
HBS and F d ration Fran aise de Tennis bring the score to deuce for Roland Garros 2021 By Heather McLean, Editor
Monday, June 21, 2021 - 09:31
Print This Story
2021 at Roland Garros marked the first time in 30 years that French incumbent, France T l visions, had not held the reigns over the production, instead with F d ration Fran aise de Tennis with host broadcaster, HBS, setting a new standard
Host Broadcast Services (HBS) has just completed its first Grand Slam at Roland Garros as the new host broadcaster alongside partner, F d ration Fran aise de Tennis (FFT), managing the first event of the three year agreement with confidence.
This year the FFT put itself in control of the broadcast of the event, ramping up both the production quality and what it provides for rights holding broadcasters. For HBS, this has meant working hard to fulfil the dreams and desires of its new partner to push the French Open onwards and upwards.
The FFT aimed high for 2021, marking the first time in 30 years that French incumbent, France T l visions, had not held the reigns over the production. To make the FFT's ambitions come true, HBS bought in approximately 740 staff for the host broadcast operation. They worked tirelessly to produce over 800 tennis matches during the course of the three week tournament.
High production quality
On the production workflow, Philippe Oziol, HBS project director for Roland Garros tells SVG Europe: The production of the main courts is natively in UHD (HDR and SDR) with native UHD main cameras and upconverted/upmapped sources for additional shots and GFX. The rest of the productions is 1080p. Delivery to broadcasters is proposed in UHD HDR, UHD SDR, 1080p SDR and 1080i.
For rights holders we have a media server providing access to all the content generated around the event, offering differing standards based on the rights holders' needs whether premium or standard subscriptions - and offering on or off-site access
He goes on: Production is UHD HDR native on the Philippe-Chatrier court, UHD SDR on Suzanne-Lenglen, Simonne-Mathieu and court 14, and 1080p50 for all others production. The action is covered by 116 wired cameras (42 UHD natives), 15 RF cameras and seven ENG crews. Distribution is centralised at the MCR/CIR for on-site delivery with Eurovision delivering the worldwide transmission.
The FFT has created a new TV compound for 2021 based on temporary cabins, which will be fine-tuned year on year going forwards to the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, when Roland Garros will host the tennis for both events.
Oziol explains the details of the new compound: The set up at the compound is structured around cabin-based galleries working with flyaway kits. The global workflow for the event is designed around 20 galleries: six main court galleries (UHD HDR/UHD SDR/3G); and 10 ViBox galleries for the outside courts. In addition, four galleries are available for additional content delivery (international super signals, FFT studio and stadium giant screen playout).
Everything is networked through the EVS system, which is based on a global workflow of 20 XT-VIA and 21 LSM-VIA remotes, sharing 168 sources between live replay operators, highlights and editing teams, he adds.
The operation is almost completely based on site, with match production, GFX, editing, and ENG crews all working from the Roland Garros complex. Notes Oziol: The only element we have off-site is the logging operation and media asset management, where we have 24 loggers based off-site at the HBS HQ in Boulogne-Billancourt, a few minutes' walk from the stadium. The logging operators are all connected into the same network as those working on site via the server we have based at the HB House, accessible through the cloud off-site.
Media server first
This year marks the first time Roland Garros has sported a media server for rights holders, which actually makes the French Open the first Grand Slam to provide this service for its broadcasters, greatly enriching the offering and therefore its coverage globally.
For rights holders we have a media server providing access to all the content generated around the event, offering differing standards based on the rights holders' needs whether premium or standard subscriptions - and offering on or off-site access, says Oziol.
The vision switchers used are mainly Grass Valley KFrame X, says Oziol. He adds: The Philippe-Chatrier vision mixer is a Sony XVS8000. Cameras are Sony HDC-3500, HDC-5500 (SSM and Ultra Motion), and Panasonic UE-150.
On whether HBS had decided to use IP or base band, Oziol says: The initial plan was a fully IP-based solution, [but] due to the change in dates of the event there had to be some adaptation to the set up. The IP-based solution was conserved for the central core audio and video resource sharing and distribution, while the production aspect has been handled with legacy core equipment linked via SDI<>IP gateways Imagine Selenio network processor.
Roland Garros took place from 24 May to 13 June 2021.
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...
06/02/2026
How invisible vaccine scaffolding boosts HIV immune response Scripps Research scientists designed a DNA scaffold that carries HIV vaccine proteins into the bo...
05/02/2026
Three examples of how wireless microphones are deployed to bring fans in deep an...
