LOS ANGELES and MUMBAI—Tata Communications has announced the opening of a production and delivery facility in Los Angeles to support future business development and growth.

Named The Switch @ Victory, the new facility will give Tata Communications the ability to serve more live content customers with end-to-end media production and connectivity services, it said.

The 66,712-square-foot facility is located on Victory Boulevard on the border or Glendale and Burbank, Calif. The two-story building sits in the heart of Hollywood’s extended production community and offers a live production center to support customer configuration requirements, the company said.

The purpose-built facility becomes the hub for Tata Communications’ and The Switch’s production and delivery services. It is designed to support live content production for rightsholders of all sizes, it said.

The Switch @ Victory is operational. Several companies, including Fox Alternative Entertainment, producers of “America’s Most Wanted,” already are using the facility.

The facility positions Tata Communications to expand in the U.S. and beyond as its customer base grows. It is fully equipped offering:

• Four sound stages with powered lighting grids and green screens.
• Large multi-row seating production control rooms with best-of-breed switchers and digital audio consoles.
• Multiple insert studios for media training, live shots, and satellite media tours.
• Dressing rooms and lounges for talent.
• Multiple conference rooms.
• Video-audio edit stations.
• More than 100 workstations.
• Private offices, kitchens and breakrooms.                             
• Auditorium with seating.
• Prop and costume storage.
• 230 parking spaces that can support a powered base camp for production trailers, grip trucks and other equipment.
• 130-degree view of Hollywood Hills.

The Switch @ Victory sits on Tata Communications’ global, low-latency video delivery network with added satellite links.

Tata Communications completed its acquisition of The Switch Enterprises in May 2023.

More information is available on the company’s website.

NEW YORK—Production services and live video delivery provider The Switch this summer curated, produced and delivered all live coverage of the SlamBall Summer Series, culminating in the Aug. 17 SlamBall Championship Game.

The event, hosted at the Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, was broadcast and streamed on ESPN, ESPN2 and the EPSN+ over-the-top OTT platform. The Switch provided a live production team, first-mile connectivity expertise and network reach as well as packaged 17 days of broadcast and livestreamed games, The Switch said.

SlamBall, invented in 1999, is a 4-on-4 contact sport that combines aspects of basketball, football, hockey and gymnastics and is played with trampolines in front of each net. For the SlamBall Summer Series, The Switch production team assembled for each game included an executive producer, producer, technical director, associate director, camera operators, replay operators, audio engineers, assistants and other personnel.

"The concept we've crafted for SlamBall sets it apart from any other sport today, including its innovative broadcasting approach,” said Mason Gordon, who created the sport and is the CEO of SlamBall.

“Combining the finest aspects of diverse sports coverage with a truly distinctive broadcast curation, we sought a production and transmission partner capable of bringing our imaginative and ambitious vision to life. Switch proved to be the perfect collaborator, providing the ingenuity, expertise, and experience needed to give our audience an unforgettable viewing experience.”

The Switch’s custom production and delivery setup relied on 14 cameras, including two on courtside telescopic camera cranes to bring viewers close to the live action. From a tech perspective, the production required a 50-foot expandable Outside Broadcast (OB) truck, two 27-foot stabilized head Techno-Jib mounted cameras to capture the rapid flow of the game, two long lens cameras providing high and wide shots, two handheld cameras courtside, two robotic pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras behind the backboards, as well as mini-cameras under the court to provide unique angles of all the action near the hoop, The Switch said.

“The set-up we have created with the SlamBall team delivers an unparalleled sports viewing experience; there is nothing like it. It involves a blend of different camera angles and production concepts to fully capture the bruising, in-the-air game action,” said Jerry Cole, vice president of live production services at The Switch. “The complexity and originality of SlamBall’s production configuration set it apart from any major or minor league sport today. We’re incredibly proud to be the chosen production and transport services partner, and to be asked to bring this awesome sport to life on the screen for fans everywhere.”

More information is available on The Switch website.

LONDON—Global production services and live video transmission company The Switch provided international connectivity and transmission for the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, supporting IMG Studios in the UK and the main international rightsholders, including ESPN, Tennis Channel and Stats Perform.

The Switch installed a dedicated private dark fiber ring into the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) in Wimbledon to deliver tournament feeds to IMG Studios at Stockley Park, West London, where all the production for coverage of the competition is handled. This dedicated network delivers 100-200Gb capacity, ensuring every live feed from every court at Wimbledon is delivered to fans seamlessly. The flexible fiber network ensured redundancy and allowed capacity to be spun up and down as needed, according to the company.

"Wimbledon is one of the most prestigious live events in tennis, and it was critical fans could enjoy every second of the action uninterrupted,” said George Lopez, Senior Vice President of Operations for The Switch. “This project brought together The Switch's long-standing heritage supporting major Grand Slams with our knowledge and expertise in delivering high-value sports content, which meant the main broadcast partners and rightsholders could rely on us to deliver bigger and better coverage. We're proud to play a central role in bringing this much-loved tournament to more fans than ever worldwide."

For Wimbledon, The Switch built its largest stadium Point of Presence (POP) to date, carrying all feeds from all 18 courts at Wimbledon, plus behind-the-scenes content and beauty shots.

NEW YORK, and MUMBAI—India telecom giant Tata Communications is acquiring The Switch Enterprises LLC, a New York-based provider of global end-to-end live video production and transmission services in a cash only transaction valued at $58.8 million. With The Switch’s customer base including top tier sporting venues in North America, Tata says the acquisition will give the company “a strong foothold into the Americas media and entertainment market, extend its portfolio into live video production and become uniquely positioned as an end-to-end media ecosystem player in the entire content development value chain globally.”

