PTO Tour Ibiza Part Two: FilmNova and the PTO overcome island challenges to tell triathlon story By Michael Burns
Wednesday, May 17, 2023 - 11:52
Print This Story
Germany's Anne Haug wins the women's race in Ibiza
The Professional Triathletes Organisation came to Ibiza on the first weekend of May, with a host of the world's best triathletes taking to the water, running and cycling the course, and a bigger broadcast reach than ever before. However, holding the PTO Tour 2023 on the Balearic island was testing, not just for the competitors, but for the OB production too.
Whenever you do anything on an island, let alone an island in Spain, you have certain challenges, says Matthew Coliandris, senior director at host broadcaster FilmNova. It's that much more difficult to get kit and people there, and it takes longer to get things resolved. Then you can add in a few mountain issues to make things a bit more of a challenge.
In a previous SVG Europe article, we revealed how the layout of the triathlon course caused difficulties for the broadcaster - rather than forming an unbroken circuit, the locations for the start and transition areas were separated from the finish line by 2.7km of Ibiza Town streets. However, the local ISP was able to provide internet connectivity to relay camera signals from a hub at the finish back to the OB (provided by Gravity Media) at the start. Adding to the complexity, the men's and women's races ran on the same day and were time-staggered, with the women's race starting an hour after the men set off.
A point-to-point race like this will always present challenges, says Coliandris. But we got full connectivity from finish to start, and those pictures held up. There was, however, a slight delay with talkback which always presents a little bit of a challenge.
The swim
The initial swim segment threw up issues, as the drone that was meant to be providing coverage wasn't permitted to fly over the marina by the local port authority. This was even though permission had previously been sought and granted by Spanish air traffic control.
That delayed the drone guys in terms of their testing, and in terms of the RF link that was associated with it, says Coliandris. That gave us a bit of an issue on Saturday morning - we didn't have the drone for the men's swim because the RF link wasn't holding up.
It was left mainly to just one camera to provide the main coverage, sited on a raised breakwater and fitted with an 86:1 box lens.
Essentially that men's race was all down to Scott, our cameraman on the big lens, for the swim. He was working very hard to make sure that the variety of shots that we got made it interesting, says Coliandris. We also had two cameras in the transition area doing their level best to give us other shots to cut in between.
The separate cycle [4x19km loops] and run courses had to be covered over 4G for the most part, with two camera motorbikes filming each of the men's and women's races (following the leader and the chase).
We had 4G coverage on the cycle course which was fairly long up towards the north of the island from Ibiza Town, Coliandris continues. When we tested it on Thursday, the top end of that course was really patchy and we were losing the top 5km. So the engineers put latency in the signal, which essentially meant we had a seven-second delay between the bikes sending out the pictures and us getting them. It was the same with the talkback: they wouldn't get my message until seven seconds later.
The engineers did a very good job of making sure all that worked. They were adjusting the latency as it came back into Ibiza Town, where we had a few fixed cameras around transition, so the delay was a lot less.
You learn to cut around delays anyway, he adds. Obviously with people getting on and off bikes, you have to be careful that you're not seeing them get on the bike twice for example. The fact that there was a delay didn't impact on screen. But it greatly helped the signal.
Presenting arms
Many aspects of the PTO coverage are driven by Martin Turner, head of broadcast for the PTO, who also edits the programme. With a background including Sky Sports' F1 and rugby union coverage, Turner prefers presenters to be in among the action at the start, transition and finish line, rather than sitting in a studio.
In Ibiza, returning TV anchor Alex Payne led a presentation team that included lead commentator John Gooden, with expert analysis from former Olympic triathletes Vicky Holland and Helen Jenkins.
We've used Alex Payne and Vicky Holland a lot, they're becoming quite expert in understanding the personalities and the stories within the PTO, says Coliandris. We like to have live interviews during the race where we bring in people's family, friends and coaches. Using split boxes, we'll have a shot of the triathlete in one box, and their associate speaking on the other side. We try to keep the coverage varied in that regard. We got very lucky on Saturday when Lucy Charles-Barclay's husband was around the transition area. We grabbed him and did an interview live as she was coming through transition, with the shot of her over his shoulder.
