided the intuitive user interface to deliver reliable production and routing agility,” he continues. “Dozens of mc² audio consoles and A__UHD cores at the venues and the broadcast centres provided pristine stereo, surround and immersive audio. The inclusion of A__stage audio stageboxes and modular Power Core I/O units further contributed to the magnificent storytelling about both heartwarming and unique moments that went far beyond medals.”

Huber concludes: “The company’s unified platform and service-first approach clearly seems to resonate with host broadcasters and rights holders. Lawo is honoured to be considered an important partner for the coverage of events that are watched by billions.”

LEADER ELECTRONICS OF EUROPE

KEVIN SALVIDGE, SALES ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL MARKETING MANAGER

“2024 is one of those major sporting production years and this time around we had two major sporting events in Europe back-toback,” says Leader sales engineering and technical marketing manager Kevin Salvidge. “Leader | Phabrix products have once again been providing operational and production staff, as well as engineers, with the analysis tools they need to operate and deliver outstanding content reliably to their media rights holders and the end consumer.

“Leader has long been established as the trusted test and measurement product manufacturer of choice for live production. Now with the combined Leader | Phabrix product ranges, our customers have even more choice and expertise when it comes to selecting the best products for their productions.”

“With the rapid growth of HDR, especially in live production, the ‘Single Master Workflow’ is establishing itself as the preferred method of operation for live HDR/SDR production,” he adds. “To assist in simplifying this process, Leader has added the ability for any of the Zen Series waveform monitors and rasterisers to import the 3D-LUT that the production is using for HDR-to-SDR conversion. With the 3D-LUT loaded onto the waveform monitor, the camera shader, HDR supervisor and engineer in charge can analyse on the picture, waveform, vectorscope, CIE colour chart and histogram. Showing both the HDR and 3D-LUT converted SDR images and HD resolution, they can simultaneously display both the HDR and SDR sources side-by-side. This capability is part of a free software upgrade for existing Leader customers.”

Salvidge concludes: “Live production is fast-paced and the technology behind it is constantly evolving,

and as a manufacturer we need to ensure that our products evolve too, so watch this space.”

LIGR LIVE

LIGR Live is an all-in-one sports live streaming solution with no additional production hardware or software needed. It has helped broadcasters, sports clubs and live streamers produce and automate over 10,000 sports games across the globe.

hybrid remote and on-site contribution, production and distribution workflow,” says Ophir Zardok, head of sports strategy and business development, LiveU. “Using its multi-cam LU800 units, LiveU enabled Actua Sport to connect live cameras on electric monowheels for the first time at a major athletics

LiveU Matrix was used for cloud IP distribution to 35 takers, complementing traditional satellite/ fibre connectivity. LiveU Studio, a cloud-native video production solution, was also used.

“LIGR, in combination with Football Australia and its member federations, delivered over 2,000 streams automatically to both OTT, social and IMG Arena, including integration of live IMGA data for automatic graphics and highlights,” says Luke McCoy, CEO of LIGR Live. “LIGR delivered two streams for each match to accommodate the stream parameters, graphics and audio demands of IMG versus the social and OTT demands, running two different graphics automations for all games. This was a major step in our product enhancement to ensure LIGR can deliver different stream outputs across the media and betting rights space, all in the cloud from clean feeds from on site.”

“We recently launched automatic graphic and advertising playlists for our clients to produce automatic advertisements across live streams and track these displays,” continues McCoy. “In combination with our ability to receive multiple ISO stream inputs from the same match while running multilingual graphics and automations across different streams from the same match, we have seen growth in providing complementary streams in the tier-1 space separate to the main broadcast programme feed.”

LIVEU

“At the European Athletics Championships 2024, host broadcaster Actua Sport implemented LiveU’s IP-video EcoSystem as part of an efficient, sustainable

“The project highlights LiveU’s capabilities in meeting fast-paced production demands, sustainability considerations and budget. Almost 200 hours of sustainably produced live streamed coverage was made available for television and streaming platforms with record-breaking viewing figures,” he adds.

“LiveU also brought unique live content complementing coverage of France’s top football matches to fans on the Free Ligue 1 app. LiveU’s EcoSystem, including its field units and LiveU Studio, were deployed as part of a cost-effective remote production workflow run by 714 Production. LiveU technology increased monetisation, with subscribers looking for additional football content signing up for Free Ligue 1’s Premium Account.”

Zardok continues: “LiveU is meeting the industry’s growing demand for IP workflows with its cloud IP solutions, in combination with remote production, enabling organisations to reduce production costs and increase flexibility and efficiency. Tier 3 and 2 organisations have adopted IP workflows extensively.”

He reveals that LiveU is exploring new business models to align with the sports market, introducing a pay-as-you-go LU800 multi-cam model and a Season Pass Program.

“To increase opportunities, LiveU has introduced offerings including the Lightweight Sports Production solution, which makes components of the IP-video EcoSystem even easier to access and faster to deploy,” he adds. “Launched at IBC2024, it offers features and capabilities that bring more sports stories to a broader fan base, while reducing time, effort and costs. It makes sports coverage feasible for events previously overlooked due to prohibitive costs.”

“Over the past year, LTN has introduced several pivotal developments aimed at enhancing flexibility, operational efficiencies and transparency in sports broadcasting,” says Colin Moran, vice president of production products. “A major highlight has been the growing adoption of our LTN Arc solution across the sports sector. This technology has proven essential for rights holders and broadcasting platforms, enabling them to expand their reach and effectively monetise their content through scalable versioning. Standardisation in workflows better prepares us for global distribution.”

“A key success in the past year has been enhancing our tech stack to include both in-band and out-ofband metadata integration,” he continues. “This development has significantly improved operational efficiencies and the overall user experience, offering our partners unprecedented flexibility.”

LTN has been a partner to the World Surf League, providing a suite of services that have transformed its broadcasting operations. It has also collaborated with IMAX to deliver live ingest services across more than 274 cinemas worldwide, along with decoration services. “More recently, this partnership extended to include a major sporting league, where LTN facilitated signal acquisition, audio/video normalisation, slating, graphical overlays and international distribution for the 2024 NBA Finals,” says Moran.

The company has also been integral to a partnership between MLB and Apple, which sees Friday Night Baseball and MLB Big Inning on the Apple TV channel. “Since 2021, LTN has been handling crucial elements such as downstream master control and international version creation,” says Moran. “We are responsible for ingesting studio and live game feeds, facilitating seamless transitions and adding enhancements such as triggers, closed captions and VOD playbacks. Our final delivery includes multi-point handoffs to Apple TV, ensuring a diverse and engaging broadcast experience for global audiences.”

“Looking forward to the next few months, our primary initiative is to deepen our understanding of

the challenges our customers face within the dynamic live sports ecosystem,” he reveals. “We plan to focus intensively on enhancing our technology stack to better support our partners’ needs in managing their live video ecosystems. By continuing to provide technology and services that address the challenges our customers face, we will help standardise the versioning of content and the migration to all targeted audiences.”

LUCIDLINK

ALEX FERRIS

“Over the past year, we’ve worked on some of the most prestigious events in world sport, including Formula 1 motor racing with broadcasters and racing teams, helping to deliver engaging content to fans around the world,” says Alex Ferris, senior director, solutions engineering and enablement, LucidLink. “One of our customers, Ben Holmes from Edit Out, told us LucidLink helped their customer become the fastest-growing official F1 channel on social media by delivering trackside F1 content to over half a billion global followers.”

“LucidLink has also transformed workflows for global teams, associations, federations, tournaments and leagues in numerous sporting arenas, including golf, NFL, football, tennis, rugby, cricket and athletics,” he adds. “The success our customers have enjoyed after adopting LucidLink has proven the value of our Storage Collaboration Platform. It has improved their profitability, lightened their carbon footprint and simplified their access to global talent for fastturnaround productions, award-winning long-form sporting documentaries and episodic series produced across multiple continents with ease, saving time, money and energy while enhancing the quality of their deliverables.”

Ferris continues: “Customers have discovered that LucidLink’s storage collaboration platform can securely deliver live content into their editing applications from anywhere in the world without the time-consuming expense of data replication, VPN, or remote desktop connectivity.”

LucidLink continues to innovate through partnerships with production companies and technology providers. Ferris adds: “Over the next

few months, LucidLink will be building on the success of prior releases with LucidLink 3.0. It’s both an evolution of our current offering and a revolutionary next step, designed to address customer pain points and dramatically simplify creative workflows for any industry. The 3.0 release brings a completely new user architecture and a new desktop client and provides the creative world its first look at an entirely new browser interface built for the future of collaboration. 3.0 offers a streamlined macOS installation process, an iOS application and an Android app too, bringing high-performance storage to users and devices all over the world.”

LUNA REMOTE SYSTEMS JO ADAMS COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

“We were given the contract by The Premier League to provide our 4 Point Falcon wirecams for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 seasons, which was obviously an exceptionally proud moment for us as a company,” says Jo Adams, commercial director, Luna Remote Systems. “2024 is our 10-year anniversary in the business, so it was a considerable honour to be trusted with such a high-profile contract. We’ve loved

“We also took part in the summer games in Paris, a huge honour for us. We were present at Versailles with two wirecam systems, our High Speed 1D system across the lake for a cross-country event, and a Falcon 250 set up in 2D in an arena for equestrian events. We were also in the Stade De France, with a Dactylcam covering rugby and athletics.”

Adams continues: “We’ve now more than doubled the number of Falcon 250 camera systems that we have available worldwide and made considerable investment into our kit. We’ve also grown our highly talented crew pool accordingly, which is no easy feat, but we put training of people at the top of our priority list. In three years, we’ve quadrupled our staff in the UK and US. Having opened our Los Angeles office in 2023, we are looking to expand into other parts of the US into 2025 and then, other parts of the globe await. We have big plans.”

M2A MEDIA

“It’s been another successful season with our key sports rights owners, specifically in motorsport, tennis and rugby,” says M2A Media head of sales Hamish Muiry. “In particular, continuing to deliver our live capture to archive service for Japan Rugby via our global managed operations services gives us great pride and we thank JRM for their excellent partnership with us. Sports rights continue to grow for our clients; we have seen an increase in throughput for new and expanding streaming services, and M2A has played a major part in the scaling up of these expansions.”

“Our M2A Cloud Connect B2B and live D2C distribution streaming features have a new UX, as well as enhancements and optimisations, enabling our customers to enjoy an even smoother experience with AWS Media Services,” he continues. “In particular, the M2A Cloud console now presents live status of all underlying AWS Media Services componentry. This enables operations teams to have complete visibility across their cloud video pipeline and the ability to quickly triage any issues in the chain, which is vital in successfully delivering live sports to broadcasters and direct to the consumer.

“Looking forward, even more new features and improvements on our M2A UX and our M2A Cloud Capture Editor will be available for general release. This enables our AWS Media Connect transport customers to add in clipping, content insertion and speedy re-platforming capabilities.”

MAGNIFI

ROSS TANNER

SENIOR VP SALES, EMEA

“Magnifi has consistently demonstrated continued innovation through its multimodal approach, integrating both audio and video capabilities, and delivering extremely low-latency AI solutions,” says Ross Tanner, senior VP sales, EMEA, Magnifi. “Some key clients we have onboarded since last year include Clubber TV, Rayados, Concacaf, Pro Panja League, Portuguese Football Federation and most recently

The Cowboy Channel which covers rodeo across the Americas.”

“We have processed key events such as the T20 ICC World Cup, IPL 2024 — the largest cricket franchise — Euro 2024 and even the F1 held at Silverstone,” he adds. “Since the Vietnam Basketball Association embraced Magnifi’s Highlights tool in early June, it’s shown a staggering 773% higher video production, resulting in a 76% increase in overall viewership. Social media engagement has also skyrocketed across all platforms.

“Similarly, by partnering with SuperSports School and empowering schools and young talent, Magnifi helped in showcasing the talent and achievements of young athletes. The automatic generation of condensed and extended highlights elevated the viewing experience, leading to a remarkable 36% increase in registered users during Q1 of 2023, setting a new record for monthly new users.”

Magnifi also formed three key partnerships this year. “A strategic partnership with Linius Technologies combines Magnifi’s expertise in AI-driven video editing and Linius’ advanced video virtualisation platform,” says Tanner. “Users will benefit from a new level of interactivity and customisation in their video consumption.

“A partnership with Grabyo combines Grabyo’s live clipping, editing and publishing platform with Magnifi’s automated highlights production solution, which uses cutting-edge machine learning and computer vision technologies to capture, edit and publish highlight clips from live sports broadcasts at speed and at scale.

“Finally, a new extension for Adobe Premiere Pro enables Magnifi customers to build their projects faster without hindering their existing video editing workflows by eliminating the need for switching between the different platforms. Users can now have instant access to their Magnifi-indexed libraries of assets including key moment clips and rulebased compilations, which can be used for creating highlights and short-form videos — all without leaving Premiere Pro.”

MEDIA LINKS

management software, was deployed for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris,” says Cesare Camparada, head of market development for EMEA. “Hundreds of media and data services were sent across the ocean as well as from various athletic sporting venues throughout France to the International Broadcast Centre. JPEG XS compression was utilised to lower overall bandwidth usage and resulting transit costs while maintaining maximum signal quality with minimal latency. Xscend’s hitless protection switching was additionally activated across multiple 100Gbps undersea optical trunks to allow for perfect media signal reconstruction at the receiving end in the event of intermittent or more frequently occurring physical

In addition, Timeline TV chose the MDP 3020 Max Series of IP media gateways to facilitate the transport and delivery of media and data services over IP networks for the UEFA Euro 2024 football tournament.