The closing of the transaction is dependent upon regulatory approvals. On completion of the transaction, The Switch Enterprises will join the Media and Entertainment Services (MES) business of Tata Communications under Dhaval Ponda.

Founded in 1991, The Switch’s delivery network connects production facilities with 800+ of the world’s largest content producers, distributors, and sports and event venue, according to the company. Over the past several years, the company has been working with with fellow Tata customer Net Insight to deploy a 100-gig fiber backbone across the U.S. 

As the M&E industry’s demand for remote production has ramped up over the past several years due to Covid, so has the need for high-speed network services, something that Tata itself was focusing on even prior to the pandemic, when it announced its plans to launch its own 100 gig network in February 2020.  

(Also read: COVID-19 Accelerates Cloud-Based Sports Production, Says Tata Executive)

Announcing the acquisition, Tri Pham, Chief Strategy Officer, Tata Communications said, “Our combined forces of The Switch’s strong presence in North America and Tata Communications’ global position will create a formidable powerhouse in the global media ecosystem helping enterprises harness emerging digital consumption patterns to drive innovation and disruption. In addition, The Switch production infrastructure as a service model will allow Tata Communications customers to accelerate adoption of remote production from any event around the world.”

Dhaval Ponda, Global Head of Media & Entertainment Business, Tata Communications added, “The global media & entertainment industry is at a once-in-a-generation digital transformation driven by a fundamental change in consumer consumption behaviours. Tata Communications is already helping some of the largest global sports federations, broadcasters and OTT platforms manage this disruption through our next generation digital media platform. With The Switch team, we will now be able to develop holistic, scalable solutions encompassing live and scheduled programming for television, leveraging pre-recorded and filed videos for new content creation as well as all post-production. The Switch and Tata Communications teams, together will help the industry evolve to the next level of at-venue and at-home fan engagement.”

Speaking on the occasion, Eric Cooney, President & CEO, The Switch said, “The team at The Switch has worked hard creating a market leading live production and transmission offering in the US and beyond. We are extremely proud of our achievements and the trust that Tier 1 media companies place in our services. As the media industry evolves, The Switch has an ever larger role to play in the future of live sports and entertainment and in helping our customers maximise their lucrative content. With Tata Communications we will accelerate this journey providing stability, investment and vision in support of future growth. I am excited for the future of The Switch and the opportunities that this brings to our team and customers.”

NEW YORK CITY—Global production services and live video transmission provider The Switch will unveil enhancements to its MIMiC Cloud Video Services platform and showcase its work powering coverage of live events around the world at the NAB Show, April 23-27, in Las Vegas. 

The company will discuss how it enables clients, such as sports and esports leagues and news organizations, to package and deliver high-quality live coverage from any location in a cost-effective manner, it said.

“We continue to expand our live production and transmission offering and cloud services platform, MIMiC, to empower our customers to maximize their content value. The result is they can create and deliver more live content for more audiences across more platforms,” said company president and CEO Eric Cooney.

Key customer case studies to be discussed at the company’s NAB Show booth include the work The Switch did for live events such as:

• Providing state-of-the-art connectivity and global delivery for Wimbledon fans in more than 200 countries;
• Creating a custom London studio environment for connected fitness brand Echelon to livestream content;
• Enabling viewers worldwide to take part in immersive Melbourne Cup Carnival race day experiences with multiple viewpoints using next-generation gaming-style platform Aura; 
• Making is possible for cigar brand Drew Estate to livestream real-time virtual shows using MIMiC production and delivery; and 
• Delivering connectivity to the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football from 11 U.S. stadiums for live game feeds to the CONCACAR broadcast center in Florida and distribution to international broadcasters through MIMiC transmission for the 2021 Gold Cup.

The company also will showcase its end-to-end cloud video services that include everything from remote and distributed IP video production to clipping and editing for fast social media posting to transmission; transmission via its global network, offering reach and redundancy; and comprehensive remote production capabilities.

See The Switch at NAB Show booth W4600.

To book an NAB Show appointment, email the company.

NEW YORK—The Switch, a provider of services for production and the global delivery of live video, has announced that it worked with ITV America to create a unique workflow to support the 24/7 live production of the reality show `Love Island.’

The live production involved 115 cameras, production locations in Hawaii, Los Angeles and Burbank and the delivery of content to three networks.

As part of the effort, The Switch installed a dedicated network between the main “Villa”, a second villa at “Casa Amor”  and the master control room set up at the Naniloa Hotel in Downtown Hilo, Hawaii. 

From Hawaii, The Switch provided fiber connectivity to The Burbank Switch which housed all of the post production servers for ‘Love Island’ and the main Post Production Offices at ITV’s Lankershim facility.  Produced by ITV America’s ITV Entertainment, the reality show’s remote locations in Hawaii presented connectivity challenges for the production team and they turned to The Switch for assistance.   

The Naniloa Hotel in Downtown Hilo, formed the main base of operations for the production crew. The Switch located Nimbra  IP transmission platforms at each of the three locations and working with its local Partner, Hawaiian Telecom, provided 10Gb connectivity from each site to support video, audio and data connections between the sets. 

It also provided 10Gb connectivity to its Burbank production facility, where ITV America’s 80+ remote editorial team put together the show 24/7 for 41 days straight. 

In total, the production team directed, produced and controlled 115 cameras across three sets from 20 miles away at the Naniloa and edited the show from 3,000 miles away in California. 

Separate production “bubbles” were created at all three Hawaii locations as part of the many protocols in place to keep contestants and crew safe throughout the process. 

