UEFA And ENG / Gravity Media Deliver Advanced Workflows

With the UEFA EURO 2024 football championship just completed, EMG / Gravity Media, working on behalf of UEFA, is highlighting the advanced broadcast infrastructure the combined group put together on a global level, both for UEFA and for a number of international broadcasters including UK commercial broadcaster ITV, Dutch public broadcaster NOS and Australia’s Optus Sport.

For UEFA, EMG / Gravity Media leveraged its extensive experience gained from years of working at the EUROs to deliver the Technical Operations Centres (TOCs) and FANTV solution at each of the ten venues across Germany. In collaboration with the team in Italy, whilst the Group’s French crew members on-site delivered the big screens action for the fixtures held in two both Münich and Stuttgart on behalf of UEFA.

Besides delivering the technical assets for the giant screen experience in the stadiums before, during and after the matches, EMG / Gravity Media also provided four OB trucks and RF equipment (host Steadicam and handheld RF camera coverage) for the ten matches held at the Cologne Stadium and Düsseldorf Arena.

The Group also provided live helicopter 1080p HDR aerial coverage for all matches, from the opening to the Final in Berlin through the Group’s specialist RF and camera divisions, EMG Connectivity and ACS. The six helicopters, all fitted with the latest UHD HDR stabilised camera gimbals, were regionally sourced keeping flying time to a minimum and followed EMG / Gravity Media’s carbon offsetting initiative for helicopter filming on the flying hours required to deliver the tournament's coverage plan.

The same care and commitment to sustainability was also evident in its extensive work with the UK’s ITV, which has helped the broadcaster to drop headcount for covering a major tournament from 300-400 down to just 90.

The workflow for the 1080p50 production was designed around a ‘reverse remote’ production model, with a remote gallery and mini MCR set up in Berlin along with a studio and commentary positions. The two presentation areas were fitted out with nine cameras between them, while on-site is a vision mixer, director, PA, producer, autocue op, and a small tech and lighting team. Crucially, most of the kit underpinning this set up, including EVS replay, sound, and graphics, was all based back in London, with the locations linked together by low latency 10Gb diverse paths.

This allowed ITV to maintain a 30/70 split in personnel between the two locations, Berlin, and the UK, saving costs and the environmental impact of moving crew and kit across borders. Continuing the sustainability theme, EMG / Gravity Media also provided new trucks to ITV for venue injects. These feature solar power battery backup, allowing them to sustain connectivity overnight while minimising the amount of power used.

Meanwhile, the EMG / Gravity Media team from the Netherlands has been successfully following the Dutch football team for the public broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) coverage, from the start of the tournament to the semi-finals. This crew of fifteen members are covering the team from stadium to stadium with an OB truck carrying six cameras, three for the studio and three for the analysis shots.

Finally, the team based in Australia provided technical support and operation for the coverage of the UEFA Euros at Optus Sport. The group had a full crew of production, cameras, technical and engineering support to integrate world feeds with live crosses to Germany and local communities. All of this while providing pre-match hosting and a cross into the CONMEBOL 2024 COPA America tournament also for the Optus Sport channels.