Euro 2024: Inside UEFA's International Broadcast Centre By George Bevir
Friday, July 12, 2024 - 08:00
Print This Story
The IBC in Leipzig, Germany (Photo by Tullio Puglia UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Just before the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 took place, SVG Europe took a tour of the UEFA's International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Leipzig, Germany. Located in hall 4 of the Leipziger Messe exhibition building, the IBC serves as the hub of UEFA's host broadcast operations and a base for 27 of UEFA's broadcast partners.
At the heart of the 21,000 square metre IBC are the Master Control Room (MCR) and the Quality Control Rooms (QCR), which ensure the seamless broadcast and quality control of live feeds. It also hosts a range of operations and services, including Digital Broadcaster Services, Fan Zone TV, UEFA's ICT services operation, and is a hub for UEFA Editorial Content Services.
The IBC is also the central hub for UEFA's Broadcaster Services team for the tournament who employ over 100 staff members across the ten venues and IBC, all focused on providing support to more than 130 broadcast partners operating in over 200 territories worldwide, supported by CAA Eleven, UEFA's partner agency.
Read more Euro 2024: UEFA's technical broadcast plans
Additionally, it is the centre for Video Assistant Referee (VAR) operations for all 51 matches of the tournament. The Football Technology (FTECH) Hub is where VARs and Assistant Video Assistant Referees (AVARs) operate from four dedicated rooms to oversee all tournament matches.
The FTECH Hub also processes data from various technologies, including goal-line technology and electronic performance tracking systems, as well as sensors embedded in Kinexon's connected balls. This data is quality controlled in real time and distributed to UEFA's applications, such as the new semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) and the performance analyst portal.
Hawk-Eye supplies the technology for goal-line technology, VAR, SAOT, and Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems (EPTS) and medical and tactical video review systems.
Enhancing coverage: UEFA's Editorial Content Services
UEFA's Editorial Content Services (ECS) offers comprehensive content support to broadcast partners. With 108 people based in London at the headquarters of supplier Whisper, it provides a more sustainable approach to producing non-live content and is a continuation of the model adopted during the Covid-restricted Euro 2020 tournament, which took place in 2021.
Pre-Euro 2024 coverage provided by ECS included the Road to UEFA Euro 2024' magazine show, access days with teams, and host city content. During the tournament, ECS has delivered highlights, review shows, curated ISO compilations, and a daily Euro bulletin.
In London, the ECS team operates 14 edit suites, with 30 producers and APs, 22 editors, 13 production managers, eight graphic designers, and seven engineers and tech support personnel. They are supported by a few staff in Leipzig overseeing a KVM setup that allows for a remote operation with workstations in London editing via a 50-gig connection content that resides in Leipzig.
Live production and content acquisition
The OB operation is a pan-European affair, with five companies supporting UEFA's host broadcast operation at the 10 venues used throughout the tournament, including Germany's TVN (responsible for the final in Berlin and matches at Hamburg), plus Mediapro's trucks from its Spain and Portugal operations (based at Frankfurt and Leipzig), as well as EMG UK (Dusseldorf and Cologne), AMP Visual from France (Gelsenkirchen and Dortmund) and NEP from both Germany and Italy (Munich and Stuttgart).
A UEFA spokesperson explained: We're acquiring everything in 1080p 50 HDR, bringing it back to the IBC and then converting to 1080p50 SDR and 1080i50 SDR before we send the signals back to the venue. The low latency to do all conversions here at the IBC gives up a lot more control.
Virtual Board Replacement
UEFA Euro 2024 marks the first time a Euro has utilised virtual board replacement (VBR), a process that replaces in-stadium LED advertisements with targeted ads for specific regions: China, Germany, and the US.
VBR is only active during live play on the main broadcast camera, providing tailored advertising without disrupting the viewer experience. AIM Sport supplies VBR operations from the IBC, ensuring reliability and signal continuity.
