Fast-growing sport tags Blackmagic Design for seamless broadcasting
At some point, most of us have played tag – whether as children, parents, or relatives. Today, tag has evolved into an international competitive sport, captivating athletes and fans alike. Since its invention in 2012, World Chase Tag (WCT) has grown from casual gatherings to a global series of high-stakes events.
But what does a World Chase Tag match look like? A match features two teams competing in a best-of-16 format. Each 20-second chase pits a chaser against an evader, with the winner staying on as the next round’s evader. A successful evasion scores one point, and the team with the most points wins. It’s an intense, high-energy game that pushes athletes – and viewers – to the edge every 25 seconds.
Loic Ascarino, global licensing manager of World Chase Tag, shares his journey from his first encounter with the sport to his role in bringing its broadcasts to life.
“I started as a coach and gym owner in Lyon, France,” Ascarino begins. “I first discovered World Chase Tag on YouTube and immediately saw its potential. I even organised the first event outside of WCT.”
“I reached out to the sport’s founders, Christian and Damien Devaux, to explore bringing it to my gym – mainly because I wanted to play it myself! As interest in the sport grew, I began helping other gyms set up their own events. That naturally led to my current role as licensing manager for WCT across Europe, the Middle East and Africa,” he recalls.
With WCT’s small team, Ascarino has worn many hats, from managing licences to assisting with large events in the US, UK and France. Over time, his work behind the scenes sparked a deep passion for the technical and creative aspects of broadcasting.
Built for speed and precision
WCT’s fast-paced format demands an agile and reliable broadcast solution. “To meet the challenge, we developed a custom software solution that integrates seamlessly with a Blackmagic hardware backbone,” Ascarino explains.
“Our goal is to showcase athletes in an accessible, thrilling way while delivering a top-tier live experience.”
The production team uses up to three URSA Broadcast G2 cameras paired with B4 box lenses and SMPTE fibre converters for power, video and communication over a single cable. Proxy files recorded on HyperDecks simplify post-production. On the control room side, the workflow has scaled from early setups with the ATEM Mini Extreme ISO to a more robust system centred on an ATEM 2 M/E Constellation HD switcher, HyperDeck 4K Pro and Blackmagic Web Presenter for streaming. Close-up shots inside the arena are captured using Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4Ks.
Meeting global demand
WCT broadcasts its matches in more than 35 countries, including the US, France, the UK and Australia. The production process includes managing live streams in multiple languages, creating real-time short-form content, and producing extensive TV episodes.
While its YouTube channel has more than a million subscribers and has amassed 351 million views, the sport also has a significant presence on social with audiences in excess of 2.5 million.
Content is recorded in 1080p for TV and streaming, while behind-the-scenes footage and social media videos are captured in 4K. “This approach balances quality with cost-efficiency, though moving to 4K live broadcasts remains a future goal,” Ascarino notes.
To streamline production further, the team has expanded its toolkit with additional HyperDecks, an UltraStudio and ATEM Micro Panel. They’ve also transitioned from Adobe software to DaVinci Resolve Studio. “This shift has enhanced both workflow efficiency and cost management,” says Ascarino.
Blackmagic for replay
The latest addition to WCT’s workflow is DaVinci Resolve Replay, which was recently deployed at an event in Woodstock, Georgia. The setup included an ATEM Mini Extreme ISO, Micro Converters HDMI to SDI 3G, three MacBook Pros running DaVinci Resolve Studio, an UltraStudio 4K Mini, and the DaVinci Replay Editor.
“Using Blackmagic Replay, we could trim clips, add stingers and broadcast replays in under 20 seconds,” Ascarino explains. “It’s an accessible, cost-effective solution tailored to our needs, and it integrated seamlessly with our existing tools.”
The team ran one replay station to manage four recorded channels, while additional stations handled overlays and other video content, such as commercials.
“Our community values live content that’s accessible without sacrificing quality, and this has been fundamental to our growth,” says Ascarino. “We’re focused on expanding WCT into new territories and growing our community of gyms, teams and athletes.”
On the broadcast side, WCT is exploring gamification to enhance viewer engagement and improvements to overall content quality. “The emergence of AI tools in DaVinci Resolve excites us, especially for smoother replays,” Ascarino concludes. “We’re also looking at evolving our in-house software to bring even more innovation to the sport.”