Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Broadcast RF Supports Sky Sports at the Open Championship With On-Course Coverage

23/07/2019

Live from The Open: Broadcast RF in close support as Sky pres heads onto the golf course By Fergal Ringrose, Editorial Director, Europe

Sunday, July 21, 2019 - 11:28

Print This Story

View of 16th green at Royal Portrush with two camera hoists in the background

For the first time at an Open Championship, the Sky Sports Golf team is not using a glass studio by the 18th green as its main presentation platform. Instead, anchor Sarah Stirk and guests can be found out on the golf course during coverage, using a return vision monitor and control system supplied by Broadcast RF to retain contact with the production team as they conduct stand-ups around the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush.

The commitment to drop the glass studio in favour of live presentation on the course was rewarded in spectacular style when Sky Sports came on air at 06:30 on Thursday morning for the first shot of The Open.

Head of directors & creative Duncan East told SVG Europe, When we came on air the first day of The Open last year, we were in a studio behind glass. When we came on air on Thursday morning this year with Sarah Stirk, Rich Beem and Paul McGinley, at 6:30am, we were on the first tee with Darren Clarke teeing off behind the presentation position.

When Darren had teed off, he walked over to have a chat with his old friend Paul McGinley at our pres position, whilst we were live.

We made a decision to leave the studio because we wanted to get closer to the action. Nothing proved more that that was the right decision than after two minutes of being on-air, when Darren walked over for a chat, straight into our position.

When people tune into golf they want to feel like they're part of the course: who's leading, what's the weather like? This year we're just out on the course, at the relevant tee or green, or back at The Zone: it's flexible, relative to the narrative of the day, said East.

You would never have got that sequence on Thursday morning if you had been in the studio sitting behind glass. And that's TV magic.

Broadcast RF project manager James Halliday told SVG Europe, Sky have got a wireless return vision monitor that's got course-mic coverage. That's added an extra level of complexity to our coverage.

We have three transmitters out on the course that we can turn on or off, depending on where the monitor is, so that Sky can go anywhere with this monitor.

They're doing their stand-up studio positions in various locations around the course. They have ditched their main studio this year, and instead have two cameras, a monitor and a presenter completely roving. They're not using the entire course - they could if they wanted to - but they're just letting us know where they want to be and we can pre-select the right transmitter.

This does add some complexity for us. The three transmitters are IP controlled and there are more fibre lines required to get the video to the transmitters. We've got IP to the transmitters to control them remotely, so we can sit here on a laptop. There is quite a lot of work involved in getting all that up and running in the first place. But it's working well now, and seems to be delivering what they want.

This year Broadcast RF is supplying 29 RF cameras to its various clients, an increase of four over last year in Carnoustie. The breakdown is: 6 x European Tour Productions handhelds; 1 x ETP Steadicam; 4 x ETP marquee group cameras; 1 x ETP Toptracer; 5 x NBC handhelds; 1 x NBC XMO camera; 1 x NBC Toptracer; 3 x Sky Sports handhelds; 1 x Sky Sports return video RF monitor system, course wide; 3 x TV Asahi handhelds; plus 4 x CTV RF cameras.

The receive infrastructure consists of 28 antennas around the course, with an equally large RF router setup capable of receiving 32 antenna inputs, and distributing 96 outputs.

Another key development is that Broadcast RF has moved its racks and receivers out of its own dedicated cabin in the TV compound and into CTV's TOSCA central apparatus area.

Traditionally we've kept all our racks and our receivers and control system in one room, but this year the cabins available to us were smaller and also the amount of kit we needed was greater, said Halliday. So we thought if we move our racks and receivers and put them in with TOSCA we can control them remotely over IP.

Broadcast RF project manager James Halliday in RF racks area of CTV's TOSCA

That solves a number of issues, space being one and noise being another, with temperature control being another one as we needed lots of air-con in the cabin - and again that is noisy. Great for the kit but not so great for the people sitting operating that kit. Now our cabin is nice and quiet and there's a pleasant temperature.