“Partnering with leading broadcast providers for major events like the Olympics and UEFA Euros among others demonstrates the trust and reliability of our technology,” Camparada continues. “This collaboration underscores our role in delivering highprofile sporting events to a global audience time and time again, with reliability and redundancy, scalability and overall efficiency.

“Successfully supporting the most viewed sporting events globally demonstrates Xscend’s capacity to handle high-demand scenarios, providing reliable and optimal quality media delivery. Xscend provides high-density media transport, including multiple 100Gbps connections and hitless protection switching, ensuring impeccable media signal integrity. The flexible and adaptable architecture of Xscend has been particularly successful as network providers and broadcasters adapt and scale their services based on changing media transport demands.”

ANDRÉ TORSVIK VP PRODUCT MARKETING

“Media Links’ complete IP ecosystem, including the latest Xscend platform, MDX switches and ProMD-EMS network

In partnership with Mimir, Roku, Aurora Media and Gravity Media, Formula E developed a remote production workflow for high-quality motor-racing broadcasts using public internet and cloud-based solutions, including live transmission, proxy-based editing and VOD delivery.

MIMIR

“For season 10 the broadcasting innovations included the integration of 220 onboard cameras and 92 live cameras across 16 races in 12 countries,” says André Torsvik, VP product marketing, Mimir. “It also saw the management of approximately 90 video and 300 audio feeds to produce international broadcasts with minimal latency; the use of advanced analytics and real-time graphics for enhanced viewer engagement; proxy editing workflows allowing a massive production with remote editors with no delay; and automatic publishing straight to the consumer.

“This meant a lot to Mimir. It was definite proof that our proxy editing workflows could work over any distance from anywhere in the world, with events and editors being in separate locations. It has positioned Mimir as a tool truly suited for live sports.”

Leverkusen’s history-making run, where they became the first team to complete an entire Bundesliga season without defeat and went 51 games unbeaten across all competitions,” says Yvan Lataste, head of sports at Moments Lab.

DUNCAN FOOT CEO

“Since September 2023 we have been working with the British Basketball League, providing live timing and stats graphics across all of their output, from a centralised production hub in Ealing,” says Duncan Foot, CEO, Moov. “As part of that solution, we have also provided them with a bespoke virtual studio for their Thursday Night match, shown live on Sky Sports.”

In terms of sustainability and efficiency, season 10 saw a reduction of carbon footprint by up to 50% through remote production; a decrease in freight by 40%, space requirements by 35%, and on-site personnel by 25%; and adoption of renewable energy sources and ecofriendly practices in the broadcast operation.

This year also saw Dyn Media and Philadelphia Eagles become Mimir customers.

“Dyn Media is super interesting as it is focusing on all German sports that are not soccer,” says Torsvik. “The system had to be deployed and producing a high level of automation in three months. It has led to an efficient workflow which they have been able to monetise.”

Torsvik continues: “At IBC2024, Mimir introduced intelligent, fully automatic scene description capabilities, leveraging AI to accurately, automatically and instantly detect and describe scenes in a video asset. This means an editor can search for a description of a scene that considers the full context of what is going on and is then presented with files with pre-chunked transcripts. These can easily be fully or partially dropped onto a timeline, edited, or exported, saving a lot of time.”

MOMENTS LAB

“A big sports production highlight for Moments Lab was playing our small part in sharing the story of Bayer

“Leverkusen uses Moments Lab’s Cloud Media Hub and mobile app, powered by our multimodal and generative AI, MXT-1.5, to search for video and photo highlights from games, press conferences and other off-field club activities. We’re proud to say that using Moments Lab products, the Leverkusen video team eliminated the need to spend an entire day searching and clipping highlights from three hours of match day recordings in order to build the story packages that they share with fans on social media and channels like YouTube. The team is instead finding the shots they need in seconds.”

“Regarding deals, Moments Lab signed its second Bundesliga club in FC Köln, and we’ve partnered with ÖFB — the Austrian Football Association — in a five-year Cloud Media Hub and mobile app deal to modernise their content workflows,” says Lataste.

“UCI, the International Cycling Union, is also now a client,” he continues. “So is WRC Promoter, the organisation responsible for all commercial aspects of the FIA World and FIA European Rally Championships and Rallycross Championships. WRC has adopted Moments Lab Live Asset Manager and Cloud Media Hub to revolutionise the way it manages, accesses and shares its exciting race coverage and extensive archive.”

On the product side, Moments Lab launched the latest version of its multimodal AI indexing model MXT-1.5 with features including soundbite detection, made UI and search enhancements to its mobile app, and is set to announce further integrations with sports teams’ creative ecosystems — such as editing tools and content management systems — via its Adobe Premiere Pro plug-in. “Stay tuned for more details on a groundbreaking new creative experience that we’re working on, which will enable content producers to build a rough cut even faster,” adds Lataste.

“In April 2024, for the first time, we were the graphics partner for the London Marathon, broadcast live on BBC Sport and around the world. This has built on the work we have done for many years with FilmNova on their road race and triathlon productions,” he continues. “Earlier this year, we launched our dedicated virtual production department, MVXR, and our LED studio offering in Ealing. The studio is GhostFrame-enabled and fully integrated with industry-leading virtual production technology, supported by the MVXR team.

“More recently we have also been utilising the studio for promotional and trophy shoots ahead of sports events. This has empowered clients like Buzz 16 and The British Basketball League to leverage the flexibility of using various backdrops and advanced image-based lighting to shoot a variety of shots with different talent — all accomplished conveniently in one location and within a single day.

“We plan to continue collaborating with our technical partners and clients to explore how evolving technology can democratise virtual production for content creators. With the increasing integration of virtual studio sets in major sporting events and a growing emphasis on sustainability, we aim to make virtual production and shooting within an LED volume more accessible to a broader range of production teams.”

“We will be looking to move more of our graphics services into the cloud for a number of clients and sports,” he adds. “There will be a big push into new markets and territories too as we develop our offering on an expanding portfolio of sports.”

NATIVEWAVES

“We worked with the European League of Football and our partners Sportworld from B1Smart TV to deliver an enhanced in-venue experience to a select number of fans during the finals of the European League of Football 2023 in Duisburg, Germany,” says Christof Haslauer, CEO and co-founder, NativeWaves. “This was the first time we used our hybrid low-latency streaming system in a real-world environment to deliver an enhanced fan experience at the venue.”

management and streaming solution, while NativeWaves EXP has been enhanced in terms of user experience, data and analytics.”

NEP

Fans could select to view the action from a camera of their choice in near real time, while also being able to access instant replays of the action or data and analytics at any moment of their choosing. NativeWaves’ system uses a combination WebRTC for real-time content delivery and LLHLS to deliver replays, data and analytics in real-time from a single platform. “Both ELF and Sportworld were thrilled with the results and discussions are on-going to explore how this enhanced experience can be offered to not only fans at the venue during the 2024 season, but also to Sportworld viewers at home,” he adds. “It was very satisfying to see a solution that we built, which we believe is a first of its kind, perform flawlessly in a real-world environment.”

NativeWaves also collaborated with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and Synamedia to deliver two different enhanced viewing experiences.

“At the NHRA Fall National event in Dallas, Synamedia provided the low-latency streams while NativeWaves created the frontend experience,” says Haslauer. “At the venue, a selected set of fans were given access to multiple camera angles, key race data and analytics, and multiple language audio tracks that they could choose from on their mobile device.”

The concept was expanded at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals Race in Nevada, where NativeWaves delivered a combined in-venue, on-the-go, and at home experience from the single main production.

“As well as improving the efficiency of our hybrid streaming solution, we have been working on reducing the latency of our LLHLS delivery, taking it down to under one second, while ensuring stability,” says Haslauer. “We have also built an automated

LISE HEIDAL

PRESIDENT

“NEP was proud to support countless sports productions this year, including some of the most-watched sports and entertainment shows worldwide. Our expert teams came together, providing exceptional technical and production support, facilities and infrastructure, and an end-to-end suite of services to our clients,” says Lise Heidal, president, NEP Europe.

“A few of the major events we’re proud to support during the year include Wimbledon, UEFA Euro 2024, the Special Olympics in Berlin, Premier League, ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, the WRC World Rally Championships, US Golf Open, the NBA Finals, LIV Golf, MLS and some of the biggest events in American football. Additionally, we supported one of the largest sporting events in the world that took place in France recently.”

manage their content from capture all the way through distribution.”

Looking ahead, NEP plans on launching several new OB trucks in the next few months and into 2025 that will be used across Europe and the Middle East.

NET INSIGHT

DAVID EDWARDS PRODUCT MANAGER

“Since September 2023, Net Insight has been involved in several significant sports production projects that highlight our capabilities in delivering high-quality broadcast solutions,” says product manager David Edwards. “One major highlight was with DMC Production for the top Danish football leagues. DMC Production will utilise Net Insight’s efficient and scalable solutions enabling remote production and VAR to cover over 800 annual matches across top Danish football leagues from a production centre in Copenhagen, with the goal of giving fans a superior viewing experience.”

Another notable project was with Mobilelinks to enhance the Swedish Ice Hockey Playoffs using UHD IP remote production.

“Personally, rejoining NEP and leading a strong, unified European team has been such a thrill,” adds Heidal, who took up the role in February. “I feel lucky to be part of this best-in-class team, and we have accomplished so much this year to be proud of.”

NEP has launched several connected production facilities, including two new production hubs with connected infrastructure supporting Dyn Media in Germany, three production hubs in Sweden, two connected PCRs in the Finland Hub, and two connected PCRs in the Norway Hub. “In addition, our teams in the US have launched a facility for NASCAR and a new fleet of OB trucks for the PGA Tour. All of these facilities are managed by TFC, our broadcast control and networking platform,” she says.

“Our goal with these connected solutions is to complement our fleet of OB trucks, flypacks and studios, tying everything together with our robust connectivity capabilities and empowering production teams to work how and where they want — onsite or remote,” she continues. “This enables us to provide a full suite of end-to-end services, helping our clients

“Net Insight’s Nimbra platform can switch 1.2TB and efficiently direct feeds from all venues to a data centre acting as the central facility house,” says Edwards. “The remote production is powered by JPEG XS in UHD, handled from three production centres geographically spread over the country. This robust setup connects 14 arenas across Sweden, each fortified with dual 10Gb redundancy. Such a configuration is designed to handle peak times, including when up to seven matches are being played concurrently.”

Edwards continues: “Another key development was the launch of Nimbra Connect iT, designed to simplify live media transport for expanding networks. This cloud solution addresses the growing demand for agile, efficient and reliable media transport, facilitating seamless integration and operation across diverse broadcasting environments.”

“Net Insight has also boosted the capability of its Emmy Award-winning internet media transport offering through the Nimbra 400,” he adds. “The new version, Nimbra 414, increases channel density and support for UHD content.

“In the next few months, our Nimbra 400 platform will be further enhanced to feature multichannel HEVC 4:2:2 video encoding and decoding, setting a new standard for video quality and bandwidth efficiency. This enhancement supports up to four highquality HEVC 4:2:2 video services, offering significant bandwidth cost reductions. It is ideal for broadcasters and production companies as it ensures premium, low-latency video feeds over cost-effective IP links, enhancing live event production globally.”

PANASONIC CONNECT EUROPE

GUILHEM KRIER HEAD OF NEW BUSINESS & MARKET DEVELOPMENT — EMEA

“Panasonic has maintained a longstanding and vital partnership with the Olympics as a worldwide partner since 1987 and the Paralympic Games since 2014, providing cuttingedge broadcast and AV technology solutions to ensure high-quality coverage of the Games. This year for Paris 2024 the collaboration has been instrumental in delivering seamless and immersive viewing experiences to a global audience,” says Guilhem Krier, head of new business & market development — EMEA. “Some of the areas that Panasonic covered were large professional display systems, professional projectors, broadcast cameras and the IT/IP live video processing platform, Kairos.”

The latest additions to the Kairos line-up are the Kairos Core 200 and Kairos Core 2000 mainframes. Krier continues: “These offer significantly improved functionality and performance, including more inputs and outputs, enhanced video-processing performance and increased file-storage capacity, allowing for the creation of compelling and complex effects. On top of these IP-oriented models, we have also introduced an SDI-oriented version, the Kairos KC200L1.

“Released last year, the Panasonic AW-UR100 is a versatile, IP65 rated 4K outdoor PTZ camera ideal for sports broadcasting. It offers high-resolution 4K/60p imaging, robust durability with weatherproofing, and advanced image stabilisation. It supports video

transmission interfaces including 12G-SDI and IP transmissions like NDI and SRT. The camera’s enhanced pan/tilt functionality makes it a valuable tool for capturing detailed, stable footage in dynamic environments. It has been utilised in live broadcasts of sports such as American football, football, baseball, horse racing, golf, boat racing and cycling.”

Panasonic also announced a new studio camera, the AK-UCX100. “This features an IP-centric workflow and can function without a CCU as it can output 12GSDI and ST 2110 streams directly from the camera head,” says Krier. “Using the UCU700/UCU710 CCU also brings additional and unique features such as NDI, ST 2110 and Dante.”

