![](//www.4rfv.com/images/no_image.jpg)
To 4G, or not to 4G: EMG on bringing the iconic 2024 London Marathon to viewers globally By Heather McLean
Friday, April 19, 2024 - 09:09
Print This Story
EMG is deploying four bikes in a 4G transmission backup test using LiveU units for the London Marathon 2024
This weekend nearly 66,000 people will don their favourite trainers, liberally apply a layer of lubricant to body parts that are likely to chafe, and pin on their numbers for the iconic London Marathon.
Being brought to TV screens around the world in its entirety by host broadcaster, the BBC, the broadcast of this 43 year old race is being carried out by technical services provider, EMG.
The London Marathon first took place in 1981 and has become one of the most popular marathons in the world. The route takes in many of London's best landmarks including Buckingham Palace, The Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf, and bringing it all to life is EMG.
We do have an enhanced RF system that gives us diversity across that section of the marathon and coverage through the tunnels. And we're going to monitor the 4G [on bikes] and see what it does in those tunnels
This year the marathon has a reduced OB setup compared to previous years, with four rather than the previous six OBs along the route. Livermore explains: The marathon is a multi-site event. This year we have large outside broadcast units at the start in Blackheath, at Cutty Sark in Greenwich, at Tower Bridge and then at the finish line on Canada Gate. EMG Connectivity is deploying single camera 4G LiveU units and interview positions out across the marathon, which should give it a different feel to previous years.
Those units will be at Limehouse, where there will also be roving reporters, and at Blackfriars. Says Livermore: Depending on the success of those sites, and additional tests that we are doing this year, it has the potential to grow.
EMG's Mark Houghton and James Halliday testing RF connectivity prior to the 2024 London Marathon
To 4G or not to 4G
Those other tests are into the reliability of bonded 4G units, he notes. The issue that we've always had with any 4G or LiveU kits is the only time to test their viability for the London Marathon is at the London Marathon. At no other time do you have that number of people moving around in a cluster. The time that you want to film them is when there's a huge mass of people that arrive in that exact location. We are testing bikes [with LiveU units] this year, as a backup to the traditional [RF] links to the aeroplane.
In total, four bikes will be involved in the 4G backup test, which says Livermore, will give us a good indication of how well they work. EMG Connectivity has worked hard in integrating the systems into the existing bike setup, with bespoke mounting and switchable comms.
The most challenging aspect of the route is along the Blackfriars section of the marathon, where, there's a lot of tunnels and underpasses, notes Livermore. We do have an enhanced RF system that gives us diversity across that section of the marathon and coverage through the tunnels. And we're going to monitor the 4G [on bikes] and see what it does in those tunnels.
We know that [4G] works in a quiet London in our tests outside of the London Marathon, but we're looking at what it does when [the city is] loaded with people and how the bikes perform through those sections. We're all looking forward to seeing the results.
Drone perspectives
New for the London Marathon in 2024 is the use of drones. There will be one at the start and one at the finish, providing those first and last mile shots to bring a new perspective to the footage, between the helicopter view and the jibs.
The drones are a new thing for the marathon; it hasn't been done before. There's one at the start on Blackheath and then one in the Queen Elizabeth Gardens at Canada Gate. We've had hoists in those positions in previous years, but we're hoping for a bit more movement from the drone, and they can get higher to give a more aerial shot. It's that nice in-between the hoist and the heli, that's what the drone gives you. And if we have some fine weather, it's going to look spectacular.
The drones will add to that sense of place for viewers at home watching the marathon, giving a view of the race itself and also spectacular glimpses of central London with its iconic buildings and bridges.
At the London Marathon, Aerial Camera Systems (ACS) will provide the helicopters and aeroplane with EMG Connectivity on the transmissions and ground links and BT on the backhaul connectivity
Connecting cameras
The cameras being used are Sony HDC 4300's as standard and some Sony HDC 3500's. Meanwhile, Aerial Camera Systems (ACS) will provide the helicopters and aeroplane with EMG Connectivity on the transmissions and ground links and BT on the backhaul connectivity.
