Whisper wins BBC contract as cricket returns, and will also create online highlights for the ECB. Whisper has won the contract to produce the BBC’s peak-time cricket highlights, as the broadcaster begins showing cricket again from Wednesday this week (8 July). Whisper has won a multi-year contract with the BBC to produce TV highlights for […]
Tag archives: production
German sports streamer develops automated production system
AI-driven system will be used to capture and broadcast the majority of the platform’s future sport content. Sports streaming service sporttotal.tv has developed an AI-driven production system that will be used for “almost all” the future sport broadcasts on the platform. The system utilises a weatherproof 180-degree camera and artificial intelligence (AI) created by Berlin-based […]
Free-to-air triumphs with return of the Premier League
(This article first appeared in Broadcast. Words by Stephen Price) BBC1 Premier League match well ahead of Sky, BT and Amazon Premier League Football returned this week and the process of cramming 92 games in over a little over a month began on Wednesday. Most matches are on Sky Sports (64 live games), while BT […]
COMMENT: How the industry can redefine itself amid the pandemic
Tata Communications global head of media and entertainment services Dhaval Ponda on the future of production post-lockdown. For the last few months, lockdown measures introduced to stem the spread of Covid-19 have had many of us grounded in our homes. As such, most of us have turned to our TV sets and digital platforms for […]
Man City vs Arsenal is most-watched Sky Sports football game for 3 years
Return to Premier League football after three-month hiatus draws big audience for Sky Sports With pubs remaining closed and football having been off screens for three months, viewers tuned in in droves to watch Arsenal and Man City’s match-up, which kicked off at 8.15pm. The 2.6m (14.3%) who witnessed Arsenal’s drubbing across Sky Sports Main […]
Celtic FC brings in Sunset+Vine for fan-focused matchday content
Football club creates content for season ticket holders unable to attend games. Celtic Football Club has appointed Sunset+Vine Scotland to create matchday programming as part of a ‘televised ticket offering’ to supporters. With fans unable to attend matches during the pandemic, the club is creating a range of content from each game designed to give […]
Podcast: Eurosport presenter Orla Chennaoui
Eurosport’s re-runs of London 2012 includes Mo Farah, Bradley Wiggins, Greg Rutherford and many other Team GB athletes recollecting the events over Zoom calls with presenter Orla Chennaoui. She describes how it all happened in this podcast. With TV studios on lockdown, Eurosport presenter Orla Chennaoui turned to Zoom to film interviews with a who’s […]
Behind the scenes: Matze Knop’s Home Office (Sky Sports News Deutschland HD)
Marius Fischer, the editor on Sky Sports News Deutschland HD daily sports-focused comedy series, Matze Knop’s Home Office, explains how it’s being put together during lockdown. With top flight schedules at a standstill, sports broadcasters are working around the clock to produce content that not only fills the gaps, but offers positivity and support during […]
K League to work with Grabyo as season kicks off again
Cloud-based platform will enable remote production of live matches on social media. The season opening return of K League tomorrow (Friday, 8 May) is being produced for social media remotely using Grabyo. The match – between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Suwon Samsung Bluewings – is being broadcast on K League’s YouTube and Twitter channels at […]
World’s Strongest Man turns to DIY ‘Home Edition’ format for Snapchat
The strongmen will use heavy household objects, including their own cars, for the lockdown format. The World’s Strongest Man organisation has launched a Snapchat spin-off during lockdown, called the World’s Strongest Man: Home Edition. It runs on Snapchat’s Discover page every Monday for the next 11 weeks, with eight of the world’s strongmen lifting ‘imaginative’ […]
Sunset + Vine furloughs almost 80% of staff
Sports indie operating with 30 employees as live events shut down. Sports indie Sunset + Vine has furloughed three-quarters of staff as production is put on pause, with senior execs taking pay cuts. Speaking to trade publication Sport Business, Jeff Foulser, who chairs the Tinopolis-owned producer, said around 100 individuals – 77% of its 130 […]
Behind the scenes: PDC Home Tour darts