Upgrades for the Panasonic Media Production Suite include advanced auto-tracking software and a video mixer that enables easy subject keying regardless of the shooting location. “Using automatic image recognition, the AI keying feature separates people from backgrounds, making it possible to perform chroma keying in conference rooms, interviews and outdoor settings with just a single PC,” he adds. “This could be especially useful for pitch-side or commentary room interviews, allowing the background to be a dedicated style, or include specific sponsors.”

PERIFERY

PETER WATLING

combines advanced AI-enriched metadata with workflow automation. For the sports industry, a great benefit this will bring is the ease to find content that they can share and monetise.”

Watling continues: “We are currently seeing a growing demand for cloud-based and AI-leveraged storage from the sports industry, and I believe this will continue to grow as more companies find the benefits that our platforms can bring, from cost-efficiency and monetisation to security and sustainability. We are excited to see what the next year will bring.”

PIXOTOPE

“Perifery has been growing in the sports industry throughout the past year,” according to senior sales director Peter Watling. “A big project highlight was when a Premier League football club chose to implement our media-focused cloud storage platform to enhance its storage environment, after dealing with several challenges relying on file-based NAS storage. The integration of OM Cloud and Vision, a result of 2023’s acquisition of Object Matrix, has optimised the club’s asset management workflows, and is providing simple access, unlimited scalability and robust data protection since then. Besides being used as a successful backup of crucial content, including match footage and player data, OM Cloud and Vision are helping this club to reduce its carbon footprint associated with the ageing NAS.”

Watling says growing content demands and changing work practices have made sports clubs more aware of the benefits of modern-day storage workflows.

“Everyone wants more secure and scalable storage platforms which allow assets to be managed from anywhere, and our media-focused cloudbased platform responds to these demands,” he adds. “Perifery’s latest innovation is AI+ 2.0, which

MARCUS BRODERSEN CEO

“Last year, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) enlisted Pixotope to enhance the XR solution for its multitechnology set in Atlanta, used for NHL on TNT,” says Pixotope CEO Marcus Brodersen. “The set features a blend of LED walls, projection mapping and traditional physical sets, creating an almost 360º wraparound stage. WBD sought to transition from a costly, highmaintenance solution to a more budget-friendly option. Pixotope provided an implementation that the studio team could efficiently manage and operate using existing resources and personnel.”

Another highlight was a collaboration with NEP The Netherlands for the inaugural E1 all-electric speedboat racing series. “As a result of Pixotope’s remote real-time virtual production capabilities, NEP leveraged Pixotope Camera Tracking on-site in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, while running the graphics engine remotely from their fully equipped home base studio in Hilversum, Netherlands,” he explains.

“In addition, we partnered with Icelandic broadcaster RÚV, which elevated its Handball Championships coverage with Pixotope graphics and tracking. By incorporating our advanced graphics solutions, RÚV delivered immersive pre-match shows, in-depth post-match analysis and captivating visual breakdowns.”

The company also introduced Pixotope Fly this year, providing broadcasters with access to zoom capabilities beyond the fixed lens position on drones and other cameras, while Pixotope Living Photo set a new standard for virtual production by transforming 2D imagery into lifelike 3D assets. The latter has proven particularly successful in sports broadcasts, where it brings player profiles and performances to life and offers a 360º view of key moments.

“The partnership announced earlier this year between Pixotope and Erizos Studio combines the strengths of both companies to streamline live VP workflows and bring the power of Unreal Engine to broadcast graphics,” says Brodersen. “Pixotope leverages Erizos Studio to provide customers with a familiar template-based, rundown-driven solution for their sports programming. As a result, sports broadcasters can use these tools to deliver more immersive and engaging content with unprecedented ease and efficiency.

“Looking ahead, we recognise the immense potential of AI to streamline workflows and enhance operational efficiency. One of the ways we have currently incorporated this type of technology is with Pixotope Talent Tracking: a full body 3D motion tracking tool that uses AI to allow on-screen talent to realistically interact with augmented reality elements, making it easier to create complex virtual environments and allow creative visions to be realised.”

PRODYS

RAFAEL PÉREZ LÓPEZ SALES MANAGER

“Prodys has sought to advance the introduction of Quantum2 portable equipment in productions where compact equipment capable of both receiving and transmitting high-quality audio contributions combined with streaming video is required,” says sales manager Rafael Pérez López. “Two examples this year have been the use by DAZN Germany commentators at Champions League matches, and at tennis tournaments such as the Madrid Open and Wimbledon, by various broadcasters.

“In both cases, the equipment enabled the transmission of host and guest audio commentary as well as live video of the commentators doing their job, either in the process of commentating the

matches, in the case of tennis, or in the introduction and during half-time at Champions League matches. The possibility of receiving video streams also allows commentators to have programme feedback, so that they can always know when they are on air and when

“These broadcasts have been particularly successful, which means that our customers, who have already tested this equipment in real-life situations, are keen to use it for new events.”

He says one of the characteristics of Prodys is that it doesn’t like to stagnate, always creating new products and adding new functionalities.

“One of our latest developments, which we are very pleased with, is the Ethernet Tunnel,” he adds. “This functionality allows us to use the same Quantum2 or Ikusnet3 equipment currently being used by sports commentators in their audio contributions to create an IP data link. This can be used to remotely control PTZ cameras, among other applications. In this way, it is possible to have control of the camera at the event from the studio in a simple way.”

Looking ahead, Prodys is currently working on several fronts. “One of them is applying our knowledge of audio and video compression and transmission to cloud solutions, which will allow us to provide customised solutions to our clients much more simply and flexibly,” he reveals. “We are also working on a remote video commentator application that runs on web browsers. This way, commentators will always have a way to do their job even if they do not have the optimal professional equipment [to hand].”

PROGRAM PRODUCTIONS

AMY SCHELLER

EVP STRATEGY & DEVELOPMENT/CSMO

“Program Productions and our family of companies, XLT Management and ProCrewz, have played a role in supporting over 30,000 event days in 2024,” says Amy Scheller, EVP strategy & development/CSMO, Program Productions. “The combination of industry expertise and integrated technology for managing complex schedules and crewing logistics allows our clients to focus on the most important task of bringing North America’s major sporting events to air.”

“Our continued development of the proprietary resource management software ProCrewz has allowed us to deliver scalable services for live event crews and employment compliance assurance,” continues Scheller. “As a tech-enabled human capital company, Program Productions provides clients with the advantage of centralised data, enabling better analytics for more efficient handling of complex schedules and logistics.”

Scheller says Program Productions continues to build on the foundation of expertise and service for live event support in North America. “In May 2024, we added Rhino Staging to our family of companies. Rhino is the premier source for staging and rigging crews, further expanding the services we are able to offer our clients,” she adds. “Program Productions looks towards the upcoming fall and winter seasons of US sports where we play a role in supporting all NFL, NBA, NHL and College Sports broadcasts.”

QUIDICH

JASKARAN SINGH BAKSHI DIRECTOR, GLOBAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

“Since September 2023, we have undertaken numerous projects,” says Jaskaran Singh Bakshi, director, global business development, Quidich. “This includes our first project with a major football league, as we unveiled an AR experience celebrating 60 years of the Bundesliga on the opening day of SportsInnovation 2024, in collaboration with DFL, Sportscast and event host SportsInnovation.”

“In response to the ICC’s recommendations, Quidich expanded HyperView’s applications at the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, adding two innovative features — Catch Map and Run Map,” he continues.

“The Catch Map, a dynamic heatmap within the stadium’s digital twins, showcased a batter’s ODI career by highlighting catch-out positions and revealing vulnerabilities to effective bowling attacks. The Run Map displayed zone-wise run distributions, revealing a batter’s strengths and weaknesses and offering fans detailed insights.”

“The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 was the biggest project we embarked on, across 10 locations, eight countries and three continents. We pushed boundaries by delivering our top-tier services and successfully launched and deployed two new products QuickFlip and HypeReality,” adds Bakshi. “QuickFlip uses AI to enhance the smartphone viewing experience by converting traditional horizontal feeds into vertical formats of any aspect ratio, while HypeReality is an immersive VR app for Apple Vision Pro that transports cricket enthusiasts from their living rooms directly to the heart of the action.

“Our innovative approach continued in 2024’s LIV Golf League in Jeddah, utilising drones for aerial coverage. Fans enjoyed dynamic closeups from FPV drones and sweeping views from standard drones, providing a comprehensive and immersive experience.”

Bakshi continues: “The expansion of our team to nearly 150 employees led us to open two new offices. The first one is in Mumbai, and the second is in Goa, which we turned into our innovation hub. Our immediate focus is on the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 with ICC, the Australian cricket summer in collaboration with Channel 7, and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. We are currently aiming to expand our services and take our existing technology beyond cricket to encompass a variety of sports. Another goal is to maximise our on-air assets by centralising data collection from various sources, feeding into our various visualisation tools, to showcase relevant data points that enhance storytelling and provide richer, more engaging narratives for live broadcast.”

QVEST ENGAGE

In 2024, Qvest Engage (formerly known as TeraVolt — a Qvest company) in partnership with Red Bull enhanced the broadcast of the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo motorcycle race using AR and VR technology by offering real-time data visualisations, providing an interactive mobile app to track athletes, and creating an immersive viewer experience.

Another development was TVXRAY, a personalised live sports OTT product. “Tailored specifically for the sports broadcasting sector, the AI-enabled SaaS product enhances content delivery and viewer engagement,” says Tobias Fröhlich, chief product officer, Qvest Engage. “It is a multiplatform SDK solution that gives users the possibility to watch football and other sports in interactive mode and use advanced analytics tools to provide real-time insights into viewer engagement and content performance. It offers tools such as instant replays, live statistics and interactive graphics, as well as automated generation of highlight reels using AI to capture key moments and enhance fan engagement.”

He continues: “TV Buddy is a managed service from Qvest Engage for 24/7 communication with TV viewers, based on generative AI. It enhances the TV experience by providing instantly tailored responses to viewer enquiries through a simple messenger interface. TV Buddy accesses live updates and content from various predefined sources. Broadcasters can significantly boost viewer interaction, increase engagement and create loyalty.”

“Looking forward we are focusing on gen AI workflows to create personalised and interactive experiences,” says Fröhlich. “Using generative AI, we will adapt content to ensure it resonates with all viewers across the broadcast area. We are integrating with new clients for TVXRAY as well as new leagues and working on the stability and quality of the product.”

RACETECH

RaceTech produces content for British racing rights holders Racing Media Group, ITV Racing, Sky Sports Racing and The Racing Partnership. It also offers integrity services, archive management and on-course productions year round.

“RaceTech was delighted to bring our Raynes Park based remote production hub online in early 2024,” says CEO John Bozza. “With diverse multi-vendor fibre connectivity and state-of-the-art technical facilities we will be providing remote production services for our key racing customers as well as looking to

grow our presence providing services for other broadcasters and rights holders.”

Work began last October, with the first spaces becoming operational in March/April and full completion in July. RaceTech worked with ES Broadcast on the build, opting for kit including Evertz Nexx routers and Ross Ultra vision mixers.

“We were delighted to sign a number of long-term contracts in Q4 2023 including a five-year renewal with the Racing Media Group,” says Bozza. “This agreement covers the provision of remote production facilities, OB replacement and a strategic vision for remote and automated camera control.”

He continues: “Looking forward, our Raynes Park hub will continue to grow, and we will continue to invest in further innovative technologies in the sports production space.”

REALITY CHECK SOLUTIONS ANDREW HEIMBOLD

PRESIDENT AND CEO

“Reality Check Solutions (RCS) stands at the forefront of live broadcast graphics and production innovation, continuously evolving to meet the dynamic demands of the industry,” says Andrew Heimbold, president and CEO, RCS. “As a trusted partner to some of the world’s largest sports leagues and rights holders, our real-time graphics services have become synonymous with exceptional reliability and creativity. RCS is not resting on its laurels; we are actively shaping the future of live production, addressing the growing complexities of content localisation and distribution with cuttingedge solutions.”

At the heart of this innovation is RCS’ Cutter solution, a tool that empowers broadcasters to create bespoke productions tailored to the needs of specific markets. Heimbold adds: “In an era where budgets are tightening, the ability to deliver customised content that maximises regional sponsorship opportunities and languages is invaluable. Cutter allows for seamless integration of localised graphics, advertisements and branding, ensuring that every broadcast not only engages viewers but also meets the strategic and commercial objectives of rights holders and sponsors.

“Moreover, RCS is pioneering the use of cloud services in live production, offering unprecedented flexibility and scalability. By leveraging cloud technology, we enable broadcasters to manage and distribute content with greater efficiency, reducing the need for costly on-site infrastructure while maintaining the highest production standards. This approach not only optimises resource allocation but also supports the rapid adaptation required in today’s fast-paced media environment.”

two channels of 4K/60p (HDR/SDR) transmission over 12G-SDI and is fully IP broadcast-ready. This new solution is compliant with SMPTE ST 2110 (TR-08) and offers up to a 4K/60p JPEG XS feed. The module is expected to start shipping in Q4 of this year.

