WDR Relies On Riedel Backbone For Remote Production Of UEFA Euro 2024
Once logged in you can set content preferences to let us know what you are interested in and whether you want to receive email from us.
Already Registered? Login
The German regional public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) has implemented a Riedel backbone for communications and signal distribution for the ARD broadcast of the UEFA European Football Championship 2024.
In collaboration with Broadcast Solutions and Riedel's Managed Technology Division, the media and intercom infrastructure at WDR’s Broadcast Center Cologne (BCC) was temporarily expanded to enable flexible and efficient remote production for linear TV, radio, online, and social media.
WDR opted for a centralized remote production from its Cologne location, which helped reduce travel and personnel costs. For this purpose, all UEFA feeds were centrally organized via the German public broadcaster control room in Mainz, decoded, and sent directly to Cologne over fiber. In addition, signals from up to six unilateral cameras with embedded audio were transmitted from each stadium to Cologne. There, all signals converged in a dispatcher room used by production, editorial, and technical staff, and were distributed throughout the Cologne campus.
Due to the high number of additional signals to be processed in the BCC, the WDR infrastructure was temporarily expanded by 17 MediorNet MicroN UHD nodes. Ten of these nodes were equipped with the Standard App to sync the unsynchronized UEFA feeds to the house clock and enable flexible distribution of video and audio signals. The remaining seven nodes used the MultiViewer App for scalable multiviewing capacities. The orchestration layer, hi human interface from Broadcast Solutions, was chosen to control and configure the infrastructure.
In addition to the existing intercom system, WDR rented an extra Riedel Artist Node with MADI cards to connect the commentator stations in the stadiums, as well as additional intercom panels to accommodate the increased number of workstations.
The integration of Euro 2024 into WDR's ongoing operations required careful planning to ensure that its regular processes remained undisturbed. For example, the Euro 2024 control room was decoupled from the main WDR control room to ensure dedicated processing of the European Championship content. Close cooperation from system planning to technical implementation ensured that the system met WDR's requirements and functioned flawlessly.
You might also like...
Microphones: Part 10 - Mid-Side (M-S) Recording And Processing
M-S techniques provide useful sound-field positioning and a convenient way to check mono compatibility. We explain the hard science behind this often misunderstood technique.
Monitoring & Compliance In Broadcast: Monitoring Cloud Infrastructure
If we take cloud infrastructures to their extreme, that is, their physical locality is unknown to us, then monitoring them becomes a whole new ball game, especially as dispersed teams use them for production.
Phil Rhodes Image Capture NAB 2025 Show Floor Report
Our resident image capture expert Phil Rhodes offers up his own personal impressions of the technology he encountered walking the halls at the 2025 NAB Show.
Microphones: Part 9 - The Science Of Stereo Capture & Reproduction
Here we look at the science of using a matched pair of microphones positioned as a coincident pair to capture stereo sound images.
Monitoring & Compliance In Broadcast: Monitoring Cloud Networks
Networks, by their very definition are dispersed. But some are more dispersed than others, especially when we look at the challenges multi-site and remote teams face.