Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Rugby League Goes Remote at EMG UK's ViBox-led Stream ROC

19/04/2021

Rugby League goes remote at EMG UK's ViBox-led Stream ROC By Michael Burns

Wednesday, April 14, 2021 - 10:47

Print This Story

The Betfred Challenge Cup match between Widnes Vikings and Whitehaven was a completely remote production. Micron Video handled the cameras and Aviwest supplied the feeds back to the gallery over bonded cellular

There's been a lot of interest in remote production and the promise it offers for wider coverage of sport. That potential is being fulfilled with the launch of a Stream Gallery' at EMG UK in High Wycombe. Unlike the other four remote galleries in operation by the company, this addition to the EMG UK ROC is different in that it is focused on live streaming using the ViBox All-In-One system from Simply Live.

This Stream ROC, which has been in use since March covering Rugby Football League (RFL) matches, is the brainchild of Neville Smith, founder of In Touch Productions and a 40-year veteran of sports broadcasting.

Smith's history with Telegenic and EMG UK goes back to 1992 when he was executive producer/director of Sky Sports Rugby League, and the OB firm became its main facility provider for the next 28 years. Even before Sky was founded, Smith had championed rugby coverage, particularly rugby league, and is no stranger to utilising technology to further this goal; as part of the launch of Super League in 1996 he pioneered the use of the Video Referee. Smith left Sky on a high point in April 2019, as head of rugby league, but not before being enrolled onto the RFL Roll of Honour for Outstanding Services to the Game'.

Trend setter

As covered previously by SVG Europe, an early example of remote production saw In Touch produce the Toronto Wolfpack's Championship campaign matches. Working with EMG UK in High Wycombe, Smith directed eight fully remote matches from the Lamport Stadium in Toronto, 6,000 miles away, persuading Sky Sports to support the production with airtime.

We all learned a lot about remote production in that process, Smith tells SVG Europe. At the beginning of last year, I was about to sign a deal with Sky [for the Championship and Challenge Cup matches, and the Toronto home matches in Super League]. We did one match at the end of February and then, of course, COVID happened and a ball wasn't kicked off for the rest of the year.

Fast forward a year and the championship was set to kick off again, albeit in empty stadiums. I was aware that the RFL was going to do more for the season ticket holders, says Smith. In the meantime, I got hold of the Simply Live kit, which I've been looking at for a couple of years.

Along with his son Lachlan, a professional editor and replay operator, Smith familiarised himself with the remote solution, practicing on past matches. Impressed with the kit, he proposed using it to cover Championship matches for the Our League platform. This online pay-per-view platform is currently streaming matches for RFL season ticket holders until crowds are allowed back in. The RFL agreed and the gallery build swung into action.

Aviwest worked with Micron Video to supply the camera streams and embedded audio from the venues

Eamonn Curtin, deputy CEO at Telegenic, says: Building on the success of the three galleries which are servicing elite sports such as EPL and Rugby Union, we wanted to be able to offer a cost-effective solution for lower-level leagues such as Championship Rugby League. We tested different options with In Touch Productions and finally settled on the Simply Live solution and Stream ROC' was born.

EMG UK has been amazing in its support for this project, says Smith. They built the Stream ROC in a few short days, recognising the potential market that this sort of production is heading towards for the streaming market. Also offering critical support have been Aviwest, working with Micron Video to supply the camera streams and embedded audio from the venues, and Ce8 Graphics. All have been vital to help raise the bar for the RFL's Our League platform.

Going live from Widnes

Remote coverage from the Stream ROC of the Betfred Challenge Cup kicked off at the beginning of March, and on the second weekend SVG was able to sit in' on a live stream. The game was a Second Round match where Widnes Vikings hosted Whitehaven.

A completely remote production, there was no truck at the ground. Instead Micron Video handled the cameras at the match, with Aviwest supplying the feeds back to the gallery over bonded cellular. We had individual streams coming from the cameras, says Smith. We were not returning cue lights to them, but they were on the talkback, so [directing it] was just a case of being a little bit patient and not being over reactive to the match.