“We are also seeing a lot of success with our RED Connect solution, which is a licence-enabled feature on our V-Raptor XL and V-Raptor systems that allows for full resolution, live R3D video over an IP network by simply connecting the V-Raptor XL or V-Raptor to a camera control unit via fibre.”

delivery and download. It paves the way to automate the creation of sporting highlights by pinpointing exact moments in video. To be able to do this we rely on good metadata, so we have integrated with bestin-class AI-driven sports data feeds to automate the addition of metadata for the video content we house. [We enrich] all video with a metadata model tailored to that specific sport, even when it’s coming in live. With Reuters’ investments in an AI-powered newsroom this is just the beginning.”

Wilkinson is unable to name all of Reuters Imagen’s new clients, “but we’ve worked alongside some of the biggest sporting leagues, federations and broadcasters in the world to bring their metadata to the forefront and transform the speed at which they can repurpose content for their own channels, departments and partners”, he adds.

Heimbold says the commitment of RCS to innovation is “unwavering”. “As the demands of live production continue to evolve, we remain dedicated to providing solutions that exceed the expectations of our clients. With our advanced graphics services and forward-thinking tools like Cutter, RCS is leading the charge in transforming the way live content is produced, localised and distributed worldwide.”

RED DIGITAL CINEMA

JEFF GOODMAN VP, PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

“RED Digital Cinema is thrilled to have joined SVG Europe in 2024, marking an exciting step in telling the world about how and why we are bringing cutting-edge cinematic imagery to live sports productions around the globe,” says Jeff Goodman, VP, product management. “Additionally, RED recently unveiled the RED Cine-Broadcast Module. With that announcement, along with the advancements of our DSMC3 cameras systems — including the all-new V-Raptor XL [X] and V-Raptor [X], which are the world’s first 8K large-format global shutter cinema cameras — we feel that we now have quite a compelling offering for our friends in the broadcast and sports world. We’ve been busy over the past 9-12 months getting the new cameras and our new CineBroadcast module into the hands of a few early users that we’re excited to talk about soon.”

Goodman continues: “The RED Cine-Broadcast module is compatible with the V-Raptor XL and V-Raptor camera systems. The module is designed to meet the demands of modern broadcasting with

“RED is committed to advancing image-capture technology and that commitment now extends outside of the cinema world and into live events and broadcast as well,” continues Goodman. “The next few months are a very exciting time for us. We’ll be continuing to work on getting the Cine-Broadcast module to market and into the hands of early users across the broadcast and sports broadcasting world. We are hoping to have that product more widely available soon and will be showcasing it at upcoming events with SVG Europe.”

REUTERS IMAGEN

“It’s been an exciting year since Imagen joined forces with Thomson Reuters, a global content and technology leader, bringing together decades of expertise in the sports and media landscape,” says David Wilkinson, head of Reuters Imagen. “Our blend of capabilities has made us uniquely positioned to provide a turnkey solution that better serves our existing and new sports customers. Now we can offer much more than a platform and news coverage — we have editorial services, AI-powered use cases, creative workflows and more.”

“Most recently we launched Smart Clipping,” he continues. “This feature takes the next step with time-based metadata enabling instant clip search,

“Not only that, but this metadata can also be used to differentiate their offering for partners, creating specific programming for different markets or audiences — all thanks to AI workflows. This is an important step for sports organisations, enabling them to instantly find the moments they need and tell their stories more quickly.”

Wilkinson continues: “Our team has been expanding during 2024 and will continue to do so moving into 2025, enabling us to better support our current customers, accelerate our product development and provide us with a truly global footprint. We continue to look at new ways to adopt generative AI in the sports industry, so we can offer a platform and service that solves customer problems now and in the future, and which helps to democratise sport.”

ROE VISUAL

OLAF SPERWER

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT VIRTUAL PRODUCTION BROADCAST & FILM

“Two projects marked a breakthrough for ROE Visual, entering the market for sports broadcast,” says Olaf Sperwer, business development virtual production broadcast & film. “A breakthrough studio installation at Sky Sports’ Osterley campus in West London has ROE Visual’s cutting-edge LED technology at its core. Among the studio’s highlights are a massive LED floor for immersive and dynamic displays of detailed formations and live data during matches, enhancing analysis and engagement for fans. Adding to the immersive atmosphere, the virtual canopy roof provides a unique visual element that sets the stage for captivating sports coverage, while equipped with a super-wide high-resolution screen, the studio offers expansive views, enhancing the overall viewing experience.”

In addition, BBC Sport elevated its coverage of the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship with a series of live broadcasts from a remarkable open-air studio in front of the iconic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The cutting-edge studio, featuring state-of-theart ROE Visual LED panels, used advanced virtual production technologies.

“Both projects were based on a long process with the client, understanding their needs and tailoring our products and services to it,” he explains. “The combination of LED screens and tailored solutions such as GhostFrame allow sports broadcast to bring immersive storytelling to their audiences.”

Sperwer, Roe’s dedicated contact for business development in broadcast, has spent much time this year evaluating, educating and working with leads in the broadcast sector.

“Since the use of VP technology in the broadcast sector is still relatively new, we need to take away a lot of obstacles and allow project teams to come to put trust in the working of virtual production technology in a broadcast environment,” he says. “The outlook is very positive, and we will continue to bring game-changing products and solutions to the sports broadcast market.”

RT SOFTWARE

MIKE FREDRIKSEN COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

“Over the past year, RT Software has significantly enhanced its broadcast graphics product range,” says Mike Fredriksen, commercial director, RT Software. “In particular, our expertise in AI is now a major benefit for users of our Tactic Pro telestration system.”

Fredriksen highlights that customer feedback praises how easy Tactic is to use, a benefit largely attributed to the investments made in AI. “This R&D effort was specifically aimed at making our customers’ analysis sequences more compelling for home audiences. By letting AI handle complex tasks such as pitch calibration and player tracking, our users achieve faster and more accurate results. This allows them to focus on creating more insightful sequences for viewers.”

RT Software recently launched Tactic 8.0, and Fredriksen says anticipation is high for customer reactions to the latest AI feature, Team ID. “Amazingly, we now not only automatically identify players but also determine their team and instantly add the correct formation graphics,” he adds.

The company sees extensive potential in expanding AI capabilities across its product range. “Our relationship with a major sports brand exemplifies this. Initially, we provided live augmented reality graphics for their catamaran racing out at sea. Our role has since expanded to include a full range of on-screen scoreboards and countdowns for their global races.

“Recently, we’ve leveraged our AI graphics expertise to expand beyond on-screen scores and augmented reality. We’re now adapting our AI player tracking technology from the Tactic telestration product and making it suited to identify the individuals on board catamarans during live races. This innovation helps viewers understand the roles of the team as they move around on board during very intense races.”

“Additionally, RT Software is progressing with the adoption of web browser user interfaces across its product range,” says Fredriksen. “At IBC this year we showed our end-to-end graphics editing and playout solution all running in AWS, with local operator interfaces running in a browser. We’re ready to support any customer ready to migrate their infrastructure to the cloud.”

SENNHEISER

TOBIAS VON ALLWÖRDEN

MANAGER BROADCAST & FILM

“Sennheiser wireless systems have been widely used by broadcasters for this year’s sports highlights, interviews and in OB vans, mainly the Digital 6000 system,” says Tobias von Allwörden, manager broadcast & film. “Spanish broadcaster RTVE published a story in SVG Europe about its Paris OB setup, which included the D6000, while German broadcaster ARD used the series for its live soccer reports, as well as our IE 100 Pro wireless monitoring in-ear earphone for guest interviewees.”

“We often see Sennheiser shotgun mics, often MKH 8070 long gun mics and sometimes MKH 8060 short

shotgun mics, uncomplainingly sitting at the edges of the field to capture kicks and comments,” adds von Allwörden. “We’ve also seen broadcast headsets and ENG tools, for example the Evolution Wireless Digital EW-DP, used by broadcasters.”

He continues: “The most important portfolio additions recently have included the MKH 8030 figure-of-eight RF condenser microphone, to create stereo set-ups in combination with the MKH 8060 shotgun, for example. Also new is the EW-DP SKP plug-on transmitter, part of the EW-DP series, for creating wireless booms or for lav mic use, and onboard 32-bit float ‘safety’ recording. Sennheiser also streamlined and improved its broadcast headset portfolio, widely used by commentators and camera crew.”

SIGNIANT

JON FINEGOLD

“The Signiant Platform is the trusted choice for premier sporting events, providing accelerated content flow for high-profile global events, including the Paris Summer Games, the World Cup and the NFL Super Bowl, with petabytes distributed and accessible before, during and after the events,” says Jon Finegold, CMO, Signiant. “With sports content demands exploding, driven by millions of fans worldwide seeking highquality, real-time content, rights holders, broadcasters and sports clubs are under pressure to create and deliver more content across streaming platforms, social media, stadium screens and mobile devices.”

Signiant has observed this surge with Media Shuttle and Jet transfers, with customers increasing their transfer payloads, on average, by 81% since

2020. “The Signiant Platform enables elite sports teams, including Manchester City, AC Milan, the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Hawks, to manage this explosion and meet the content demands of the modern era,” he adds.

“In autumn 2023, Signiant and NEP Group expanded their partnership by integrating Signiant Jet into its OB trucks. This collaboration has bolstered NEP Group’s live production capabilities by automating system-to-system content transport, complementing its existing Media Shuttle operations.”

Finegold concludes: “The Signiant Platform enables rapid, collaborative access to sports content, including enhanced support for growing files. This capability allows file transfers to begin while the content is still being captured, enabling remote producers and editors to work in near real-time during events. This reduces the need for on-site staff, cutting travel costs and minimising operational expenses by accelerating production timelines.”

SKYLINE COMMUNICATIONS

THOMAS GUNKEL MARKET DIRECTOR BROADCAST

“Recently our dataminer.MediaOps solution was implemented in a live and on-demand sports broadcast company,” says Thomas Gunkel, market director broadcast at Skyline Communications. “The company had been experiencing significant growth and success, serving numerous leagues and managing thousands of sports events each month, reflecting a substantial year-over-year increase. As operations expand, they have become increasingly complex, with more content, customers, formats, languages and regions to manage. Initially, the company used DataMiner for monitoring, control and automation. Based on positive experiences, they strategically chose to centralise their digital operations around DataMiner, particularly for its innovative scheduling, planning and workflow automation features, as well as its integration with CRM and billing systems. The ultimate goal is to create a forward-looking, datadriven operation that minimises manual tasks, reduces costs and optimises the use of a virtualised media infrastructure.”

“DataMiner’s Event and Job Scheduling application integrates with the rights management system, automatically extracting essential event data, such as customer information, event timelines, facility details and technical specifications,” he continues. “Additionally, the DataMiner Service Catalog allows for easy documentation and maintenance of the company’s complex business rules and workflows in a centralised system. This automation has streamlined resource selection for booking teams and provided the master control room team with a comprehensive view of all service configurations. The next step in this journey is to achieve full automation and orchestration of media routing and processing. This ongoing transformation is part of a broader move towards a more agile and data-driven operational model, which continually creates opportunities to add value to the business.”

Gunkel expects a surge of new use cases to emerge for dataminer.MediaOps. “The glass-to-glass solution builds on a powerful data acquisition and control layer including SMPTE ST 2110 and NMOS compliance, automation, operational AI and effective integration in operations providing role-based UIs and customisable APIs,” he says. “The solution supports a wide range of vendors, video formats and transport protocols. Being data-driven and automation focused, the platform truly transforms the media supply chain by delivering content faster, better and cheaper.”

SLOMO.TV

IGOR VITIORETS

CTO

“United World Wrestling (UWW) purchased its first videoReferee system based on the Simple R chassis in 2018, and in 2024 added several units of the mobile VAR solution to its collection,” says Igor Vitiorets, CTO at SLOMO.TV. “UWW currently uses seven videoReferee mobile solutions: four videoReferee-SR servers and three videoReferee-SR III servers. The latter can handle 16 HD/3G channels in 1080p50, while being easy to transport between matches around the world. A 1U, 5kg chassis allows users to carry the server as hand luggage, ensuring its durability and reliability while saving transport costs. Moreover, up to four independent workplaces can be connected to the system simultaneously.”

Vitiorets continues: “Following previous implementations at the Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFU), the Tajikistan Football Federation and the Georgian Football Federation, the SLOMO. TV mobile complex — a VAR van based on the FIFAcertified videoReferee-8F solution — has now become the first VAR system in Kyrgyzstan. In total, two VAR vans based on videoReferee solutions

have been implemented by KFU. The systems have proven themselves during the CAFA U-20 Championship in July.”

In terms of product development, SLOMO.TV has developed a remote production option that allows operators to work over the internet while being physically distant from the server. “The feature is available on all modern systems and only requires an internet connection,” says Vitiorets. “One videoReferee server can simultaneously provide the operation of up to eight workplaces.”

“This autumn will see the release of Arrow 4K, the world’s most affordable 4K/3G/HD replay server,” he continues. “A Control-ZR remote console is included, while eight SDI I/O allows seven rec, seven search, two play and FX channels in 3G replay mode. In UHD replay mode, with a licence, it offers three rec, three search, two play and FX channels. The compact 2U chassis has three DMR racks for HDDand SSD-based subsystems and supports up to four interface displays.”

The company is also developing a “cost-effective and budget-friendly VAR Centre solution for any sport, which is accessible to organisations of any size and supported by SLOMO.TV servers and IP cameras”, says Vitiorets.

