Manchester City Selects Blackmagic Design for Academy Stadium
Blackmagic ATEM switcher at Manchester City's Academy Stadium.
Manchester City Football Club has integrated Blackmagic Design infrastructure to handle all aspects of video production across its Academy Stadium, which is located at its elite training and youth development facility, the City Football Academy. As well as delivering big screen content during the club’s Under 21, Under 23 and Women’s Super League fixtures, the system, built around four Blackmagic Studio Cameras, ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K and Smart Videohub 40x40, is also the main production hub for streaming matches via Facebook Live.
The solution for one of the UK's leading Premier League football clubs, which was delivered by Timeline TV, produces two mixes during games; one which is fed to the stadium’s 15 square-metre jumbo screen and through to broadcasters, and one for the club’s streaming channels.
“Our brief for the install reflected the ways in which sporting events coverage has evolved over the past few years. From the outset we required a solution that would allow us to share the action on the pitch, not only with those watching at the Academy Stadium but also to the club’s international fans across the globe,” explains Paula Livsley, Production Manager, Manchester City.
“The production crew on any given match day could number up to fifteen people depending on the game, including camera operators for the four camera positions, located pitch side and in the gantries, as well as commentators and graphics producers. The fundamental difference between our two feeds is the graphics overlays and analytical information added to our programs which we create on the Blackmagic ATEM switchers. As well as the camera feeds, we also add in instant replays and contentious review footage during the matches,” continues Paula Livsley.
Cover play at the Academy Stadium wth Blackmagic Studio Camera.
Before and after games the team also produces player interviews and additional exclusive content, which are predominately screened on Manchester City’s media channels.
Livsley added, “Blackmagic’s Studio Cameras can be pole or tripod mounted, and produce excellent image quality whether outdoors in the stadium or when in use during a studio shoot. Within the stadium, we rely on optical fibre to connect our camera positions to the main production gallery. Each location is equipped with its own ATEM Camera Converter while an ATEM Talkback Converter 4K in the control room closes the loop and allows for talkback and tally using the same optical fibre runs.”
All of the signal management throughout the Manchester City Academy Stadium relies on a Blackmagic Smart Videohub 40 x 40, which forms the central hub for the stadium’s fibre infrastructure.
You might also like...
System Showcase: Ireland’s RTÉ Adds Video To Its Radio Studios To Increase Content Value
RTE’s move to new studios prompted a project to add more sophisticated video capabilities to its new radio studios, reflecting a global trend towards the consumption of radio online.
Understanding IP Broadcast Production Networks: Part 2 - Routers & Switches
How Routers & Switches reduce traffic congestion and improve security.
The Peril Of HDR: Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should
There is a disturbing and growing consensus among viewers that many movies and TV shows today are under illuminated or simply too dark. As DOPs, we surely share some of the blame, but there is plenty of blame to go…
Waves: Part 9 - Propagation Inversion
As a child I came under two powerful influences. The first of these was electricity. My father was the chief electrician at a chemical works and he would bring home any broken or redundant electrical parts for me to tinker…
Understanding IP Broadcast Production Networks: Part 1 - Basic Principles Of IP
This is the first of a series of 14 articles that re-visit the basic building blocks of knowledge required to understand how IP networks actually work in the context of broadcast production systems.