“Given our shooting location and the various challenges that come with creating content in 2021, we knew it would be difficult to keep post production on site in Hawaii,” said Danielle DiStefano, executive vice president of post operations & technology at ITV America. “When we shifted `Love Island’ to a remote workflow from Hawaii to Los Angeles, we needed a partner that understood live production, could manage unforeseen challenges and could handle continuous live feeds from multiple remote locations. The Switch offers a unique mix of extensive production knowledge and network capacity, which enabled it to meet our specific requirements. Having The Switch on board freed the on-the-ground creative team to concentrate on producing the show instead of worrying about how to get the content where it needed to go.”

In addition to assisting with the connectivity from Hawaii to Los Angeles, The Switch worked with ITV America to deliver the show 6 nights per week for 6 weeks via fiber to Los Angeles, and by satellite to New York for broadcast. It also supported the delivery of live feeds to CTV in Toronto for the Canadian simulcast of the series. The Switch enabled ITV America to deliver 50 hours of content across three networks over the course of six weeks. 

Linda Hannan, sales director, digital media and OTT, at The Switch, said: “The pandemic has shown that our customers need to adapt and work in innovative ways to keep content flowing. The project with ITV America highlights our ability to connect our network to any location – no matter how remote – and underscores our ability to support high-end productions even in the most challenging conditions.”

This is the second year running that The Switch has supported ITV America with connectivity for `Love Island.’ It supported another unique production set-up in 2020 when the show was shot in Las Vegas and edited in Los Angeles. 

NEW YORK—The Switch supplied connectivity to this year’s French Open, where it delivered HD feeds via dedicated fiber paths to the main broadcast and streaming rights holders, including the Tennis Channel, ESPN and Nine. 

As the primary connectivity provider for the French Open, The Switch extended its network capability in France to enable a 100% IP-based production environment conforming to SMPTE ST 2110 standards, the company reported. The all-IP media workflow permitted the separate transport of fully uncompressed video, audio and data from 17 courts at Roland Garros to Los Angeles. 

This also improved the types of coverage the rights holders were able to provide to fans. The SMPTE ST 2110 integration meant more camera feeds were carried from the Paris venue, offering tennis fans worldwide significantly more viewing options, with simultaneous live feeds of different matches being made available.

The Switch’s robust delivery network enabled Tennis Channel to reach its largest audience yet for the men’s singles semifinal between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on June 11, reaching 511,000 viewers. 

“The Switch is at the forefront of innovation when it comes to the delivery of live tennis coverage and we are proud to have supported the main broadcast rights holders with high quality feeds,” noted Nicholas Castaneda, senior vice president of sales at The Switch. “We are excited to be among the industry players leading the way in integrating the SMPTE 2210 standard into live media workflows. It is great to see broadcasters such as Tennis Channel fulfilling the promise of full IP workflows for live event coverage and breaking new ground in audience reach.”

The Switch utilized three dedicated transmit paths between Europe and North America, one created specifically for the tournament, and installed new hardware onsite at Stade Roland Garros. 

Net Insight played a vital role in the French Open deployment, providing the primary backbone for The Switch’s network through the installation of several Nimbra nodes for the transport of high-performance feeds between Paris and LA.

Castaneda added that “the close collaboration between The Switch and Net Insight ensured that the project was delivered effortlessly and efficiently. The hardware was easy to configure and quick to set up by our engineering teams, who are really familiar with this best-in-class equipment. The use of Nimbra significantly reduced the cost and complexity of the installation and ensured we were able to be operational within three days.”

The media and entertainment sector has experienced disruption on a level no one could have previously imagined since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It has forced many in the industry—especially those producing live event coverage—to rethink their approach, spurring an incredible drive towards innovation. Many broadcasters and other content producers have, as a result, opened themselves to adopting live production solutions that veered from their accustomed methods; yet were already proven and, critically, are safer than traditional approaches in light of health concerns.

From scheduled sports and awards shows to ad hoc entertainment and enterprise events, live programming has been safely produced and delivered over the past year largely due to the advantages of remote and cloud-based production. What’s more, the industry migration toward these models has raised the bar for the future of live broadcasting and heralded a more permanent shift.

The pandemic has accelerated the trend toward remote methods and the use of cloud technologies and will continue to do so. While the rollout of vaccines globally points toward the return of a more “normal” situation for the industry at some point, ongoing uncertainty and the emergence of new, more transmissible COVID-19 variants will continue to drive the uptake of remote approaches and cloud tools. Rights holders and event producers worldwide are looking to remote production as a means of delivering high-quality coverage while ensuring the health and safety of every person involved, including production crews at every location, the talent and all personnel onsite at an event.

PIONEERING NEW WORKFLOWS FOR LIVE PRODUCTION 

The power of remote production was demonstrated by one of the largest and most complex projects in 2020: the move by CBS Sports—supported by The Switch—to use remote production workflow for Golf Channel broadcasts of a series of PGA Golf Tour events, including the [Tour] Championship. The production delivered feeds from 24 cameras and a multitude of audio sources from the site of each tournament, and connected teams from The Switch’s broadcast studios in Burbank, Calif., the CBS facility in Stamford, Conn., and other locations around the United States. 

Cloud-based production has also emerged as an invaluable tool for broadcasters, acting as a natural extension of existing remote production capabilities and providing significant benefits. The broadcast of a number of entertainment awards events, such as the livestreamed unveiling of the Grammy nominations last November, have leveraged cloud tools to safely provide and extend coverage. Live production in the cloud is now a tried and tested option that enables every element of the production pipeline—from clipping and editing to graphics creation to comms and talk-back—to be handled in the cloud.

Production crews can use these innovative solutions to operate from anywhere globally—or spread out across an array of locations—working on one platform. This approach also opens up exciting new opportunities for broadcasters and rights holders, such as the ability to instantly produce clips for social media and the rapid production of live shoulder programming, such as pre-game, post-game and highlight shows.

