Last-minute changes don't ruffle the feathers of Sky Sports' PDC World Darts Championship coverage By Adrian Pennington
Monday, January 4, 2021 - 12:24
Print This Story
Welcome to the Worlds, but not as we know it, says Andy Holmes, senior production manager at Sky Sports, wearing a mask and talking over Zoom from the TV compound and Great Hall of Alexandra Palace in London at the half-way point of the PDC World Darts Championship finals.
In a normal world, Sky Sports would have begun planning the production of the pinnacle of world darts in late August, outlining what, if anything, needed to change from 2019. COVID laid that to rest.
We've had to think on our feet about the other events, not just darts, we were doing at the time, which pushed thoughts of the Worlds back slightly because we didn't know what state production was going to be in, Holmes says.
In all honesty, 27 November to 18 December was a complete blur. But everyone has been brilliant. There have been no prima donna attitudes
Sky Sports' darts production team was also busy producing events like the Grand Slams behind closed doors but with spectator restrictions about to be lifted these plans were scrapped.
At the end of November, the UK government relaxed rules to allow fans into venues. For the Worlds that meant 1000 fans were to be allowed into Alexandra Palace, down from the usual 3000. We met with the PDC [Professional Darts Corporation] and revised our plans accordingly.
Socially distancing and other health regulations were still a priority for Sky Sports and its staff. The biggest change was in the position of the studio.
We couldn't have it anywhere where our crew would interact with the public so we had to relocate it to stage right with a very acute angle looking down to the stage. It was the only position for us to be free of public access and yet enable safe access for our staff.
COVID-19 changes part 1
Traditionally this studio is large enough to comfortably fit one presenter plus three guests along with four production crew. Sky Sports tasked global event contractors Trans-Sport with designing and building a new studio with double the capacity to accommodate one presenter plus two guests and a sound technician. It's an enclosed space with fresh air ventilation incorporated via ducting from the outside world.
The three regular studio cameras were replaced with Aerial Camera Systems-supplied SMARThead 2 remotes with Sony HDC-P50 cameras remotely operated from the OB compound.
Two front of stage cameras were already remote-controlled by a touchscreen. As in previous years, these were Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) SFH-50 IP-controlled pan tilt heads operated backstage. However, a six-speed slo-mo was also converted to an ACS SMARThead 3 system with P50 for remote operation.
The rail-cam didn't need changing since the operator sits backstage and not in the venue, says Holmes.
The only operated camera in the venue was a Jimmy Jib. We worked with the PDC to ensure the operator remained at a safe distance from any fans.
Augmented audio has been the biggest success in terms of creating tension and drama inside what is an empty space
There were two Sony 4300s backstage which would normally work in close proximity. Again, one of these was remoted using an MRMC SFH50 carrying a Sony HDC 4300 and Canon CJ20 lens. This head was controlled using a remote control Panbar head.
Another four locked-off and remote positions were mounted on the truss above the stage. One of these was purely for the spotter' who sits in the OB truck and acts as the eyes and ears of the director, for instance giving an informed opinion as to where the player will throw next and giving a heads-up to the director (who is also vision mixing).
Pre-COVID, the Worlds would have been a 24 camera, 16 camera-person operation, Holmes explains. We went down to 18 cameras and reduced the number of operators to seven.
Some cameras were easy to cull. Even with limited fans, it was decided not to deploy the usual Batcam wired solution for overhead crowd shots. Nor was there deemed to be a need for handheld roving radio cams.
COVID-19 changes part 2
All of this was in place ready for the tournament opening on 15 December . Then the UK government's coronavirus restrictions changed. Overnight, the PDC World Darts Championship went behind closed doors.
Suddenly we had no fans, says Holmes. This meant that our presentation position wouldn't work. There was this huge gap where the audience should be. So, with our directors Sean Randle and Jools Holmes and with the PDC, we went back to the drawing board. We gave Trans-Sport another huge task. Within 24 hours they had loaded up their trucks, driven down here and installed a walkway centre stage for the players to enter the arena - which before and with fans they were not allowed to do.
They installed an LED screen to one site and at the end of the walkway built an open presentation platform. We moved the studio cameras, re-cabled them and re-rigged and had to install extra lighting. Everything was in place for the first session.
Commentary set-up
We would normally use a single 8ft commentary booth with two commentators and comms box each, Holmes explains.
We'd have multiple commentators working in pairs, swapping out after each match. In a COVID world this would not be possible, so to enable us to achieve the same level of commentary safely, Trans-Sport constructed two 8ft booths, adding a Perspex window so commentators could visually interact. Each booth had three comms boxes, lip mics and headsets, so each individual commentator had their own allocated kit.