Building on the previous, initial game of the season, where two cameras were used, Smith wanted to take things up a notch. For the second game, I thought how can we replicate what we do with the full truck, using mini cameras or whatever else, he says. The Aviwest system allows you to stream iPhones, so we used an iPhone on a gimbal being operated by the floor manager for some of the shots on the night, such as from the players' entrance and a little bit of coverage on the touchline.

Following the Widnes game on the day, the team had access to a stream showing a multiview output of the six Aviwest sources, with four broadcast cameras into PRO380 transmitters, and two iPhones running the Aviwest MoJoPro app.

Although there were four broadcast cameras, there was only three operators, with the wide shot just a mini camera mounted on top of the follow camera on a fixed lens, explains Smith. There are disciplined ways of cutting around that so it doesn't show.

An iPhone on a gimbal was used for some of the shots in Widnes, such as from the players' entrance and some touchline
LINK: https://www.svgeurope.org/blog/headlines/rugby-league-goes-remote-at-e...
See more stories from svg

North America Stories

11/07/2025

2025 Sundance Institute Producers Lab Fellows Announced

PARK CITY, UTAH, July 11, 2025 - The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the 11 producers chosen for its annual Producers Labs, returning to Ucross Fou...

11/07/2025

L3Harris Delivers First P-8A Poseidon Aircraft to US Navy

L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert and General Manager of L3Harris Waco facility Sean Ling held a ce...

11/07/2025

WETA Launches WETA+ Free Streaming Service

ARLINGTON, Va. WETA, the flagship public media station in the national capital area, has launched WETA+, a new streaming service tailored for the local Washingt...

11/07/2025

TV Tech's Top Regulatory Stories of 2025

The Federal Communications Commission has emerged as one of the central players in the broadcast TV landscape in 2025, with its deregulatory policies sparking h...

11/07/2025

Calrec to Feature Suite of Interconnected Audio Solutions at IBC2025

Calrec will introduce usability, customization and system enhancements across its entire range of Argo consoles during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Amsterda...

11/07/2025

Encompass Supports DAZN's Coverage of 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

LONDON Encompass Digital Media said it will support live and on-demand viewing of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup across multiple global regions for sports enterta...

11/07/2025

SBE Survey: Certified Broadcast Engineers Earn More

Two-thirds of broadcast engineers reaped the benefits of a pay raise within the last year....

11/07/2025

SmallHD Unveils Quantum 27 OLED Monitor

CARY, N.C. SmallHD has launched the Quantum 27, a new 26.5-inch Quantum-Dot OLED monitor designed to deliver postproduction image quality in a compact, set-frie...

11/07/2025

Tegna Will Pay $225K to Settle FCC Investigation

The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau and Tegna have entered into a consent decree that will settle an investigation into the accidenta...

11/07/2025

Sens. Markey, Lujn Again Call for FCC Vote on Paramount-Skydance Merger

WASHINGTON Following news in early July that Paramount had settled President Donald Trump's lawsuit, Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Ben Ray Luj n (D-N...

11/07/2025

Model/Actriz Performs Lead Single Cinderella on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Model/Actriz Performs Lead Single Cinderella on The Late Show with Stephen Colbe...

11/07/2025

Behind the Mic: Amazon Prime Preps for First Season of NBA Action; MSG Networks Adjusts Broadcast Booths for Rangers, Devils

Behind the Mic: Amazon Prime Preps for First Season of NBA Action; MSG Networks ...

11/07/2025

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Suite Studios' Craig Hering on Adapting to Clients' Needs With Scalable Cloud-Based Storage

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Suite Studios' Craig Hering on Adapting to Client...

11/07/2025

2025 SVG Content Management Forum Breaks Down AI's Impact, Continued Transition to the Cloud

2025 SVG Content Management Forum Breaks Down AI's Impact, Continued Transit...

11/07/2025

A Journey HOME: University of Nebraska's HuskerVision Goes IP

A Journey HOME: University of Nebraska's HuskerVision Goes IP Leaders from the HuskerVision and Lawo share their IP learnings By SVG Staff Friday, July 1...

