Just like the village of support staff preparing elite athletes to reach new heights during competition, covering every angle of the 17-day event and bringing it to every corner of the world requires an incredible team working behind-the-scenes. Today, NEP takes you behind the scenes of the integrated solutions it provided to the host broadcaster and many global rights holders to deliver this prestigious event to televisions and devices everywhere.

In Paris, NEP provided TFC-powered IP facilities including traditional OBs and flypacks, specialty capture solutions, connectivity, RF solutions, rental equipment services and media asset management.  

The key feature of this year’s broadcast infrastructure was the virtual OB (vOB) solution that supported multi-venue around-the-clock coverage and was managed by NEP’s TFC broadcast control platform. TFC, invented by NEP engineers, was uniquely positioned to provide solutions in an IP environment of this scale, providing broadcast control, SDN, monitoring, alarming and 24/7 support from NEP’s TFC engineers. In addition, TFC’s technology-agnostic characteristic allowed for seamless collaboration with many other broadcast and media services partners working in tandem to deliver this global event.  

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In addition to the broadcast technology and equipment provided to rights holders in Paris, NEP teams from across the globe were onsite delivering 24/7 client services and support. The NEP onsite presence included engineers, technical managers, project managers, sales leadership and other support staff from these locations, among others:

• NEP Australia
• NEP Belgium
• NEP Germany
• NEP Ireland
• NEP Connect
• NEP Japan
• NEP New Zealand
• NEP Singapore
• NEP Sweden
• NEP The Netherlands
• NEP UK
• NEP U.S.
• NEP Fletcher
• NEP Bexel
• NEP AVS

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The Virtualized Outside Broadcast (vOB) Facility in Paris

This year’s preeminent global sporting event in Paris was the first one of its kind where the live broadcasts were produced and distributed using software defined broadcast technology architecture.  

The virtual OB systems were deployed across three significant venues to capture in-venue broadcast content. All video, audio and data feeds were sent to the IBC via ST 2110 over fiber. There the content was produced and processed for distribution for the global viewing audience using cloud-based workflows controlled by NEP’s TFC. For each of the three venues, a slightly different approach was employed, but NEP used the same core switch and server kit, ensuring unified hardware across all applications.

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The vOB delivered on the key technology pillars defined in the extensive planning leading up to the event: broadcast control, software defined networking, monitoring and alarming, vision mixing, audio mixing, replay, glue and measurement and multi-viewing.  In the end, the great flexibility and scalability offered by the vOB architecture was realized in Paris. For much more on the vOB solution, including insight from Geert Thoelen, Director of Technoloy, NEP Belgium, and Dan Murphy, VP, Product Management, visit Sports Video Group’s coverage of the vOB in their “Live From Paris 2024” series.

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Featured Post: “The Magic of Athletic Competition and The People Behind The Scenes Who Bring It To Us”

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“I couldn't be prouder of the role our teams at NEP – and our entire industry – play every day helping to bring the magic of live sport to millions of fans. Here’s to all the athletes who inspire us and to the many, many people behind the scenes who make these moments possible for you and me.”  

–Martin Stewart, CEO, NEP Group

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Just prior to the 2024 event beginning, NEP Group CEO Martin Stewart shared a personal story of admiration and appreciation for the pure competition on display at major sporting events, and the talented teams behind the scenes working to bring it to life to audiences everywhere.  

An excerpt of the article shared on LinkedIn includes:  

“Behind the scenes, crew members from every part of the world will be working inside and outside of event venues to deliver the action you watch on your television or device. As head of NEP, I am proud to call many of these professionals my colleagues and friends.

They are the experts who operate the cameras that capture every angle, design the lighting that brings stunning images to life, mix audio from dozens of sources to tell stories through sound, design and install the magnificent video screens you see around each venue, and replay the moments you want to see over and over again.

They are the IT, software and broadcast engineers making sure connections work smoothly and data is protected, and the warehouse, operations and logistics teams who make sure that every person and piece of equipment arrives on time, safely, where it needs to be.

All of this happens behind the scenes to support the producers, directors, broadcasters, streamers and rights holders we work for, ultimately bringing the action as it is happening to fans wherever they may be.”

The full text can be found here.  

Visit nepgroup.com to learn more about NEP’s media services and connected production solutions.

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