
Spin shot: How Infront Productions is producing coverage of the Women's European Handball Federation Euro 2024 By Heather McLean
Friday, November 29, 2024 - 13:41
Print This Story
With the help of host broadcast HBS, the EHF js making this Women's Euro bigger and better than ever before [Source:EHF/kolektiff]
The Women's European Handball Federation (EHF) Euro 2024 started on Thursday 28 November, with 24 teams taking part for the first time, up from 16 previously. The preliminary round of the competition will be concluded in the three host countries, Austria, Hungary and Switzerland, on 3 December, with the main round and the knockout phase seeing a winner crowned on 15 December.
With the help of Infront Productions, which selected Host Broadcast Services (HBS) to run the project, the EHF is making this Women's Euro bigger and better than ever before. When it comes to planning and strategy, the Women's EHF Euro will for the second time be as big in terms of production as the Men's EHF Euro 2024, which took place in January 2024.
Innovations introduced in Germany for the men, such as the change in format from interlaced to progressive (1080p 50), as well as the use of a cine-style camera for the final weekend, are being carried over to the Women's EHF Euro. Additionally, the final weekend itself will be captured by 21 cameras.
The Women's EHF Euro 2024 will be produced in progressive this year, as the men's was in January [Source:EHF/kolektiff]
Equal production
SVG Europe spoke to Thomas Sch neich, EHF director of media and communications, and Lou Oppenheim, production manager at Infront Productions and the person responsible for the Women's EHF Euro host broadcast, about how the two weeks of the Women's Euro were going to be produced.
Comments Sch neich on the move to equalise the men's and women's productions in 2022: We made the deliberate decision that both the men's Euro and the women's Euro would be treated equally; we wanted to give it the same exposure. We don't want to reduce cameras if we're talking camera planning from one event to the other. Back then when we started, we said that both events should enjoy our defined gold standard of TV production.
The women's event will be produced in progressive this year, as the men's was in January. Comments Oppenheim: Now more and more broadcasters are using progressive rather than interlaced and because as well on big events we do progressive, we just want the EHF to follow that path because it's a big production, a lot of cameras and now [produced to a] high standard.
For the technical side of the production, using progressive has meant a few tweaks have had to be made, says Oppenheim. In Hungary, Infront Productions works with technical services provider Antenna, while in Innsbruck and Vienna in Austria and Basel, Switzerland, it works with Media Luso from Portugal.
She comments on the men's Euro in January: Actually in Germany, we had a couple of challenges, just because we needed to adapt all the equipment coming from the broadcasters, even for everything replay related, for example, that all machines have to be able to work with the progressive format, which with some technical providers is not the case with all the machines. So we had to adapt a bit. It all went fine.
The bandwidth required for the production when using progressive is also increased, she notes: It just uses more bandwidth and capacity. And all of that has an impact on the organising committee (OC) for internet lines, for example; as soon as you start pushing progressive, it takes much more [capacity], especially if you want the turnaround to be as quick as possible and then it's money on OC's and all of that. But in the end it worked all fine and as Thomas said, we want the same thing on the woman's, and it's all agreed with the OC and technical providers, so it should be fine and for the best.
Camera plan for the final of the Women's EHF Euro 2024 (click on the image to see a larger version)
Cine cam magic
Infront Productions is using the Sony FX6 cine cam for the EHF women's final. It is being used to capture off-court images, explains Oppenheim. We are using it before, at halftime, and after [the matches] to provide more beautiful pictures, or cinematic pictures. So it'll be from players in the dressing room if they allow us to enter with this one, otherwise we'll be waiting to enter the court, lining up during the anthem, on the bench, and then at the end, some emotions on the court. Just to tell the story a bit more. And our friends from digital have asked us to film the last player of each team when they enter the court, that we follow them from the back; that will be used on different platforms.
Sch neich explains why the EHF found it necessary to introduce cine cameras. Obviously it's always our goal to enhance the viewing experience. I'm not going to say we were late to the party, but obviously back in January, cine style cameras had become much wider used in world feed productions, at least from my point of view. And this is the next step that we wanted to take as well, from a European Handball Federation and innovation point of view. It was an on top' investment, so to say that we deliberately made [it in addition] to the existing camera plan.
There's always financial thoughts that come into these discussions and we looked at the feasibility, of when can we use it? Sch neich goes on. The final weekend is kind of a given because it's obviously the highlight matches of the tournament. In Germany [at the men's Euros], we had the particular situation that the opening game was a world record-breaking game in terms of audience, because we played in a football stadium in front of 53,000
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
16/07/2026
June brought stabilization to the television market. Poles spent an average of 3 hours and 36 minutes a day in front of their TV screens exactly the same as i...
16/07/2026
Glensound returns to IBC with a major new addition to its intelligent loudspeaker range, the Greater Divine Supernal studio monitor, alongside recent developmen...
16/07/2026
33 leading exhibitors are taking part in the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Pavilions and linked locations across IBC2026 (Amsterdam RAI, 11 14 September)...
16/07/2026
Hitomi Broadcast will introduce Spectra, a new HDR colour verification solution measured in picture, not using VPID, at IBC2026 (Hall 10, Stand A40). Expanding ...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) today announced a strategic new integration to deliver ...
16/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Immersive Flight for New Cirrus App
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Leader in Personal Aviation taps URSA Cin...
16/07/2026
XenData Announces LTO Archive Appliances with both File and S3 Object Storage In...
16/07/2026
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is coming to GeForce NOW at launch, with the playable...
16/07/2026
Together the semi-finals had a combined reach of 1.98 million unique individuals...
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Launched alongside new FreqSoft installer
Designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software, Freqport's FreqInOut FO1 unit provides a simple way ...
15/07/2026
Save up to 55% on software until 23 July 2026
Expressive E have just launched their Summer Offer sale, with discounts of up to 55% now applied across their ...
15/07/2026
Real-time stem-separation tool updated
zplane have recently released a new and improved version of their real-time stem-separation plug-in which they say ma...
15/07/2026
A new benchmark in bass enhancement
Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...
15/07/2026
DMC Production's AR 1 and AR 2 units reverse the conventional OB workflow, keeping all production-critical processing at the venue while operators work remo...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
General-purpose robots and autonomous machines are moving from research labs to ...