11/07/2025

CMSI, Remote Picture Labs, Ace ESPN's Cloud-Based Editing Efforts for Wimbledon

CMSI, Remote Picture Labs, Ace ESPN's Cloud-Based Editing Efforts for Wimble...

11/07/2025

Netflix Enters the Live-Boxing-Production Ring for Round 2 With Historic Taylor-Serrano 3 Card at MSG

Netflix Enters the Live-Boxing-Production Ring for Round 2 With Historic Taylor-...

11/07/2025

'Too Hot to Handle: Italy' Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix

Back to All News Too Hot to Handle: Italy Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix Entertainment 11 July 2025 GlobalItaly Link copied to clipboard July 11, 20...

11/07/2025

Netflix Will Release 'Death Inc.' Seasons 1, 2 and 3

Back to All News Netflix Will Release Death Inc. Seasons 1, 2 and 3 Entertainment 11 July 2025 GlobalSpain Link copied to clipboard Season 1 Season 2 Se...

11/07/2025

A Gaming GPU Helps Crack the Code on a Thousand-Year Cultural Conversation

Ceramics - the humble mix of earth, fire and artistry - have been part of a global conversation for millennia. From Tang Dynasty trade routes to Renaissance pa...

10/07/2025

Nielsen Appoints Richard Pacheco as Head of Global Partnerships

NEW YORK - July 10, 2025 - Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, today announced that it appointed Richard Pacheco as head of ...

10/07/2025

Sponsored: Robotic Deployments Are Transforming Local News

Local newscasts don't exist in a vacuum. News directors and station management constantly evaluate what's working, what isn't and perhaps most impor...

10/07/2025

Stuttgart Media University Upgrades Studio with Lawo mc56

Lawo has announced that Stuttgart Media University (Hochschule der Medien, HdM) has comprehensively modernized its central recording studio after selecting an I...

10/07/2025

SMPTE Opens Early Bird Registration for Media Technology Summit

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has opened early-bird registration for the Media Technology Summit, which will take place in a ne...

10/07/2025

TNDV Television Launches Aspiration 35 to Support Cinematic Workflows

NASHVILLE, Tenn. TNDV Television has launched Aspiration 35, a new version of its 40-foot Aspiration truck reimagined for cinematic multicamera productions....

10/07/2025

Key Code Education Launches Beginner, Intermediate Training Courses

BURBANK, Calif. Key Code Education, a provider of instructor-led postproduction training, is growing its curriculum with new programs for beginner and intermedi...

10/07/2025

Actus Digital to Show Actus X Intelligent Monitoring With AI at IBC2025

HACKENSACK, N.J. Actus Digital will demonstrate how broadcasters can transform compliance monitoring from a necessary expense into a strategic revenue driver at...

10/07/2025

Comments on FCC Ownership Rules Due in August

The Federal Register has published a summary of the Federal Communications Commission's Public Notice seeking comments on its ownership rules that lists a d...

10/07/2025

Netflix Presents the Official Trailer for 'Superestar'

Back to All News Netflix Presents the Official Trailer for SuperestarPlay Video Play Video Entertainment 10 July 2025 GlobalSpain Link copied to clipboard...

10/07/2025

From Terabytes to Turnkey: AI-Powered Climate Models Go Mainstream

In the race to understand our planet's changing climate, speed and accuracy are everything. But today's most widely used climate simulators often strugg...

10/07/2025

Indonesia on Track to Achieve Sovereign AI Goals With NVIDIA, Cisco and IOH

As one of the world's largest emerging markets, Indonesia is making strides toward its Golden 2045 Vision - an initiative tapping digital technologies and...

10/07/2025

5G for All? What the DFL's Use of Easy5G, RefCam Could Mean for Events in the Future

5G for all? What the DFL's use of Easy5G and RefCam could mean for events in...