EXPANDING NETWORK CAPACITIES FOR A SAFER FUTURE

While remote and cloud-based production solutions have formed the bedrock of live event broadcasting during the pandemic, it is clear that this model has now demonstrated its efficiency, flexibility and reliability for the long term. The more widespread use of remote and cloud-based production is here to stay.

Looking beyond the pandemic, when conference centers, arenas, theatres and other venues are once again safe for crowds to return to, the use of remote and cloud-based production during the crisis has demonstrated its advantages. The potential for substantial cost savings, efficient use of resources and the ability to quickly adapt to any circumstance—regardless of an event’s location, crew members’ whereabouts and the distribution method—will continue to appeal to live content producers.

The nature of remote production, however, involves a considerably higher number of feeds being sent between venues, various production facilities, crew locations and other sites. This means network capacities need to eventually be extended to provide higher-bandwidth capacity. Deploying state-of-the-art connectivity at event locations is critical to allowing the transport of high-quality HD feeds via fibre paths, linking stadiums, arenas and other event venues with production and operations facilities across the globe.

The adoption of new industry standards and the shift to all-IP media workflows is also playing a crucial role in the industry-wide transition to remote and cloud-based production. Entirely IP-based production environments allow the flexible transport of video, audio and data across fibre and internet connectivity, meaning broadcasters can deliver more camera feeds from venues to multiple destinations while also making simultaneous live streams available.

DELIVERING MARQUEE SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS GLOBALLY 

The need for significantly higher connectivity has become clear to the organizers of major sports events being broadcast and livestreamed around the world. Rights holders are already putting in place the infrastructure they need to support remote and cloud-based production for coverage of major events such as tennis tournaments and awards shows.

Tennis Channel for example, tasked The Switch with delivering connectivity for the 2020 French Open. The Switch utilized three dedicated transmit paths between Europe and North America—one created specifically for the tournament—and installed new hardware on-site at Stade Roland Garros. The deployment allowed the transport of high-quality HD feeds via dedicated fibre paths across the Atlantic with SMPTE 2110 hand-off to Tennis Channel’s new production and operations facility in Los Angeles. The project enabled an all IP-based production environment for the first time. The new media workflow permitted the separate transport of high-quality feeds from 17 courts at Roland Garros to Los Angeles.

This type of setup offers the agility and efficiency more broadcasters and other live content providers are looking for to more efficiently deliver feeds in the highest quality—with no compromise on latency—while meeting viewers’ growing expectations.

EQUIPPING THE INDUSTRY

The pandemic has certainly tested the capabilities of broadcasters and rights holders. But at the same time, their ability to adapt and embrace new business models and technologies to overcome fresh challenges has been proven.

With a strong roster of live events set to resume in 2021, the industry needs more remote and cloud-based production to continue to deliver the seamless, quality broadcast of live events amid ongoing uncertainty, and it looks set to build on the use of these methods and technologies long after the pandemic is no longer a major factor.

Robert Szabo-Rowe is the senior vice president of engineering and product management at The Switch.

NEW YORK—In what it is calling an effort to support live content services and assist with the growing need for remote production, The Switch has announced a network expansion strategy that will begin with the deployment of a 100Gbit network in the northeast U.S.

This initial expansion is Phase One of The Switch’s strategy, which will extend The Switch’s current connectivity for live production and delivery services with the installation of higher-capacity connections into media and sports hubs in Boston, New York, Stamford, Conn., and Bristol, Conn., as well as other parts of the New England region. Further phases will rollout to the West Coast and other parts of the country.

Part of The Switch’s network upgrade is Net Insight’s Nimbra solutions. The 100Gbit fiber ring network uses the Nimbra 1060 next-generation media transport platform that is designed for all-IP networks and services. It also includes Nimbra 680 carrier-class multiservier media routers and edge compute devices. This setup enables The Switch to use a single platform for all media and network functions and flexibly deploy network resources, the company says.

The Switch says that it is seeing a large year-over-year surge in network traffic, with higher-capacity delivery a big need. The expansion project also comes on the footsteps of another initiative from The Switch, the launch of the new Production-as-a-Service offering MIMic, which supports cloud-based production from anywhere, the company says.

“Increasing our network capacity across a core part of The Switch network is a huge commitment to our customers that ensures we are able to meet their evolving needs,” said Eric Cooney, president and CEO of The Switch. “Each phase of our network expansion strategy will help fuel the industry shift towards new and more flexible production and distribution models, which has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

For more information, visit www.theswitch.tv.  

NEW YORK—The Switch and Japanese transmission and production service provider Aruji are bridging oceans, creating a transmission network to deliver live streams of sports and other events to audiences on both sides of the Pacific.

The deal provides Aruji with a direct link between its Tokyo facility and The Switch’s Los Angeles Network Operations Center. This enables Aruji to tap into The Switch’s connections to U.S. stadiums and arenas. The Switch will have similar access to venues in Japan, as well as Aruji’s teleports and production capabilities.

“This agreement brings mutual benefits to both companies’ customers in the drive to meet rising global demand for live content,” said Nicholas Castaneda, senior vice president of Sales, The Switch. “Live content continues to be a key revenue drive for our customers and partners, and Aruji will now be able to pick up live event feeds from anywhere on The Switch network, guaranteeing audiences seamless and compelling viewing experiences.”

For more information, visit www.theswitch.tv.  

FRISCO, Texas—MediaKind is the choice of The Switch to provide the next-generation IP infrastructure and content delivery services for New England Sports Network (NESN) as it transitions from satellite distribution to an IP-based terrestrial distribution system.

MediaKind’s Cygnus Distribution product will be a key piece to this transition, which combines video processing and content protection technology from MediaKind and The Switch’s hybrid fiber network to help NESN deliver live 4K UHD, HDR quality content.