RF equipment on board the RF relay aircraft for the London Marathon 2024
All of the inter-site feeds this year are being done as usual via satellite at BT's main satellite earth station, Madley Communications Centre, where over 65 giant satellite dishes dominate the 63-acre site in Herefordshire.
Says Livermore: We downlink them at Madeley, not at the finish line, because it's just more resilient to bring those feeds down to a large dish than it is to bring them down onto another satellite truck with a small dish; it's more resilient in terms of weather.
Then we bring those feeds back via BT Tower and get them to Canada Gate at the finish line where the presentation scanner is. This truck brings all of those feeds together, including the bikes, the helis, any of the live view kits that are out. Its where the final programme is made.
Meanwhile, the international feed is done at the BBC's base in Salford.
North America Stories
26/07/2024
by Ianeta Le'i
I honestly don't remember the first time I met Bryson Ch...
26/07/2024
(L-R) Louise (Karen Gillan) and Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein) strike up an un...
26/07/2024
Orders1 of $5.2 billion; book-to-bill of 1.0x
Revenue of $5.3 billion, up 13%
...
26/07/2024
(Editor's note: TVTech reached out to several station groups to determine the impact of the CrowdStrike outage on operations. Many, including NextStar Media...
26/07/2024
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. Bitcentral has integrated Pixalate's ad fraud protection, privacy and compliance analytics solution Post-Bid Analytics and Reporting i...
26/07/2024
Aldous Huxley's classic novel Brave New World is a science fiction thriller set in a murky future with a highly ordered society. While Huxley and other sc...
26/07/2024
Hollyland Adds Pyro 7 All-in-one Video Monitor, TX and RX to Pyro Series
Brie Clayton July 26, 2024
0 Comments
Seven-inch 2.4/5GHz wireless monitor wi...
26/07/2024
Geddy Lee Asks Are Bass Players Human Too? Graded Using DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton July 26, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic today announced that t...
26/07/2024
Another reminder of the popularity of ad-supported connected TV comes in a survey by Premion and Advertiser Perceptions which found that 61% of the marketers th...
26/07/2024
Nielsen's Gracenote unit said it is selling its metadata about the content of television shows and movies for use in targeting connected-TV advertising camp...
26/07/2024
CBS premieres 13 Days in Ferguson, a special about the aftermath of a police shooting of a young Black man in 2014, on Friday, August 9. The special features Ce...
26/07/2024
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery announced the launch of their long-awaited premium streaming bundle for the United States. For $16.99 per month, subscribers w...
26/07/2024
Florida-based Video Village Miami provides on-set video assist for local commercials and music videos. Frank Collins established the outfit in 2019 after a 20-y...
26/07/2024
QuickLink, the leading global provider of multi-camera video productions and remote contribution solutions, will present QuickLink StudioPro at IBC 2024 (Stand ...
26/07/2024
Relo Metrics (formerly GumGum Sports), the leading AI-powered sponsorship analytics platform for real-time data decisions, today launched an industry-leading in...
26/07/2024
Anton/Bauer, a leading provider of mobile power systems for the film and television industry, has announced the launch of the VCLX LI 1600. The latest evolution...
26/07/2024
Bitcentral, the leading provider of professional media solutions for broadcast and digital video, today announces that it has integrated Pixalate, the ad fraud ...
26/07/2024
Cobalt Iron Inc., a leading provider of SaaS-based enterprise data protection, today announced that Secure Automated Backup with Compass , a cloud backup-as-a-s...
26/07/2024
VisualOn IBC2024 Exhibitor Preview
Sept. 13-16
Amsterdam
Stand 5.A52
As video streaming consumption surges, service providers face significant challenges wi...
26/07/2024
Quanteec
IBC2024 Exhibitor Preview
Sept. 13-16
RAI Amsterdam
Stand 1.A05
Quanteec, a global provider of video delivery technology for broadcasters, will s...
