
Professor Justin Lewis, co-director Media Cymru and director of the Centre for Creative Economy, Cardiff University, highlights ways in which the lessons learned in Paris are driving future innovation
By Contributor
Published: September 10, 2024 Updated: September 11, 2024
Professor Justin Lewis, co-director Media Cymru and director of the Centre for Creative Economy, Cardiff University, highlights ways in which the lessons learned in Paris are driving future innovation
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
The Paralympics that have just taken place in Paris showcased how 14,000 athletes from all over the world are expanding the limits of human possibility. But this groundbreaking event isn't confined to sport; production companies in Wales are innovating in the ways they tell stories and use technology, working to make production processes fully accessible. Whether it's through the use of green-screen technology, AI, ground-breaking production techniques or brand-new ways of engaging production talent, Cardiff's Capital Region is increasingly becoming a hub for exciting new practices in the media sector.
Professor Justin Lewis, co-director Media Cymru and director of the Centre for Creative Economy, Cardiff University One such company pioneering change in their field is Whisper - one of the world's leading sports production companies with award-winning coverage of events including F1, NFL, 2002 UEFA Women's Cup, UEFA Euro 2024 and Wimbledon. At their base in Tramshed Tech in Cardiff, a hub for their Paris 2024 Paralympics coverage, they are developing one of the world's first fully accessible production studios - driving a new raft of innovations which have revolutionised how we followed this year's Paralympic games in Paris.
Whisper were the lynchpin for Channel 4's Paralympics coverage with more than 1,300 hours of content produced from the brand new Cymru Broadcast Centre across 16 livestreams. The facility itself was a rare set-up in live sports broadcasting, encompassing fully accessible production suites and galleries with a changing spaces toilet, wide walkways, ramps, power-assisted doors and accessible signage. Simultaneously, in a first for broadcasting, the coverage saw the first deaf sports presenter to anchor
coverage live from Paris.
The Cymru Broadcast Centre development also embodies the sector's ambition of attracting diverse talent to teams behind the camera. Media Cymru and Channel 4 therefore co-funded research and development around accessibility in live production in conjunction with The Ability People, acting as a case study for other technical facilities to use as best practice and to share learning.
Media Cymru, also based in the Cardiff Capital Region, is one of UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) most significant investments for the creative industries in the UK.
Led by Cardiff University, Media Cymru is a 22-partner consortium of production companies, broadcasters and higher education institutions (HEIs) aiming to turn Cardiff Capital Region into a global hub for media innovation supporting green, global and fair growth. Just as Whisper are combining media innovation with advances in inclusion and accessibility, Media Cymru supports media innovations that create both social and economic value.
Through dedicated funding calls designed to super-charge innovation, research and development in Wales, Media Cymru is funding projects that are creating long-lasting ripple effects on the Welsh economy while tackling social issues head on: funding
products and experiences addressing the lack of DDN (deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent talent) in the sector, in using technology to address mental health challenges, devising new and creative ways to shoot and edit to reduce a production's carbon footprint and championing new and improved practices in all forms of storytelling.
Media Cymru's research shows that these efforts really are working: the Welsh creative industries are UK leaders in research & development (R&D) effectiveness, with every £1 in R&D support generating over three times that in private R&D spending, beating previous leaders Japan and Finland (and 136 per cent more than the rest of the UK).
Innovation WORKS - and more to the point, provides work for others. One new full-time job is created in the creative industries for every £9,000 of additional R&D spending, generating an additional £36,000 of total gross value added. This investment in R&D has helped sustain the prodigious growth of the Cardiff Capital Region's media and creative sectors over the last decade - with the region's recent media sector growth rates significantly outperforming the rest of the UK. But this is not growth at any cost: Media Cymru embraces innovations that improve inclusivity and quality of life, while making media production cleaner and greener.
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...
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 ...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Strategic Alignment With the Riedel Group for Innovation and Growth
Thomas Riedel, founder and owner of Riedel Communications and the Riedel Group, has acqui...
15/04/2026
SDVI, the leading platform provider for cloud-native media supply chains, today announced that the company's Rally platform has been deployed by Iyuno Media...
15/04/2026
Frequency, the engine behind many of the worlds leading streaming television channels, has become the platform of choice for leading U.S. broadcasters bringing ...
15/04/2026
New Service Simplifies Integration of AI Applications with Exceptional Reliability and Security
SAN JOSE, Calif. April 14, 2026 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) t...
