Arqiva will be at the heart of many broadcasters' plans for this summer's major sports events. TVB Europes Jenny Priestley met the company's commercial director, Chris Alner, to discuss how it will be supporting the industry over the coming months.
With fans still not fully back in stadiums and some sports unable to welcome them back at all the broadcast experience is even more important than ever this summer. Key to ensuring fans can watch every goal, rally, and gold medal win is Arqiva, which has a substantial transmission role to play for the UK's public service broadcasters. The company is working with both the BBC and ITV on Euro 2020, and will also be involved in the BBC's coverage of Wimbledon and Tokyo 2020.
It's a role that the company takes very seriously, explains Chris Alner, commercial director, broadcast and radio at Arqiva. We're working very closely with our broadcast partners because this year the experiences are broadly going to be broadcast-driven, he explains. We also work with other international broadcast partners for some of those flagship events, particularly on the Olympics, doing broadly similar things to what we'd be doing with the BBC for their broadcast viewing audiences, just in other territories. We're at that point where there's a bit of tingle around us as a business. It's our own sense of making sure that we're ready no matter what happens, because there could be changes quite late.
We always have a big intake of breath as we come into every summer, and right now we're even more aware that we need to be prepared because things might need to change. It's always important, but this year it's even more so as everyone's watching at home.
Arqiva's role includes the transmission and distribution of TV and radio channels across the UK network. It's also responsible for aggregating content as it arrives in the UK from overseas, and delivering feeds into other countries around the world for broadcasters who have rights to show those events. That is the key part of what we will be doing, stresses Alner. I would expect that as time gets closer to the events, there will be additional late or last minute requests to pick up' some of the video feeds from overseas, and bring them back to the UK, and we'll be able to do that using our fibre networks, the internet or a number of different methods to get them back into Arqiva.
We want to be able to say to our customers, you wish to achieve an outcome of bringing the content back to the UK, we have a number of different ways we can do this, which have different costs attached to them'.
Arqiva prides itself on being flexible and able to adapt to its client's needs. The scenario could easily arise where a broadcaster hasn't thought there might be another way of using a feed that they initially weren't planning on using, says Alner. We'll be offering a number of different ways of achieving the same outcome. We want to be able to say to our customers, you wish to achieve an outcome of bringing the content back to the UK, we have a number of different ways we can do this, which have different costs attached to them'. That enables them to work more flexibly with us, and can be provisioned a little bit later if they decide they want to make changes maybe a year out from the event. We speak with them to find the right way of doing what they want at the right time and at the right cost, and that's because broadcasters can't predict with as much certainty what it is that they're going to need to be doing.
One of the big advances in technology that maybe wasn't in broadcasters' initial planning for covering this summer's smorgasbord of sport, is remote production. In a way, it's been the industry's saviour over the past 18 months. I think we'll see remote production used quite substantially and in a number of different ways, states Alner. I think we'll see remote production, remote galleries, studios, graphics and overlays, all of those different parts that really enrich the viewing experience.
Therefore there'll be huge amounts of additional connectivity between venues, stadiums and productions and we need to knit it all together. I also think that there'll be more enhanced viewing experiences around sport as well, things like Watch Together where the fans can watch together when they're not in the same location. I think that those remote digital techniques are only going to increase in usage throughout the rest of this summer.
I think people's lives will be busy and packed and they'll want to have as much fun as possible, including watching live sport on TV.
Of course, with countries slowly opening up across Europe, and it being summer, broadcasters might find it tough to keep viewers inside and glued to their screens. Alner believes after the sport-less summer last year, fans will be more than ready to tune in. I think there's pentup desire to watch it. There will be the pull for people to go out and have a drink, but I wouldn't overlook the fact that it remains a communal experience to watch sports on a big screen. I actually don't think the broadcasters are going to struggle for viewers. I think people's lives will be busy and packed and they'll want to have as much fun as possible, including watching live sport on TV.
One thing that will be different at least in terms of the Olympics is that there won't be as many fans in the stadiums. Sometimes, it's the fans that help create an unexpected narrative around one of the events. Remember swimmer Chad Le Clos and his dad Bert at London 2012? How can broadcasters maintain the level of excitement that real life fans bring to the broadcast if they're
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...
05/06/2026
Berklee Study Reveals Video Has Become Essential to Music Careers Survey findings show social platforms have become the primary source of music for video cont...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Home to cutting-edge sovereign AI infrastructure and robotics innovators, as well as one of the world's most passionate gaming communities, South Korea is o...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
Arqiva will be at the heart of many broadcasters' plans for this summer's major sports events. TVB Europes Jenny Priestley met the company's commercial director, Chris Alner, to discuss how it will be supporting the industry over the coming months.
