For this summer's Women's Euros 2025, BBC Sport, in partnership with Vizrt and creative studio Lightwell, delivered a broadcast that reflected the momentum and maturity of women's sport raising the production standard to match its rising audience.
The BBC reported 12.2 million peak audience for the Lionesses win over Spain, making it the most watched television moment of 2025 across all broadcasts. For the entire tournament, the BBC reported a total TV reach figure of 22.1m, with total viewing hours having increased from 173m in 2022 to 186m this year.
Now, one in four global sports fans regularly watch women's sports, according to the Women's Sport Trust. BBC Sport answered that rising demand by debuting a virtual studio environment for the Women's Euros that combined editorial storytelling with a flexible, visually rich XR backdrop built using Vizrt's live graphics and real-time rendering tools in partnership with Lightwell.
The BBC has played an important role in the growth of women's sports, culminating in the unique coverage of this summer's events. BBC Creative planned a campaign that includes Claymation trails and titles of UEFA Women's Euro 2025 in a way that is distinctive, imaginative, and rooted in the BBC's values.
Our Names Will Be Made' campaign is a bold statement of intent we're spotlighting female athletes as cultural icons in the making. By celebrating the players with scale and confidence, we're aiming to inspire the next generation of fans, and make a lasting impact with audiences, says Liv Slack, Head of Marketing, BBC Sport.
Bringing Switzerland into the Studio
Designed to reflect the Swiss setting of the tournament, the virtual set placed presenters in a mountaintop pavilion overlooking Lake Lucerne. Behind them were sweeping alpine views, fluttering national flags, and soft skies shifting to reflect the time of day. The XR studio became more than a backdrop, it helped ground the coverage in the look and feel of Switzerland, while giving producers the flexibility of a fully virtual environment.
This wasn't about adding technology for the sake of it, says John Murphy, Design Director at BBC Sport, It was about using the tools we already have available to us to tell the story of the tournament in a way that was current, and reflective of where the tournament was being played. Fans are tuning in more than ever, and we aim to deliver the best possible coverage.
Blending real-time technology with live sport
The project was powered by Vizrt's Viz Engine in combination with Unreal Engine, enabling BBC Sport to blend live graphics with high-end virtual design all in real-time. This setup helped the production team deliver a seamless, broadcast-ready environment that matched the pace and polish of live sport, while giving creative teams were able to adjust visuals and narratives as the tournament unfolded.
Presenters were placed naturally within the set using Vizrt's Reality Connect tool which is AI-driven talent immersion that generates accurate reflections, shadows, and lighting to make the virtual environment feel realistic on screen. Having presenters realistically placed in virtual space brings viewers closer to the imagined world, making the high visual fidelity truly immerse the audience.
Editorially driven design
Creative direction was led by Lightwell, who along with longtime collaborator Toby Kalitowski, worked closely with BBC Sport to design a set that aligned with the tone and identity of the tournament. Every element, from the flags of participating nations to the positioning of the camera moves, was designed to support the storytelling and reflect the distinctiveness of a major international event.
We wanted the virtual space to feel editorially integrated, adds Jim Mann, Creative Director at Lightwell. Not just somewhere for presenters to stand, but a space that helped tell the story of the location and the tournament. It was about giving BBC Sport a canvas that matched their ambition, and the audience's expectations.
Extending the value of virtual production
BBC Sport built on the same XR infrastructure used during its 2024 Olympics coverage, adapting the virtual studio for the Women's Euros with a new creative treatment. By reusing and evolving core technology across major events, the team is delivering consistently high production values while maximizing the impact of its technology.
The smartest use of technology isn't always about what's new it's about what's next, says Andrew O'Neil, VP Sports, Strategy & Growth at Vizrt. When broadcasters can adapt a single platform across multiple flagship events and still raise the creative bar each time, that's where the real value is. It s not just efficient it empowers teams to focus on storytelling, not setup.
To learn more about how Vizrt supports virtual production for live sport, visit: www.vizrt.com
North America Stories
08/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Technology Exhibits Preview, Part 1By SVG Staff
Monday, December 8, 2025 - 6:56 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The 2025...
08/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Bill Rasmussen, the Entrepreneur Who Drea...
08/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Live Production Innovation Workshop Goes Deep on ST 211...
08/12/2025
#GALSNGEAR Announces East, West Leadership Retreats for 2026By Ken Kerschbaumer
Monday, December 8, 2025 - 9:10 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story High...
08/12/2025
MediaKind Acquiring Harmonic's Video Business to Create New Streaming-Video ...
08/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Sony HDR/SDR Camera Shading Techniques for Live Production...
08/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: NESN's Kenny Elcock and Harmonic's Jean Macher Talk Next-G...
08/12/2025
Monsters Funday Football,' ESPN's Latest Live Animation Effort, Advances...
08/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ESPN Director Jeff Nelson on Calling the (Animated) Action on Mon...
08/12/2025
Monsters Funday Football': Louisiana Philharmonic Delivers Again With Orches...
08/12/2025
Nielsen's robust data offering enables marketers to connect with their target audience more effectively and drive better results throughout Amazon's adv...
08/12/2025
LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK Paramount has launched a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery with an all-cash tender offer to acquire all of the outstandin...
08/12/2025
EMERYVILLE, Calif. Media and entertainment technology and services provider Advanced Systems Group has named Macky Beheshti as director, enterprise storage and ...
08/12/2025
DENVER MediaKind, a global provider of cloud-based video streaming technology announced today that it is acquiring the video business of Harmonic Inc. for appro...
08/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsen has announced that its Audience Segments from Nielsen Marketing Cloud (NMC) are now available across the Amazon Ads marketplace, including the ...
08/12/2025
Marshall Electronics showcases the CV355-27X-ND3 Optical Zoom NDI (NDI HX2, NDI HX3) Camera at ISE 2026 (Booth 4N900). Designed for users seeking high-quality ...
08/12/2025
Cinnafilm today announced the immediate availability of IPx LIVE and Tachyon LIVE, delivering broadcast-grade, real-time IP video transcoding and motion-compens...
08/12/2025
Following a successful 45th anniversary year in 2024, Hiltron reports increasing demand for its wide range of satellite communication equipment manufacturing, p...
08/12/2025
When was the last time you updated your default playlist(s)? A default playlist keeps your station(s) on the air should your team ever miss a step in sending mu...
08/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix ISP Speed Index for November 2025
Product
08 December 2025
Global
Link copied to clipboard
This month marks 15 years of the Netfl...
08/12/2025
Back to All News
Another Exciting Chapter in Our Book-to-Screen Journey and What's to Come
Entertainment
08 December 2025
Global
Link copied to clipboa...
07/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Takes Over the Oslo Skyline With Celebratory Troll 2 L...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public commen...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the First Look for Land of Sin' - Premier...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
For this summer's Women's Euros 2025, BBC Sport, in partnership with Vizrt and creative studio Lightwell, delivered a broadcast that reflected the momentum and maturity of women's sport raising the production standard to match its rising audience.
