Euro 2024: RTVE tracks Spain’s progress to the final

Spain’s RTVE has positioned itself at Pariser Platz in Berlin, with a studio and production setup in the same temporary facility as the BBC and ITV.

As well as the studio setup looking out towards the Brandenburg Gate, RTVE – the exclusive broadcaster of Euro 2024 in Spain – has an OB van attending all of Spain’s matches plus several LiveU-equipped ENG crews.

Speaking with SVG Europe in Berlin, TVE sports producer Alfonso Martín Alonso described the setup in Germany as “classical”, as the Spanish public broadcaster looks to balance its efforts during a busy summer of sports.

“This is the busiest summer in my 40-year career,” said Alonso.

“We have to balance things, because we have three big productions in a short space of time, so we have to be everywhere even if it’s with a regular production.

“We have around 50 people split across two shifts here at the studio in Berlin. When the Euros is finished, they will work on the Olympics from Madrid. And those who have been in Madrid for the Euros will be based in France. And, after the Olympics, we will also have the Vuelta a España, which is a really big deal.”

Read more Euro 2024: How BMS built RTVE, ITV and BBC’s Brandenburg Gate studios

The Pariser Platz facility in Berlin, built by BMS, is the focal point of RTVE’s presentation in Germany and includes a studio upstairs, studio control downstairs with mixer, director plus a production office for journalists and editors.

In addition, during the height of the tournament the broadcaster also had one ENG crew attached to the Spanish team, plus four more ENG crews in other parts of Germany for example covering teams that will play Spain to gather news, plus pre and post-match content.

ENG content is fed directly to RTVE’s Madrid base, along with content gathered by the OB van. Feeds from UEFA are routed to Madrid via the IBC in Leipzig, where another six RTVE staff are based.

“It’s not the IBC we may all have been used to in previous championships and Olympics. Nowadays, the technology allows us to receive everything without being there, so the big deal for us is our MCR in Spain,” said Alonso.

“The biggest challenge, and it is the same for all championships, is the number of venues in different cities,” said Alonso.

“It can be difficult as a producer; the group phase is clear, and we have a year to prepare for it and get everything ready, but you don’t know what is going to happen next. When everything happens in the same city it’s easy, but Germany is not a small country and when they are using six or seven cities it’s difficult moving your ENG crews around.

“For instance, the England team is training 250 kilometres away from anything else. We understand the reasons, of course, and there are no complaints. And as Spain won the first two group matches we had a whole week to prepare because we were top of the group, so it was a bit easier!”

Read more Euro 2024: Inside UEFA’s International Broadcast Centre