Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

How CTV Prepared for the Return of Live Cricket Test Matches

10/07/2020

I had a little tear in my eye when the cricket started How CTV prepared for the return of live Test matches By Will Strauss, Editor

Friday, July 10, 2020 - 09:58

Print This Story

CTV Outside Broadcasts is providing the COVID-safe OB facilities for Sky Sports during the Test series between England and West Indies, both at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton and Old Trafford in Manchester.

Speaking to SVG Europe mid-way through Day 2 of the first Test (Thursday, 9 July), CTV commercial manager Angela Gibbons described the experience of the last few months, and helping to get cricket back on the air, as a rollercoaster ride , going rapidly from thinking there might not be any cricket played this summer to finally going live on Wednesday.

We've had quite a COVID journey with this, she says. But Sky Cricket presented us with a fantastic opportunity. With so many events being cancelled, at one point, we were quite convinced that an international cricket season wouldn't happen at all.

We had to work out how we would fit all the required people inside OB11, while social distancing. Two-metre social distancing is at the core of everything that Sky is doing right now and is central to the overall safety principals.

One of the big challenges for CTV was how to get all the members of the production team and the engineers inside OB11, the preferred truck for Sky Sports' cricket coverage, but ensure people could work within the health and safety parameters.

OB11 is a triple expander, says Gibbons. It's a very large vehicle which was specifically designed for the International cricket specification. It's just about as big as you can get in the UK and across Europe. But we still had to work out how we would then fit all the required people inside, while social distancing. Two-metre social distancing is at the core of everything that Sky is doing right now and is central to the overall safety principals.

So, for the Test match coverage we are now using a VT truck alongside OB 11 and we have a portacabin too. This gives everybody the social distancing space that is required.

OB11 in action on Day 3, complete with perspex screens

There were lots of ideas and Sky were fantastic at looking at those ideas and working together with us to establish a really redundant plan that has allowed them to utilise their most loved cricket truck for the majority of matches.

A lot of work also went into deciding who needed to be on-site and what functions could be undertaken remotely. The statisticians, for example, are working remotely from home using comms links provided by CTV.

The important thing has not been taking anything for granted or thinking oh that's always how it happens so it has to happen that way now, continues Gibbons. So, we've really looked closely at what remote working we can do, how we rig and how we deploy people.

The rig time has increased with the need to clean down working areas. And the usual prep time has tripled.

Normally for the cricket, we spend a dedicated week getting the trucks ready and doing the technical preparation. Because of COVID, and how we've had to social distance at our base operation, that became nearly three weeks. We tried to ensure that departments weren't crossing each other too much and we tried to keep our numbers down and use the time to make things more efficient and safer.

We actually had an ECB testing centre at CTV last week for the first tranche of guys. Some of the freelancers came down too, she reveals.

There are perspex screens but it looks almost like a normal OB. If you've never seen an OB before you'd just think that's how people worked in there all the time.

Inside the trucks, perspex screens have been added, there are ionisers in each area and the units are given an overnight ozone generator deep cleanse. Masks are not essential, however, because the crew are kept in their bio-secure bubbles, staying at the stadium in one of the two hotels that are on site. On other OBs, CTV crew will likely need to wear masks.

Another addition to the inside of OB11 is an Aerial Camera Systems mini-cam which is providing the director with a shot of the gallery. During a rain delay on the first day's play, TV viewers were given a rare glimpse of a cricket production from behind the camera'.

You could see everyone was really adhering to the social distancing rules, says Gibbons proudly. There are perspex screens but it looks almost like a normal OB. If you've never seen an OB before you'd just think that's how people worked in there all the time.

There is no significant change to camera positions for match coverage. The overall Test match spec has been maintained, although there are no touchscreens for presentation and analysis.

Despite so many unknowns and variables, the team have been able to pull everything together quickly and efficiently.

We got the initial schedule late May, says Gibbons. So, we've effectively turned around an international cricket season in five to six weeks. It would have been intensive and exhausting in normal circumstances but the five weeks have flown by. Sky have been very supportive. It has been a very solid partnership. Nobody felt like they were walking back into an environment that wasn't as good as we could possibly make it.

Is it a strange experience for the crew? New, yes, Strange, no.

Our guys who do the cricket are just really pleased to be back. They've really missed it. We have had months and months of uncertainty as a nation and as a business. They went back in on that first day and I think there's a quite a big sense of relief. That camaraderie that OBs have. It is still there. It's just changed.

