Top Rank Boxing has returned to television screens for the first time since the pandemic began, and to meet the challenges of live broadcasting in the pandemic world, the boxing promoter enlisted the help of PSSI Global Services. PSSI is providing a full complement of traditional and IP-based transmission services for Top Rank’s series of live fights from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and accomplished several industry firsts in the process.

To facilitate a seamless broadcast despite the obstacles created by the pandemic, PSSI is providing both on-site engineering services and off-site monitoring and management. The company is leveraging Nextologies equipment to deliver the primary pathways via IP transport.

This collaboration between PSSI and Top Rank also marks the first IP live international distribution to several countries. To help minimize the overall on-site presence of talent and staff, PSSI, in close partnership with Nextologies, also engineered a solution to integrate ringside commentary remotely over a customized IP network.

"We are so pleased that we have been able to stage the first of many ‘studio shows’ live from the MGM in Las Vegas,” said Top Rank Chief Operating Officer, Brad Jacobs. “Our primary objective is to present events with the safety, health and well-being of everyone on the ground in Las Vegas in the forefront, and we have accomplished that goal. Our next priority is to deliver a terrific-looking program to our fans watching across the globe. We are thrilled as always to partner with PSSI to deliver the signals worldwide in new and exciting ways.”

For each fight, PSSI has been generating an IP feed to Paragon Media, where the company’s engineering team is on-site providing two-way remote ringside commentary services. A separate feed goes to a Nextologies server for IP distribution to several worldwide broadcast partners. This approach builds on the company’s longstanding international satellite distribution model, expanding Top Rank’s reach and flexibility.

As a key link in the overall transmission chain, PSSI International Teleport in Pittsburgh has been leveraged not only as a gateway for the live international distribution of these events, but also as an oversight layer for the full network, including satellite, fiber and IP elements.