NEP Cymru Changing The Face Of Live Surfing Coverage

An innovative television facilities company is introducing a new way of providing live broadcast coverage of surfing at of one of its world's major championships.
The Quiksilver Pro France 2011 is expected to draw in a global audience of over 3.5m via web and TV.
NEP Cymru will broadcast live coverage as the biggest names in surfing battle it out on the waves of south west France. Waves permitting, the main competitors will take to the waves today.
Surfing is an extremely challenging sport for broadcasters to cover live and NEP Cymru was chosen as the television facilities provider for the event, alongside Boomerang+ who will produce the coverage.
The event takes place over a 10km stretch of the Landes coast north of Biarritz. Chasing the best surf means the competition moving between any one of any 8 locations along the coast with the broadcast coverage following it at very short notice - up to 3 locations a day.
NEP Cymru has broken all time trial records to date and have succeeded in reducing the time to an 1 1/2 hours to de-rig an entire OB, move and rig to a new location - meaning the competition can continue with less disruption.
NEP Cymru's proposal included centralising the whole broadcast operation further and building up the media village with a high speed internet connection, facilitated by a custom-built fly-pack.
Meanwhile a fast response mobile HD OB truck would move with the competition, generating an international feed back to the media village. This would lessen the risk of web coverage failing due to multiple moves and quicker response times to those location moves. It also means that for the first time four separate feeds can be generated for the production team - one international and three sub-cuts in with associated commentaries in French, English and Portuguese. Digico are providing the sound desks.
NEP Cymru has also developed new technology for surfing competition coverage. Working with Sports Broadcast Inc., it has been developing the first live wave camera where pictures taken by a surfing cameraman filming down the barrel of the wave will be radio-linked directly back to the main mix at the media village.
The camera is still in the early stages of development but the team hope to trial it during the competition. Other cameras include a specially rigged live jetski camera to follow the competitors in the water and high speed camera to catch the quick footwork of the world's most skilled surfers. Over 3000m of special cables are also being used.
Surfing events continue to be at the forefront of coverage for the growing trend for web streaming as the main broadcast outlet. Last year's coverage of Pro France was followed on the web by an international audience of 3.5million.
(BMcN/BMcC)