The Cygnus Distribution platform controls the workflow, which consists of the MK Stream Processing software-based stream processing application for ensuring high availability and delivery efficiency on broadcast and multiscreen platforms; the System Multiplexer to support NESN’s stream processing applications in terrestrial central headends, which can be updated for future expansions; and RX1 Receivers for delivery of NESN’s content at low-latency. The workflow is also supported by SRT open source transport specification.

“NESN now benefits from a flexible video distribution network, and guaranteed delivery of superior live sports feeds for Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins games, as well as hundreds of other live college sports events,” said Robert Szabo-Rowe, senior vice president of engineering and product management, The Switch.

NEW YORK—New England Sports Network has selected The Switch to provide the station with a new IP infrastructure and content delivery services. This will include having The Switch’s hybrid fiber/internet network replace NESN’s existing satellite distribution platform.

The Switch’s terrestrial distribution platform is designed to offer a fully integrated, state-of-the-art system that features next-gen video compression, encryption, receiver management & control and a redundant transmission network. For NESN, this is expected to deliver superior live sports feeds of Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins and Connecticut Sun games, as well as college sports events.

As part of the deal, NESN can ensure redundancy to its major affiliate distributors without impacting the final viewing experience, it says. Also, The Switch provides live monitoring from its New York City Operation Center for every game, as well as continuous network operations and engineering support.

“We are now in a position to utilize the best capabilities of fiber and internet to ensure the highest possible signal quality for live broadcasts and we have now laid the important groundwork to deliver our broadcasts in 4K HDR,” said Fahad Haider, CTO and vice president of Engineering at NESN.

For more information, visit www.theswitch.tv.  

NEW YORK—CBS Sports has had to rely on new production techniques to bring PGA Tour golf tournaments to fans during the pandemic. One new technique is the use of at-home/REMI production technology from The Switch for live telecasts.

Supported by The Switch through its Burbank, Calif.-based control rooms and on-site low-latency connectivity, CBS Sports Productions has been able to produce a number of at-home/REMI telecasts in recent weeks that aired on the Golf Channel, including coverage of the recent PGA Championship.

For these broadcasts, 24 cameras and a multitude of audio sources were transported from each golf course to the Burbank control rooms. These sources were available to the CBS crew in Stamford, Conn., for them to produce and direct the telecast, replays and editorial off multiviewers. The Switch’s Burbank location also served as the originator for broadcast features like Top Tracer, Hawk-Eye and Video Shading.

This setup connects teams from around the U.S. This includes the site of the tournament where CBS host Jim Nantz broadcasts, as well as Orlando, Fla., where other CBS golf analysts call the tournament from. It also helps connect additional places needed for CBS Sports’ production, including New Zealand.

Of course, the need for remote production arose because of the COVID-19 pandemic to help keep production crews safe. The Switch maintains that “safety-first” practice at its Burbank facility, with technical and production crews handling the broadcasts remotely in Burbank, which reduced the number of personnel required on the course for each tournament. 

In addition, “containment zones” have been erected in the control, audio, replay, graphics and support rooms that only designated people can access. The Switch has also reworked its HVAC system to bring only outside air into containment zones; separate building entrances have been created; hygiene and deep-cleaning protocols have been put in place; and personnel in the containment zones were sequestered and administered daily COVID screening protocols.

“Certainly none of us anticipated the COVID outbreak and the impact to live sports, but the collective engineering, operations and production teams have done a remarkable job to bring back broadcast quality, live PGA Tour golf to an enthusiastic public audience in this new environment,” said Eric Cooney, president and CEO of The Switch. “While many of the COVID-related complexities will diminish as the pandemic is brought under control, our industry has significantly accelerated its comfort level and adoption of remote production solutions. We look forward to pushing the creative envelope with our broadcast partners in the rapid evolution of live sports production.”

For more information, visit www.theswitch.tv.  

NEW YORK—The Switch is aiming to make remote production easier for live events organizers with the launch of a new cloud-based production-as-a-service solution.

MiMiC aims to give broadcasters, streaming services, rights holders and enterprises access to remote production capabilities for live and virtual events of all sizes. The solution combines both the cloud and The Switch’s global network for content distribution.

According to the company, MIMiC delivers the convenience of a complete end-to-end service, and is available as a flexible on-demand "as-a-Service" offering that includes remote IP-video contribution, production and clipping tools, and distribution.

All aspects of the production workflow, from editing and graphics creation, to comms and talk-back, are handled in the cloud. Key features include support for sports data feeds, contribution connectivity, contribution encoding equipment, program distribution and production staffing.

The Switch had initially planned to launch the solution later this summer, but Robert Szabo-Rowe, senior vice president of Product Management, told TVBEurope the current pandemic changed their thinking: “It’s fair to say that we have probably launched this about a month earlier than we were expecting because of the current COVID-19 situation. We have been working on this for quite a long time, this is probably six months of work or more as far as preparing the service for launch.”

Remote production as a concept and as a set of technological capabilities has of course been around for a number of years. The Switch’s president and CEO, Eric Cooney, believes the current pandemic has helped advance its adoption by broadcasters, event organizers and sports leagues. “People are asking, how can I travel less, how can I keep my people safe? Those requirements in a pandemic environment are better met in a remote production environment than in a traditional production services environment. So, we are seeing an increased demand for remote production as a consequence of COVID-19.

“Our view is that there are very clear both economic and operational advantages to a remote production service capability,” Cooney added. “And, I think informed by the experience of coronavirus, there are a number of folks, particularly at the tier one level, who are doing more in terms of remote production, out of necessity than perhaps they otherwise would have done.

“I think coming out of coronavirus with that experience under their belt in terms of quality, the cost and the performance, we’ll definitely see across the spectrum a greater comfort level with remote production services as just a viable part of the portfolio of choices that a rights holder has to bring their content to market.”

