Net Insight and Mobilelinks elevate Swedish ice hockey playoffs with UHD IP remote production
Net Insight has partnered with Mobilelinks, a service provider of broadcast and media transport services, to deliver an unparalleled broadcasting experience for the Swedish Ice Hockey League (SHL), Sweden’s top-tier ice hockey league.
While TV4 plays its pivotal role as the broadcaster of the premium rights of ice hockey, Mobilelinks is entrusted with the responsibility of managing all transport services powered by Net Insight technology.
One of the significant milestones of this partnership is the expansion of the existing Nimbra infrastructure. The Nimbra platform can switch 1.2TB, and efficiently directs feeds from all venues to NEP’s data centre acting as the central facility house. Production is handled from three remote production centres that are geographically spread over the country. This robust setup connects 14 SHL arenas across Sweden, each fortified with dual 10Gb redundancy. Such a configuration is designed to handle peak times, such as in the case of up to seven matches being played concurrently.
The remote production strategy and centralised hardware setup have helped NEP to optimise broadcast equipment efficiency by consolidating resources at a single location, leading to increased utilisation.
Annually, Swedish ice hockey fans can look forward to approximately 500 matches from the top league. Each game promises to leverage the capabilities of this revamped infrastructure, offering viewers a consistent and high-quality experience. A noteworthy achievement, the Swedish Ice Hockey League is the first sports league to champion UHD IP remote production. Incorporating 12 cameras that are prepped and primed for ST 2110 and JPEG XS ensures ultra-high-definition video and a seamless broadcast. The integration of such advanced technologies guarantees a future-ready broadcasting setup.
With the remote production powered by JPEG XS in UHD and the strategic shift from SDI to ST 2110, the commitment of SHL and its partners remains clear: deliver an unmatched viewing experience to fans. Central to this mission is the Nimbra 1060, ensuring reliability, unsurpassed video quality and broadcast without hiccups.
“At Mobilelinks, the recent upgrade across all top league venues empowers us to seamlessly execute remote productions for SHL. Embracing JPEG XS has poised us for UHD productions and advanced ST 2110 workflows. Production galleries have particularly praised the minimal latency, finding it exceptionally beneficial to producing high-paced ice hockey matches,” said Andreas Langell, CEO of Mobilelinks. “As always, the Nimbra platform stands as a beacon of reliability and trust, living up to the standards we’ve come to expect.”
“We’re on the edge of a new era in sports broadcasting,” says Crister Fritzson, CEO of Net Insight. “Our synergy with Mobilelinks and the ability of the Nimbra platform will undoubtedly reshape how ice hockey enthusiasts engage with their favourite sport in Sweden.”