SOLID STATE LOGIC BERNY CARPENTER, BROADCAST PRODUCT MANAGER

“2024 has been an exciting year with the public release of SSL’s System T Cloud, a solution which pushes the boundaries of what was previously considered possible in terms of audio processing scale when it comes to cloud production,” says Berny Carpenter, broadcast product manager, SSL. “System T Cloud provides a high capacity audio processing and control solution that can run in the public cloud, with control presented to the operator using the same dedicated surfaces that operators are used to, or new portable control options utilising fader tiles and Tempest Control App. The complete System T feature set is available with System T Cloud, including AoIP routing from the console, native immersive audio support, an inbuilt FX Rack and much more. On the ground, the addition of Tempest Control App and the Desktop

Fader Tile to the System T range means the power of System T can be utilised across an even greater range

Following successful POCs, System T Cloud is in use by a major US sports broadcaster, handling the complex audio requirements associated with liveto-air sports broadcasting. Carpenter continues: “Perhaps the greatest compliment paid to the technology has been feedback from operators that if they hadn’t been told the console was running in the cloud they wouldn’t know; the experience provided to the operator is the same.

“Further POCs have been performed in all corners of the globe as broadcasters begin to look at the benefits available from the cloud production model. We are excited to be at the forefront of this step-change in technology and are working closely with key partners to create what is required for our customers. Upcoming System T software releases will continue to add functionality to both hardware consoles and System T Cloud, leveraging the benefits of the shared underlying platform that we have across the System T range.”

SOS GLOBAL

“This past year has been another great year for our team,” says Steven Gruning, senior vice president, global sales and alliances, SOS Global. “We’re very proud to support some of the largest sports leagues around the world with some really creative logistics solutions, working on the Paris Olympics, the Super Bowl and other global sporting events. Customs clearances, with their documentation and compliance requirements, can pose hurdles for international events of this size, but our team’s expertise in international regulations helped ensure that all their shipments arrived at the venue’s loading dock without any issues or delays. We’ve also partnered with the World Baseball Classic, where our teams provided complete door-to-door transportation solutions. Our teams supported LIV Golf around the world, managing an array of solutions including collections, airfreight, custom clearances

and liaising with local government authorities on import permits. Our reputation is built on our ability to deliver custom logistics solutions that are cost effective, reliable and on time.”

Gruning continues: “In the past year, SOS has merged with Global Critical Logistics Group (GCL) and we’ve made significant investments to expand the SOS Global portfolio of services and solutions by adding additional experts to our team and continuing to invest in innovation. These efforts include the announcement of new freight forwarding offices in the Middle East and key personnel hires across our UK, European and Asia-Pacific operations. We have also introduced insurance options on all freight, which will provide great value for those clients looking to have coverage on their high-value shipments, and we have developed and are utilising electronic carnets from the US, making the process quicker and more efficient.

“In terms of new technology, we continue to develop client-facing applications from our web portal to track and monitor shipments in real time. These new technologies not only measure but anticipate the always challenging and evolving supply and demand needs. As part of our new parent company GCL, we will also be moving forward with the rollout of digital carnets as first executed by our sister company Rockit Cargo. We have also taken initiatives to continue to educate ourselves as a company on ways to be more sustainable as that has become a mandate for several of our clients.”

SPIIDEO

GLANS

PARTNERSHIPS EUROPE & ROW

“Since September 2023, Spiideo has achieved several significant milestones in sports production,” says Fredrik Glans, director of media partnerships Europe & RoW. “Spiideo leverages AI automation to supply TV-class production and increased commercialisation to lower tier leagues and niche sports.”

“We broadcast more football and ice hockey games for RED+ (part of Ringier Sports) than ever before, significantly increasing our coverage and engagement in Switzerland,” he continues. “Our technology automatically cuts highlights into reels and publishes them on OTT platforms, and we’ve introduced glossy

animated graphics to enhance the viewing experience. Many new clubs have been onboarded to Spiideo Perform, utilising our full suite from Spiideo Play to League Exchange. For football, we broke down every game using Autodata Live. In hockey, we introduced OCR capabilities and managed service for live time and score data, enhancing the live game experience.”

“Our partnership with SolidSport to broadcast all football matches in Germany’s Regionalliga Nord continues to flourish,” says Glans. “We onboarded new leagues for Norwegian grassroots sports platform MyGame, now covering 43 sub-elite football leagues for both men and women. For Gothia Cup (Sweden) we expanded our coverage from 43 to 59 fields, achieving higher success rates and customer satisfaction levels than ever before.”

The company also successfully broadcast all games from four leagues in the Icelandic Handball Federation, while coverage of the Partille Cup youth handball tournament increased from 43 to 55 fields, encompassing approximately 3,500 games over a five-day tournament.

“In India, we launched Spiideo streaming services with Sports For All Championships,” he adds. “We deployed 70 portable camera systems, successfully delivering in remote locations with limited network access.”

In June, the company announced the completion of a $20 million funding round led by Munich-based growth equity firm Cipio Partners.

“Spiideo is spearheading the transformation in sports video from manual to automatic using AI,” says Glans. “The company is already generating half of its revenue in the North American market and will use this new investment to further accelerate innovation by expanding our product and AI teams, and drive growth through an expanded international sales team.”

STAIGE

FLORIAN BACKHAUS

HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL SALES

“We are continuing to drive our international growth forward,” says Florian Backhaus, head of international sales, Staige. “In the past six months we have had successful test cases in Europe, China, India

and Saudi Arabia. Our AI camera systems were employed for live broadcasts, scouting and video analysis. Most notably we signed a multiyear agreement with our Chinese partner ACME for 1,200 camera systems. These will be used to enhance scouting and video analysis to improve the quality of youth development and coaching in China.”

“We also developed a great partnership with the LaLiga team Osasuna,” he continues. “Four Staige cameras equipped with AI technology have been installed at the club’s training facilities. They are used to capture plays for detailed analysis and broadcast games. Each camera captures a 180-degree view of the whole pitch, so it looks like a scouting feed. But inside the cameras are six separate lenses, which send six signals to the cloud. There artificial intelligence works on the six feeds and makes one signal out of them. This gives the impression that the camera is moving like a camera operator; the AI detects where the action is happening and follows the game, zooming in and out in real time.”

Osasuna is using the cameras to broadcast the matches of their youth academies on their own YouTube channel. Backhaus adds: “We are also offering Osasuna an analysis coaching software that we have developed together with Borussia Dortmund, which is a shareholder in our company.

“Looking forward, as well as our current focus on broadcasting and recording, it will become more and more important to focus on collecting data and making it available to our customers or visualising it in our own tools.”

STATS PERFORM

ALEX LANEGGER

SVP PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

“The Rugby World Cup 2023 featured deeper data and greater access than ever before, which allowed stakeholders to create meaningful and memorable moments for fans to enjoy. Delivered by Stats Perform in partnership with Capgemini and World Rugby, Opta data powered groundbreaking new metrics, fantasy games, editorial, broadcast, social media and so much more,” says SVP product management, Alex Lanegger. “For example, Momentum allowed the broadcasters to show dominance and how a team

converts against that dominance, while Possession Outcome Insights showed fans the probability of scoring a try when attacking from specific field zones.”

“In addition, the FIBA World Cup saw Opta Graphics being used in broadcast for heatmaps and tracking-related stats, a first in live basketball,” continues Lanegger. “Predictions from the OptaAI ‘Supercomputer’ powered a new wave of AI-enabled sports storytelling across the biggest sports studio shows and media in Europe.”

For example, Sky Sports Football’s prediction post on X about the Euros swiftly amassed 2 million views and more than 300 comments from football fans sharing their own thoughts and predictions.

“England’s Lionesses were the first to use our new live press conference delivery service, so they could share near-instant coverage of Sarina Wiegman’s press conference to their YouTube followers,” says Lanegger.

In August, the company launched OptaAI Studio, which uses AI to transform sports storytelling with AI-enriched research and content creation tools.

“Opta Search and Opta StatsPass leverage Opta’s massive database and AI to simplify deep statistical research by identifying trends and patterns quickly,” he explains. “Opta Live allows users to tell the live match story with low-latency data, AI-powered insights, graphics and live chat with our research teams, while Opta Graphics can generate unique, branded, data-driven graphics for any screen with AI. We also launched Opta Stories, Opta Stream and Opta Points, the transparent way to compare and measure player performances across competitions, live.

“As leaders in sports AI we have a packed roadmap of both products for broadcasters and innovations in our in-house live streaming service.”

STUDIO AUTOMATED

“In 2024, Studio Automated focused on broadening its reach in new market segments. As always, our approach is to make our world-class AI-automated broadcast software compatible with as many different camera solutions as possible,” says Paul Valk, founder and director. “We reached a tremendous breakthrough by

fully automating a 4K, single-lens, motorised PTZ camera. This product will enable production companies to create TV-quality broadcasts by eliminating many of the limitations of a multi-lens camera traditionally used for automated video capture in our industry. With our solution, partners no longer have to worry about image quality due to lack of optical zoom, lens stitching or de-warping and

“We’re excited to launch this product in collaboration with Sportway and DMC Production for the live production of the Synerglace Ligue Magnus in France,” continues Valk. “We look forward to refining this product to support our partners in innovating and reducing production-related costs in the premium and sub-premium markets moving forward.”

At the other end of the sports pyramid, Studio Automated has co-developed a portable camera solution for youth and grassroots sports. “We received a great deal of feedback from partners seeking flexibility in their live streaming setups and we saw this as an opportunity to deliver,” he says. “This new camera will enable partners and their customers to live stream or record video on-the-go for any of the 18 different sports that Studio Automated supports. With a built-in battery, local storage and a multitude of connectivity options in the portable camera, there is now the ability to capture sporting events in a way that our traditional (semi-) permanent installations previously could not.”

SUPPONOR

“Supponor is delighted to share that we have surpassed expectations by delivering over 3,000 live events at almost 200 venues and providing over 10,000 feeds to sports rights holders across four continents during the 2023/24 season, thanks to the success of our AI-based virtual advertising technology Supponor Air,” says CCO Massimo Magrí.

“We were also able to serve a wide variety of sports, from football to ice hockey, from handball to motorsport, as well as being used for the first time in a winter sports event at the iconic Alpine Ski World Cup finals. Between several highlights over the past year, Supponor announced approval for ‘Carpets over Carpets’ advertising across all German Bundesliga stadiums as well as the first-ever use of virtual technology in a women’s football match for Spanish LaLiga F El Clásico, thanks to our longstanding partnership with FC Barcelona.”

Magrí continues: “In July 2024, Supponor announced its agreement to be acquired by TGI Sport, a result of TGI’s confidence in the long-term vision and potential of Supponor technology and the Supponor team. TGI and Supponor have been partners for many years and we are currently building a remote operating centre in the South American territory to ensure seamless and cost-efficient delivery across the region.”

2024 also began with the announcement that Simon Green, previously COO, had been appointed as the new CEO of Supponor.

Magrí continues: “After a very successful 2023/24 sports season, Supponor is excited to consolidate its global leadership position by continuing to grow its client portfolio and exceed expectations, moving further into other sports besides football and ice hockey, including basketball, cricket, rugby, American football and baseball.

“We are also thrilled by the various unique opportunities that being part of TGI Sport offers us. We will be able to exploit new synergies and bundle Supponor technology with other services, offering our clients a more comprehensive approach.”

SYNAMEDIA

at scale maximise monetisation possibilities and minimise TCO,” says Julien Signes, EVP, video network, Synamedia. “Our video network solutions revitalise sports viewership across B2B distribution and D2C streaming through to edge delivery.”

“Our in-stadium experience in partnership with NativeWaves gives viewers the ability to watch their favourite sports from different camera angles instantly and view real-time statistics on mobile devices,” he adds. “beIN recently launched the first targeted TV advertising service in MENA using our addressable advertising platform, Synamedia Iris, to create new, targeted advertising inventory. And our anti-piracy initiatives, including our ContentArmor forensic watermarking and intelligence and consultancy services, are helping the sports ecosystem protect rights.”

Regional sports network Monumental Sports & Entertainment recently deployed Synamedia PowerVu to distribute high-value sports content and other programming to the new Monumental Sports Network. Signes continues: “We also offer the industry’s first pay-as-you-use self-service SaaS distribution solution, Quortex Link, which lets sports content owners distribute new channels or live events globally in a matter of minutes.

“Complementing our comprehensive edge reception and processing platform MEG, we have introduced MEG.mini, a small form factor edge gateway, which reduces time to market from months to days and is available with a flexible opex subscription model to lower the cost of transitioning to IP.”

The company also offers tools for D2C streaming and edge video delivery.

“Quortex Play enables streamers to offer new viewing experiences quickly and easily with pristine picture quality at scale and is now available in different service plans from self-service through to full handson support,” says Signes. “Synamedia’s virtual Digital Content Manager gives streamers greater control over quality of experience and latency.

TELESTREAM

GREG DOGGETT

SVP OF GLOBAL CHANNELS AND SPORTS

“In recent months, we’ve introduced innovations and successfully completed several projects that are redefining media production workflows for broadcasters, production studios and sports content providers,” says Greg Doggett, SVP of global channels and sports, Telestream.

“One of the biggest challenges that several of our sports customers have faced is that due to budget constraints, they are encountering a dilemma of how to acquire more content without requiring the deployment of additional gear during major live events. Telestream has helped organisations by deploying cloud-based production systems, thus allowing for a fully HDR workflow using Live Cloud Ingest at scale at any major event — even at one recent very high-stake global event. By deploying Telestream products in AWS to run their live ingest operations in the cloud and providing extra record capacity, all channels could utilise Telestream Lightspeed Servers and deliver content to MAM and PAM environments.”