15/04/2026
During the 2025 off-season, VIDI completed a major upgrade of the broadcast infrastructure across all 36 stadiums in Germany's 1st and 2nd Bundesliga. The p...
15/04/2026
Clear-Com announced significant updates to its award-winning Arcadia Central Station as well as enhancements to the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System now runn...
15/04/2026
Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Panner at NAB SHOW 2026
Brie Clayton April 15, 2026
0 Comments
New system removes PTZ pan restric...
15/04/2026
LiveU Announces Expanded Collaboration with Sony at NAB Show, Adding Direct File...
15/04/2026
This 24-Hour Performance Art Piece Needs Your Participation Keefer Glenshaws latest project is about collaborating with the Berklee community and beyond.
Apr...
14/04/2026
ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...
14/04/2026
Haivision has announced the Falkon X4, a 5G mobile video transmitter for live broadcast and remote production. The device will be showcased at NAB Show 2026.
...
14/04/2026
Founded by veterans of the production-truck world, Stripe TV was born out of a d...
14/04/2026
Grass Valley has expanded its partnership with Studio Berlin, supplying 12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR camera systems and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm cinematic cameras, including...
14/04/2026
LTN has announced two senior appointments ahead of NAB Show 2026: Mark Romano as Vice President, Multichannel Platforms, and Edward Cox as Vice President, Sales...
14/04/2026
Sennheiser and Italian rental company Agor have begun preparations for their Eu...
14/04/2026
DAZN and ADI Predictstreet have announced a partnership to integrate ADI Predict...
14/04/2026
Deltatre has announced the completion of a direct-to-fan website and app for Leg...
14/04/2026
Daktronics, will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in partnership with Grass Valley at Booth C2408, Las Vegas Convention Center, April 19-22.
Daktronics will showcase a...
14/04/2026
Backblaze will host a series of partner presentations at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1259, North Hall), open to all exhibition hall badge holders. Showcase partners i...
14/04/2026
BRAHMA AI will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2415, West Hall), demonstrating its Enterprise AI Content Platform for media, entertainment, sports, and technol...
14/04/2026
Bridge Technologies has announced that its VB440 production probe has been integrated into NEP Platform, NEP Group's software orchestration system. The inte...
14/04/2026
Clear-Com will introduce new products and demonstrate its communications ecosystem for broadcast and live production at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5807, April 19-22)...
14/04/2026
EZDRM will use NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2260) to introduce the Revenue Security Prism, a framework for combining multiple security technologies to protect streamin...
14/04/2026
Telos Alliance will introduce the following products at NAB Show 2026:
TV and Media
Telos Infinity MK2 Panels: A new generation of hardware control panels for...
14/04/2026
Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C3509), demonstrating IP- and IT-based production solutions for sports, bro...
14/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
14/04/2026
Blackmagic Design will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2502). CEO Grant Petty s product announcement livestream is available at youtube.com. The company announ...
14/04/2026
The deal establishes a close strategic alignment' between the iconic cinema...
14/04/2026
BIGSHOT Media, with support from Teradek, produced untamed African mountain-bike race' with daily coverage and highlights show
The 2026 Absa Cape EPIC, an...
14/04/2026
The Sports Video Group (SVG) today announced the launch of the SVG AI Innovation...
14/04/2026
Captures a trio of renowned polysynths
The latest software to join AIR Music Tech's extensive catalogue captures the sound of three sought-after polysyn...
14/04/2026
Free offering includes 10 powerful plug-ins
United Plugins have announced the launch of a new bundle that brings together 10 of their pro-audio plug-ins, an...
14/04/2026
Julian Coryell joins virtual session player line-up
Announced at NAMM 2026, Celemony's Tonalic kits DAW users out with real performances by world-class ...
14/04/2026
WESCAM MX -Series EO/IR Systems Provide Critical Visibility During NASA Re-Entry Operations....
14/04/2026
DiSCO reduces uncertainty during the fog of war in modern threat environments an...
14/04/2026
GOES-19 imagery captured by L3Harris-built Advanced Baseline Imager technology helps forecasters issue life-saving weather warnings. Credit: NOAA/NASA...
14/04/2026
For decades, understanding the physical world from space has required a trade-of...
14/04/2026
Ruiz has helped fuel growth for both client-side and media companies, including, most recently, TelevisaUnivision.
He will spearhead transformation, innovatio...