Also we've got shorter cable runs between ourselves and TOSCA and TOC, because all the kit is very close by. That saves on a number of fronts including critical cable length.

So the only thing we've got between TOSCA and our cabin this year is a handful of lengths of fibre optic cable which bring some video signals back to us and then we've got the IP control system that we are running. It seems to be working very well.

How does the topography of the Royal Portrush course present challenges this year, compared to other courses on The Open rota?

Well this year we've got a lot more antennas. We're up to 27. We have four hoists up with two antennas per hoist plus a lot of ground-based. There's quite a lot of overlap this year, so it seems to be easier for us to manage, said Halliday.

It is a hilly course; compared to last year at Carnoustie it's quite lumpy. A proper sand-dunes links course. We've strategically positioned a number of antennas around the course at a lower level which are filling in the holes and then the hoists are doing the bulk
LINK: https://www.svgeurope.org/blog/headlines/live-from-the-open-broadcast-...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

09/11/2025

Dalet Unveils Agentic AI Media Workflows at IBC2025

Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...

06/10/2025

France Tlvisions Wins Prestigious 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Award in Groundbreaking Collaboration with Dalet

France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...

18/09/2025

DirecTV Adds Three Sports Channels to Its FAST Streaming Offering

DirecTV continues to expand its women's sports offerings by adding Sports Fanatics' and Whoopi Goldberg's Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) All Wo...

18/09/2025

Fall Football Kicks Off With Native HDR Production, NextGen TV Telecast

WASHINGTON NextGen TV viewers are beginning to see what high dynamic range (HDR) brings to their football enjoyment with the launch of the sport's fall seas...

18/09/2025

FCC Extends Deadline for EEO Audit Replies

WASHINGTON After issuing audit letters seeking Equal Employment Opportunity data from a randomly selected group of TV and radio stations in August, the Federal ...

18/09/2025

Warner Bros. Discovery Signs New Deal with Nielsen

NEW YORK Warner Bros. Discovery and Nielsen have signed a new, long-term, multi-year deal that covers measurement for all Warner Bros. Discovery platforms acros...

18/09/2025

CIMM Launches Startup Program and Innovation Showcase

NEW YORK As part of its ongoing efforts to develop better measurement solutions, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) announced the launch of t...

18/09/2025

UPDATED: ABC Takes 'Jimmy Kimmel Live! Off the Air Indefinitely

IRVING, Texas Following threats from the Federal Communications Commission and the announcement that the nations largest station group, Nexstar Media Group, wou...

17/09/2025

Tech Focus: Audio Training, Part 2 - Manufacturers Offer Extensive Online Learning

Tech Focus: Audio Training, Part 2 - Manufacturers Offer Extensive Online Learni...

17/09/2025

Tech Focus: Audio Training, Part 1 - A1 Shortage Remains a Major-League Challenge for Sports Broadcasting

Tech Focus: Audio Training, Part 1 - A1 Shortage Remains a Major-League Challeng...

17/09/2025

Dua Lipa's Service95 Book Club' Goes Live at the New York Public Library

It was the ultimate convergence of pop culture and literary prestige: Last night, Dua Lipa brought her Service95 Book Club podcast to the stage for a special li...

17/09/2025

The Gauge: Mexico August 2025

During August, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico showed an increase of 0.4% compared to the previous month, accounting for 25% of TV viewing. Discl...

17/09/2025

Jo Aun Joins FOR-A America as Senior Manager, Product Engineering

CYPRESS, Calif. FOR-A America has named Jo Aun as senior manager of product engineering, a new role responsible for guiding the planning, development and rollou...

17/09/2025

PlayBox Neo and CIS Group Power CazeTV with a seamless Pl...

PlayBox Neo, in partnership with CIS Group, a leading provider of media and broadcast technology solutions, has successfully deployed PlayBox Neo's Dual Cha...

