TVBEurope talks to Tata Communications about how the company is helping to accelerate technology for Formula 1
Author:
Jenny PriestleyPublish date:
Mar 22, 2018Social count:
0
TVBEurope talks to Tata Communications about how the company is helping to accelerate technology for Formula 1
0
SHARES
As the new Formula 1 season gets under starter's orders this weekend in Melbourne, fans will be able to get even closer to the action with the launch of F1 TV.
The new Grand Prix OTT service marks the sports biggest investment in its digital transformation to date. Access will initially be available through desktop and web, with mobile and TV apps being phased in on Amazon, Apple and Android at a later date.
Fans can subscribe to two versions of the OTT service: F1 TV offers live streams of each race with multi language commentary as well as exclusive access to all 20 driver on-board cameras throughout every race session. F1 TV Pro will have unique feeds not available on any other platform with the capability of multi-level personalisation.
CDN and connectivity services to distribute the F1 TV content globally are being provided by Tata Communications, which has a long history of working with the sport.
This is the seventh year of our association with Formula One, explains Mehul Kapadia, managing director of Tata Communications' F1 Business. When we began, we were delivering services to them and building on innovation, and we are now engaged with all parts of the Formula 1 ecosystem.
We work across the whole spectrum and its really been a fantastic journey because we have been able to create a very bespoke sports platform, continues Kapadia. We are able to help all of the players within the broadcast side of F1 to leverage that platform, so for example, it allows broadcasters to unlock value within their own organisations as well as providing the stability and reliability they need on services.
Tata is well aware of the changes in the way many sports fans now consume content. A Formula 1 fan is just as likely to watch a race on the train on their mobile as they are at home watching on a 40 screen. On the video side, its all about ensuring the best video experience for fans whether its on mobile, television screen or whichever screen the viewer is using, explains Kapadia. Our focus has been on the fans and fan engagement and how technology can be driven there. Weve tried to work hand-in-hand with the Formula One Group to make that come alive.
Since they began working with Formula 1, Tata has been focussed on driving change in the way the sport is broadcast. When we first began working with Formula 1 we tested remote production, so from Biggin Hill we were able to edit their radio feeds, explains Kapadia.
Then in 2014 we tested 4K as a technology and in 2015 we moved on to live OTT video delivery, which can be delivered synced up with broadcast. Most recently weve been testing 360-degree video.
Asked who instigates the testing, Formula 1 or Tata, Kapadia says, We always want to be ready as new requirements come up or new engagement models need to be built.
When we were testing 4K for example, devices that could broadcast 4K werent really available, and broadcasters werent really doing it yet, he continues. So what tends to happen is we work in partnership with Formula 1s technical teams and their CTO on technology that in the future can benefit them. There is no pressure on them that they must immediately deploy the technology. Most of what we do is led by what is going to be relevant in the future and what can we test out now.
It was that forward thinking, and the testing of a live OTT video feed in 2015, that has led to the launch of F1 TV. One of the fundamental challenges in a sport like Formula 1 is that in two seconds so much can happen: a crash can happen, or an overtaking manoeuvre, it all happens so quickly, says Kapadia.
If you look at a typical mobile experience, and look at the second screen versus the television screen, one of them is coming through the internet, and one is probably coming through satellite, especially if youre watching Sky. They can often be off sync. If you are a fan who is trying to look at a second screen experience or youre looking at a data feed somewhere, you will be off sync. So we took up the challenge of how do we make it as close to real-time as possible. The laws of physics mean we will always have some latency! he laughs.
Basically, what we were able to do was synchronise what is happening between the two screens. That then became a component which gave us more potential if ever an app was created. Liberty Media came in and they have had fantastic vision in terms of wanting to give fans even more access to the sport. Frank Arthofer, who is leading their entire initiative around digital, initiated the process of building the app, he put the whole thing together and weve been working very closely to launch this with them.
You can read more about F1 TV in the May issue of TVBEurope.
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
21/10/2025
As Amazon's Prime Video prepares to launch its coverage of NBA basketball under a major new deal, Grup Mediapro has announced that it is working with the st...
21/10/2025
ATLANTA Good news for consumers using an Atlanta DTH receiver to watch ATSC 3.0: with a new software update, they will be able to blanket their homes with Wi-Fi...
21/10/2025
While recent news has been heavily focused on Hispanic migration into the U.S., The 2025 Hispanic Market Report from Claritas highlights the fact that this gr...
21/10/2025
MAIDENHEAD, UK RWS has hired Michael Wayne as its head of media and entertainment in Los Angeles where he will lead the company's media localization busines...
21/10/2025
Imagine Communications and Rohde & Schwarz today announced a definitive agreement under which Imagine will acquire Pixel Power Limited, a wholly owned subsidiar...
21/10/2025
Atlanta DTH (ADTH) today announced a major update that will expand the functionality of its NEXTGEN TV receiver by enabling gateway capabilities allowing viewer...
21/10/2025
Heartland Video Systems, Inc. (HVS), a premier video systems integration, consulting, and expert ATSC 3.0 implementation firm announces that it has partnered wi...
21/10/2025
QuickLink, the leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest integration solutions, today announced the appointment of Austin Hinton as it...
21/10/2025
nternet connectivity startup Miri Technologies Inc. will use this week's NAB Show New York as the launch pad for its latest ground-breaking innovation, the ...
