Africa Cup of Nations 2019: Globecast helps organisers and rights holders with 4K broadcasts and VoD content

Globecast is providing contribution, distribution and video-on-demand services at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, working with both the tournament’s organisers and various rights holders.

The Orange-owned company is partnering with the Egyptian Local Organising Committee (LOC), Lagardère Sports and the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) throughout the competition.

The range of services being supplied in 2019 include contribution, distribution and VOD content preparation and storage. For the first time, the opening match and the final are being broadcast in 4K, using HEVC encoding. In total there are 52 matches being held in four cities across Egypt.

At each stadium, Globecast is supplying two flyaway SNGs. The first is uplinking the main feed, plus a second feed with additional pre-match footage to build more involvement in the event. Full redundancy is provided by the second SNG. The primary feeds are being received at Globecast’s Paris teleport and are then turned around for onward distribution. The backup feed is received in London.

VoD content is being prepared by Globecast using its Content Marketplace service, a module of its Digital Media Hub content processing suite.

Signals are transcoded into multiple formats and resolutions, including full broadcast quality, clipped and metadata added. Each broadcast affiliate using the system then receives new content notifications to promote download.

Globecast has a long-standing agreement with CAF.

Philippe Bernard, the chairman and chief executive of Globecast, said, “This year sees particular innovation with the use of both 4K and VOD content supply, with our innovative Content Marketplace providing broadcast affiliates with new ways to extend viewer engagement.”

For additional on-the-ground logistics support, Globecast has partnered with local specialists KAR Technology. KAR have provided logistical expertise and liaison with the LOC. Iris Media is providing SNGs as well as additional technical support.

Bernard said that the support provided by the two companies has been “invaluable.”

“This is a major tournament that needs very high level technical and logistical expertise and between them they have provided exactly what’s required,” he added. “The LOC has done a fantastic job to organise this event, with Egypt being asked to step in late in the process. What a fantastic sporting spectacle the 2019 event is.”