17/09/2025

Energy Regulatory Agency Underscores Commitment with Ene...

In a relationship that mirrors societal advances in sustainability, Brightline Lighting and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Headquarters have en...

17/09/2025

Clear-Com Powers Star-Studded Communications at Houston A...

Clear-Com is proud to support the world-class productions of Alley Theatre, one of the oldest and largest nonprofit resident theatres in the United States. With...

17/09/2025

Arch Platform Technologies Announces Strategic Collaborat...

Arch Platform Technologies (www.archpt.io), a pioneer in automated, scalable cloud infrastructure for high-performance workflows, today announced a Strategic Co...

17/09/2025

With over 39bn EUR in assets under management and record-...

Over 300 selected decision-makers from start-ups, corporates, and VC funds worldwide will gather for the third edition of the event, united by a single goal: to...

17/09/2025

Telestream Celebrates Award Win at IBC2025

Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, is excited to announce that its flagship Vantage platform and its next-generation AI capabilities re...

17/09/2025

Mediagenix Celebrates Triple Best of Show Wins at IBC2025...

Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions that profitably connect the right content to the right audience, proudly announces its three Best of Show...

17/09/2025

PlayBox Neo Appoints Transtel Universal as Top Reseller P...

In a move to further establish a firm foothold across South East Asia, PlayBox Neo, the well-respected name in broadcast playout and channel branding, has appoi...

17/09/2025

Wisycom Unveils Two New Solutions at IBC 2025

Wisycom, a global leader in advanced wireless audio solutions, announced two major wireless solutions at IBC 2025 (Stand 8.D30). This includes the Portable RF-o...

17/09/2025

Six Berklee Alumni Win Emmy Awards

Six Berklee Alumni Win Emmy Awards The recipients were recognized for their contributions to acclaimed programs Severance, The Studio, The Penguin, SNL50: The...

17/09/2025

Applications Open for Berklee in Santo Domingo

Applications Open for Berklee in Santo Domingo The weeklong contemporary music program will run January 5-10, 2026. By Colette Greenstein September 17, 2025 ...

17/09/2025

Ukrainian Students Find Creative Consonance' at Berklee Valencia

Ukrainian Students Find Creative Consonance' at Berklee Valencia Through ELIA's UAx Platform, six students from Kyiv joined Berklee Valencia for a week...

17/09/2025

Meet Kenna Hilburn, Avids New Incoming Chief Product Officer

Earlier this year Avid announced Kenna Hilburn as its new senior vice president of product. Recently Hilburn was promoted to Avids new Chief Product Officer, su...

17/09/2025

SES and K2 Space to Accelerate Development of Next-Generation MEO Network

Transatlantic collaboration combines experience and agility to drive innovation in network design and delivery Luxembourg, September 16, 2025 - SES, a leading ...

17/09/2025

Fox TV Stations Join Madhive's Local Live Sports Marketplace

NEW YORK Madhive has announced that the Fox Television Stations have joined its Live Sports Marketplace....

17/09/2025

Sony Electronics Partners with Newhouse School at Syracuse University

SYRACUSE, N.Y. Sony Electronics has announced that it is partnering with the Newhouse School at Syracuse University to provide state-of-the-art equipment, hands...

17/09/2025

Roku's First TV Smart Projector Now Available in the U.S.

SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku has announced that the first smart projector using its Roku TV operating system, the Aurzen Roku TV Smart Projector D1R Cube, is now avail...

17/09/2025

Meet the Streamlabs Streaming Assistant, Accelerated by NVIDIA RTX

Today's creators are equal parts entertainer, producer and gamer, juggling game commentary, scene changes, replay clips, chat moderation and technical troub...

17/09/2025

Portrait Artist of the Year returns to Sky Arts with a dazzling line-up of celebrity sitters on 1 October

Wednesday 17 September 2025 UK artists capture icons of stage and screen, inclu...