This article originally appeared on TVT's sister publication TVBEurope.

With lockdown measures easing in many places around the globe and a return to something resembling “life as normal” hopefully on the horizon, one thing in particular is on the minds of ardent sports fans: namely, getting live games back on their screens. Rebroadcasts of classic games and sports documentaries such as “The Last Dance,” the acclaimed Netflix and ESPN series, are feeding the appetite for all things sports while live events have been put on hold. A spike in esports on TV screens, such as the record breaking eNascar iRacing series, has also helped. Yet these options only go so far in satisfying sports fans’ hunger for genuine, live physical events.

As the world steadily comes to grips with the global pandemic, leagues and broadcasters are now keen to find the most straightforward ways to get live sporting events back on air as soon as they can. A return to life-as-normal is of course a shared goal for most industries, but what has become clear is that, even with an easing of restrictions and economies slowly opening up, the effects of COVID-19 will continue to reverberate in sports and other walks of life.

A world in which arenas are packed with fans, and international travel is once again the norm for teams and sporting personalities, will not return any time soon. Instead, sports leagues and rights owners must prioritize the welfare and well-being of staff, fans and players, likely leading to a “halfway house” scenario: games played behind-closed-doors with just key participants attending. As broadcasters and sports leagues around the world look at ways to begin bringing live sports back on air, one approach makes more sense than ever: remote production (REMI).

PLUS: Fox Sports, NASCAR Prep for Live Production

KICK-STARTING THE SPORTING CALENDAR

While the remote approach to live production has been leveraged for some larger events, it is still the exception rather than the rule for mainstream sports. However, as broadcasters, other rights holders and leagues make the gradual transition towards normality, finding new, safer ways to deliver the compelling live sports content that fans demand is imperative. Indeed, the time is right for remote production. It is a practical, deliverable and proven option for producing live events that lightens the load when it comes to travel, equipment and on-site staffing.

Remote production eliminates the need for large mobile units and crews at the event venue itself, creating a safer environment for production staff by ensuring that social distancing guidelines can easily be met. Employing remote capabilities means broadcasters and leagues can centralize production at their home studios or a dedicated third-party location—such as one of The Switch’s remote production facilities in Burbank or New York—with minimal crews onsite. This model involves broadcasters transmitting camera feeds, audio and equipment control over a private fiber network, at low latency, to the central facility. From here, operators can then remotely configure cameras and other equipment at the event site. 

In short, as lockdown conditions ease, the REMI approach—pioneered over the past few years by The Switch and other live broadcast innovators—offers a faster and safer route for leagues, rights holders and fans to get what they want: live sports back on air.

As we steadily move into the post-COVID era, remote production of live sports events is coming into its own—especially where rights holders tap into the expertise of a partner that understands live sports and has deep experience in remote production. In fact, remote production has already been leveraged by major sports networks and rights owners, such as NFL Network, which leveraged The Switch’s REMI services to produce and deliver a 10-game Conference USA college football schedule in 2019. 

PREPARING FOR THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ OF LIVE SPORTS

Post lockdown, the advantages of remote production go far beyond the ability to have smaller crews and less equipment on site. The more than 30% cost savings give broadcasters and other rights holders the scope to improve efficiency and even explore ways that they can deliver live content, from online streaming of shoulder programming through to social media integration.

Traditional linear TV has traditionally dominated live sports viewing, but it is far from the only game in town today. The live sports on-air vacuum is accelerating consumer take-up of streaming, with the new stay-at-home society accessing more streamed content than ever. Online streaming platforms have witnessed a 43% jump in viewership in the week starting March 29, according to analytics firm Stream Hatchet. Similarly, esports streaming service Twitch saw a 60% jump in viewership in March this year. When normal conditions resume, traditional sports broadcasters and leagues will need to meet this uptick in the demand for content across all platforms.

Aside from significant cost savings, remote production offers the potential for higher-quality production, with the ability to support more camera feeds and specialty equipment, such as SkyCam and RF cameras. Centralizing production also brings the advantage of greater flexibility, and the ability to cover multiple events in one day—and REMI’s reduced need for travel and shipping of equipment makes it more environmentally friendly.

What’s more, having a core group of experienced technicians covering a series of games for the same league is of huge value to broadcasters. An experienced crew knows what to expect, what to do and, critically, having worked together on a number of high-level broadcasts they will have established great communication, ensuring productions flow seamlessly and maintain the same look and feel across the season. 

LIFE BEYOND LOCKDOWN

By enabling production crews to work in a home studio with reduced travel, remote production can also transform the impact on the work-life balance of staff, making careers more sustainable. This also means the pool of talent widens; skilled people who are normally unable or unwilling to constantly travel will now be drawn to working in the sector. These considerations will likely play an increasingly central role in the future evolution of live production.

Remote production offers a win-win for fans and rights holders, and it makes a compelling case for becoming the “new normal” for live sports. With rising costs and elevated consumer expectations already putting pressure on the live sports industry, remote production provides many of the answers that broadcasters and content producers seek. In addition to providing a means to get live sports back on air as soon as possible, this approach also provides the tools broadcasters need to take sports production to the next level. 

Glenn Adamo is managing director of Production Services at The Switch.

At first it seemed like the stuff of a Hollywood thriller, but the social distancing, self-isolation and lockdown resulting from the global pandemic has rapidly become the “new normal.” Overnight, the face-to-face method of doing business has given way to the digital and virtual. The home working, event cancellations and travel restrictions made necessary by the COVID-19 crisis have meant enterprises that had previously used online communications mainly for webinars or streaming coverage of large-scale live corporate events now find that digital platforms are the only way to reach their business audiences.

