Inside ATP Media’s remote revolution in tennis broadcasting
From a single London hub, ATP Media is transforming how the ATP Tour is seen around the world—scaling production, embracing hybrid workflows, and delivering thousands of live feeds remotely. Director of technology Tom Copeland took SVG Europe on a tour and explained all.
Far from the clay courts of Madrid, ATP Media is redefining live tennis broadcasting. ATP Tour tennis’ move from traditional, on-site production to a fully integrated, remote-first model has been led by ATP Media, the broadcast arm of the ATP Tour.
Tom Copeland, director of technology at ATP Media, explains that the transition wasn’t just about embracing new technology. It was about responding to a relentless, back-to-back tournament calendar, scaling operations, improving quality, and building a sustainable future for tennis broadcasting.
“Over the last 20 years we have evolved from covering just quarterfinals to producing every single court at every ATP Tour tournament, with at least four cameras. That evolution required a fundamental shift in how we operate,” he says.
Scaling up
In just a few years, ATP Media has expanded from a lean staff of 25 to a workforce of over 100, including teams of producers, engineers, non-live specialists, social media specialists, broadcast operations specialists, commercial rights sales personnel, media and fan data services persons and many more.
“Our production demands have grown exponentially,” says Copeland. “We’re now handling simultaneous ATP 250, ATP 500 and ATP Masters 1000 events, often in back-to-back weeks. Without a remote model, this wouldn’t be feasible,” he says.
The backbone of this evolution is a partnership with EMG / Gravity Media, with ATP Media based at Gravity’s west London production hub since 2023. The facility, which is based on Sony HDC series camera channels, EVS XT Via servers and Calrec audio core and consoles, includes two large production galleries for ATP Masters 1000 events, two midsize setups for ATP 500s, and a flexible control room space for the 30 annual ATP 250 tournaments. In North America, EMG / Gravity Media also supports broadcasts via its Aspen and Columbus OB trucks.
EMG / Gravity Media ATP client account manager Paul Lawlor describes the ATP Media Studios production model as “fully integrated” within EMG / Gravity Media’s remote production facility. “It now serves as the central hub for all of ATP’s live event feeds on the 250s, 500’s and 1000s, which supports both on-site and distributed remote production workflows.
“With up to 90 outgoing video and audio lines and over 160 feeds coming into our facility for a single event, the system delivers unparalleled efficiency to ATP’s programming, allowing the production team to oversee multiple courts simultaneously, whilst being able to stay versatile and reliable.”
At the heart of ATP Media’s approach is a hybrid production model. For example, Court A (ATP Media classifies the main court, where the top tier matches are played, as ‘A’,) features 25 cameras and a director/vision mixer on-site, while camera racking and EVS replay operations are done remotely. Courts B, C, and D, each equipped with 10 cameras, are fully remote, with all camera feeds coming back to ATP Media Studios where they are directed and cut.
“We’ve built every system with full redundancy—key cameras are double-encoded, critical operations have backups, and everything is monitored in real-time by our broadcast operations centre,” Copeland says.
“The director and vision mixer may still be on the ground for the main court, but nearly everything else—from camera control to graphics and replays—is managed from London,” says Copeland.
SVG Europe together with event partner GRUP MEDIAPRO will host the Sports Production Innovation Summit in Barcelona on 12 June. The Summit will explore cutting-edge advancements in sports production, focusing on the latest innovations in AI-driven production, cloud-based workflows, content creation for emerging and challenger sports and the future of centralised and remote production.
For more information, visit svgeurope.org/sports-production-innovation-summit-2025
Communication across all teams is maintained using RTS intercom systems, customised per venue setup, and integrated across all control rooms for seamless coordination.
Director of ATP Media Studios and Live Operations Rachael Watson describes ATP Media’s remote roadmap as “extremely ambitious”. She says: “It’s a huge credit to both our technical and production teams that we have been able to deliver an accelerated roadmap across the board.
“We now have 70 people operating remotely from Westworks who had previously been carrying out their roles on site. From directors, producers, editors, social media teams to CCU and EVS operators, sound supervisors and broadcast engineers, we have worked closely with each department to establish the best workflows that we will continue to refine.
“ATP Media Studios has a real buzz around it as we continually look to innovate for our broadcast partners, whilst not compromising on the core values of quality and reliability that underpin everything we do.”
On top of the court feed directing, the World Feed Production is also based at ATP Media Studios. The World Feed can access any camera on site, moving seamlessly between the best of the ATP action, be that on court, or behind the scenes.
Multiple edits create content round the clock for World Feed and ATP Media’s broadcast partners, delivered via its media portal.