17/09/2025

FOR-A America Appoints Jo Aun to Lead U.S. Product Development

Jo Returns to FOR-A as Senior Manager of Product Management and Engineering...

17/09/2025

AIR's Big Comeback with DPA Microphones

For the Moon Safari anniversary tour, AIR opened the doors to their backstage. Just a few hours before the Paris concert, DPA met with two key figures of the te...

17/09/2025

The Late Late Toy Show hits the road in search of Ireland's brightest young stars

Auditions will be held in Dublin, Cork and Galway The County Parade returns f...

16/09/2025

SVG All-Stars: Leigh Michaud, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPN

SVG All-Stars: Leigh Michaud, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPNThe UConn grad rose from ESPN's mailroom to become one of its most valuable ops leadersBy Bran...

16/09/2025

Live From IBC 2025: Friday's Latest From Halls 1-4, Outdoor Exhibits in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2025: Friday's Latest From Halls 1-4, Outdoor Exhibits in Amst...

16/09/2025

Live From IBC 2025: Saturday's Latest From Halls 5-7 in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2025: Saturday's Latest From Halls 5-7 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff Friday, September 12, 2025 - 17:00 Print This Story The SVG Europe and ...

16/09/2025

Live From IBC 2025: Sunday's Latest From Halls 8-10 in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2025: Sunday's Latest From Halls 8-10 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff Saturday, September 13, 2025 - 17:00 Print This Story The SVG Europe and...

16/09/2025

Live From IBC 2025: Monday's Latest From Halls 11-14 in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2025: Monday's Latest From Halls 11-14 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff Sunday, September 14, 2025 - 17:00 Print This Story The SVG Europe and ...

16/09/2025

Amazon Prime Video Picks Up Four Hours of Early-Round Masters Coverage in 2026

Amazon Prime Video Picks Up Four Hours of Early-Round Masters Coverage in 2026 By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 10:15...

16/09/2025

VERSANT Inks Deal for League One Volleyball as Women's Sports Rights Slate Grows

VERSANT Inks Deal for League One Volleyball as Women's Sports Rights Slate G...

16/09/2025

ESPN VP, Corporate Communications, Katina Arnold Named SVP, Disney Advertising Communications

ESPN VP, Corporate Communications, Katina Arnold Named SVP, Disney Advertising C...

16/09/2025

IBC 2025 in Review: SVG Europe's Full Collection of Video Interviews From the Show Floor

IBC 2025 in Review: SVG Europe's Full Collection of Video Interviews From th...

16/09/2025

Celebramos 10 aos de Viva Latino en Spotify y el xito global de la msica latina

Hace una d cada, la m sica latina representaba apenas el 8% de las reproducciones globales en Spotify. Hoy, constituye m s de una cuarta parte (27%) de toda la ...

16/09/2025

Celebrating 10 Years of Spotify's Viva Latino Playlist and the Global Rise of Latin Music

A decade ago, Latin music made up just 8% of global Spotify streams. Today, it a...

16/09/2025

Spotify Welcomes Graham Norton and Select VICE Studios Content

Spotify is expanding our video lineup with a new partnership with Zoo 55, part of ITV Studios. For the first time, acclaimed content from ITV Studios is landing...

16/09/2025

One Enterprise, One Mission: Aligning the Supply Chain to the Warfighter

At DSEI 2025, James Dunne of L3Harris Maritime UK chaired a panel on aligning the supply chain to the warfighter, where leaders discussed modernising support fo...

16/09/2025

RTW chooses Calrec as technology partner

Calrec has strengthened its collaboration with audio metering expert RTW by integrating RTW's new TMxCore metering platform across its full range of Argo IP...

16/09/2025

Football and Back-to-School Dynamics Spark First Gains Since April for Traditional TV

College Football Scores Top Telecast in August with 16M+ Viewers on FOX, Followe...