Enterprises are now faced with the unprecedented challenge of ensuring business-as-usual and ongoing momentum, while prioritizing the welfare of staff, customers, partners and other business contacts. A March survey by Econsultancy and Marketing Week shows that 57% of North American marketers say their product or service launches are now delayed or under review, while a similar proportion say the same is true for marketing initiatives. 

The trouble is, live enterprise events such as press conferences, product launches, corporate announcements, investor briefings, customer seminars, town hall meetings and campaign kick-offs cannot wait indefinitely. Businesses need to get their message out and therefore have to find creative approaches to make the virtual as compelling and impactful as the live and in person.

MAKING THE VIRTUAL AS GRIPPING AS LIVE

By making the internet work for them in highly effective ways, astute enterprises are finding new ways to engage and inform their clients, employees, investors and other stakeholders. There are a few simple, low-cost options that many are already employing, such as basic video call and conferencing applications. The reality for corporate events is that webinar-level technology tools might be suitable for small, more intimate digital meetings, but a more robust and reliable approach is needed to take a major virtual announcement or conference beyond talking heads in a poorly lit room.

For live business events reaching audiences in the hundreds or thousands to have the gravitas and polish they need to really stand out, enterprises must raise their game and produce TV-quality experiences that offer the next best thing to being there. Those broadcasting to large, even global, audiences also need the scalability to manage surges in viewers. Broadcast-caliber live production and streaming, combined with remote production techniques, provides a clear professional-grade option. 

The remote approach is already being taken by broadcasters like CNN and ABC News. But even some of the broadcast networks are struggling when they don’t have the right setup to support parts of their news programs, sometimes resulting in bad audio, drop-outs and picture issues for video interviews streamed via home broadband—which is a “best effort” solution. The fact that most home broadband connections are geared towards the downstream and not uplinks is one of the major challenges with this setup.

To counter this, more organizations are effectively moving to the use of video links where interviewees use Skype or other special video conferencing apps that feed, contribution style, into a professional production environment. This allows production teams to create a recognizable host-led package that is near to broadcast quality.

BRINGING BROADCAST-GRADE RELIABILITY TO THE ENTERPRISE EVENT

This approach can be applied to either live news broadcasts or enterprise events with the help of studio facility and a broadcast services partner. At The Switch, we are already providing this type of production service through our Burbank studio, running a skeleton crew while acting as a central hub to manage these distributed productions. In these cases, a single participant can still come into one or more professional studios in global media centers such as Los Angeles, New York or London, while others join via Skype.

Although some guests are still contributing via open internet, this type of production facility can offer dedicated connectivity linked directly into key broadcast hubs and other distribution points, such as Amazon Web Services, and low latency links into global platforms such as YouTube Live, Twitter and Facebook. It’s not flawless, but it is a major step up from hoping each speaker’s broadband keeps stable while they are on camera.

Shifting from a live enterprise event to a video-based equivalent requires a level of professional expertise that will ensure that every aspect is delivered to meet the expectations of the audience. Especially challenging live events are those that include an interactive session, such as a press conference or client workshop, where a presenter is delivering a speech, along with video inserts, graphics and even a Q&A—an experienced partner can be key here.

BORROWING FROM SPORTS BROADCASTING

With most markets still in lockdown mode, even a closed auditorium with a three-person video crew—and far less potential for social mingling—still seems a step too far. We will reach a point, in the hopefully not-too-distant future, where the pandemic starts to diminish and a “behind-closed-doors” halfway house with just key participants and minimal crews will support enterprise events.

In this scenario, remote production can be applied to expand the number of locations for events, using approaches from the world of sports broadcasting. In effect, “ghost studios” with lights and cameras remotely operated from a centralized production desk can be run from many venues, including theatres, auditoriums and arenas—most of which already have dedicated lease line connectivity into a broadcast services provider that can guarantee bandwidth.

Live events will return, but as organizations start to become more comfortable with the top-end digital equivalents, the ability to deliver remote, virtual launches, conferences and presentations has the potential to become a primary option rather than a fallback for many events—or at least an essential component of enterprise outreach around them. This becomes even more crucial for organizations seeking to reach global audiences with a simultaneous message that drives their business forward.

George Lopez is senior vice president of operations at The Switch.

NEW YORK—Robert Szabo-Rowe has been brought on as the new senior vice president of product management by The Switch. The role will see Szabo-Rowe lead the growth and development strategy for the company’s live production and transmission products and services.

With more than 25 years of senior executive management experience in technology, media and telecommunications, Szabo-Rowe joins The Switch after most recently serving as the executive vice president and general manager of live production and infrastructure for Snell Advanced Media through its acquisition by Belden. Previous positions also included being CTO for Cambridge Positioning Systems and vice president of network design and technology for Aerial Communications Inc.

“This is a particularly exciting time to join The Switch,” said Szabo-Rowe. “Our transmission and production platform, bundled and delivered as a managed service offering, is such a timely and compelling offering for today’s rapidly evolving media and technology landscape.”

Szabo-Rowe will report directly to Eric Cooney, president and CEO of The Switch.

AMSTERDAM—Ahead of its demonstration at IBC 2019, The Switch has announced that it is launching a new brand and website the company says “underlines The Switch’s comprehensive network reach and three decades of experience in live event production.”

The new brand features the strapline “Always On, Always There,” which will appear on its new website, its IBC stand, and the company’s studio and production facilities in Burbank, Calif., Los Angeles, New York and London.

“The new branding reflects The Switch’s position in the modern landscape of live video production and transmission, in which we support some of the most talked about live events in sports, esports, news, entertainment and enterprise,” said Kevin O’Meara, vice president of marketing for The Switch. This includes a multiplatform global transmission network and mobile and at-home/remove video production capabilities.

Check out the new website for The Switch at www.theswitch.tv.

