Around the Leagues: Bringing The Bundesliga To The Screen For The 2018-19 Season Host broadcaster, Sportcast, sets high standard for production across all of its matches By Philip Stevens, SVG Europe
Thursday, October 18, 2018 - 10:11 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
As a subsidiary of the DFL, Sportcast is the host broadcaster of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, and as such is responsible for the TV production of all 612 matches per season. The so-called basic signal' is used as a live feed or for pre-recorded coverage by national and international rights holders, says Henning Wenzel, head of corporate communications. As the coordinating TV-media service provider, Sportcast oversees the entire value chain from the production of the signal in the stadium itself to the worldwide product delivery to all 211 FIFA countries. In doing so, Sportcast is one of the largest producers of live sport worldwide.
American Christian Pulisic is one of the young stars for Borrusia Dortmund and the German Bundesliga.
Setting the Standard
All 306 matches of the Bundesliga are produced with a minimum standard of 19 cameras. For the top matches of the league, a further two cameras are added. This includes the deployment of several special cameras such as Flycams, Polecams, 6-way high speed SSL, beauty shot or players' tunnel cameras. In addition, one match per matchday is produced in UHD.
As a standard, the 306 matches of the Bundesliga 2 are produced with seven cameras. For those matches considered more important, eleven cameras are deployed - ensuring a consistent transmission quality of all matches of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2.
The video signals have been transmitted via fibre since the start-up of the Bundesliga fibre network, connecting all venues with the central production site at the Cologne Broadcasting Centre (CBC) since the beginning of 2015. Here, the compression method JPEG2000 with a data rate of 250 Mbit/s per video signal is used. The fibre network is available and is monitored 24/7. It is based on a star topology with an available data rate of up to 10Gbit/s per venue each of which has an infrastructure of transmission technology at the parking area for the OB van. Apart from the basic signal, further video signals are transmitted via the fibre network. In addition, data services, communication, telephony and internet are made available at each production site.
German Football Archive
Sportcast operates the largest digital football archive in the world. The archive is the central content source for cross-media products and is available to all media partners 24/7. The Media Library's entire stock of material comprises more than 33,000 matches, 140,000 hours of video content with over 180,000 files. The annual increase of material comes up to more than 10,000 hours. Virtually every match scene can be retrieved from the Mediaportal at the touch of a button.
Christoph Forster, Head of German Football Archive says: We are currently working on several Proof of Concept technical innovations that are designed to enhance the content with metadata as well as the use of cutting-edge categorization technologies to ensure fast and accurate search results.
He continues: There are a few ways we are planning to enrich video content with metadata in order to make the archived video assets easier available for later use. For example, Sportcast archive staff log all Bundesliga matches live' and post' - that is the most important scenes immediately they occur. After the match, all editorially relevant scenes are tagged in a very detailed manner.
He goes on to say that official Bundesliga match data - statistics, line-ups, and so on, is also linked to the video material related to that match and is, therefore, also an important enhancement of the video footage. Technical metadata such as format, resolution, duration, etc.is captured automatically by the archive software.
In this context, Sportcast founded the subsidiary Sportec Solutions. At the start of the 2017-18 season Sportec Solutions and its expert team took operational responsibility for the collection, storage and distribution of official match data of the DFL. Sportec Solutions is responsible for collecting some of the most comprehensive live data in world football and deploys the latest technologies and collection methods to do this.
Finally, automatically generated metadata utilizing the latest technologies such as videomining, audiomining and fingerprinting, will enhance the videos with much more additional metadata in order to be able to retrieve also video sequences that are/were unknown until today. We hope these innovations will be in production mode very shortly, says Forster.
International Offers
The DFL has an extensive International Production Portfolio, reports Wenzel. Most of the international formats are offered as ready-to-air content. For example, all live matches are provided with dual English and German commentary and international graphics. The same applies for Bundesliga Highlights Shows and most of the shoulder programming.
In addition, the DFL provides localized opening sequences with Bundesliga titles. For some markets, localized TV programming is provided, plus localized digital content - which includes approximately 30 minutes of relevant highlights clips per matchday.
Sustainable Inspiring Innovations
Tim Achberger, head of innovation and technology management, explains: By means of consistent innovation and technology management as well as the latest production technology, Sportcast integrates throughout a target-orientated consolidation of video- and audio-signals as well as data-feeds and graphic elements, innovative products and services live into the world feed. Achberger reports that Sportcast's latest innovation is a corner flag camera, which p
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...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Around the Leagues: Bringing The Bundesliga To The Screen For The 2018-19 Season Host broadcaster, Sportcast, sets high standard for production across all of its matches By Philip Stevens, SVG Europe 
