Changing places: Narinder Ball on moving from BBC Sport to EMG / Gravity Media and relishing new challenges

Narinder Ball, EMG / Gravity Media’s new technology director

Former engineering manager at BBC Sport, Narinder Ball, has very recently joined EMG / Gravity Media as its new technology director. She was at the BBC from 1999, so the leap from being the client to the provider is a challenge in her new role, but she is looking forward to the agility that EMG / Gravity Media can now give her.

Ball has more than 25 years of experience in the tech industry, having previously held various leadership positions including technical executive and engineering manager at the BBC, where she was instrumental in leading the technical aspects across many high profile sporting events including Wimbledon, the FA Cup and the London Marathon. She also oversaw complex workflows for the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

At EMG / Gravity Media, Ball is focusing on driving technological innovation within the broadcasting and production landscape, including advancing content delivery platforms, optimising media workflows, and scaling infrastructure to support high demand streaming and production environments.

Additionally, she is leading initiatives to enhance cybersecurity measures, ensuring the protection of sensitive content and data, while also exploring new technologies to improve audience engagement, content personalisation, and overall viewer experiences.

Read on to find out more.

How did you first find out about TV broadcasting as a career? What was your inspiration or idea, and why sports broadcasting?

I didn’t really know anything about careers in broadcasting, then a friend of mine enrolled on a broadcast engineering degree at university and I thought it sounded interesting.

I knew I didn’t want an office job and the more I found out about it, the more I realised it was the career for me.

In particular, I love the live nature of sports broadcasting, things are always changing, no two days are the same and it’s always offering new challenges.

What got you from school to the TV business?

I always enjoyed maths and physics and was interested in how things worked, so knew I wanted to go on to have a career in some sort of engineering, and broadcast engineering sounded really interesting.

As part of my degree course, I was lucky enough to spend some time at the BBC Engineering Training Facility based in Evesham. One of the lecturers, Mike Dhonau, kindly got me the contact details of someone who I could contact to try and get work experience at Pebble Mill. Once I got some work experience, I just kept going back; all the engineers there were happy to share their knowledge.

What was your first job?

My first job following university was a six-month contract with the BBC as a technician, based at Pebble Mill. It was an entry level role in the maintenance department, which I took it to get my foot through the door.

The work was varied; I fixed faulty equipment, built lots of SADiE computers for audio recording, and editing and lined up quarter-inch tape machines amongst other things.

I couldn’t believe I was working at the BBC, it was like a dream come true. I remember wanting to pinch myself as I walked down corridors in a building where they had made fantastic programmes like All Creatures Great and Small and Pebble Mill at One.

What other jobs have you had that moved you along into sports broadcasting?

I began my career in general engineering, where I was part of an engineering team supporting a major broadcast centre in Birmingham. Subsequently, I moved to Elstree and then to London, where I transitioned to news as an operational engineer, handling tasks ranging from backroom maintenance, sound for early bulletins to operating a satellite truck.

After this I moved to Manchester and spent over a decade in operations as a technical and engineering manager.

I got involved in projects when the BBC moved some of their operations to MediaCity in Salford, and later became a technical project manager, overseeing projects across various genres.

My final role with the BBC, before starting with EMG / Gravity Media, was as an engineering manager for BBC Sport.

How did you get your current job role?

I received a phone call asking me if I’d be interested in discussing a potential opportunity. It came at a time when I was open the idea of change, so I said yes. Then I went through a fairly traditional recruitment process.

Why did you go for it?

I’d had a fantastic career at the BBC and had moved around within the organisation a fair bit, and I was considering what might be my next step. When this role came up, it felt like the right time to take on a really exciting new opportunity; it was too good to pass up.

What was hard about getting the job and learning the role?

There is a lot to learn about the different business units within the organisation. I’m still very much in that learning about the role phase. So, there is lots of meeting people and listening. I think active listening skills are very important and are often overlooked.

What’s the hardest thing about it?

Leaving behind 25 years of organisational knowledge and starting again. I’m not used to being the one asking the question; I’m more used to being the one with historical knowledge.

Everyone has been great, very patient and super helpful.

What do you enjoy about it?

I’m genuinely excited! In a way it’s the flip side to the above answer, everything is new and there is so much to learn and think about, that is really exciting.

What challenges have you faced over the course of your career and how did you get you get past those challenges?

One challenge is navigating a male-dominated industry. There were moments when I felt my contributions were overlooked. To address this, I tried to become an advocate for myself and others by actively participating in industry forums and networks that support diversity and inclusion.

I also worked on developing strong communication skills to assert my ideas confidently and effectively.

What’s the most challenging thing about working in live sport today?

It never stops, it feels – especially since COVID – that it just keeps on going, especially with more streaming services coming into play and sporting federations looking to have their content available. You have to keep up and continue innovating.

What draws you to your career in live sport?

I enjoy the variety and the challenges live sports throws up. There is always an immovable deadline; you can plan meticulously but you never know what’s going to happen on the night. It’s that adrenaline rush.

The technologies used in sports broadcasting have evolved rapidly over recent years. What for you in your day to day job is the most exciting, and is the biggest gamechanger for this industry?

For me IP technology was a huge gamechanger. It has significantly changed the broadcast industry. It allowed remote production workflows, offered greater flexibility and scalability of systems, it also supports high quality low latency streaming.

What do you think has been a particularly exciting or cutting edge thing in sports broadcasting that you think your company has done?

The Australian Open Tennis, in my opinion, was a brilliantly exciting example of collaboration between our teams across Europe and Australia.

The teams worked together to utilise a large IP-based fly away system, integrated with baseband video systems and an advanced audio solution.

The production facilities provided comprised of eleven production galleries. Over 172 cameras were deployed, with an extensive RF network, enabling 20 roving cameras to operate seamlessly within the precinct.

Our teams worked brilliantly to combine their knowledge, expertise and passion for this event, and I think the possibilities are hugely exciting.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve worked on in the course of your career?

Working on the 2022 Commonwealth Games was very special for me. I was born and bought up in Birmingham, so it was fabulous to see my home city come to life. It was also the point when my family finally understood what I do.

What advice would you give to other women looking to move into a role in sports broadcasting like your own?

Gain a strong foundation in broadcast engineering and technology and try to stay up to date with industry trends.

Find mentors who can provide guidance and support.

Be confident in your own skills and abilities, don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Finally, join industry groups and build a strong professional network.