During IBC 2019, which runs from Sept. 13-17 in Amsterdam, The Switch will be located at stand 5.A73.

NEW YORK—Live video production and global transmission platform The Switch will be doing more than catching some California sun with its expansion out west, as the company’s newly announced Burbank, Calif., facility is designed to expand The Switch At-Home production services. This new at-home/remote production facility is designed to meet growing demand for live content, with sports production among the biggest drivers.

The new Switch At-Home facility will strive to assist with this need by providing a single platform for delivering multiple live productions, simultaneously or standalone, from any location—i.e., the Burbank control room, the customer’s control room or remotely—at any time. The expanded service uses The Switch’s low-latency transmission network or satellite links to deliver raw (ISO) feeds, audio and equipment control to the Burbank Remote Control Room.

“At our extended Burbank at-home facility, we can help broadcasters, rights holders and content creators move toward a smarter economic model that allows a flexible approach to live production,” said George Lopez, The Switch’s senior vice president of operations. “Customers have the flexibility to remotely control cameras and other equipment at the event site or a more traditional broadcast program.”

The expanded The Switch At-Home service will be part of the company’s booth presentation during the IBC 2019 conference in Amsterdam from Sept. 13-17.

NEW YORK—Eric Cooney, who has held the position of CEO three previous times in his career, most notably with Snell Advanced Media, will once again carry the title, as cloud services provider The Switch has announced him as its new president and CEO, effective immediately. Cooney replaces Keith Buckley as CEO, who is joining True Wind Capital, The Switch’s major investor, as an operating executive; he will also provide advisory services to The Switch.

Among Cooney’s main tasks in his new position will be to push accelerated growth through product innovation, both organically and with mergers and acquisitions.

“Eric is an experienced CEO with deep industry knowledge and a track record for driving strategy and resource allocation to maximize value creation,” said Adam Clammer, The Switch’s chairman and founding partner of True Wind Capital. “I am confident that The Switch is well positioned for our next stage of accelerated growth and market expansion under Eric’s leadership.”

Cooney, who has more than 25 years of leadership experience in the technology, media and telecommunications sector, most recently served as an operating executive at True Wind Capital and a board director for The Switch. In addition to his stint as CEO for Snell, Cooney has also been CEO for Tandberg Television and Internap.

“I see tremendous opportunity to build on The Switch’s platform and extend the scale and scope of our media services,” said Cooney. “I’m honored and excited to join the team and lead the organization, particularly during a period with such significant change across the entire mediatech landscape.”

LONDON — An estimated two billion people worldwide watched “The Royal Wedding” of Britain’s Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle, which was broadcast live, on Saturday, May 19, from St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

During the historic weekend, The Switch — a provider of video switching, satellite and local fiber circuit services — worked behind the scenes to transmit over 200 hours of news and entertainment coverage on behalf of its broadcast customers covering the event.

These broadcasters were given access to a fully-manned stand-up position that The Switch set-up at Windsor Castle, in partnership with ITN. From this location, members of the media could hand off live and replay feeds for distribution by The Switch’s London facilities.

[Read: NAB Show — The Switch to Highlight Video Transmission Services Platform]

The Switch then delivered these feeds to multiple distribution outlets across the United Kingdom, as well as internationally to the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia for both linear distribution and over-the-top platforms.

The Switch’s London studios were also utilized for live shots supporting the event.

And, leveraging its ties with the British broadcast community, The Switch also provided The Royal Wedding International clean feed to news organizations that had licensed the event.

“Utilizing The Switch to aid in the distribution of our news coverage allowed us to simplify one piece of a complex event,” said Tami Hoffman, Head of News at ITN Productions. “As one of the three host broadcasters, we appreciate the quality and ease of delivering news coverage to The Switch on a day of record output.”

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LAS VEGAS — At the 2018 NAB Show, The Switch will highlight its customer-controlled, global video transmission services platform, which is designed to support an entire media ecosystem.

Products utilizing this fiber/satellite transmission network include: The Switch OTT, which acquires, encodes and formats media for access to Content Delivery Networks and/or by Amazon Web Services and Direct Connect. With live event packaging and management services, The Switch OTT integrates content elements into live programming, customizing the OTT experience for every platform.

The Switch At-Home integrates camera feeds, audio channels, and file-based workflows to enable production at customer broadcast centers. The Switch’s At-Home virtual service goes further by utilizing The Switch as production control, producing programming in The Switch’s secure private cloud for multi-platform delivery.

[Read: ‘A Capitol Fourth’ Goes OTT With The Switch]

The Switch Mobile provides remote production trailers that bring high-bandwidth, redundant, diverse services to remote locations. The Switch Ethernet, which connects over 175 venues to The Switch network, supports remote production with Ethernet circuits provisioned over the same network providing transport between venues and points of presence.

The Switch operates nine studios, complete with cameras, audio equipment, lighting, teleprompter, and city backgrounds. Located in major media markets like Los Angeles, New York and London, these studios can be used for media tours and multiple-talent interviews, product staging, voiceovers and more.

The SwitchIT switching platform puts customers in control of scheduling and provisioning network usage, with no minimum or maximum times or cancellation penalties.

The Switch will be in booth SU4910.

WASHINGTON—To celebrate America’s birthday, the annual “A Capitol Fourth” broadcast from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol was delivered over both Facebook Live and YouTube. To support the necessary transport services, the broadcasters utilized The Switch.

The Switch provided both fiber and satellite contribution services to support the linear and OTT distribution of “A Capitol Fourth.” OTT production control room and personnel resources were supplied by The Switch in Los Angeles to for the broadcast, including tools for live closed captions, to both YouTube and Facebook for the Eastern and Pacific Time Zone telecasts.

In addition to being aired OTT, “A Capitol Fourth” was broadcast live on PBS stations.