Normally, the commentary booths would be located in the venue, however, with the event due to have crowds Sky Sports moved the booths into the TV compo
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
04/03/2026
Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the governing body for Italy's premier basketball...
04/03/2026
Wrexham AFC co-chairmen Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds will host a first-of-its-kind ...
04/03/2026
The countdown is underway and with just 100 days to go until the world's greatest sporting event begins on Thurs., June 11, FOX Sports, America's Englis...
04/03/2026
No matter where they are in the world, service members and veterans can stream N...
04/03/2026
Telemundo officially releases Somos M s, the anthem for the network's cove...
04/03/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) concluded the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, convening more than 800 industry leaders, technologists, creatives, and execut...
04/03/2026
Smith Entertainment Group transformed how local sports are consumed by creating ...
04/03/2026
The production method, which spans a distance of 36.2 miles, was designed and im...
04/03/2026
Haivision, a global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and...
04/03/2026
When Hugues Meyrath came out of retirement to take the helm as CEO of Quantum, i...
04/03/2026
Last week's launch of Banana Ball Championship League has spurred a significant upgrade of production facilities
The Savannah Bananas, arguably the hottest...
04/03/2026
sldkfjsdlfkjsldkfjsldkjfslkdjfslkdjfsl
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus...
04/03/2026
For many fans, a song's backstory can be just as compelling as the final pro...
04/03/2026
In 2006, Spotify was founded on the belief that technology could bring artists a...
04/03/2026
Spotify is back on the ground for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and we&#...
04/03/2026
Spotify had an energizing week in Sydney, Australia, filled with powerful conver...
04/03/2026
Earlier this year, we launched Directed By, a documentary-style series that pull...
04/03/2026
100 Days to Go: SBS Unveils World Class Team for The Greatest Show on Earth -The...
04/03/2026
KT and Rohde & Schwarz to showcase AI-enhanced radio transmission performance In a joint 6G AI proof-of-concept demonstration, the CMX500 one-box tester from ...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Luxembourg, 3 March 2026 - SES S.A. has today published its 2025 Annual Report, following the announcement of the company's full year financial results for ...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Luxembourg, March 3, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, along with I...
04/03/2026
04 Mar 2026
VEON Partners with GSMA Innovation Fund to Accelerate Digital Innov...
04/03/2026
04 Mar 2026
VEON's Beeline Uzbekistan and Rakuten Symphony Partner for Open...
04/03/2026
Wednesday 4 March 2026
Sky Sports unveils plans for 2026 Formula 1 coverage
Sky Sports is preparing for one of the most highly anticipated F1 seasons in recen...
04/03/2026
Back to All News
Bloodhounds' Season 2 Gears Up for April 3 Premiere with ...
04/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Ads Suite Expands Capabilities
Business
04 March 2026
GlobalUnited States
Link copied to clipboard
After launching the Netflix Ad...
04/03/2026
Scripps Research welcomes healthcare innovator Joe Kiani to the Board of Directors Kiani brings decades of experience in patient safety and public service.
Mar...
04/03/2026
Nanoparticle vaccine approach takes on a new target: Hepatitis C virus Scripps Research scientists reengineer critical proteins on the surface of HCV, paving th...
03/03/2026
Beyond Sports, a Sony group company, and LIV Golf, the world's golf league, ...
03/03/2026
Ilitch Sports + Entertainment announces the launch of Detroit SportsNet (DSN), a year-round broadcast home for two of Detroit's franchises. With flexible op...
03/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media ...
03/03/2026
The PGA of America, NBC Sports and USA Sports extend their media rights agreemen...
03/03/2026
AI device ecosystem company HONOR enters into a strategic technical collaboratio...
03/03/2026
Cleveland's Telos Alliance, pioneers in broadcast technology for 30 years, l...
03/03/2026
The MD 9235 microphone head for wireless handhelds has been a firm favorite with many engineers and artists for its ability to cut through high on-stage levels ...
03/03/2026
Haivision Systems Inc. (Haivision), a global provider of mission-critical, real-...
03/03/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) announces the expansion of its 62,000-square-fo...
03/03/2026
Maroon 5's musical tour in 2025 marked a leap forward in live audio as Monitor Engineer Dave Rupsch utilized Sennheiser's all-digital Spectera wireless ...
03/03/2026
Designed specifically for pro basketball, the renovated space at Gainbridge Fiel...
03/03/2026
As part of the move, former CEO Phillipp Lawo joins the broadcast-tech provider's Supervisory Board
Lawo has announced appointment of Jamie Dunn as chief e...
03/03/2026
A team of legendary announcers and analysts and a classic graphics look will bring the past to life
NBC Sports and Peacock will return to yesteryear for tonigh...
Last-minute changes don't ruffle the feathers of Sky Sports' PDC World Darts Championship coverage By Adrian Pennington 
