Live from London: Buzz 16 tackles production duties for TNT Sports' EPCR finals host coverage By Fergal Ringrose
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 - 09:45
Print This Story
The Hollywoodbets Sharks celebrate their victory over Gloucester at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which also guaranteed them a place in next season's Champions Cup [photo: EPCR]
As the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) Challenge Cup and Champions Cup broadcast rights holder for the UK, it fell to TNT Sports to provide host broadcast coverage for both finals on Friday (24 May) and Saturday (25 May) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London.
This season TNT Sports has shown every Champions Cup match, as well as a selection of matches from the Gallagher Premiership, EPCR Challenge Cup and Premiership Rugby Cup. TNT Sports and its predecessor BT Sport have shown the Premiership since BT Sport launched in 2013. Buzz 16 took over production of rugby content for TNT Sports this season. Previously, production for BT Sport's rugby output including the two EPCR competitions was provided by Sunset+Vine.
Buzz 16 is led by managing director Duncan East and co-founder and CEO Scott Melvin. On the ground at Spurs last weekend Buzz 16's executive producer for TNT Sports was Gari Jenkins, with Gruff Davies in the hot seat as match director for both games and Dom McGuire working as production manager. In the stadium on Friday morning SVG Europe sat down with McGuire to step through the network of relationships and meticulous planning process required to deliver host coverage for both European finals.
Dom McGuire: There were two host broadcasters in Dublin last year [BT Sport for the Challenge Cup final and RT for the Champions Cup final] but it was very much funneled through NEP and the RT group as they had the Champions Cup.
This time, everything has come through to me! So the workload has gone up massively, and going from the back to the forefront is a steep learning curve - even though we do Premiership rugby every week. When you have two French broadcasters, an Irish broadcaster, World Rugby - we're familiar with ITV and how they work - but having the other broadcasters coming in, the footprint for everything is so much bigger.
We're used to a couple of trucks turning up in the compound; now it's two or three trucks per broadcaster. The camera spec, obviously, is significantly increased for the finals from the 12-camera spec on our regular Premiership three games per weekend. So logistically it has been a challenge, and it does involve a lot of spreadsheets and a lot of email chains!
In the Premiership you approach the club, where the club and the stadium are usually one and the same. For these finals EPCR has taken over the stadium so you have to run everything via EPCR. You also need to go to the stadium people sometimes.
So where there is usually a direct route through to one group of people now you have to factor in a variety of other sources to make sure you're getting agreement and confirmation from everyone, whether it's approval on a different camera position, where you can sit to watch the game, or what you can do around the pitch.
Dom McGuire, production manager, Buzz 16 for TNT Sports
You're the production manager for Buzz 16's TNT Sports coverage, but you're now effectively production manager for the entire broadcast operation this weekend! That's a lot of pressure
Yes, it is a lot of pressure. I've been involved with the rugby team for ten years in various roles, and I became the lead production manager on the Premiership a few seasons ago - that was with Sunset+Vine for BT Sport. It's a step up.
You start generally on a Premiership cup game for example, with a smaller footprint, smaller camera spec, much easier to go through. Then you go through to the Premiership, eventually leading that Premiership effort, overseeing every single game to some extent, building up to the final at Twickenham - giving you a chance to work with the RFU and see how they operate.
It's not in the job title, but I became the lead production manager on Europe, which I did for the first time last season. Last year's finals were a great experience as I was not the centre point for everyone but I could see how it worked. This year, it was almost like a tsunami of work came and hit me!
How has the approach changed from BT Sport to TNT Sports, in terms of how rugby is produced?
I think from my side of things there's not a big change, because logistically we follow the same processes to get to the end game. But from an editorial point of view changes have been made. We have tried to innovate with certain aspects of our pre- and post-match coverage, doing more inside dressing rooms for instance when we get permission to do that. We always like to be on the pitch and in and around the players, but we have become more involved during warm-ups and talking to coaches and so on.
We've been lucky enough to bring in the Cine Cam on quite a few games, which adds a whole new element to the visuals. That will be here for the Champions Cup Final tomorrow, along with Hi Mo cameras behind the posts. The camera spec for the finals this year is significantly increased - we have tried to push it a bit for a total of 32 cameras.
We have Steadicam in for both games, which is quite normal, but we've got a Super Slow on that to add an extra dimension. We have two cameras on the reverse where normally we only have one. We also have a four-point WireCam from Luna Remote Systems above the pitch. And then we've got a Hi Mo camera position just above the tunnel where the players come in.
This is a wonderful stadium as we can see, but it is quite tight along the sidelines to accommodate camera positions?
It's because there are two pitches here: you've got the f
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...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
How Chris Bolte Builds the Sound of PlayStation Games Chris Bolte '16 is a technical sound designer at Sucker Punch Productions, where he helps create the...
18/03/2026
Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4.
Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...
18/03/2026
SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...
18/03/2026
The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...
18/03/2026
(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...
18/03/2026
Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville
Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...
18/03/2026
Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded
Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...
18/03/2026
Mix-reference plug-in overhauled
iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...
18/03/2026
Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives
Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...
18/03/2026
Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture
18 March, 2026
Media releases
New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...
18/03/2026
Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...
18/03/2026
London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...
18/03/2026
SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...
18/03/2026
Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...
18/03/2026
Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, today unveiled its educational presentations for the 2026 NAB Show. This year SMPTE will ...
18/03/2026
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, gaming, and more, today ann...
18/03/2026
Digital Alert Systems
Preview
2026 NAB Show
April 19 - 22
Booth C3452
At the 2026 NAB Show, Digital Alert Systems will showcase Version 6.0 of its DASDEC ...
18/03/2026
Setplex today announced that it will showcase its complete, fully integrated Zapflex platform for the first time at the 2026 NAB Show, introducing powerful new ...
18/03/2026
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE ...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Director of Photography for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy Feature Film- I...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Location/Sound for Low Budget Dramed...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware...
18/03/2026
Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio handle...
18/03/2026
Boston Conservatory Presents Celebrated Musical Satire Urinetown Performances for this Center Stage production will take place at Boston Conservatory Theater ...
18/03/2026
Charlie Puth Joins Switched on Pop at Berklee NYC The Berklee alum spoke with host and Berklee NYC professor Charlie Harding for a live taping, answering audi...
18/03/2026
X-Rite Pantone Demonstrates Advanced Color Management Solutions to Support Smart...
18/03/2026
Wednesday 18 March 2026
BAFTA winner James McAvoy to star in Sky Original serie...
18/03/2026
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Sky Sports and Zuffa Boxing announce multi-year agreement for the UK and Ireland
Sky Sports and Zuffa Boxing have announced a new mult...
18/03/2026
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Sky Unveils Poster and Trailer for Original Feature Fil...
Live from London: Buzz 16 tackles production duties for TNT Sports' EPCR finals host coverage By Fergal Ringrose 
