Cheltenham Festival 2021: ITV Sport adds a Robycam to its UK coverage amid tight COVID restrictions Wired camera system is being used to add a new dimension to the broadcaster's AR graphics By Will Strauss, Editor
Friday, March 19, 2021 - 10:00
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ITV Sport is making the most of a COVID-secure behind-closed-doors Cheltenham Festival by introducing a new Robycam wired camera to its unilateral coverage of the popular horse racing meeting.
The Cheltenham Festival is part of the National Hunt racing calendar and includes the Gold Cup (Friday 19 March), a Grade 1 chase race, run over 3 miles 2.5 furlongs with 22 fences, that is considered the most prestigious race of the Jumps season.
With no spectators allowed at the racecourse this year because of COVID-19 restrictions, and all the racing, course and media personnel on-site confined to different health and safety zones, the ITV production team have utilised the additionally available space around the parade ring to install three towers to run the Robycam system.
The Movicom-developed wired camera, supplied and piloted by Birds Camera Solutions and managed and operated by Luna Remote Systems, is being used in conjunction with augmented reality (AR) graphics, provided by AE Live, to show on-screen data, such as the runners and riders, in a more dynamic way but also to partly mask the lack of crowd.
The parade ring is usually full of cheering punters and has a great atmosphere. I can't replicate that but what I can do is try to fill that space with an incredible camera and show some great graphics on it
Speaking to SVG Europe, ITV Sport senior director and major events executive producer Paul McNamara explained that the new camera would serve several purposes.
We previously had a long wire-cam that went all the way from the Guinness Village over the parade ring, he said. But this one is like the sort of camera that you might see on the rugby or on the Superbowl. It's a new camera that, as far as I know, has never been used on horse racing before.
It will be able to link some of our presentation positions up. I can go from where [presenters] Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani are, out to the Social Stable. I can do AR graphics on it showing the standings in the Prestbury Cup, for example, or the runners and riders, and put VT into it as well.
The parade ring is usually full of cheering punters and has a great atmosphere. I can't replicate that but what I can do is try to fill that space with an incredible camera and show some great graphics on it.
ITV Racing's Social Stable is a social media hub that links all the channel's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels ensuring viewers can get involved in the festival from afar and feel part of the event.
Rob Oldham, ITV technical manager for sport, added that the Robycam would help to improve the presentation of the AR graphics, which were first introduced last year, by opening up the third dimension to the designers and pilots .
The lack of crowd is what has enabled the use of the Robycam system, continued Oldham. We have one point on top of a stand but have had to find locations for three 31m towers provided by West End Rigging. These have small footprints and are relatively subtle, but are located in positions we would not normally have access to, including the Guinness Village.
We have also made one of the jibs mobile having it mounted on the back of an off-road buggy. Having no crowds to navigate, we can get better value by utilising multiple positions.
Luna Remote Systems were asked by ITV Sport to provide the inaugural Robycam set up at the Cheltenham Festival.
Commercial director Jo Adams, discussing the project, said: I've worked on the racing before and I understand what a huge and important event Cheltenham is in the racing calendar. Because of our experience, we also realise what a big deal it is to work safely with the course and how important horse welfare is, especially when introducing new systems into the mix.
Horse racing has very specific needs and requirements. It's been a very involved project for us, there is a lot of engineering planning that goes into building the towers from scratch, it's not as easy as turning up at a stadium with existing infrastructure already in place.
That's why we hired West End Rigging to work with us as they are highly experienced in this area. We've been really pleased with how it has all gone and the AR looks fantastic on screen. It's been a brilliant addition to the coverage.
Lack of fans, but no lack of excitement
McNamara has made some subtle adjustments to the way he is directing the action this year, to compensate for the lack of spectators.
I do cover the racing slightly differently, he said. Normally on the first circuit, you come to the inside cameras to show the vast array of people in the stands. This time, I won't. I'll cover it from the stand side so you don't see the empty grandstands.
This won't be that unusual to him, though, as he's well versed in the new normal, behind-closed-doors, way of working.
The end of the last Cheltenham Festival was pretty much when we locked down [for the first time], he said. And we've been producing shows behind closed doors with no crowds, from empty racetracks, for the best part of a year.
A successful festival for us is one where everyone at home really enjoys the coverage, that all the jockeys and all the horses stay safe and well and that we provide a great broad gamut of entertainment
I myself have directed programmes at empty race tracks. I've directed programmes from my bedroom at home. We had remote kits put in at home. Remote kits for the presenters at home. We've been on-site where there have been no crowds. So it's been pretty much ou
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Cheltenham Festival 2021: ITV Sport adds a Robycam to its UK coverage amid tight COVID restrictions Wired camera system is being used to add a new dimension to the broadcaster's AR graphics By Will Strauss, Editor 
