RCS Sport chooses EMG as new broadcast production partner
Paolo Bellino, CEO RCS Sport, and Claudio Cavallotti, CEO EMG Italy
EMG used the Grande Partenza of the 105th Giro D’Italia in the Hungarian capital Budapest to announce a three-year partnership deal for the production of nine cycling competitions organised by RCS Sport in Italy. The agreement includes the Giro d’Italia, Milano-San Remo, Tirreno-Adriatico, Giro di Sicilia, Strade Bianche and Il Lombardia, among others.
EMG has been a specialist in broadcasting international cycling events like the Tour de France, Tour of Flanders and countless other races across the globe for the past several years. For this agreement, EMG Italy, and the teams at EMG Belgium and EMG France, developed a production plan to guarantee high-quality, live TV coverage of some of the world’s most beautiful and challenging races.
“We are truly honoured and proud to be the official production partner of RCS Sport,” said Shaun Gregory, CEO of the EMG Group. “Our team will operate with proficiency and enthusiasm, relying on years of international expertise. EMG has always been a leader in technology development for live sport coverage in many disciplines; being a solid partner of sport federations and international broadcasters. Cycling, as one of the most complex sports to produce, is one of our best assets.”
Paolo Bellino, CEO of RCS Sport, said: “This is an epic turning point as we have decided to directly manage TV production for the first time in the history of the Giro d’Italia. We have a big international partner such as EMG Group and we have already tested the production and broadcasting during our spring races. It is the right time to take this important step, a natural consequence in the organisation of major sports events such as the Giro d’Italia. We will offer live images in full for every stage, so that cycling fans all over the world will be able to watch every single moment of the toughest race in the world’s most beautiful place.”
The whole package of races organised by RCS Sport in Italy requires an average use of three OB trucks, 10 (audio and video) motorbikes, 10 cameras along the cycling track (including super slomo and RF) and two helicopters with gyro-stabilised Cineflex cameras. Live video coverage is guaranteed by two radio-link airplanes, regardless of weather conditions. EMG will operate with a crew of 120 professionals in the whole production chain – from cabling to aerial shooting and from live direction to highlights editing together with RCS Sports.
“Being alongside RCS Sport in this is something special,” said Claudio Cavallotti, CEO of EMG Italy. “I like thinking this is just the beginning. We will support RCS Sport in increasingly engaging and innovative host production, both in sport storytelling and in the promotion of our beautiful country Italy. We believe we will be a strong partner in the future of this beautiful sport and RCS Sport.”