26/07/2024
Witbe
IBC2024 Exhibitor Preview
Sept. 13-16
Amsterdam
Stand 5.F84
At IBC2024, Witbe will showcase the power of its automated testing and proactive monitori...
26/07/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The Federal Communications Commission has announced the launch of its new Mobile Speed Test app. The new app features an enhanced user interfac...
26/07/2024
LONDON In a notable landmark for the use of cloud-based services at the Olympics, Alibaba Cloud and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), has today announced the...
26/07/2024
NEW YORK As part of a $2.5 billion media rights deal with the NBA announced on July 24, NBCUniversal and the NBA have also announced an 11-year agreement for ri...
26/07/2024
BEAVERTON, Ore. Versatile Video Coding (VVC) promises to play a pivotal role in driving advancements in video compression technology, with organizations across ...
26/07/2024
COLUMBUS, Ohio The political news channel PurpleTV has expanded it reach with news that it has launched on Channel 25.1 in Columbus, Ohio on TV Station WXOH, wh...
26/07/2024
NEW YORK As part of a push into the contextual advertising business, Nielsen's Gracenote has announced that it is developing new contextual categories to gi...
26/07/2024
Puget Systems Returns to SIGGRAPH 2024 to Demonstrate its On-Premises Generative...
26/07/2024
Dreamtek Delivers Innovative A/V, Live Production and Post Workflows with Blackm...
26/07/2024
Dejero to bring even smarter' mobile internet connectivity solutions to IBC...
26/07/2024
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are about to begin, and Capitol Broadcasting is rea...
26/07/2024
Berklee Alumni Nominated for 2024 Emmy Awards Twenty-one Berklee alumni received Emmy nominations this year for music composition, sound mixing, and sound editi...
26/07/2024
Jennifer Lyons, president and general manager of WBBM Chicago, is moving into a ...
26/07/2024
Kennan Oliphant has been named VP of news and station manager at WWJ Detroit. He will report to Jennifer Lyons, who has added a regional GM role that gives her ...
26/07/2024
Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose, a four-part docuseries, debuts on HBO and Max July 24. The series details the life of the baseball superstar, includin...
26/07/2024
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games present a unique and exciting opportunity for local...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: V varo Providing Live Media Transport Services for Leading Internati...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: BBC Sport on Its Remote Production Workflow for the Summer Games By Heather McLean, SVG Europe
Friday, July 26, 2024 - 7:31 am
Print This Story...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: BBC Sport Unveils the Olympic Storytelling and Breathtaking Scenery ...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: Taking a Step Forwards with BBC Sport's Olympic Studio Combining...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe Provides a First Look at Its Ol...
26/07/2024
Live From Paris 2024: NBC Olympics Set for Historic Opening Ceremony Unilateral coverage builds on impressive OBS production as NBC dives deep into Team USA cov...
26/07/2024
Live From Paris 2024: SVG's Onsite Editorial Team Breaks Down Opening Ceremo...
26/07/2024
Back to All News
Suspense Thriller The Frog' Set to Give Viewers the Chills on August 23Play Video
Play Video
Entertainment
26 July 2024
GlobalSouth K...
26/07/2024
Back to All News
Can't Get Enough of K-Variety? New Unscripted Series Debut...
26/07/2024
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Salvador, a New Series Created by Aitor Gabi...
26/07/2024
Timing matters: Scripps Research study shows ways to improve health alerts Wearable health sensors are a powerful tool in disease detection and in stemming the ...
25/07/2024
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will show its QuickLink StudioPro 4K video production platform at IBC 2024, Sept. 13-16, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center....
25/07/2024
STAMFORD, Conn. and DENVER, Colo. NBC Sports has announced that it will be using Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) to provide multiscreen video management and ...
25/07/2024
LONDON Pixalate, a fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for connected TV (CTV) and mobile advertising, has released a new report highlig...