Gibbons herself is pretty happy too. I think everyone is just pleased to be back. I even had a
LINK: https://www.svgeurope.org/blog/headlines/i-had-a-little-tear-in-my-eye...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

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

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

23/07/2026

Record-breaking World Cup has advertisers cheering

Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 23rd, JULY, 2026 - Yospace, the trusted leader in Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), stitched 11.57 billion one-to-one addressable advertisem...

23/07/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Shansley Glenn, University of Oklahoma

This Spring 2026 graduate from Honolulu found a home at SoonerVision as a live-production star and is ready to enter the industry as a replay op on Prime Video&...

23/07/2026

Miked Up Is an Everyday Deal for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League

As the AUSL postseason begins tonight, listening in to players during games enhances fan engagement for the young organization Ballplayers chatting with announ...

23/07/2026

Snap Announces AR and Creator Activations at Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris

Snap Inc. and the Esports Foundation have announced Snap's activations at the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, running July 6 through August 23. For the fir...

23/07/2026

Sony Introduces FX5 Full-Frame Cinema Line Camera

Sony has announced the FX5, a full-frame Cinema Line camera built around a newly developed fully stacked Exmor RS CMOS image sensor and BIONZ XR2 image processi...

23/07/2026

TNDV Powers Pickleball Slam 4 Broadcast for Ohlmeyer Kusserow Group

TNDV (a division of Live Media Group) provided technical production support for the Pickleball Slam 4 live broadcast from Seminole Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, ...

23/07/2026

LTN Surpasses 3,000 Satellite-to-IP Migrations as FCC Approves Upper C-Band Auction Rules

LTN has announced it has completed satellite-to-IP migrations for more than 3,00...

23/07/2026

Daktronics Announces 2026 DakClassroom Student Showcase Winners

Daktronics has announced the winners of the 2026 DakClassroom Student Showcase, a national competition recognizing student work in media production, storytellin...

23/07/2026

beIN Sports Extends Exclusive Roland-Garros Rights Across 10 Asian Markets Through 2031

The French Tennis Federation (FFT) and beIN Media Group have announced a five-ye...

23/07/2026

Clear-Com Provides Intercom System for Fryderyk Awards Gala at Tauron Arena Krakw

Clear-Com provided the communications infrastructure for the Fryderyk Awards Gal...

23/07/2026

How the FIFA World Cup's Record Revenue Masks a Structural Market Contraction

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is, on paper, an unparalleled financial success. Total t...

23/07/2026

From Green Screen to LED: How BBC Sport's World Cup Studio Became the Blueprint for Match of the Day

Standing inside HQ3 at MediaCity Studios during the FIFA World Cup 2026, it quic...

23/07/2026

How the 2026 FIFA World Cup Tightened the Bond Between the FOX Sports Digital, Linear Teams

Having attracted upwards of 17 billion views throughout the tourney, the broadca...

23/07/2026

Low End Candy release Preverb

Quickly creates reverse reverb effects Low End Candy have recently released a new plug-in that offers a quick and simple way to create reverse reverb effect...

23/07/2026

Expressive E Noisy 2.6 arrives

New engines, resonators, effects & more Expressive E's versatile soft synth has just been treated to an update that greatly expands its sonic range. Noi...

23/07/2026

SGL Carbon expands photovoltaic capacity at its Ort im Innkreis site

SGL Carbon has further expanded its photovoltaic capacity at its Ort im Innkreis site in Austria. With the commissioning of new PV carports, the sites solar sys...

23/07/2026

NITV launches new By Mob For Mob series in partnership with NRMA Insurance

NITV launches new By Mob For Mob series in partnership with NRMA Insurance 23 July, 2026 Media releases National Indigenous Television (NITV) has launched ...

23/07/2026

Rohde & Schwarz presents new software for three-phase power analysis on MXO series oscilloscopes

Rohde & Schwarz presents new software for three-phase power analysis on MXO seri...

23/07/2026

Why The Next Big Opportunity in Sports Lies Outside the Stadium

In our latest blog, Laura Rognoni explores how the launch of Play Snooker reflects a wider shift in sports economics - from monetising peak broadcast audiences ...

23/07/2026

Scaling Smart with Vivid Broadcast

Download Now! To receive a short case study showcasing Vivid Broadcast's audio setup, please enter the following details: -- First Name* First Name ...

23/07/2026

Sony Unveils FX5 Full-Frame Camera

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/07/2026

Sachtler To Show Akti8T Fluid Head, Flowtech75 Tripod At IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/07/2026

NextGen TV Launches in Cleveland

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/07/2026

Yospace Stitched 11.57 Billion Ads into Live Streams During World Cup

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/07/2026

At IBC2026 Witbe Will Showcase Tests That Build Themselve...