05/02/2026
Broadcast coverage will include 25 cameras distributed around the venues, including to some athletes; Galaxy AI Interpreter will also be deployed
The Opening C...
05/02/2026
Kiswe has partnered with the Mountain West Conference to power the next iteratio...
05/02/2026
NBCUniversal and Roku announce the launch of the 2026 NBC Winter Olympics Experience, a destination delivering NBCUniversal's comprehensive CTV coverage of ...
05/02/2026
Vizrt, which specializes in live production technology as well as transforming v...
05/02/2026
Canon USA has launched the RF7-14mm F2.8-3.5 L fisheye STM zoom lens and the RF14mm F1.4 L VCM prime lens. Building on Canon's legacy of innovative optics, ...
05/02/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
05/02/2026
Once again, service members and Veterans worldwide will enjoy free access to NBC...
05/02/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media ...
05/02/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) is strengthening its leadership team to support...
05/02/2026
NBC Sports selects Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) to provide multiscreen vid...
05/02/2026
AIM Sports Group, a sports enterprise dedicated to elevating youth athletics thr...
05/02/2026
Designed for efficient use of shared services and resources, the home of OBS pro...
05/02/2026
The Yankees fan from Connecticut is executive producer of BTN StudentU for the Wolverines
In the live-sports-video industry, the future is bright. Our series S...
05/02/2026
In an Olympic first, the ceremony will be held in four locations simultaneously...
05/02/2026
Members of the broadcast and tech communities share four decades of memories of the technology leader
The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics are upon us, and every O...
05/02/2026
Key vendors include Appear, Audio-Technica, Canon, Chyron, Cisco, Comcast Techno...
05/02/2026
Since bringing audiobooks to Spotify in 2022, we've helped listeners discove...
05/02/2026
Today, Spotify announced two new updates to give book lovers a more personalized...
05/02/2026
A U.S. Coast Guard HC-130J aircraft during a test flight at L3Harris' facility in Waco, Texas....
05/02/2026
Al Seer Marine and L3Harris have announced a strategic partnership combining UAE...
05/02/2026
AI should balance automation (replacing tasks) and augmentation (empowering humans). Automate the mundane and augment the creative by applying the right AI type...
05/02/2026
During this period, streaming comprised the majority of ad supported TV (45.6%),...
05/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/02/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, announced the appointment of Derek Pezzotti as Sen...
05/02/2026
Taurus Technologies, a Dallas-area professional AV systems integrator, has upgraded its in-house podcast studio with Brightline Lighting's AV/720 low-voltag...
05/02/2026
NBC Universal to Present XXV Olympic Winter Games Feb. 6-22 and Milan Cortina Paralympics March 6-15
NBC Sports to Utilize Grass Valley's Frame Rate Conver...
05/02/2026
Atomos today announced Shogun AV-19, a rack-mountable, 19-inch 4K HDR monitor-recorder-switcher designed for professional live production, broadcast, and video ...
05/02/2026
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology, revolutionizing viewer experience and engagement, today introduces two brand new solutions in partnership with ...
05/02/2026
Appear, a global leader in live production technology, today announced the appointment of Simon Frost in a newly created role as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). ...
05/02/2026
New York gaffer Noah Chamis, ICLS ( You Deserve Each Other , The Half of It , Project Runway ) practices a mix of technical precision and creative play in his...
05/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/02/2026
BBC Studios and UKTV have appointed Karin Marelle to lead their Global Acquisitions team, overseeing the sourcing of content across BBC Studios' global chan...
05/02/2026
Thursday 5 February 2026
The Miniature Wife, A Sky Exclusive comedy drama starr...
05/02/2026
Thursday 5 February 2026
Trailer Revealed for Sky Original Film FUZE starring A...
05/02/2026
Rohde & Schwarz at MWC Barcelona 2026: Enabling connections, empowering innovati...
05/02/2026
Back to All News
The Final Season of Turn of the Tide Premieres on April 10
Entertainment
05 February 2026
GlobalSpainPortugal
Link copied to clipboard
Do...
05/02/2026
Back to All News
Nicolette van Dam and Bas Smit Present the Dutch Version of Lo...
05/02/2026
Break out the cake and green sprinkles - GeForce NOW is turning six.
Since launch, members have streamed over 1 billion hours, and the party's just getting...
04/02/2026
The 11th-annual Summit will not only the unprecedented headwinds facing the business, but also the groundbreaking opportunities for the future....
04/02/2026
Just moments before the 2026 Grammy Awards kicked off, members of the event's audio team assembled for a group photo at the base of the stage inside Los Ang...