“Another evolution of technology for live sports has been our Live Capture solution,” Doggett continues.

“This service addresses some of the common challenges sports production companies face, particularly in setting up and maintaining capture systems in distributed and remote environments.

JULIEN SIGNES

EVP, VIDEO NETWORK

“As growing numbers of sports fans convert to streaming to watch live sports, our flexible cloud and SaaS solutions for delivering and consuming sports content

“We’ve also added several new features to our Fluid EdgeCDN, including multi-CDN steering capabilities to switch streaming content seamlessly across different providers’ CDNs. Additional advancements include support for CMCD and OpenCaching multi-tenancy standards and AI-based video compression.”

“Our Live Capture as a Service enables the aggregation and recording of streams from any location, on-demand and in real time. This lowers infrastructure costs and streamlines processes, facilitating remote production from major venues such as stadiums and arenas without requiring upfront investment or complex buildouts. The service’s combined probing and recording capabilities ensure content quality right from the point of ingest, translating to seamless, high-quality live broadcasts.

“In the past 12 months, we have made significant strides in advancing our suite of solutions for sports broadcasters in the EMEA region. We have been enhancing our integrated solutions for seamless content production and distribution. Our tools support

a wide range of formats, including ST 2110, NDI, SRT and RTMP, ensuring compatibility across diverse platforms and enabling broadcasters to evolve their workflows at a speed appropriate to their existing capability and budget.”

Live Schedule Pro, a centralised solution for 24/7/365 scheduling, has also been enhanced. “We made a number of key advancements in our precision testing and measurement solution suite of sync pulse generators, waveform monitors and IP monitoring probe solutions and introduced the Prism MPP rasteriser designed for post-production applications,” he adds.

TELOS ALLIANCE

“The past year has seen a number of highlights for Telos Alliance products in the world of sports, and next year already looks all set to eclipse it,” says Martin Dyster, vice president business development. “Our Infinity Virtual Intercom Platform (VIP) has been the star of the show this year. With a steady stream of projects, some 100% cloud, others a mix of virtual and physical comms devices, both VIP and Infinity hardware have become the solution of choice with many broadcasters around the world.”

He continues: “One of our biggest installs is an AWS-deployed VIP system, comprising more than 250 virtual panels and an equal number of cloud-to-ground fourwires, used by a major sports broadcasting network during the Summer Games in Paris. Shortly after the end of the Games, the English Football League season kicked off and another broadcaster started using Infinity and Infinity VIP as a key part of their REMI productions, covering hundreds of live matches across all three leagues throughout the 2024/2025 season.

Last year also saw VIP deployed at Chess. com. “It is used by their remote production teams to bring live chess coverage to their 170 million members,” he explains.

Elsewhere, Telos Infinity hardware devices made their debut at the 2023 US Grand Prix where they were deployed to provide comms between the track marshalling team and race control as part of a fixed install at Circuit of the Americas.

Dyster continues: “In July 2024, Telos Alliance launched our new Virtual Commentary Panel (VCP), which is a part of the Infinity VIP range. VCP is a unique extension to the VIP product family that enables remote contributors to access a commentary

or announcer station from anywhere in the world through the VIP intercom platform. We believe producers will be very interested in this offering, as there’s nothing else quite like it for sports and REMI productions.”

TVN LIVE PRODUCTION

MARKUS OSTHAUS

“The 2023/24 season marks a new all-time record for TVN, with a total of 429 soccer productions across the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and other international matches,” says CEO Markus Osthaus. “On behalf of UEFA, TVN Live Production covered the live production of all UEFA Euro 2024 matches at the venues in Hamburg and Berlin, including the final and closing ceremony on 14 July. TVN crews, OB vans, SNG vehicles, live drones and other broadcast equipment was involved.”

The tournament also saw coverage by new TVN Group company TopVision, as well as TVN’s coverage for RTL Germany and the Fanfest concert event in Berlin.

TVN also covered the Baller League, a new German tournament format combining soccer and social media, broadcasting the complete event.

“Ratings were over 120,000 live viewers on Twitch alone and almost 3 million on the live streams afterwards,” says Osthaus. “TVN also produced other sports events as live broadcast and/or recording, including the IBU Biathlon World Cup for ZDF in Östersund, Sweden and Ruhpolding, Bavaria, as well as covering the FIS Snowboard World Cup in Winterberg for ARD. TVN Live-Copter was used to cover the final and third place matches of the European Handball Championship for ARD, while in equestrian sports TVN covered the Eventing Tournament, German Championship, and Meßmer Trophy at Luhmühlen for NDR Fernsehen.”

Company developments include an expansion to approximately 250 regular members of staff and the launch of new OB vans, TVN-Ü7 and TVN-Ü8.

“TVN-Ü7 had its world premiere at the FIS Snowboard World Cup,” says Osthaus. “It has 12

cameras, with a satellite dish on the roof, making it perfect for unilateral provision abroad but also for comprehensive productions. Thirty-four cameras are permanently installed in TVN-Ü8, which had its inaugural production at UEFA Euro 2024 in Berlin. It’s the most powerful and beautiful OB van on the market.”

“Looking ahead, the trend towards remote production remains strong, with IP playing an increasing role,” he adds. “TVN has been involved in several proofs of concept for various customers to support this process. For the media industry, remote production is an essential factor on the way to reducing its CO2 footprint.”

TVU NETWORKS

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE ALBOU

EUROPEAN SALES DIRECTOR

“France Télévisions, host broadcaster of the 2024 Summer Games, launched the france.tv Paris 2024 channel to broadcast the Flame Relay using a 100% cloud-based and 5G/Starlink network. Viewers enjoyed 10 hours of live daily coverage of the flame’s 1,625km journey via the France.tv app, connected TVs and digital platforms,” says Jean-Christophe Albou, European sales director, TVU Networks.

“Emphasising sustainability, the broadcaster used cloud technology, 5G, Starlink and drones to improve content production. This approach included live feeds, multicamera switching, graphics, commentaries, audio mixing, intercom and playout. It saved 600 tons of CO2 and reduced costs by 92% compared to traditional broadcast methods. This partnership marked the first end-to-end cloud broadcast for a major event, offering continuous viewer engagement and enriched content throughout the 80-day relay. As a result, before the Games even started, the dedicated France.tv channel generated more than 50 million views, with an average viewing time of 14-minutes, three times higher than some of France.tv’s most popular sporting events.”

“Partnering with Red Bull Media House for the 2024 Wings for Life World Run on 5 May, TVU provided global coverage for 265,818 participants from 169 countries,” he continues. “Utilising a comprehensive cloud workflow, TVU enabled real-time interaction and dynamic broadcasting. Participants streamed live from their phones, with feeds managed remotely from Munich.”

The company also launched TVU RPS One, which allows producers to synchronise and switch multiple camera feeds from different locations over the public internet. “Major sports broadcasters have adopted TVU RPS One, leading to significant reductions in production costs and logistical complexities while increasing flexibility and creative possibilities for live sports coverage,” says Albou. “We also introduced TVU MediaHub, a hybrid video router designed for live sports events, seamlessly managing both cloudbased and on-premise signals. Economically efficient, it adapts to high-demand sports situations and fluctuating needs, allowing for scalable sports routing and distribution on demand.”

UNIQFEED

“On 2 November 2023, uniqFEED debuted its football virtual advertising solution at the Grazer Derby as part of the ÖFB Cup in Austria. This also marked the first time the ÖFB Cup had ever utilised VA technology,” says uniqFEED COO Tom Huston. “We partnered with international sports management agency Sporteo, who wanted to showcase the value of virtual advertising to its sponsors and commercial partners.”

For this deployment uniqFEED inserted virtual content into the goal area at either end of the pitch, known as goal-side inserts, rotating the branded messaging from five different sponsors throughout the match.

Growing demand for VA services for live sports prompted uniqFEED to commission and build a new remote operations centre at its Zurich headquarters. “The centre is purpose-built in cooperation with Eurovision Services, Geneva to offer tier-1 connectivity with a 1+1, fully diverse, dual presentation including internet delivery,” says Huston. “This level of built-in flexibility will enable uniqFEED to offer increased resilience and value to diverse clients with varying needs. The ROC will be capable of supporting up to six simultaneous sports events, offering virtual advertising services in a range of HD and UHD, SDR and HDR production formats. This capability, coupled with contribution and distribution in J2K and SRT, will ensure the ROC is fully equipped

to handle diverse and evolving broadcast production formats and the increasing use of internet protocol transport standards.”

He continues: “uniqFEED continued work with our long-term partner ATP Media on several events in the past few months, including the Madrid Open and the Barcelona Open.”

The company also formed a new partnership with FIS and Slovak Ski to deploy virtual advertising at the FIS World Cup in Jasna in January 2024 and has been conducting extensive live and in-house testing for different sports including cricket, golf and Formula 1.

VERITONE

DAVID CANDLER

“Veritone, alongside digital sports marketing agency Engage Digital Partners, announced a multi-year agreement with World Horse Racing to use Veritone’s Digital Media Hub (DMH) as its exclusive AI-powered, intelligent asset management platform,” says David Candler, senior director, customer solutions. “Airspeeder, the racing series for crewed electric flying cars, partnered with Veritone to use DMH as the foundation for current and future media platform activities. In a multi-year deal that will enhance the growth of the new sport, Airspeeder digital media, broadcast content and data is being managed in DMH and leveraged for distribution, monetisation, AI-assisted editing, packaging for press publications

Veritone also announced a content licensing agreement with Tennis Australia. This enables Veritone to license archival match footage from the Australian Open to content buyers in North America. In addition, the company announced a technology partnership with Dalet that integrates the Dalet Flex media workflow ecosystem with DMH, featuring its commerce and monetisation capabilities, and announced an integration with Grabyo to create a connected workflow. “Through this partnership, DMH integrates with Grabyo’s live clipping and editing tools, with automated highlights and live stream logging,” says Candler.

“Our recently launched Ask Veri is a new conversational intelligence solution that empowers DMH users to quickly extract actionable insights and execute dynamic workflows from their sports archive data through a generative AI-enabled chat-based tool.”

The company also launched its AI consulting and services group. “Veritone is poised to serve as a strategic partner for AI providers and end customers including sports, facilitating the adoption and integration of AI technologies to drive business success,” says Candler. “Plans for the upcoming months will focus on expanding our AI capabilities, entering new global markets, integrating with emerging technologies, enhancing content creation tools, promoting sustainability and ethical AI, and providing better support and training for our sports clients.

“DMH continues to innovate with a wide range of planned new features, including a full user interface upgrade, modernised navigation, intelligent LLMpowered semantic search, advanced branding capabilities, one-click analytics using Ask Veri, DMH Labs and more.”

VIDEE

PAOLA MONTANARI CEO AND FOUNDER

“Since September 2023 we’ve been increasing our presence in the world of sports events,” says Paola Montanari, CEO and founder, Videe. “We’ve partnered with sports federations and organising committees, meeting their request for technical and organisational support for major events, with the utmost attention to detail. We’ve been the solution provider to challenging and demanding live broadcast productions, such as Barcolana Regatta with more than 2,000 participants, the long-distance international cross-country skiing race Marcialonga International, with 7,000 participants, the Women’s Softball World Cup, and the cycling Maratona Dles Dolomites.

Photo: January 26: Novak Djokovic (SRB) and Jannik Sinner (ITA) play on Rod Laver Arena at the 2024 Australian Open on Friday, January 26, 2024.
Photo by Tennis Australia/ Scott Barbour
Photo courtesy of Sky Sports Monday Night Football

“For the latter — involving 8,000 cyclists over a 138km course, with six hours of live TV — we were responsible for terrestrial, mobile and aerial live broadcast from start to finish, with RF equipment, helicopter and motorbikes; moreover, we managed live one-to-one connections to get some athletes’ POV during the race.”

“For the European Athletics Championships in Rome, we not only provided OB facilities, but we also worked with EBU Sport/Actua Sports for more than a year planning the event, sourcing a local production team and providing support for the venue management,” she continues. “The biggest challenge lay in the extreme flexibility required in the camera repositioning and calibration of the equipment after each session. We provided compact equipment which would be as ‘invisible’ as possible and facilitated the camera repositioning.

“We were also responsible for the breathtaking aerial, terrestrial and nautical filming of the RedBull Slackline Messina Crossing. We managed a remarkable technical provision which included two OB trucks, two SNGs, three drones and a boat. We put in place a complex technical system where point-to-point RF technology was combined with IP infrastructures and fibre links, to cover long-distance TV shooting positions. The slackline was rigged over 250m above sea level which meant handheld and remote-controlled cameras were hanging on platforms at 80m and at 220m. Our team showed the highest professionalism, concentration and skill to cope with the situation.”

“Our goal for the near future is to expand our presence in the international TV broadcast sporting market,” says Montanari. “We aim to provide both technical solutions and event management and coordination services. By collaborating with various teams, we intend to offer added value to our clients.”

VISLINK

“Vislink covered many of the major sporting events in the summer of 2024 — including Euro 2024, the Paris Olympics, the Tour de France, MotoGP, Wimbledon and much more,” says CEO Mickey Miller. “We prioritise working directly with customers and partners to ensure the successful broadcast of these events, ensuring viewers are fully engaged with outstanding content.”

