Behind the Premiership Rugby Final player mic action at TNT Sports By Heather McLean
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - 10:04
Print This Story
Finn Russell of Bath, kicking for goal in last weekend's Premiership Rugby Final [Credit: Getty Images]
At the Premiership Rugby Final, England and Scotland stars gave TNT Sports viewers the chance to hear from the sport's leading playmakers in the biggest game of the year at Twickenham Stadium.
George Furbank and Finn Russell wore the TNT Sports player mics supplied by technical services partner, EMG in the blockbuster Premiership Rugby Final on Saturday 8 June.
Previously, Bristol Bears' Steven Luatua and Saints' Fraser Dingwall have worn the microphones already this season, providing a fascinating insight into what a Premiership Rugby player goes through.
Viewers were afforded a unique look into what the star players say to each other during the intense battle that is a Premiership Rugby Final, in the live playout and throughout the week in other TNT Sports shows.
We spoke to Buzz 16's Gari Jenkins, who leads TNT Sports' rugby coverage, to find out more and where mic'ing up rugby players is going for sports fans.
Why did you choose this game and these particular players to wear the mics?
GJ: Our goal is to take fans closer to the sport, team and players. This approach has to be shared by all involved and therefore we seek willing participants.
This has been a goal all season, targeting opposing players, and on the biggest stage of all. In the English domestic game, there is no bigger game than the Final, and Premiership Rugby and both clubs were fully supportive of the initiative and innovation.
George Furbank, who was originally going to wear the player mic for Northampton, has been a real forward-thinker in terms of embracing innovation and trying to attract new fans to our great sport this season. He wore a headset mic for a warm up earlier on in the season, which was a great success, and something we might re-visit again next season. Unfortunately, the player mic rig didn't fit him correctly, so we had to pivot and find someone else on the day; up stepped Fraser Dingwall, who'd worn it back in January as well, and then we had our man.
Finn Russell, the Bath player mic, is just box office; we were really thankful to Finn and Bath for allowing us to put the player mic on one of the biggest stars in rugby, let alone the Gallagher Premiership.
What are the mics?
Our broadcast facilities provider EMG provided the player mics, which are RF.
The Shure PlayMic Q5X was suggested by EMG because of the flexibility of the pack, making it safe to fall on. EMG then had a custom made vest produced to hold the pack.
How do you prevent them from being damaged in what is a very physical game?
The player mic vest and rig is heavily padded around the mic itself, both for player safety and the safety of the mic itself.
What do you hope player mics will add to the viewer's perception of the game?
Rugby fans are now in the game, they have a new perspective of what is being said on field and they feel part of the sport. New fans have an experience that few ball sports offer.
As a fan-first broadcaster, TNT Sports is always looking for innovative ways to bring the game alive with new insights and experiences. Field of play microphones is one of the most immersive experiences we can offer. Lots more to come!
How will they ideally be used in a live broadcast?
The level of use during live is still being tested. We've trialled turning clips around quickly for replays and for half time and full-time analysis plus edits and sequences. We can also stream an alternate feed of some matches offering an alternate audio experience.
The edit from last weekend's Premiership final is our best trial yet, but there's much more that can be done in terms of improving the tech and improving the way we use it and deliver it.
Would the end goal be to mic up all players in a match, or just key people? Which people?
When it's on the right player someone who's vocal, someone who's communicative it's brilliant. Mic'ing up all the players in the match wouldn't be digestible, from an audio perspective.
Imagine having that many commentators!
Are players amenable to it?
Based upon our initial trials, we've found that half backs are the target players, but there are others who are very communicative mostly backs who also give it plenty in terms of chat on the field mostly centres and back three players. We wouldn't rule out putting it on a hooker or a particularly vocal second row or back row, but it would have to be a vocal player, and possibly captain.
What were the challenges? You didn't use much in the live broadcast why?
The current challenge is proving its value to clubs and players, and we're making good progress. The second challenge is getting the quality of the audio correct; 80,000 screaming fans in Twickenham, and lots of other players shouting at the top of their voices, which gets picked up on mics such as these makes it challenging.
How will you be using this content?
Moving forward, we'd like to mic up marquee' players during big matches and give snippets of player mic action and audio at half time and full time, and then something more considered in the days following the match.
For the match from Saturday, we have been rolling this out across our digital platforms this week.
What's next where, when, how and why? for this?
We've only just started to innovate the coverage of rugby, and fans will love where we are heading. Next season you'll see more Player Mic action and audio across TNT Sports, especially across the big games, and from the big players.
We'd also like to tap into management wearing a player/coach
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...
19/05/2026
Actus Digital, a LiveU company, and a leading provider of intelligent media monitoring and broadcast compliance platforms, announced today that METEO CONSULT ha...
19/05/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of managed services for the broadcast and media industry, today announced the completion of a major renovation of its Singapore fa...
19/05/2026
Following a major upgrade to its Connecticut remote production centre with the installation of three 60-fader Argo S consoles in 2023, RPS has switched one of t...
19/05/2026
PlayBox Technology today announced the launch of Celebro Play, a browser-based media orchestration platform designed specifically for broadcast facilities and p...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions for broadcast, post, and professional AV will showcase its latest signal processing solutions at B...
19/05/2026
Media Links, a leading developer and manufacturer of IP media transport solutions, has announced the integration of its Xscend platform with Skyline Communicat...
19/05/2026
Collaboration expands regional partner ecosystem as Media Links showcases IP media transport solutions on stand 4M4-4 and alongside Clearcast Asia on stand
Me...
19/05/2026
Company Highlights Labor-Saving Control and Custom Branding Opportunities Designed to Increase Integrator Profitability
LynTec, a leading manufacturer of ele...
19/05/2026
Mago Studio Moves AI Video Beyond Prompts with New Production-Focused Tools
Brie Clayton May 18, 2026
0 Comments
New Capabilities Bring Controllable, ...
19/05/2026
It May be Time to Stop and Take an AI Breather
Brie Clayton May 19, 2026
0 Comments
If the rock you stay on starts to roll, jump clean. Or you'll...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
18/05/2026
ZEN-Core synth goes mobile
Roland's powerful ZEN-Core software synthesizer has just been introduced to the iPad, offering a convenient entry point into ...
18/05/2026
Versatile new limiter plug-in announced
Based in Sheffield, UK, fedDSP offer a range of plug-ins that span the music production, live sound and high-end med...
18/05/2026
A new use for convolution?
Viiri Audio's debut plug-in aims to do something a little different with convolution processing, allowing users to adjust all...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
18/05/2026
Agentic AI inference at one-tenth the cost per token with NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL7...
18/05/2026
18 May 2026
Dubai and New York, May 18, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a glob...
18/05/2026
Monday 18 May 2026
Sky News offers ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes for just...
18/05/2026
Comscore March 2026 Consumer AI Chatbot Usage Rankings Show Claude Gaining Share OpenAI's ChatGPT maintains lead while Anthropic's Claude continues to c...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, in partnership with RAVE Foundation an...
15/05/2026
Dan Brumm has served as sound designer on Bluey, the Australian children's t...
15/05/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are accepting applications for the 6th annual Mark Brunner Professional Audio Schola...
Behind the Premiership Rugby Final player mic action at TNT Sports By Heather McLean 