“It was fundamental for us that we approach every challenge keeping in mind we wanted to retain the key working benefits of being on site,” says Copeland. “Being able to access every feed and talk to any member of the production was key to ensure we wouldn’t be compromising on the team’s ability to do their jobs.
“From this starting point, the additional benefits of being remote could really shine through – the level of monitoring available to our World Feed crew gives them eyes across areas that were previously unseen, meaning we can really make sure the best editorial content makes air.”
Each ATP Masters 1000 tournament now includes up to 15 ISO feeds sent back to ATP Media Studios over high-speed fibre for integration into the world feed. At peak events like Indian Wells, the team can scale up to cover 10 courts, with the infrastructure capable of supporting up to 14.
To manage this complex network, ATP Media uses JPEG XS for low-latency programme feeds and HEVC for camera feeds on the fully remote courts and SRT as a backup protocol, delivering around 100–200 live feeds per tournament. Partner Tata Communications provides 2×10 Gbps of redundant fibre connectivity to carry these signals across continents.
Meanwhile, Hawk-Eye is contracted by the ATP Tour to handle electronic line calling and video review, with hundreds of feeds handed off to them for the new video review system.
Pods, portability, and redundancy
On-site infrastructure has also been radically streamlined. Rather than building from scratch at every venue, ATP Media deploys custom-built production pods (pictured, below). Introduced at the start of the season, they are modular units preloaded with transmission equipment.
“You roll the pod off the truck, plug it into power, and you’re 90% operational,” says Copeland. “It’s revolutionised how quickly we can set up and tear down.”
Another layer of innovation comes through automated Hawk-Eye ‘smart courts’, used on the secondary courts at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. These courts are equipped with 3–4 robotic cameras managed by a single multi-skilled operator handling camera control, replays, and graphics.
“The automation handles most of it, but operators can intervene with joystick control if they want to enhance the shot. It gives us flexibility and scalability without compromising on quality,” Copeland explains.
Commentary hub and social media pipeline
Commentary, once scattered across on-site booths around the world, is now managed centrally with commentators working rotating shifts from ATP Media Studios. This centralised approach seeks to ensure consistent tone and editorial control.
A dedicated behind-the-scenes content unit has also been launched producing player arrivals, warm-ups, and other social-first footage. Editors working remotely cut this content into short form highlights and features, accessible in near real-time, while a live ‘best of’ feed is available for broadcasters to ingest. Remote operators back in London are able to collaborate in real-time using LucidLink, enabling seamless editing, logging, and social media production.
“We’ve opened up new editorial possibilities that weren’t feasible before. Our social team now produces more content with less friction,” Copeland says.
As production has scaled, so too had the need for streamlined content management. The newly launched Ace Portal, built with Tedial & PixIT Media, manages thousands of hours of content annually, serving as a centralised platform for logging, archiving, and distribution.
One of the most impactful shifts in distribution has been ATP Media’s partnership with SES. ATP Media now uses SES Score, a cloud-based orchestration platform, to manage SRT World & ISO feed stream distribution globally.
“We wanted to give broadcasters access to every feed from every court, securely and with minimal friction. With SES, our 70+ partners can now book and receive streams with just a few clicks,” Copeland says.
This self-service model not only lowers costs but gives broadcasters more control and flexibility to regionalise their coverage.
Looking ahead: 4K HDR, array camera, and sustainability
The push toward higher resolution and colour fidelity is already underway. Though broadcaster demand for 4K HDR is still limited, ATP Media has engineered its systems to be ready.
“We’re futureproofing everything. HDR really helps in tricky lighting conditions—like the shadowed courts in Miami—and we’re ready to scale as soon as demand justifies it,” says Copeland.
ATP Media also conducted a proof of concept in Miami and Madrid with Hawk-Eye, a company specialising in software-based array camera image capture, offering dynamic tracking shots with minimal court intrusion, with technology from Muybridge.
This commitment to innovation also extends to sustainability. With fewer people traveling, less equipment being shipped, and fewer on-site trucks, ATP Media’s new model significantly reduces environmental impact.
“In places like Monaco, where trucks take up valuable space in the underground OB compound built into the hillside, we now give that space back to the event. That’s a huge win for everyone,” Copeland says.
From its base in London, ATP Media now supports 57 tournaments annually, from ATP 250s to the Nitto ATP Finals. This includes more than 200,000 hours of live content, 3,200 matches, and over 70 broadcast partners worldwide.
It’s an operation that never stops, but for the team at ATP Media, the relentless pace is just part of the job. “We’re not just keeping up—we’re building something that’s scalable, efficient, and ready for the next decade of tennis,” says Copeland.
The Madrid Open takes place April 21 – May 4