“Vislink provided advanced wireless camera systems and real-time video transmission solutions for Euro 2024,” continues Miller. “These technologies were deployed across various stadiums and media centres, enhancing the live coverage and overall

production quality of the tournament.”

Vislink’s wireless camera systems were used to capture real-time action from the field, providing high-definition, lowlatency video feeds that were crucial for live broadcasts. The systems enabled flexible camera placements around the stadium, including difficult-to-reach areas, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the event. Vislink’s drone technology provided aerial views of the stadiums, fan zones and surrounding areas, adding a dynamic perspective to the broadcast, while mobile camera units equipped with Vislink’s technology were used for sideline reporting and fan interactions, enhancing the storytelling aspect of the coverage.

Miller continues: “Our technology ensured that video feeds from various cameras were transmitted in real-time with minimal latency, crucial for live sports broadcasting. Our systems provided robust and reliable wireless connectivity, even in the highinterference environment of crowded stadiums. Broadcasters reported a 20% increase in viewer engagement during matches, attributed to the highquality visuals and unique perspectives offered by Vislink’s technology.”

— truly bringing innovation to the sports viewing experience,” says Edouard Griveaud, senior product manager at Vizrt. “This was exemplified by UEFA. Last year, the football body surpassed its initial goal of a 20% digital engagement increase during the Champions League, achieving a 78% increase — with video content including analysis done using Viz Libero. It shows how Vizrt’s sports highlights enhancement platform, which is in the toolkit of top broadcasters and federations, can serve both digital and linear channels.”

“Building on the drive towards digital distribution channels, Viz Libero debuted a first for broadcast sports analysis: the ability to crop video to various aspect ratios and share directly from its interface,” continues Griveaud. “Users can create one project but publish multiple versions to multiple platforms, either during a live game or post-match.”

“Successfully supporting a high-profile event like Euro 2024 solidified Vislink’s reputation as a leader in sports broadcasting technology,” he adds. “The project contributed to a significant boost in revenue in 2024, contributing to growing overall earnings for the second and third quarters. Vislink also announced the appointment of Donnie Gilliam as VP operations, in a role that will focus on driving customer satisfaction, cost reduction and working capital improvements.”

In terms of new products, Vislink released IncamGV RF and 5G wireless transmitters, designed exclusively for Grass Valley’s LDX 135 RF and LDX 150 RF cameras, as well as DragonFly V, an ultra-compact HEVC HDR COFDM transmitter, which Miller says will “revolutionise live video capture from POV cameras, UAVs, body worn devices and more”.

VIZRT

EDOUARD GRIVEAUD

SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER

“Vizrt’s greatest highlights this past year have been seen through its customers. From Wimbledon to Copa America, stunning game analysis and seamless ad integration was delivered to audiences and sponsors

The newly introduced Viz Libero Free and Viz Libero Go, a hardware and software combo version, are important steps taken by Vizrt to make Viz Libero more accessible to a broader base of operators, including freelancers, he says. “Additionally, Viz Libero has been certified by AWS, giving operators added assurance that the platform can be securely accessed via the cloud and scaled according to user needs. Viz Arena, an image-based AR graphics and virtual advertising solution, is also available in the cloud, offering greater flexibility for remote productions. Last year, the European League of Football produced its season in the cloud, reducing 300 tons of CO2 and saving roughly €1 million in costs — this year, they committed to another three years of cloud.”

Griveaud adds: “Data is stored and accessed simply and securely with Viz Libero’s use of Vizrt Datacenter, which has native integration with Stats Perform and Sportec live event data providers. Data is contained in a single repository and can be accessed in a single central Viz Libero project. In Viz Arena, the Tracab live tracking data visualisation source selection and control feature, accessed via Datacenter, determines the position of all moving objects in the field. Looking ahead, Vizrt has plans to extend AI capabilities in its products to further streamline sports production workflows.”

WAVES

DANIEL KAMHAJI

LIVE PRODUCT MANAGER

“Waves has been supporting customers in transitioning to cloud workflows,” says Daniel Kamhaji, live product manager, Waves. “Our involvement spans activities ranging from youth league sports production and boxing matches to studio coverage for the 2024 Olympics. Through our efforts, we have facilitated smoother workflows and increased flexibility, enabling our clients to adapt to new technologies in sports broadcasting.”

“Waves has made advancements to address the needs of broadcasters and media networks, with a particular focus on reducing time-to-deployment and complexity,” he continues. “These upgrades are especially beneficial for IT DevOps teams responsible for managing these environments. Key updates include Waves Central’s Remote Assistance Mode, which allows customers to create a URL that triggers the remote, non-interactive activation and installation of Cloud MX and its plug-ins. This reduces deployment time and enhances productivity. Additionally, comprehensive turnkey automated scripts facilitate the creation of complete environments, by automating the activation, installation and configuration of all relevant applications and drivers. This ensures reliable and repeatable deployments with a single push of a button.”

Kamhaji continues: “Waves’ Cloud MX subscription includes a comprehensive plug-in catalogue, enhancing the value and performance for Cloud MX subscribers. A prime example is the upcoming inclusion of Waves Stream, a user-friendly plugin for streaming audio over WAN. It can be easily instantiated on any channel or bus within the Cloud MX mixer. Waves Stream enables audio reception directly in web browsers on mobile devices, computers or preferred DAWs. Waves Stream’s audio codec is powered by Waves’ proprietary codec, Falcon, crafted to ensure industry-leading audio fidelity and enhanced dynamic detail while also supporting the Opus codec.

“In 2025, we will enhance our mixer capabilities. Our upcoming plans include upgrades and new features designed to meet the specific needs of our users, supporting their audio production with high-quality tools.”

WHITE LIGHT

NEIL COLES

SENIOR BROADCAST BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

“Over the past few years, White Light — a d&b solutions company — has worked with a couple of new clients to integrate the latest audio, visual, lighting and media technologies within their media suite and broadcast studios,” says Neil Coles, senior broadcast business development manager, White Light. “In order to push the boundaries of its live sports coverage, Sky Sports decided to convert two studio spaces at its Osterley campus in West London into a single flexible-use mixed-reality presentation studio. Incorporating AR and VR into its broadcasting, Sky Sports wanted to create a truly immersive studio space, with which their presenters, pundits and guests could fully interact. Given our work on other VR sporting broadcasts, we were approached to provide the consultancy, technology, integration and continued technical support for this project.”

Coles continues: “Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’s fully integrated studios form the backbone of a new Media Centre. The installation was designed to enable the creation of a vast range of broadcast content for THFC’s media channels, including its subscription-based streaming service SpursPlay. White Light provided an end-to-end service. This spanned initial consultancy, ideation and system design, through to installation, user training and ongoing technical service.”

For the past year, White Light has been engaged in more consultancy work with sports right holders and tournaments. “We have spent time looking into new workflows and suggesting new products for sports studio builds,” says Coles. “Since developing the Eurosport Discovery Cube powered by our SmartStage technology, we’ve made a name for ourselves in the XR field. We see our consultancy packages increasingly focused on XR workflows and

on LED processing with advanced colour correction within LED walls. One of the trends we’ve noticed is an increase of demand for versatile moving desks and tech integration within mobile OB solutions.

“Looking forward, we are working closely with sports right holders on more of a global footprint.”

WOWZA

ASHIQUE ANWAR CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER

“One of Wowza’s most notable direct sports production highlights has been our partnership with LiveBarn, which offers sports facilities the ability to live stream games, practices, tryouts and other events primarily for hockey and other arena sports,” says CPO Ashique Anwar. “To date, LiveBarn has over 2.5 million available VOD hours and over 230 million hours streamed. LiveBarn’s expansion has necessitated a reliable and cost-efficient streaming partner capable of supporting a large number of cameras and fully integrating into their existing infrastructure. This is where Wowza stepped in, providing our robust streaming solutions to meet LiveBarn’s high demands. By utilising Wowza’s live-to-VOD capabilities, LiveBarn can not only stream live events seamlessly but also capture and store these events for later viewing. This functionality is essential for various purposes, including game reviews, scouting, coaching and creating highlight reels for recruitment.”

The collaboration between LiveBarn and Wowza yielded impressive results.

“The integration of our streaming solutions has allowed LiveBarn to scale its operations efficiently, maintaining high-quality streams across thousands of facilities,” says Anwar. “This partnership has also enabled LiveBarn to enhance their service offerings, providing users with the ability to access on-demand content easily. With LiveBarn’s streaming content, end viewers can support their athletes, fans can engage with more games, and facilities can monetise in ways they never have before.”

Anwar continues: “Wowza has also made several significant company developments that have bolstered our position in the sports streaming industry. We hired industry experts to accelerate the

development of user-experience-enhancing features and platform improvements. Our low-latency and ultra-low-latency solutions, paired with a global CDN, have been improved and expanded on. We have upgraded our best-in-class online video player that delivers high-quality streaming with viewer-side multicamera angle toggling. Wowza has also expanded video-on-demand features such as in-app editing and production, captioning, and ad management. We now offer video player-specific and end-to-end analytics, providing deep insights into the entire streaming experience, and have enabled customers to use Google DAI (Dynamic Ad Insertion) to capitalise on server-side ad insertion on top of existing client-side functionality. “

WTVISION

PAULO FERREIRA CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER

“Since last year, wTVision has been actively involved in several highprofile sports productions, such as the rebranding of LaLiga’s graphics, a complete broadcast solution for Liga Portugal, as well as the major rebranding of Sport TV and its coverage of Formula 1,” says Paulo Ferreira, CCO, wTVision. “wTVision has also been involved with the production of several competitions, such as the UAE Super Cup and the Portuguese end-of-championship celebrations, as well as AR for the Kings League.”

providing comprehensive graphics and data solutions for all LaLiga matches, solidifying our presence in the European sports market but also expanding to other territories.”

“Besides soccer competitions, wTVision had the honour of being the graphics provider for the European Athletics Championships held in Rome in June. This covered 24 different disciplines of athletics, presenting a challenging broadcast environment and demanding a high level of sports knowledge from the team on-site,” says Ferreira.

Over the past year, wTVision has focused on remote sports solutions and ever-increased quality with Unreal Engine. “Our team has been working intensely on virtual solutions capable of delivering state-of-the-art experiences to viewers, such as the coverage of Formula 1 and the virtual set for the Let’s Move Street Challenge Awards Show,” he adds.

The company also initiated its first remote production project in 2024. “This venture involved a studio setup utilising HTML5 graphics to display data for the Olympic Games,” Ferreira explains. “All data for both HTML5 and R3 graphics is imported automatically, guaranteeing real-time updates and a seamless broadcast experience.

“To support our growing operations, we also expanded our team across various departments, including technical support, operations and project management.”

XD MOTION

“Our team introduced a state-of-the-art touchscreen solution and AR elements in Sport TV’s coverage of UEFA Euro 2024, enriching their preand post-match studio shows,” he continues. “The touchscreen includes GRFX components that are preconfigured to display real-time Euro 2024 data from a data partner. In addition, our team created augmented reality graphics that featured the stadiums, teams, tactical line-ups and player profiles, among other types of data, transforming the way viewers connect with the show and the matches themselves.

“We continue to maintain partnerships with major sports leagues and broadcasters, including LaLiga, UEFA and Liga Portugal. This partnership involves

BENOIT DENTAN CEO

“This year, XD motion proudly continued its collaboration with France TV Sport for the prestigious Six Nations Rugby Championship,” says Benoit Dentan, CEO, XD motion. “Our X fly 3D cablecam with advanced mechanical tracking delivered dynamic shots above the field, ensuring stable and precise augmented reality integration. We utilised Pixotope Engine for stunning team presentations in AR, while our live drone provided impressive aerial views of the stadiums, capturing the grand scale of each event, allowing audiences to experience the passion of the Six Nations like never before.”

“For the new season of the UCI Track Champions League, XD motion again provided innovative coverage across events in Palma, Berlin, St Quentin, and London,” Dentan continues. “Our X fly 1D mini high-speed, operating in full RF mode with mechanical tracking, delivered spectacular live AR shots. The integration with Pixotope Engine brought viewers closer to the fast-paced action of track cycling. After this, our versatile X fly 1D mini moved swiftly up a steep incline through the trees to cover the spectacular descents of the riders in the UCI MTB World Series 2024.”

Dentan continues: “Thanks to HBS’s trust in us, we continue to cover League 1 on Amazon Prime Video. Following a magnificent World Cup, our X fly 3D cablecam demonstrated great performance in all the top 10 matches. Still on football, we had the opportunity to capture the festive atmosphere at the Coupe de France during Mbappe’s last match with PSG for France TV, thanks to the agility of our X fly 3D cablecam.”

Dentan says XD motion continues to create synergies through its partner programme.

“Recently, in collaboration with Brainstorm, we demonstrated how to ‘teleport’ a guest who is in one location to a virtual set in another location where an event is being discussed live. This remarkable feat was enabled by the synergy between Brainstorm’s InfinitySet and our Arcam 10 and 20 camera robots,” he explains.

“In the coming months, we will continue to raise the bar in broadcasting top international sporting events with the latest advances in 5G, AR, remote production, teleportation, virtual TV sets, robotic cameras, FPV, RF and tethered drones.”

