“The Match II” charity golf event presented a significant live broadcast transmission challenge with bad weather for C-Band data uplinks and no local fiber. To support the event, which turned out to be the most-watched golf telecast in the history of cable TV, PSSI Global Services provided several primary and backup paths, as well as data and internet via satellite, using C-band transmission vehicles.

Live from the Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida, “The Match II” featured Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in an event that raised $20 million for COVID-19 relief. Attracting a peak of 6.3 million viewers, “The Match II” aired on four channels in the U.S. and internationally on CNN International.

Working in partnership with Turner Sports, PSSI provided C-band transmission and data services all week for testing and event services. In total, PSSI provided 420 mbps of services simultaneously via four Eutelsat C-band satellite transponders and utilized earth stations at PSSI International Teleport (PIT) to back up the Turner teleport due to the poor weather at both the Medalist Golf Club and Turner’s facilities in Atlanta, Georgia.

PSSI had two C-band transmission vehicles at the origination site and worked in collaboration with PIT to transmit two separate paths of video and 16 channels of audio from each of the vehicles. The company also provided 100 mbps of bidirectional data and 50 mbps of bidirectional internet. All satellite capacity for the project was provided by Eutelsat and accessed via PIT.

“The success of this project reflects the ongoing, and even increasing, value of satellite as a transmission method, and C-band especially in such inclement weather,” said PSSI CEO Rob Lamb. “Despite the challenges presented by the lack of fiber infrastructure and weather conditions, we were able to leverage the C-band spectrum and our expansive satellite resources to engineer a seamless transmission.”

Recently, PSSI also harnessed the power of satellite to accomplish a challenging transmission feat for the American Idol finale. With social distancing measures preventing the show from being hosted in a single venue, PSSI deployed satellite transmission vehicles and engineers to the homes of each individual contestant and judge, as well as to the main production studio in Burbank, California. All remote and return feeds were transmitted on three transponders of Eutelsat 113 West A, using PIT as a point of access for PSSI’s remote engineers.