10/07/2025

Save the Date: PGA TOUR Studios Welcomes SVG Remote Production Summit on Oct 14-15

Save the Date: PGA TOUR Studios Welcomes SVG Remote Production Summit on Oct 14-...

10/07/2025

Cloud on the Road: How Remote-Production-Service Providers Are Adapting to a New Era

Cloud on the Road: How Remote-Production-Service Providers Are Adapting to a New...

10/07/2025

Seattle Kraken's Ryan Schaber on the NHL Team Taking Live Game Productions In-House

Seattle Kraken's Ryan Schaber on the NHL Team Taking Live Game Productions I...

10/07/2025

FOX Sports Reboots Small Control Room in Los Angeles as Hub for Vertical-First Production

FOX Sports Reboots Small Control Room in Los Angeles as Hub for Vertical-First P...

10/07/2025

SVG Sit-Down: MSE's Zach Leonsis, ViewLift's Rick Allen Go Deep on Joint Venture Targeting Local-Sports-Media Market

SVG Sit-Down: MSE's Zach Leonsis, ViewLift's Rick Allen Go Deep on Joint...

10/07/2025

Bringing Culture Into Focus on My Brilliant Career': First Nations Voices Reshaping Storytelling on Set

Back to All News Bringing Culture Into Focus on My Brilliant Career': Firs...

10/07/2025

Daktronics and Grass Valley Announce Strategic Partnership to Deliver End-to-End Venue Solutions

Strategic Alliance Combines Daktronics' LED Display and Content Management S...

10/07/2025

Reach the PEAK' on GeForce NOW

Grab a friend and climb toward the clouds - PEAK is now available on GeForce NOW, enabling members to try the hugely popular indie hit on virtually any device. ...

10/07/2025

How to Run Coding Assistants for Free on RTX AI PCs and Workstations

Coding assistants or copilots - AI-powered assistants that can suggest, explain and debug code - are fundamentally changing how software is developed for both e...

09/07/2025

Through Their Lens: What Cinematographer Jomo Fray Saw at the 2025 Directors Lab

By Bailey Pennick There's something arresting about the way Jomo Fray captures the world. The cinematographer, now best known for his unparalleled work on ...

09/07/2025

How Sencore is Upgrading IPTV for the Hospitality Industry

Key Highlights Centralized management interface for full control, monitoring, and diagnostics Scalable, multi-site OTT decryption and distribution Secure int...

09/07/2025

L3Harris Appoints Rob Mitrevski to Lead Enterprise Pursuit of Golden Dome

MELBOURNE, Fla., July 9, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has appointed Rob Mitrevski as President, Golden Dome Strategy and Integration, a new role cre...

09/07/2025

TAM Ireland awards programme data harmonisation contract to MetaBroadcast and Nielsen's Gracenote

Collaboration will result in improved data quality and understanding of genre-le...

09/07/2025

NAB Slams NextGen TV Critics for Protecting Their Turf

The National Association of Broadcasters is hitting back at critics who oppose its proposal to phase out the current ATSC 1.0 DTV over-the-air standard and tran...

09/07/2025

Zeam Launches on LG Smart TVs

Zeam Media's hyperlocal streaming platform Zeam has announced a new distribution deal with LG that will bring the streaming service to LG smart TVs and devi...

09/07/2025

TAM Ireland awards programme data harmonisation contract...

MetaBroadcast, the UK's leading metadata management specialist, announced today that it was awarded a three-year contract from TAM Ireland (Television Audie...

09/07/2025

Bitfocus transforms complex control for any media applica...

More than 700 professional devices and applications already integrated through open software Bitfocus, the specialist in media control and monitoring, is show...

09/07/2025

Actus Digital Transforms Broadcast Compliance with AI-Pow...

Actus Digital, a LiveU company, will demonstrate how broadcasters can transform compliance monitoring from a necessary expense into a strategic revenue driver a...