A camera operator filming a beach volleyball game.

During the 2018 CEV DELA Volleyball European Championship in the Netherlands, a unique remote production and connectivity setup was facilitated by Red Bee Media on behalf of FabriQ Media Group and TIG Sports. The project was coordinated with Riedel and United and for 8 days Red Bee Media provided managed connectivity, remote production and teleport services from four different temporarily built venues. The event was connected through the Red Bee Media Global WAN and managed from the central MCR located in Hilversum, with Outside Broadcast teams managing operations onsite. This complex setup involved up to 11 HD Cameras per location, 10Gbit/s circuits throughout the network and a total of 40 HD-SDI outputs in The Hague.

Between July 15-22 the 2018 CEV DELA Volleyball European Championship took place in four locations in the Netherlands – Apeldoorn, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague. In preparation for the event FabriQ Media Group and TIG Sports had a vision to bring all the four venues together in one streamlined production that could be managed remotely on site. Red Bee Media provided connectivity services and remote production for the whole event and made sure that every angle of the action was broadcast and streamed to the viewers.

"This is a gamechanger for capturing live sport events with an innovative way of working and we are happy that FabriQ and TIG Sports chose us to deliver on their vision. We are proud to say that we have created a highly efficient and solid service offering that can deliver on the toughest demands when it comes to live events and broadcast connectivity.”

Bastiaan Brink Head of Media Management & Distribution, Red Bee Media, the Netherlands

All the four temporary locations were connected to Red Bee Media’s global network. Every location had 9-11 HD cameras, including slow-motion functionality to capture all the action. A multiple HD transmission from The Hague to Apeldoorn, Rotterdam and Utrecht was used for big screens and by the camera crew onsite. The connectivity services also included uplinks for multiple feeds used for satellite distribution and signals to Dutch public broadcaster NOS.

During the 8 days of the tournament this complex connectivity setup ran smoothly, supplying millions of viewers around Europe with HD quality images of the action-packed tournament.

With a close cooperation between FabriQ, TIG Sports, Riedel, United and Red Bee Media the event turned out to be a success, showing the potential of creating more remote production projects in the future.

"We wanted a solution that could connect the whole event and all the locations into one seamless setup. With our idea and Red Bee Media’s solid service capabilities, we created a world class event experience. The cooperation throughout the event was frictionless and inspired us to plan for future projects with remote production. ”

Tim Verhulsdonck Founding and Managing Partner, FabriQ, Media Group

The Red Bee Media Connectivity setup – Facts and Figures

  • Outside broadcast teams provided military grade shielded fiber cables to connect Red Bee Media Global WAN to portacabins at each of the event locations
  • 9-11 HD Cameras per location (incl. slow-motion cameras)
  • Over 40 HD-SDI outputs in The Hague
  • Multiple HD Transmissions between the venues and the Red Bee Media MCR in Hilversum
  • International Uplinks for multiple feeds from the Red Bee Media MCR to The Hague (incl. 4wire circuits with the MCR intercom)
  • Dedicated bi-directional MADI (audio) from the Hague to the other locations connecting remote stage boxes to the OBV
  • Multiple Ethernet services for controlling CCU, Hothead, Communications and Internet Distribution
  • Local 1Gbit/s ISP connection delivered from Red Bee Media’s internet exchange data center located in Media Park Hilversum

 

About Red Bee

Red Bee Media is the leading global media services partner for innovation and growth. We enable some of the world’s most recognised media brands, broadcasters and content owners to instantly connect with audiences anywhere at any time. Every day, millions of people across the globe discover, enjoy and engage with content prepared, managed, broadcast and streamed by Red Bee Media. Headquartered in London, with more than 2,000 media experts in Europe, Asia Pacific and North America, Red Bee Media provides innovative solutions across the entire content delivery chain, including Playout, Streaming, Distribution, MCR, Media Management, Access, Content Discovery, and Post-Production services.

BORN IN BROADCAST. LIVE FOR MEDIA. 

 

For press enquiries, please contact:
Gabija Jonsson
Head of Communications, Red Bee Media
gabija.jonsson@redbeemedia.com