A dedicated production Quality Control (QC) team is responsible for monitoring the consistency and quality of all multilateral feeds from all venues. The QC team is in communication with the UEFA production teams on-site at the venues on match day (MD) and match day-1 (MD-1). They monitor consistency of coverage, ensure the principles set out in the TV Directors Guidelines are adhered to and review broadcast partner feedback.
A dedicated audio expert, also based in the production quality control room, listens to all audio components and liaises with the stadiums to ensure the highest audio quality and consistency. A team of specialists monitor and control all aspects of picture quality from the dedicated HDR quality control room. In addition, there are dedicated MD-1 and FANTV quality control rooms.
Each broadcast venue team, led by the broadcast venue manager and broadcast engineering manager also includes a UEFA live producer, reporting to the IBC QC team, who works closely with the TV match director at their respective venue. The UEFA live producer is responsible for quality control on-site, ensuring that all feeds meet the standards, guidelines and requirements laid down by UEFA.
With a 50-gigabit connection to Whisper and a 200-gigabit diverse connection to each venue, the IBC handles approximately 5TB of data. The Telco Interface Room (TIR), deli
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
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...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Grass Valley has entered into a three-year enterprise agreement with Phoenix Broadcast Solutions as the Singapore-based company expands its live production oper...
19/05/2026
Clear-Com supported Musikal Perahu Kertas, a large-scale musical theater production in Indonesia adapted from the acclaimed novel by Dee Lestari, through the d...
19/05/2026
Actus Digital, a LiveU company, and a leading provider of intelligent media monitoring and broadcast compliance platforms, announced today that METEO CONSULT ha...
19/05/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of managed services for the broadcast and media industry, today announced the completion of a major renovation of its Singapore fa...
19/05/2026
Following a major upgrade to its Connecticut remote production centre with the installation of three 60-fader Argo S consoles in 2023, RPS has switched one of t...
19/05/2026
PlayBox Technology today announced the launch of Celebro Play, a browser-based media orchestration platform designed specifically for broadcast facilities and p...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions for broadcast, post, and professional AV will showcase its latest signal processing solutions at B...
19/05/2026
Media Links, a leading developer and manufacturer of IP media transport solutions, has announced the integration of its Xscend platform with Skyline Communicat...
19/05/2026
Collaboration expands regional partner ecosystem as Media Links showcases IP media transport solutions on stand 4M4-4 and alongside Clearcast Asia on stand
Me...
19/05/2026
Company Highlights Labor-Saving Control and Custom Branding Opportunities Designed to Increase Integrator Profitability
LynTec, a leading manufacturer of ele...
19/05/2026
Mago Studio Moves AI Video Beyond Prompts with New Production-Focused Tools
Brie Clayton May 18, 2026
0 Comments
New Capabilities Bring Controllable, ...
19/05/2026
It May be Time to Stop and Take an AI Breather
Brie Clayton May 19, 2026
0 Comments
If the rock you stay on starts to roll, jump clean. Or you'll...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
18/05/2026
ZEN-Core synth goes mobile
Roland's powerful ZEN-Core software synthesizer has just been introduced to the iPad, offering a convenient entry point into ...
18/05/2026
Versatile new limiter plug-in announced
Based in Sheffield, UK, fedDSP offer a range of plug-ins that span the music production, live sound and high-end med...
18/05/2026
A new use for convolution?
Viiri Audio's debut plug-in aims to do something a little different with convolution processing, allowing users to adjust all...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
18/05/2026
Agentic AI inference at one-tenth the cost per token with NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL7...
18/05/2026
18 May 2026
Dubai and New York, May 18, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a glob...
18/05/2026
Monday 18 May 2026
Sky News offers ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes for just...
18/05/2026
Comscore March 2026 Consumer AI Chatbot Usage Rankings Show Claude Gaining Share OpenAI's ChatGPT maintains lead while Anthropic's Claude continues to c...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
Euro 2024: Inside UEFA's International Broadcast Centre By George Bevir 
