The rise of eSports in Saudi Arabia posted: 08/06/2016
As eSports audiences grow across the globe, dedicated live stream video games studios are turning to professional broadcast equipment to help capture and share game play live. ProArena's founder, Raied Al Jolayfi, takes us behind the scenes of Saudi Arabia's first purpose built eSports Live stream studio .
ProArena is Saudi Arabia's first purpose built live stream video games studio, designed to tap into the global eSports phenomenon that has transformed the gaming world from an individual pursuit to a worldwide community. The brainchild of Raied Al Jolayfi, and developed in conjunction with Media Solution Department of Bin Talib Trading Company (BTCO), the studio not only hosts video games tournaments, but also produces an engaging and exciting live stream of the action.
Devising a video production workflow that enables the ProArena team to capture every emotion of the players and audience, as well as the battles taking place on screen, was key to the center's appeal to Saudi's gaming network. Raied takes us behind the scenes and explains how Blackmagic Design's production equipment is essential for capturing the eSports experience.
My background is in video games, so when I started to look for a new business opportunity, I naturally gravitated to this area. I knew there was a gap in the market for a Saudi gaming hub, but one that would have the capacity for both individuals and teams to compete, and enable the region's gaming superstars to have a fantastic platform, whether from a physical or online environment perspective.
Working closely with Manoj Kumar, the system integrator of BTCO, we began to map out the infrastructure that would help us elevate our eSports production to the same professional levels that can be seen in other aspects of the gaming world. Together we agreed that a key element for game production was the ability to capture ebb and flow of player emotions as they compete. The margins between winning and losing are so finite, and conveying every twist and turn as a competition unfolds is as much about the individual player reactions as it is the game play..
In particular we wanted to be able to show the simultaneous reactions of both teams, which really demonstrates the drama and tension during a tournament. So, as well as having multiple small cameras set up around each gamer's seat, we also needed to have a production switcher that was capable of handling a huge amount of inputs, in order to give us plenty of creative production options and help build the excitement during a competition.
We opted for Blackmagic Design's ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K, which offers a massive 20 inputs, and guarantees we have the flexibility to scale our productions as needs dictate. Not only can we handle multiple live camera feeds, but we can also take multiple live feeds from the individual gaming computers, PS4s or Xboxes, which outputs are converted by BMD's HDMI to SDI mini converters and captured using DeckLink I/O boards.
As well as offering great flexibility, the switcher also gives us some fantastic professional effects that give us an added dimension to our production. For example the SuperSource feature means we can have multiple camera feeds on screen at once, which is ideal for showing all of the individual player reactions and emotions during a multiplayer tournament.
We also use picture in picture to offer another perspective and help us stand out from other live stream channels. To operate the switcher we acquired an ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Panel, which again helps elevate our production and gives it a true broadcast feel. We can also take in feeds from gamers who are participating in their own homes, who connect to the Studio's server, so we can incorporate them into the program mix seamlessly. This means the scope for local, national or even international tournaments is huge.
In using the Blackmagic's live production infrastructure we are able to work with a variety of formats, whether that's 1080p59.94, 720p60, 720p50; so our gameplay is never limited by our technical facilities. Likewise, the DeckLink Studio 4K and DeckLink Quad cards that are installed allow us to have multiple inputs into one PC, so we can move from program screen to preview screen to multiview screen very easily, which gives our production team great flexibility.
After successful testing of the live stream production, we added a HyperDeck Studio Pro into the workflow to allow us to record the tournaments, providing gamers with a HD quality recording of their battles. In order to streamline this content further, we will also look to develop our online editing skills, using DaVinci Resolve as our main editing software.
The popularity and continued growth in online viewers prove that eSports has the potential to rival traditional sports audiences, so it is critical that we offer professional production values that truly capture the thrills and spills of gaming tournaments, particularly in markets as ours, where we are just starting to see the superstars of tomorrow emerge. The Blackmagic equipment at ProArena delivers the reliability and breadth of features that we need to help eSports get to the next level.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
Latino Film Institute Fellows Screen Their Short Films at the Egyptian Theatre
The Inclusion Fellowship and Spark Animation Grant uplifts 15 ...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
The rise of eSports in Saudi Arabia posted: 08/06/2016 
