Journey to Japan 2019: How ITV Sport is preparing for the Rugby World Cup By Philip Stevens
Friday, August 2, 2019 - 15:01
Print This Story
UK rights-holding broadcaster ITV Sport began its planning for the 2019 tournament in October 2017 when the first recce in Japan was carried out.
Between then and the first World Broadcast Meeting (WBM) around a year later, we started putting together the production plan for the tournament, explains Mark Demuth, ITV's controller of sport, production (pictured, below).
Post the WBM in September 2018 we started confirming our plans, working on the set design, titles, graphics, talent deals and so on.
In addition to covering all 48 matches, those plans call for around 60 hours of live programming featuring all aspects of the event and accompanying activities.
Demuth goes on, like other broadcasters, the biggest challenge we face is the logistics and technical planning of getting the roving presenting and commentary teams around the considerable distances in Japan during the group stages.
We have to ensure we cover all the key matches and can deliver pitch-side presentation to feed into our live shows back in the UK. And, let's not forget, we will be operating on a 59.94p island rather than the usual 50i format.
Managing the output
Senior production manager Sarah Howard picks up the story. We will have our own presence at the International Broadcast Centre from where we will co-ordinate each of our three roving teams. In addition, we'll have a Master Control Room within the IBC managing all the feeds and footage going back to the UK.
Howard reports that ITV Sport broadcasts during the group stages will be presented from a UK studio, although there will be stand-up positions at the venues. Four directors will be used in rotation for these programmes.
For the later stages, two Outside Broadcast units one in Oita for the quarter-final weekend and the second in Yokohama for semi-final and final weekends will be provided by NEP in Japan.
The knockout phase games in Tokyo will be presented remotely into the full presentation OBs. For
these Tokyo games we will be utilising five cameras and associated audio and comms via Host Broadcaster IGBS fibre. The programme will be cut by the director at the OB. There will also be onsite studios for these latter stage games.
She continues, throughout the tournament we will utilise the various feeds offered by the Host Broadcaster. We will then add our own specially designed graphics, using our own data capture. Our editing using Avid will be carried out in the UK at The Maidstone Studios.
At the time of writing, the final line up of presenting and commentating talent had not been finalised.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup takes place in Japan from 20 September to 2 November
Most recent headlines
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser Spectacular Stunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium tech By Dan Daley, Audio Ed...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform Video Watch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY! By Brand...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today! By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
23/12/2025
New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell Scripps Research scientists developed a technique that maps drug binding in individual cells th...
22/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Neerav Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
22/12/2025
Hitting the bullseye: Sky Sports readies itself for the biggest PDC World Darts ...
22/12/2025
Unique skillset: Bringing new directors to the world of darts at The Worlds with...
22/12/2025
Gravity Media prepares for a flight of fancy with the PDC World Darts Championsh...
22/12/2025
One hundred and eighty: Gravity Media on hitting the production bullseye at the ...
22/12/2025
The Famous Group's Jon Slusser on Fascinating Fans Through Immersive Content...
Journey to Japan 2019: How ITV Sport is preparing for the Rugby World Cup By Philip Stevens 