Broadcast Sport gets the low down on how the innovative home darts tournament has been staged and broadcast. Loop Productions, based at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol has revealed its role in getting the PDC Home Tour darts tournament on air. Speaking to Broadcast Sport, the company’s production engineer Adam Young, said: “We used […]
Podcast: Blast Premier CEO Robbie Douek on the growth of esports during the pandemic
Blast Premier esports CEO Robbie Douek talks to Broadcast Sport reporter Max Miller. In episode #9 of the Broadcast Tech Talks podcast series, Blast Premier esports CEO Robbie Douek talks to Broadcast Sport reporter Max Miller about the appeal of esports – what draws fans to the games, and how esports can capitalise on the […]
Industry responds to lockdown: watch virtual roundtable debate
You can stream the full BT Media & Broadcast sports industry discussion for free. BT Media & Broadcast has shared the full virtual roundtable webinar discussion it held last week to discuss the impact coronavirus is having on sports production and broadcast. The roundtable included representatives from BT Sport, Excel Esports, FACEIT and Noah Media […]
Alternative thrills: Why esports is like punk rock
Ross Video esports business development manager Cameron Reed on the anti-establishment appeal of esports. In the 1970s punk music offered a new home to young people looking for an alternative to the established norms; it represented a rebellion against a mainstream culture that its followers saw as conservative, traditional and saccharine. I think you can […]
Podcast: BT Sport COO Jamie Hindhaugh on creating a virtual studio during lockdown
BT Sport has decentralised production to enable presenters and crew to create, produce and broadcast live shows from their homes. Episode 8 of the Broadcast Tech Talks podcast series sees BT Sport COO Jamie Hindhaugh talking with Broadcast Sport editor Jake Bickerton about how the broadcaster has responded to lockdown. Working to a very tight […]
Viewpoint: The appeal and thrill of esports
Amanda Lawson, global head of content at esports company Gfinity on the thrill of the game. Having spent 20 years working in sport, from football through combat sports and more recently in esports, I thought I had seen everything. I am sitting in our broadcast gallery in Fulham, sitting in a different room to my […]
Whisper chief sacrifices entire salary
Sunil Patel forgoes income as Sony indie faces £30m shortfall Whisper chief executive Sunil Patel has given up his entire year’s salary to help staff as the indie reacts to having almost £30m of revenues placed on hold. The directors of the Sony-backed business, which also include Jake Humphrey and David Coulthard, were each […]
Roundtable: How to Build A Fan Base
The rise in new sports formats has focused attention on the best way to combine traditional media with social and digital platforms to engage with and retain audiences. In recent years, a plethora of newly devised sports formats have launched. Formats like Sail GP, Extreme E, the Six Day Series and Roborace or major one-off […]
BT Sport launches live show to re-run last year’s Champions League
Archive material to be aired by BT Sport in a new live show format, preceded by highlights from classic European finals BT Sport is re-running key UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League moments for British clubs through two new productions. The first new series – Throwbacks, on BT Sport 2 – is focused on […]
LiveU and Tencent partner to broadcast live sport despite covid-19 lockdowns
LiveU supplied remote production equipment to film the event LiveU and Chinese broadcaster Tencent managed to bring some live sport to viewers recently, in the form of speed skating. The 2020 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in South Korea were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and in reaction, the China Short Track Speed […]
Mediapro to temporarily lay off 1200 employees, covering salaries
It is taking advantage of Spain’s ERTE programme, which covers salaries during the country’s coronavirus lockdown Mediapro will temporarily lay off 1200 employees, covering their salaries in the meantime with help from the Spanish government’s ERTE programme – according to reports. The initiative helps companies to continue paying salaries during the country’s coronavirus lockdown. It […]
Tech Talks podcast: Sunset+Vine launches Scottish Football Extra From Home
Sister site Broadcast Tech talks to Sunset+Vine executive producer Grant Philips about producing sports content during the coronavirus outbreak, in the second of its podcast series – Tech Talks Following the first Broadcast Tech Talk podcast with Coffee & TV CEO Derek Moore, the second in Broadcast Tech’s new podcast series is a conversation between […]