ZERO DENSITY

BAHADIR YAVUZOĞLU HEAD OF SALES EMEA

“2024 was a huge year for sport, packed with important events,” says Bahadır Yavuzoğlu, head of sales EMEA, Zero Density. “Our real-time virtual production and real-time motion graphics solutions unlock new dimensions in sports broadcasting, opening up infinite possibilities to tell sporting stories with unprecedented levels of immersion including hyper-realistic storytelling environments and data-driven virtual elements. The latest example of this is our cooperation with RTV Slovenia. It has a three-camera setup, each linked to one Engine, and one control interface, Reality Hub, which controls all the graphics workflows. With our integrated virtual production solutions, the channel goes on-air in a wide variety of formats, including sports during important international tournaments like Euro 2024.”

Zero Density offers Reality5, a real-time virtual production platform leveraging Unreal Engine 5’s rendering capabilities. “Reality5 integrates with existing technological and editorial frameworks, reducing complexity and operational errors. It enables creators to produce hyper-photorealistic real-time graphics for virtual studio, augmented reality and extended reality productions,” says Yavuzoğlu.

He continues: “Our innovations in 2024 advanced our mission to empower content creators, including sports broadcasters, with the tools and platforms to craft engaging, immersive and impactful stories that resonate with their audience. With a commitment to storytelling and technological excellence, we developed many groundbreaking innovations this year, notably a single graphics workflow with Lino.

“Lino unlocks the full potential of real-time motion graphics by enhancing rendering and compositing quality while reducing cost and complexity. Powered by Unreal Motion Design, it allows for the creation of production assets in Unreal that can be used across pre-production graphics, real-time motion graphics such as video wall content and on-air graphics, as well

as virtual production graphics. As a unified production environment, Lino reduces the number of required software solutions, cuts asset creation and integration costs, and simplifies operations.

“We started a revolution to the graphics ecosystem with a unique approach to pre-production, realtime and virtual production graphics [with Lino] this year. We will continue to carry this revolution forward by disrupting current models, with continuous innovation.”

ZIXI

JOHN WASTCOAT SVP, STRATEGIC ALLIANCES AND MARKETING

“The past year has been highly successful for Zixi, which was relied on to transport and distribute over 1.5 million live sporting events,” says John Wastcoat, SVP, strategic alliances and marketing. “Among the most notable was the Super Bowl, where Zixi played a crucial role in delivering ultra-low latency streams to various distribution partners, including Roku, reaching millions of clients. All NHL content from its arenas is distributed to its partners using Zixi, and together they formed partnerships with AWS and Verizon 5G to leverage the MEC architecture for the remote production of games. Zixi is also utilised to distribute Major League Soccer feeds to partners such as Fubo, Apple TV and others. These achievements underscore Zixi’s superior performance and reliability, as well as its ability to deliver, automate and manage ultra-low latency feeds over unmanaged networks.”

Wastcoat continues: “In development collaboration with industry leaders like Amazon Video, Zixi released the Zen Master Live Events Manager to simplify the management of live IP, cloud-based event operations and enable cost-effective scalability. It equips operations teams with the tools needed to meet current and future business goals surrounding live event production and distribution, with key features and functionality including an intuitive event scheduling dashboard, event stage automation, dynamic scaling and ultra-low latency live transcoding and compliance validation that automatically adjusts inbound source streams to meet the unique requirements of each target destination.”

Coming off a successful Paris Olympics, the next big project for Zixi is the NFL with which the company is expanding its partnership.

He adds: “Our customers are able to take advantage of our next generation high-performance networking that allows a Zixi broadcaster to deliver three times the amount of Zixi traffic versus previous versions and as a result the associated costs of compute is reduced by two-thirds. Open-source alternatives require three times the compute and therefore nine times the compute/costs versus Zixi using high performance networking.”

SVG Europe Wellbeing Fund

Providing financial aid for people working in European sports broadcasting and production who require mental health support, therapy or counselling.

The Fund provides up to €400 per person towards the cost of psychological wellbeing services.

To apply for assistance please visit www.svgeuropefund. org for more information. The applicant’s name and identity will remain private throughout the process and personal information will only be made available to the person on the Wellbeing Fund team who receives the application and the Fund manager who will contact the applicant for Fund distribution processing.

“Mental well being continues to be of growing importance across all industries and many entities in the sports production industry have responded with deeper and more meaningful services. Here at SVG Europe our goal is to offer additional support that fills in some of the financial gaps that people can find challenging.”

alastair.robbins@ae.live

john.peck@ai-media.tv

gina@phosphor.pro

bevardisz@ahrt.hu

rainer@arkonatech.com

Joe.Bolger@arqiva.com

cciattaglia@arri.de Ateliere

Meghan.ross@ateliere.com

c.stoffel@ateme.com

Jim.kidwell@audinate.com

abischof@audio-technica.eu

tgeist@amazon.com

kathleen.barrett@backlight.co

Diversified

felicity.webster@bt.com

alexia.elmerhebi@calrec.com

Jack Adair jack.adair@canon-europe.com

https://www.catontechnology.com/en/

Carol Bettencourt carol.bettencourt@chyron.com

+44 (0)7736 155140 gs@cingularity.tv

+447803 018158 richard.palmer@clearcom.com

7790900967 james.wilson@cloudbass.com

berend.blokzijl@cobaltdigital.com

vincent.tessier@ctmgroup.fr

Nuytemans aaron.nuytemans@tinkerlist.tv

alun.milton@cvp.com

david.bourgeois@cyanview.com

l.marx@deltacast.com

Smeding +31(0)651720730 lsmeding@onediversified.com

ed.abis@dizplai.com

andreas.stumptner@dolby.com

helen.brown@domobroadcast.com

baras@dreamwall.be

katharine.guy@editshare.com

Broere +447493321213 glenn.broere@eluv.io

Eamonn Cur eamonn.curtin@emglive.com

Ivey mivey@encompass.tv

de Bressac +447840721140 greg.debressac@esbroadcast.com

Leader

Limitless Broadcast

LIGR

LiveU

LTN Global

LucidLink

Luna Remote Systems

M2AMedia

Media

Mimir

Moments Lab (formerly Newsbridge)

MOOV

MRMC/Nikon

SponsorIndex

luke@ligrsystems.com

Ronen Artman +1-(201)-742-5229 ronen@liveu.tv

Connie Petrides +1 201 280-9875 connie.petrides@ltnglobal.com

Shira Re’em 609-226-0265 shira.r@lucidlink.com

jo@lunaremote.co.uk

https://m2amedia.tv/

geetanjali@magnifi.ai

Camparada +44 (0)207 097 4772 ccamparada@medialinks.com

André Torsvik andre@onemimir.com

Gold Yvan Lataste yvan.lataste@momentslab.com

Gold Mike Phillipson +44 7860 522185 mike.phillipson@moov.tv

Merten

marius.merten@nikon.com NativeWaves

NEP

Net Insight

Perifery

Christof Haslauer ch@nativewaves.com

patrick.brand@nepgroup.com

mari.fogelberg@netinsight.net

kierank@obe.tv

peter.watling@perifery.com Pixotope

rperez@prodys.net

ascheller@programproductions.com

jaskaran@quidich.com

Qvest

RED Digital Cinema

Riedel

ROE Visual Europe

Ross Video

Christian Felder 49 174 9481 983 christian.felder@qvest.com

m.ward@rcs.live

Marc Cattrall +447825 982586 marc.cattrall@red.com

Gold Christian Bockskopf +49 (202) 292 9516 christian.bockskopf@riedel.net

87 Gold Olaf Sperwer +31657211754 olaf@roevisual.eu

Platinum Charlie Fox +44(0)7493306826 charlie.fox@rossvideo.com

RT Software 87 Gold Mike Fredriksen +44 (0)207 384 2711 mike.fredriksen@rtsw.co.uk

Salsa Sound

Sennheiser

SES Astra

Skyline Communications

Rob Oldfield +44 7765 686883 rob@salsasound.com

Stephanie Schmidt +4951306001275 Stephanie.Schmidt@sennheiser.com

merav.cunningham@ses.com

Perich, pericha@shure.com

Fournelle 7816032827 cfournelle@signiant.com

Thomas Gunkel +32 51313569 thomas.gunkel@skyline.be slomo.tv

Nadezhda Gretskaya +358 404560276 sales@slomo.tv Solid State Logic

anne.churchill@sony.com

sgruning@sosglobal.com

Spiideo

todd.patton@spiideo.com Staige

luca.wietoska@staige.com

michael.morrison@statsperform.com

davegreene@studioautomated.com Supponor

Synamedia

Tata Communications

Techex

Telestream

Telos Alliance

Telstra Broadcast Services

Tata Comms Media

TRACAB

TSL

TVN Live Production

massimo.magri@supponor.com

sbrydon@synamedia.com

megh.amin@tatacommunications.com

1628 947 717 marketing@techex.co.uk

bryn.mcfadden@telestream.net

(0)7900 584066 martin.dyster@telosalliance.com

pierre.seban@team.telstra.com

kevin.omeara@tatacommunications.com

james.kick@tracab.com

Bratt 441628564610 harry.bratt@tslproducts.com

(511) 12123705 markus.osthaus@tvn.de

ytayar@tvunetworks.com

THANKS ITS SPONSORS

GOLD

BRONZE
BRONZE

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2025

EVENT DATE LOCATION

Sky Sport Austria Summit 2025 in cooperation with SVG Europe (Regional Summit)

Cloud and Virtualisation —

Elevating Live Sports Production

Football Summit

SVG Europe Women

Chairman’s Forum

Sky Sport Italy Summit 2025 in cooperation with SVG Europe (Regional Summit)

Federations Forum

SVG Europe Spain (Regional  Summit)

Create Share Engage

AI — Gen AI in Live Production

Sport Production Summit

SVG Europe Networking @ IBC 2025

Sky Sport DACH Summit 2025 in cooperation with SVG Europe (Regional Summit)

FutureSPORT

SVG Europe France (Regional Summit)

Sports Audio Summit

Personalising the Play — Tailoring Live Sports for Fans

January In-Person, Austria

Platinum/Gold Austria only

February Online

All Sponsors

March In-Person, UK

All Sponsors

March In-Person,Glasgow, UK

All Sponsors

April In-Person, Las Vegas, USA Platinum only

May In-Person, Milan, Italy Platinum/Gold Italy only

May In-Person, Geneva, Switzerland

All Sponsors

June In-Person, Spain

All Sponsors Platinum/Gold Spain only

June In-Person, London, UK All Sponsors

July In-Person, TBC

All Sponsors

September In-Person, Amsterdam

All Sponsors

September In-Person, Amsterdam

All Sponsors

October In-Person, Munich,Germany Platinum/Gold DACH only

October In-Person, UK

All Sponsors

November In-Person, Paris, France Platinum/Gold France only

November In-Person, London, UK

All Sponsors

December Online

All Sponsors

www.sportsvideo.org

Ken Kerschbaumer, Executive Director, Editorial kenkersch@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +1 212.481.8140

George Bevir, Editorial Director george@sportsvideo.org | Tel +44 7909 528886

Heather McLean, Editor heather@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +44 7986 473520

Will Strauss, Editor will@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +44 7789 711611

Jo Ruddock, Content Editor jo.ruddock@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +44 7980 264491

Ruxandra Calin, Events Content Coordinator rux@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +44 7706 668593

Clare Sturzaker, Operations Director clare@sporstvideo.org | Tel: +44 7710 991595

Bert Grant, Senior Sales Manager bert@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +44 (0)7526 052608

Sadie Thomas, Sales Manager sadie@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +44 (0)7899 541670

Rob Payne, Managing Director, Worldwide Sponsor Development rob@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +1 212.481.8131

Andrew Gabel, Manager, Sponsor Development agabel@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +1 646.998.4554

Dawn Boultwood, Production Editor dawn@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +44 7967 197803

Livvy Maule Ffinch, Audience Development livvy@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +44 7867 800191

Christie Wills, Sales Support christie@sportsvideo.org

Joe Hosken, General Manager, Europe joe@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +44 7429 090134

Martin Porter, Executive Director marty@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +1 516.767.6720

Paul Gallo, Executive Director paul@sportsvideo.org | Tel: +1 212.696.17994

Magazine Production

Dean Cook, The Magazine Production Company www.magazineproduction.com | Tel: +44 7884 263804

ABOUT SVG EUROPE

Sports Video Group Europe supports the professional community in Europe that uses video, audio, and broadband technologies to produce and distribute sports content. Through SVG Europe, leagues, owners, teams, broadcasters, webcasters, OB companies, and technology providers learn from each other, turn vision into reality, and implement innovations. Sharing these experiences leads to advances both in the sports-production/distribution process and in the overall consumer sports experience.

MISSION

To advance the creation, production, and distribution of sports content.

To provide a knowledge resource for the growing community of sports video professionals working for broadcast/broadband organizations, professional teams and leagues, collegiate and secondary schools, and facilities.

To facilitate a dialogue with manufacturers, suppliers, and technology developers that will improve the quality and profitability of sports programming.

Because Sport TV Leads the Way

Leading sports television executives from across Europe are at the vanguard of Sports Video Group Europe. Sports Video Group Europe’s mission is to advance the creation, production and distribution of sport content — on all screens — via information, events and industry initiatives. Make sure your company and your industry are represented in this vital collaborative initiative. Join SVG E today www.svgeurope.org

www.nepworldwide.nl

www.appear.net

www.gravitymedia.com

www.rossvideo.com

www.sosglobal.eu www.grassvalley.com

www.tatacommunications.com

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