Witbe brings its AI-native testing and monitoring infrastructure to Amsterdam: demonstrations on real devices, a peer-reviewed technical paper in the conference...

23/07/2026

Quickplay Caretta Research Evergent and Yospace Announce...

Quickplay, Caretta Research, Evergent, and Yospace have announced that the renowned IBC Pride Happy Hour will once again bring the vibe and fun back to IBC on F...

23/07/2026

IBC2026 Interra Systems Brings Trusted Media Intelligence...

At IBC2026, Interra Systems will present this year's focus: operational AI at scale for QC, monitoring, and captioning workflows. The industry has moved pas...

23/07/2026

Illusionfx is finally coming!

Illusionfx is finally coming! Alex Perea July 23, 2026 0 Comments The new website is now live to mark the occasion. Since the last update, feedback h...

23/07/2026

Evergent showcases AI agents for streaming retention at I...

Evergent (5.A86) will showcase its Agentic Revenue Orchestration Platform for streaming services, sports leagues, pay-TV operators at IBC2026 (RAI Amsterdam, 11...

23/07/2026

Brian Jones Named NCTCs New CFO

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/07/2026

Scripps Unites TV Operations Under Dean Littleton's Leadership

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/07/2026

2D House is First North American Rental Facility to Offer...

David Dvir, 2D founder (left), Sundeep Reddy (center), and Jean-Marc Bouchut (right), both of Zeiss...

23/07/2026

Screen Australia announces new national documentary accelerator program

Screen Australia announces new national documentary accelerator program 23 July 2026 Screen Australia has today announced the Above the Line Documentary Accel...

23/07/2026

X-Rite Pantone and Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Partner to Advance Digital Color Education

X-Rite Pantone and Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Partner to Advance Digi...

23/07/2026

New Samsung Galaxy Foldable range available now to pre-order on Sky Mobile

Thursday 23 July 2026 New Samsung Galaxy Foldable range available now to pre-order on Sky Mobile Sky Mobile, the award-winning network voted this year by Expe...

23/07/2026

Jason Statham leads Sky Original action thriller MUTINY in explosive new trailer

Thursday 23 July 2026 Jason Statham leads Sky Original action thriller MUTINY in explosive new trailerTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy optio...

23/07/2026

Riedel Implements RefCam and Easy5G for the First Time at an International Soccer Match

Wuppertal July 23, 2026 Riedel Implements RefCam and Easy5G for the First Time...

23/07/2026

Centra returning as the official food partner of The Traitors Ireland

RT Commercial has today announced Centra as the official food partner once again of The Traitors Ireland, coming to RT One and RT Player later this year. Ce...

23/07/2026

Honda sponsors Today with David McCullagh on RT Radio 1

RT Commercial today announced Honda as sponsor of Today with David McCullagh RT Radio 1, weekdays 9am 11am. Broadcasting directly after Morning Ireland in ...

23/07/2026

RT NEWS ANNOUNCES NEW JOURNALIST REPORTING FROM ACROSS CORK AND KERRY

RT News is pleased to announce Barry Gallagher has been assigned as the new journalist covering news from Cork, Kerry and the wider Southern region Working al...

23/07/2026

GeForce NOW Sets Sail With Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame' Joining the Cloud

Lock in and load up the cloud. GFN Thursday brings fresh updates and new adventu...

22/07/2026

ESPN's AutoMic Technology Pays Off at Wimbledon; Baker Credits Team, AELTC for Successful Fortnight

Among other tweaks to coverage, the broadcaster added announce positions in the ...

22/07/2026

Australian Sports Technologies Network Reports Industry Growth of 16% in 2026

The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has reported a sharp acceleration in Australia's sportstech sector, with revenue growth rising from 10% in...

22/07/2026

Production Wins, Man!': Men in Blazers' Founder Roger Bennett on Winning the FIFA World Cup as a Digital Media Brand

From a retrofitted broadcast bus to packed Match Day Live! events, Bennett detai...

22/07/2026

TMRW Sports Appoints Brendan Donohue as President, Flag Football

TMRW Sports has named Brendan Donohue as President, Flag Football, where he will lead the company's professional flag football business in partnership with ...

22/07/2026

Stephen Arnold Music Creates Audio for FIFA World Cup Projection Mapping Display at Rockefeller Center

Stephen Arnold Music (SAM) designed and produced soundtracks for nine projection...