Southampton chief claims Premier League could be broadcast before restrictions end
Chief executive Martin Semmens thinks games could be shown every day while people are at home Southampton chief executive Martin Semmen believes that the Premier League could return before coronavirus restrictions are lifted from daily life. Semmens, speaking to BBC Radio Solent, appears to think that play could be possible sooner than expected – despite […]
Sports Content Summit: Liverpool FC on how to design digital content as a club
The club has seen major growth online with through its social media channels Speaking at the Broadcast Sport Content Summit this month, Liverpool FC head of social media, Adam Hulme, and head of digital video, Mark Volante, revealed how the club thinks when designing content for fans. The club has seen major growth in followers […]
Figures across esports eye opportunity during and after coronavirus crisis
The industry is aiming to take advantage of the postponements in traditional sports Several esports figures are looking at the cancellation of traditional sports events worldwide as an opportunity for the industry. With high profile live sport on hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic, a sport that can largely be played online is one of very […]
Sunset+Vine reveals coronavirus production measures
The company is adapting to cope during the uncertain times Sunset+Vine has revealed the measures it is taking amid the coronavirus crisis to keep production running. With many live sports competitions and events not going ahead for the foreseeable future, the company has had to focus on other content. For example, studio-based production and branded […]
Extreme E appoints head of broadcast and technology
Dave Adey will be hoping to bring cutting-edge technology to the sport Extreme E has appointed Dave Adey as its head of broadcast and technology. Adey will be in charge of sourcing cutting-edge technology for remote broadcast and race control vision – with the race series aiming to be environmentally friendly while filming in remote […]
Pico reveals AI viewer interaction system for Israeli broadcaster
It is hoping to identify fans for future use Sport technology company Pico has revealed its AI fan interaction system currently in use by the Israeli Sports Channel (Sport 5) and used by KAN 11, the Israeli public channel for the 2018 World Cup games. Pico has supplied AI technology to the TV channel for […]
Broadcast Sport magazine #5 out now
Editor Jake Bickerton gives a preview of the latest print edition of Broadcast Sport. You can read the whole magazine here. Welcome to the first issue of Broadcast Sport for 2020. It feels like the year has barely started, yet we’ve already seen plenty of action in the Six Nations; witnessed Liverpool running away with […]
Espanyol to deploy Supponor ad tech at all La Liga home matches
Tech can be used to tailor advertising to different regions and demographics La Liga side RCD Espanyol de Barcelona are to deploy Supponor tech at all home league games. Espanyol will be making use of the company’s DBRLive virtual replacement technology and NSA virtual carpet placement solution. These are used in conjunction with LED perimeter […]
Little Dot builds sport offering with WING acquisition
This is Little Dot’s first acquisition as it kick starts its growth plan Little Dot Studios has acquired production studio WING. Majority owned by All3Media, the digital video content producer works with sport and consumer brands and is looking to improve its offering to the former with this move. It will boost its sports production […]
LaLiga to produce 4K El Clasico with latest tech
It is looking for a high-quality viewer experience LaLiga are set to produce the latest El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona in 4K-HDR when it is played on 1 March. It is also set to make use of some of the latest camera and graphics technology to film one of the biggest games in […]
Embankment gets in the saddle with sales of documentary Frankie
The feature follows Frankie Dettori over a season in racing Embankment is to begin worldwide sales of documentary Frankie at the European Film Market (EFM). Currently in production, the feature follows legendary horse racing jockey Frankie Dettori over a season in the sport – celebrating his successful career along the way. It is directed by […]
Esports and broadcast: A match made in heaven or not a match at all?
