Inside the production of the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship By George Bevir
Friday, May 26, 2023 - 08:30
Print This Story
Latvia v Norway at the 2023 World Championship. Credit: IIHF
The 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship features several cutting-edge innovations, including immersive replay technology, new ice rink level microphones, bench cameras and a red line camera to offer an additional perspective plus a 35-camera setup for the Semi-Finals and Medal Games this weekend. Infront Productions' Peer Seitz explains all about the production of the tournament.
The Ice Hockey World Championship reaches its climax this weekend, with semi-finals between Canada v Latvia and USA v Germany on Saturday, ahead of the Gold Medal game on Sunday.
Co-hosted by Finland and Latvia, some 80 broadcasters across 150 territories have been broadcasting the 2023 IIHF WM, which began on Friday 12 May with 16 teams taking part. Infront, the International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) exclusive media and marketing rights partner, has also been tasked with host broadcaster duties for some 45 live TV broadcasters, 30 news and highlights broadcasters, and four radio partners. Fans in territories without a broadcast partner have been able to stream all games live on the IIHF's official YouTube channel.
Infront took over full host broadcast duties in 2018, and since then it has introduced a raft of innovations and new technology to improve coverage of the fast-paced sport.
Hockey is very much a camera 1 sport, says head of Infront Productions Peer Seitz. You cut to the close ups and to the two handheld cameras in the corners when the action is there and when somebody gets checked into the plexiglass, but the percentage of time spent on camera 1 is even higher in hockey than football because of the speed of the game; the time the puck needs to cross the entire ice rink is rather short.
Peer Seitz, Infront Productions
When Infront took over host broadcast duties in 2018 it added two super motion cameras behind the goals, replacing the single speed cameras that were mounted above the plexiglass that surrounds the rink.
We changed them to super motions in order to really be able to see in the replays what happened to the puck, because a lot of time it may have been deflected or there may be a very close save, so the super motions are essential to the live coverage. Infront Productions also switched from 1080i to 1080p to boost the quality of images and future proof the content that was captured.
Camera plans and audio enhancements
With the 16 teams split into two groups, games are being played at the Arena Riga in Latvia and the Nokia Arena in Tampere, which will also host the semi-finals, the bronze medal game and the gold medal game.
In terms of the camera plan, we treat both venues exactly the same, says Seitz. We don't make a distinction between the main and secondary venue, which is only called secondary' because it's active until the quarter-finals. The only changes to the camera plan are some add-ons to the production plan for the semi-finals and the finals.
Each venue has 31 camera signals, ranging from main cameras to super motions, robotics to handhelds and also 4G-enabled cameras for bus arrivals and fan coverage. That coverage will be topped up for the final weekend with five additional cameras, one of which one is an ultra-motion, plus an additional robotic super motion on the centre line just above the plexiglass. In addition, there will be a 2D cable camera system for the final weekend plus two locked off shots of the team benches this year to capture the reactions of players and coaches.
Bartlett TM125 Boundary microphones have also been added to the production setup for this year's Ice Hockey World Championship. The standard is to put lapel mics on the ice rink, but the quality is not great for atmosphere and the sound of the ice, so we have new microphones which we hang on to the plexi around the rink, which really pick up the sound mainly from the ice rink.
They are much better quality and range and our audio guys are super excited about them, says Seitz. At the source, we hope for a much better sound, and I would hope that that translates also to the viewers at home. And we also have the Dolby microphone above camera one, as well as associated mics with the handheld cameras plus more to capture crowd noise.
Signals are exchanged between the two venues (which are some 580km apart) including the dirty and clean version of the world feed plus a couple of isolated feeds, via distribution partner Globecast. They have set up a complete ring infrastructure, so in case of a loss of connectivity from Riga to the distribution hub, all the feeds go via Tampere to another distribution hub. So that's the safety we have two physically independent fibre routes to the distribution hub for Globecast.
Infront is working closely with NEP Sweden, which has recruited most of the production personnel. NEP Sweden knows hockey inside out which is a big help, says Seitz. For most of our other productions, we try to be as local as possible, which provides some obvious benefits in terms of sustainability. We also produce the two tournaments below the top division, and for those we always produce coverage with local providers.
For this tournament, Infront decided not to pursue a remote production model. Seitz explains: Remote production for reoccurring events and venues makes a lot of sense. But we have such a tight schedule that I think in terms of atmosphere and for the sake of our directors and our teams we all benefit from being in the arena rather than working remotely.
That said, there are some elements being produced off site. Each venue has its own ENG team for capturing content for post-produced items, such as lineups where
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
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...
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 ...
15/07/2026
Wednesday 15 July 2026
Screeners and press pack now available: Gomorrah: The Or...
15/07/2026
Trinity's Treasures features Ruth Negga, Eleanor McEvoy, and David Norris, a...
15/07/2026
Join geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, Engineer Tim Joyce and Architect Orla Murphy a...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and iconic gaming companies, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI ...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
Inside the production of the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship By George Bevir 
