UFC, BeckTV Resume Integration of UFC Apex Broadcast-Operations Center in Las Vegas The goal is to bring the IP-based, 4K-capable control room online by midsummer By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Monday, May 4, 2020 - 1:26 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
After pausing technical integration and commissioning on March 13 because of the coronavirus pandemic, UFC has restarted work on its IP-based, 4K-capable broadcast-operations center (BOC) at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The mixed-martial-arts company and systems integrator BeckTV are following Federal Coronavirus Guidelines, and equipment is being commissioned remotely whenever possible.
The UFC Apex arena space can be configured to accommodate a variety of live events and is expected to host UFC events in the near future.
It's an unbelievable feeling to be at this point, says Tim O'Toole, SVP, event production, UFC. I've been with UFC for 14 years, and, when I started, we had a very small team. To see it grow to where it is today and to have our own broadcast facility is a dream come true. To see all that hard work come to fruition as we're on the cusp of launching this is pretty amazing.
UFC Apex opened last June in advance of Season 3 of Dana White's Contender Series, which was produced in the building's arena space. The 130,000-sq.-ft. production facility contains more than 50,000 sq. ft. of production space and more than 70,000 sq. ft. of office space. UFC Apex sits adjacent to UFC's Las Vegas headquarters in the former Scientific Games facility, which UFC purchased and began renovating in 2018.
After pausing technical integration and commissioning on March 13, BeckTV's work on the UFC Apex BOC resumed on April 27.
The new IP-based production facility, which is built around an Evertz EXE-VSR SMPTE 2110 IP core with maximum switching capacity of 46 Tbps, will allow UFC to produce live events from Apex in 4K and will also serve as a central hub to produce events remotely. After heading home during the lockdown, the BeckTV team returned to Vegas to restart integration on April 26.
We were able to time it so that BeckTV came back when construction was done and [the facility] is 100% dust-free; there are no other construction trades working in the building, says O'Toole. So their team is extremely happy. They are practicing all the [social-distancing] guidelines, and there is a very limited group onsite.
BeckTV had accomplished a lot prior to the shutdown on March 13, having installed all racks in the central equipment room, most of the production-control-room consoles and desks, and a large chunk of the wiring. However, work was shut down just before manufacturers were able to come in to commission equipment.
The new UFC Apex IP-based production facility is built around an Evertz EXE-VSR SMPTE 2110 IP core with maximum switching capacity of 46 Tbps.
With integration restarted, Evertz has sent a rep from its L.A. office to Apex, and, in an arrangement unusual for the company, the technical team at its Burlington, ON, headquarter is remoting into the Vegas facility to help commission the IP router.
It's the new norm: not only are productions being done that way, but now commissioning is being done remotely as well, says O'Toole. Evertz is in for three weeks to get caught back up, and we're working with our other manufacturers on commissioning now.
According to O'Toole, UFC is targeting a midsummer launch for the broadcast-operations center, but the official timeline remains fluid as his team continues to work with vendors to commission equipment.
It is fluid because we're still waiting on the commissioning, he says, but we're pressing for midsummer. That's the goal.
UFC Apex sits adjacent to UFC's Las Vegas headquarters in the building formerly occupied by Scientific Games.
Although UFC had originally opted to build out the Apex BOC for the Contender Series, it appears that the facility may be hosting higher-profile events in the near future. UFC President Dana White has made it clear that, after UFC 249, which is being held in an undisclosed location in Florida this Saturday, UFC plans to hold all events at the Apex facility for the foreseeable future.
We are looking very closely at having UFC events inside of Apex in a closed environment where no fans will be in attendance, says O'Toole. We are excited to be able to take further advantage of this amazing facility for more UFC productions.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
08/10/2026
Modern venues have come a long way since the tinny, echoing audio of the mid 20t...
08/10/2026
ESPN's first Super Bowl production will stream in English and Spanish on Disney+, while the ESPN App carries the full slate of game, ManningCast, studio, an...
08/10/2026
From high-school videoboards to War Eagle Productions, the Opelika native is learning how to lead shows and capture big moments
The future of live sports produ...
08/10/2026
The Television Academy and Prime Video have announced a six-year agreement making Prime Video the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards beginning with the 20...
08/10/2026
Techex will exhibit at NAB Show New York 2026 (Booth 623, Javits Center, October...
08/10/2026
X Games has announced the appointment of Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer. Rogers previously served as COO of World Supercross and spent nearly a decade ...
08/10/2026
Fonn Group has appointed Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spielmann joins from EVS, where he held sales and business de...
08/10/2026
The flagship program will originate from major PG events with a four-camera production, live distribution across PGTV, social platforms
Perfect Game is bringin...
08/10/2026
Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. More often, it happens at the point of collision: when worlds that have run on separate tracks begin to converge. That is...
08/10/2026
For decades, the production and broadcast services business has run on a familia...
08/10/2026
Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley have published The IP Converg...
08/10/2026
The NFL has announced the return of the Big Data Bowl, the league's analytics competition, now in its ninth year and again powered by AWS. Registration is o...
08/10/2026
Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with T l diffusion d'Alg rie (TDA), Algeria's national broadcasting network operator, for continued distribution of...
08/10/2026
Disney will livestream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, alongside the game's broadcast on ESPN and ABC. All Disney subscribers in the United States wi...
08/10/2026
RHStv and Red House Streaming have announced an expansion of their partnership w...
08/10/2026
Gray Media has announced a distribution agreement with TEGNA and DAZN to simulca...
08/10/2026
SVG readers can save 10% on registration and receive a complimentary Solutions H...
08/10/2026
PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology a...
08/10/2026
Industry leaders discuss real-world cloud workflows for live game production, pl...
08/10/2026
The next-gen audio technology joins Dolby Vision as part of Apple TV's immersive F1 experience...
08/10/2026
David France, Jesse Short Bull, Mato Wayuhi, N. Bird Runningwater, Jodi Archambau, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, Amber Morning Star Byars, Holly Macarro, Nick Tils...
08/10/2026
Dynamic panning plug-ins get an upgrade
Sound Particles have just announced major updates for two of their popular dynamic panning plug-ins. Energy Panner 2...
08/10/2026
New expandable instrument boasts full DMNO engine
UDO Audio have just announced the upcoming release of a new, expandable synth that packs the power of the ...
08/10/2026
Two new subwoofers added to monitoring line-up
ADAM Audio's monitoring range has just been expanded with two new DSP-equipped subwoofers, the Sub8 PRO a...
08/10/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
08/10/2026
Calrec gives broadcasters freedom of choice at NAB Show New York We're looking forward to meeting up with you all at NAB New York on 21st-22nd October.
Cal...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will showcase its next generation of media orchestration services at NAB S...
08/10/2026
Clear-Com played a critical role in the production communications infrastructure for Rock in Rio 2026, one of the world's largest and most recognized music...
08/10/2026
Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Crea...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Ikegami announces a major expansion to its range of broadcast-quality live production cameras. Scheduled for introduction on Ikegami booth 708 at NAB New York, ...
08/10/2026
Calrec will be located at Booth 444.
Freedom to choose
The media landscape is evolving quickly, and the broadcasters best placed for what comes next will be...
08/10/2026
LiveU has announced that CRD Audiovisuel relied on LiveUs LU900Q intelligent production unit, with built-in native LiveU IQ (LIQ ) connectivity, to deliver live...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
UFC, BeckTV Resume Integration of UFC Apex Broadcast-Operations Center in Las Vegas The goal is to bring the IP-based, 4K-capable control room online by midsummer By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