From the duration of the game to capturing the atmosphere and considering a change in format, Chris Wood, CTO at Spicy Mango, looks at the challenges broadcasters need to consider before they take the leap into the world of esports. The world of esports is growing rapidly. In fact, it is estimated that esports revenues […]
Using cloud technology to scale up business and monetise content
SPONSORED: Copa90 and Aurora Media Worldwide have leveraged cloud technology to improve their businesses The explosion of new sports content viewing platforms presents new challenges for companies in sports media, dealing with management, storage, processing and delivery of huge data sets. Two companies that have solved this problem by leveraging cloud technology to scale-up their […]
Game on: the ever-growing production values of esports events
Head of marketing & communications at live production specialists EVS, Sebastien Verlaine, gives a view into the world of esports production Across online and TV it is estimated that more than 500 million people around the world are watching other people play video games. Yet, as esports continue to grow in popularity, tournament producers are […]
BT Sport joins BAFTA’s Albert initiative
The telecoms giant is aiming to become net zero by 2045 BT Sport has joined BAFTA’s Albert initiative, as it continues its efforts to be a green broadcaster. Albert brings together broadcasters in their efforts to become environmentally friendly. BBC, Sky, ITV, Channel 4, and Netflix are also members. Founded in 2011, it was created […]
Copa90 acquires Indonesian football documentary series
Doc follows the fortunes of young Indonesian players trying to forge professional career Football platform Copa90 has acquired documentary series The Search for Indonesia’s First Wonderkid. Created by UK, Milan and LA based Sent Entertainment, the series follows the fortunes of Garuda Select, a team comprised of 24 Indonesian youngsters, who tour England and Italy […]
BT Sport to bolster women’s and disability football coverage
Plans revealed to increase content around women’s football and disability football and encourage more women to take up production roles BT Sport will increase its coverage of women’s football, put more focus on disability football, and provide more broadcast training to girls. The developments were announced during the launch of BT’s 4-3-3 strategy, which sees […]
US producers join forces for sports and esports projects
Partnership brings together two high-profile US production houses US producers Five Films and Sneaky Big have announced a co-pro partnership for their future sports programming. Under the co-pro partnership, the companies will create original sports and esports projects for the US and international markets. Sneaky Big’s clients include The Alliance of American Football, Grand Canyon […]
Top tips for producing sports in 4K and 8K UHD HDR
Insight TV executive producer Frank le Mair provides an assortment of tips for creating content in 4K and 8K UHD HDR There is significant impact to the production process when creating a 4K UHD HDR programme. First and foremost, producers must have access to, and be using the right equipment to shoot in 4K UHD […]
SailGP set to unveil its first global marketing campaign
The fast-paced sailing championship has teamed up with GBH and Knucklehead SailGP is kicking off its first global marketing campaign later this month with a spot called It’s Not What You Think, which aims to highlight that “SailGP isn’t sailing in the traditional sense”. The campaign (pictured below), which launches a month in advance of SailGP’s […]
Broadcast Sport launches Content Summit
New event focuses on best practice for creating sports content across live sports, documentaries and studio-based shows Broadcast Sport is running a full day Content Creation Summit at Dock 10 studios at MediaCityUK on Thursday, 5 March 2020. The event focuses on different areas of sports production, providing a platform for sports content producers […]
Peter Crouch turns comedy host for BBC1
Fulwell 73 nets 14-part studio show for next summer’s Euros Peter Crouch’s position as key BBC talent could be enhanced by a greenlight for a comedy entertainment show from Fulwell 73. The former England footballer and podcast host is fronting BBC1’s Crouch’s Euro Fest 2020 next summer. The BBC describes the 14 x 45-minute series as a “live post-match festival […]
Festive spot centres on BMX supercross rider Kye Whyte British Cycling has produced its first Christmas film, centred on Tokyo 2020 Olympic hopeful Kye Whyte. The film follows Whyte as a child in Peckham, from getting his first bike for Christmas to becoming a world-renowned BMX supercross rider. British Cycling says it’s hoping to reach […]
EVS AI-driven offside line wins FIFA seal of approval
The tech in VAR product Xeebra uses machine learning to create an offside line overlay EVS’s AI-driven offside line tech has received certification from FIFA for meeting its standards for dealing with the complexities of precisely determining the offside line The offside tech – which is integrated into EVS’s Xeebra VAR system – uses machine […]