Payne presented from the start area, then once the women's race began, he moved to the finish together with his floor manager, camera op and sound assistants to present the end of the programme from that position.
Telling the story
Coliandris had 16 live cameras to play with - four on the motorbikes, two drones and a mixture of cabled and RF cameras.
I wasn't trying to cut a load of cameras all at once, he says. Once the bike race begins, I'm very reliant on the moto guys, who did a sensational job on the weekend. The bulk of the show was relying on those guys, and th
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...
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...
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...
15/05/2026
Netflix has announced an expanded NFL schedule for 2026 and beyond under a four-year partnership extension with the NFL through the 2029-30 season. Each season,...
15/05/2026
Ateme is supporting TVRI (Televisi Republik Indonesia) with a contribution and d...
15/05/2026
Concacaf has announced the launch of a new website and mobile app built on Deltatre's FORGE platform. Concacaf.com and the mobile app, available on iOS and ...
15/05/2026
Eutelsat has announced the launch of QBC Business Economic Channel by Qatar Media Corporation, broadcasting in 4K/UHD via Eutelsat's 7/8 West video neighbo...
15/05/2026
Major League Soccer has announced four original content series timed to the 2026...
15/05/2026
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced it will exhibit and present at InfoComm 2026, taking place June 13-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Cente...
15/05/2026
InfoComm 2026 will take place June 13-19 (exhibits June 17-19) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show will include sessions and exhibits covering broadcas...
15/05/2026
Tracy McGrady's Ones Basketball League (OBL) and FuboTV Inc. have announced ...
15/05/2026
Disguise has partnered with Creative Technology (CT) to deliver visual playback ...
15/05/2026
Sony Electronics has announced two new products for professional imaging: the Alpha 7R VI full-frame mirrorless camera and the FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS super-te...
15/05/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
15/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
15/05/2026
For sports organizations, the most valuable assets are often the most sensitive:...
15/05/2026
The NFL's broadcast partners released their 2026 regular season schedules ye...
15/05/2026
When MMA icons Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano meet inside the Hexagon at Intuit Do...
15/05/2026
Daniel Roher attends the Tuner Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Theatre on January 22, 2026 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Neilson Bar...
15/05/2026
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...
15/05/2026
Rebranded show announced
Ahead of their 2026 return, Music Expo have announced that they have now officially changed their name to the MONO Music Conference...
15/05/2026
Fuzz pedal joins UK companys line-up
UK-based pedal makers Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices have recently unveiled their latest creation, the Bolster. Said to pay...
15/05/2026
Joint Statement: News Bargaining Incentive
28 April, 2026
Media releases
The vibrancy of Australian democracy relies on the robust and open exchange of new...
15/05/2026
Call it Deltavision, Australia's through to the Grand Final of this year'...
15/05/2026
Join Calrec at MPTS 2026 | May 13-14 | Stand A40 | Olympia, London We're looking forward to meeting up with customers and partners at this year's Media ...
15/05/2026
86% of media planners would move more linear TV budget to CTV if they had show-level targeting and reporting - and 65% would also shift dollars from programmati...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Clear-Com will showcase new communications solutions and major platform updates at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7005), June 17-19, in the North and Central Halls of t...
15/05/2026
Following an outstanding inaugural year in 2025, Rise AV is proud to announce the return of its flagship leadership initiative, Elevate. The programme continues...
15/05/2026
Berklee Announces Lineup for Inaugural AI Music Summit The three-day event puts musicians at the center of the future of music creation, ethics, and the indus...
15/05/2026
Lightware returns to InfoComm 2026 with a focused showcase of scalable USB-C connectivity, next-generation AV-over-IP solutions, and technologies that help over...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Delivering a live, arena-scale production of a massively popular band is no small feat. Between expansive in-arena LED walls and a global live stream fed to onl...
PTO Tour Ibiza Part Two: FilmNova and the PTO overcome island challenges to tell triathlon story By Michael Burns 