20/10/2025
Inside TAMS: How Time-Addressable Media Stores could redefine sports workflows By Paul Markham
Friday, October 17, 2025 - 08:57
Print This Story
A penalty...
20/10/2025
Transformational production: Inside TVN's remote production push for the DFL...
20/10/2025
How NBC Sports Transitioned Stamford Facility to One Format: 1080p HDRMulti-year plan harmonizes workflows, simplifies operationsBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial ...
20/10/2025
NBA on NBC' Studio Production Team Is Ready for Tip-Off With Coast-to-Coast...
20/10/2025
Under pressure: TVN CEO Markus Osthaus considers the German sports broadcasting ...
20/10/2025
(L-R) Maria Dizzia, Carmen Emmi, and Russell Tovey attend the Plainclothes pre...
20/10/2025
In March, we launched Concerts Near You to help listeners find concerts from their favorite artists. Since then, more than 3 million people have used it to disc...
20/10/2025
Em diversas cidades do Brasil, um movimento tem se fortalecido para celebrar o poder, a beleza e a profundidade da criatividade negra. O Dia AMPLIFIKA, agora em...
20/10/2025
In cities across Brazil, a movement is growing that celebrates the power, beauty, and depth of Black creativity. AMPLIFIKA Day, now in its fifth edition, return...
20/10/2025
Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft rendering...
20/10/2025
DENVER and MUNICH Imagine Communications today announced its plans to acquire Pixel Power Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Rohde & Schwarz. Financial terms of...
20/10/2025
LOS ANGELES G Morgan has joined Globecast, a provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, as executive vice president of sales, Globecast Am...
20/10/2025
PLYMOUTH, Wisc. Heartland Video Systems and Zixi have partnered to enable broadcast-quality live video delivery over any IP network....
20/10/2025
A. R. Rahman on Facing Fear and Finding the Divine In an interview with Berklee President Jim Lucchese, the Oscar-winning composer reflects on how courage and...
20/10/2025
Monday 20 October 2025
To view this content, please enable our use of cookies. ...
20/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz transfers Pixel Power to Imagine Communications Companies work collaboratively to ensure continuity and ongoing support for existing customers...
20/10/2025
RT 's Prime Time is set to host the final Presidential Election Debate this Tuesday night, October 21, providing an opportunity to hear directly from Irelan...
20/10/2025
NVIDIA and Google Cloud are expanding access to accelerated computing to transform the full spectrum of enterprise workloads, from visual computing to agentic a...
19/10/2025
Back to All News
Sins of Kujo' Comes to Life in New Live-Action Series Set for Spring 2026
Entertainment
19 October 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied to cl...
18/10/2025
New England Sports Network (NESN) has chosen Harmonic, working with Astound Business Solutions, as its enterprise technology partner to transform primary distri...
18/10/2025
NEW ORLEANS, La. In the run-up to the start of the NBA season, WVUE-TV and Gray Local Media have announced a deal with DirecTV that will greatly expand access t...
18/10/2025
Berklee Celebrates 40 Years of the Fall Together Concert Faculty composers Bob Pilkington and Greg Hopkins are among the featured artists for this year's ...
17/10/2025
NEP Group Receives New Equity Investment From 26North Partners LP, Co-InvestorsCarlyle remains the largest shareholder as the company prepares for the futureBy ...
17/10/2025
Apple Lands Five-Year Deal for F1 Distribution in the U.S.Besides airing on Apple TV, the sport will be amplified on other Apple servicesBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Ed...
17/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Marshall Electronics' Bernie Keach on the Future of PTZ Camera...
17/10/2025
L2 Productions' REMI Facility in Austin Can Produce Content From AnywhereMusic festivals, sports events are produced via flypacks and remote control roomsBy...
17/10/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
17/10/2025
(L-R) Christopher Meyer, Addison Timlin, Cooper Raiff, Lili Reinhart, Alyah Chan...
17/10/2025
M sica e arte se uniram em uma noite especial na semana passada na ZIV Gallery, ...
17/10/2025
Music and art came together for one special night last week at ZIV Gallery, an i...
17/10/2025
Spotify and FC Barcelona are extending our partnership through 2030, continuing a collaboration that's redefining how fans, players, and artists connect. Th...
17/10/2025
MURRIETA, Calif. The Sports Fishing Championship (SFC) has deployed DigitalGlue's creative.space storage platform to streamline video production by centrali...
17/10/2025
BELLEVUE, Wash. Football continued to cement its reputation as a bulwark of TV advertising in Q3 2025 with new data from iSpot that showed both the NFL and coll...
17/10/2025
The Sports Fishing Championship (SFC), the premier competitive saltwater fishing series, has transformed its production workflow by adopting creative.space, the...
17/10/2025
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning multi-camera video productions and remote contribution solutions, announces the release of StudioPro Version 4, ...
17/10/2025
Although the annual Grammy Awards celebration is best known for recognizing achievements in the recording industry, the show often proves a visual spectacle as ...
17/10/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leading provider of software-defined data storage and data services, has promoted Alex Dunfey to Chief Technology Officer (CTO) from his for...
17/10/2025
The University of Arizona (UofA) has significantly upgraded its broadcast communication infrastructure with the integration of Riedel Communications' advanc...
17/10/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that New England Sports Network (NESN), owned by Fenway Sports Group and Delaware North, has selected Harmonic as its en...
TVBEurope talks to Tata Communications about how the company is helping to accelerate technology for Formula 1