Explaining the appeal and continued growth of esports
Gravity Media Group sales manager Edward Dowdall, explains the growing appeal of esports As we head fast towards the end of 2019, esports continues to expediently grow in momentum with more global events. Tier 1 sponsors and media attention is being drawn to what is ultimately simply a form of live entertainment. Examples include the […]
BT Sport retains Champions League rights in £1.2bn deal
Broadcaster fended off bids from ITV and Sky BT Sport has retained the rights to broadcast Champions League games for another three seasons in a deal worth £1.2 billion. The new deal is worth £400m a year, slightly up on the 2018-2021 rights cycle which is worth £394m a year. As such, UEFA has protected […]
Dazn enters the ring with Sylvester Stallone
Boxing series is first fruits of sports streamer’s partnership with Balboa Productions Sports streamer Dazn has inked a global creative partnership deal with Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions, kicking off with a feature doc series about boxing. One Night is a set of films looking back at indelible nights in recent boxing history, kicking off with analysis […]
Linius personalised sport highlight reels launched in Europe
Australian company is targeting its cloud-based video editing service at European sports organisations Linius is launching its personalised highlight reel product Sports Club Solution across Europe. It’s linking up with video platform provider Swanbay for the rollout. Linius Sports Club Solution enables sports organisations and fans to assemble and compile sports footage, and quickly create personalised […]
Lillehammer upgrades stadium video offer for fans
Norwegian ice-hockey team purchases Ross Video kit to improve fan experience Norwegian ice-hockey team Lillehammer IK has upgraded its stadium big screen offering in a bid to improve the quality of the match-day experience for fans. The club appointed Danmon Group Norway to help upgrade the Eidsiva Arena to include video production, mixing creative content […]
The European Tour launches innovation competition to “enhance golf”
New contest is aimed at start-ups and is seeking innovations that will appeal to golf fans The European Tour has launched an innovation contest for start-ups aimed at developing new creative concepts to enhance golf. The European Tour Innovation Hub competition is being run with Tata Communications and is seeking ideas that can be developed […]
Mobile Viewpoint reveals 4K camera for its sports automation system
Company bolsters the quality of image acquisition for its automated sports production and distribution system Mobile Viewpoint has launched the IQ X-Cam – a multi-4K camera system designed to be used by its artificial intelligence (AI) sports production and distribution automation system IQ Sports Producer. The IQ X-Cam IP camera can capture panoramic images in […]
DAZN unveils virtual production facility
First hub opens in Madrid, with Leeds broadcast centre next to be connected Sports streamer DAZN has launched its first virtual production facility. The facility, which is based on NEP’s production platform, makes a variety of production resources including live logging, editing, commentary, and graphic design accessible remotely from any location around the world, all […]
BT Sport moves to remote production for National League
Broadcaster will cover more National League live games than before and create weekly presenter-led highlights show BT Sport is using remote production to dramatically increase its live coverage of the Vanarama National League (the fifth tier of the English football league system) and turnaround highlights from all weekly matches much faster than before. This season, […]
Rugby World Cup 2019 to offer fan-controlled 3D highlights
Seven matches from the tournament, which kicks off on Friday 20 September, will have highlights created by Canon’s Free Viewpoint Video System Seven Rugby World Cup 2019 matches will offer fans post-match highlights with viewpoints and angles not possible with conventional cameras. Canon’s Free Viewpoint Video System is being used to create replays the company […]
MotoGP: Full throttle action
Covering the Silverstone MotoGP race meeting for BT Sport is a mammoth operation for North One, with 26 hours of live outside broadcast over three days It’s late on Friday afternoon at Silverstone and production house North One has already been live-to-air on BT Sport for eight hours straight. A premium presentation and commentary team have been busy fronting the show throughout the […]
Six Day Series: Fast track to success
Revitalising one of cycling’s first ever track events, the Six Day Series is making innovative use of data to educate first-time fans and grow its audience The growth in shorter TV sports formats, marrying cutting-edge on-screen technologies with rousing in-stadium entertainment, continues at full pace. Cycling’s version – the Six Day Series – hit its […]