TVN Live Production enjoys a Super weekend of soccer in Germany
TVN had a a 50-person crew on site for the Supercup
The DFB Cup first round kicked off this weekend (13 August) with Sky Sport once again broadcasting all matches live this season. TVN Live Production was also on hand to cover many of them, in what was a busy weekend for the company. It was also involved in the DFL Supercup, which pitted reigning cup winners RB Leipzig against current German champions FC Bayern. TVN broadcast this match live from the Allianz Arena in Munich on behalf of Sportcast. Although the productions are different, both require serious planning and technical performance, as TVN head of sales Bastian Berlin tells SVG Europe.
How large is the production volume overall?
With our OB vans and crews, we produced a total of 15 matches nationwide as part of the first round of the DFB Cup, plus the DFL Supercup. We had 160 employees, six OB vans and nine SNG units in action. We upgraded some of the productions with various special cameras. For the Supercup, we also produced a 9:16 world feed for TikTok.
Bastian Berlin, TVN
How did you prepare for that?
The preparation for this weekend ran over several weeks, during which time it was important that all departments involved in the planning worked closely together. Before the personnel and technology could be planned, we figured out the optimal routes between the venues so that the vehicles and crews had the shortest possible route from one stadium to the next between two productions. The logistics and scheduling of productions are multi-faceted and extremely complex. TVN produces well over 300 major soccer games a year, so we are experienced in this regard. Our back office has done a very good job.
Speaking of logistics, the first-round games and the Supercup differ significantly in terms of production methods. Can you explain that?
The infrastructures in the stadiums are totally different. Especially in the first round of the cup, some of the clubs involved come from the Oberliga (5th division) and even the Verbandsliga (6th division). In some cases, there has never been a professional TV broadcast there. Camera positions or cable routes have to be redefined. This means that we have completely different conditions than for productions in Bundesliga stadiums or the Supercup. As a rule, however, the contacts at the smaller clubs are very enthusiastic and cooperative when it comes to finding solutions.
Did the same technical transmission parameters apply to all matches?
The production standards are very different. Depending on the expected ratings, some of the cup matches are produced with only five cameras. In contrast, for more attractive matches, such as BVB’s game in Mainz, we use 10 cameras and produce in UHD-HDR. For the free-TV live matches, like the match of 1.FC Köln in Osnabrück on Monday, we also had special cameras like our Polecam and the TVN Live-Copter on site.
The compound at the Allianz Arena
And how was the Supercup realised?
The Allianz Arena has a very good infrastructure and is the optimal environment for a high-end TV production! Accordingly, we were on site with a 50-person crew and our flagship TVN-Ü6. In addition to the TVN Live-Copter, two high-speed polecams, two wireless Cinestyle cameras, a railcam on a 30m rail, two interview cameras (transmitting over the 5G network), two corner flag cameras, a wireless Steadicam, five super-slomo cameras and a Spidercam, we had another 25 cameras in use. We produced the game in UHD/HDR and in Dolby Atmos. The signals were delivered to countries all over the world. In addition, using a workflow designed by TVN, we produced a parallel high-angle feed in 9:16 that was broadcast live on TikTok. For this, we set up an additional main camera turned on its side using a special mount. The other signals were manually cropped at a workstation on our OB truck. With the 9:16 feeds for TikTok, our images also reach other target groups.
Is there an upper capacity limit for you?
Of course, production reliability is always our top priority. Even TVN will reach its limit at some point – then we cooperate with proven partner companies and can rely on our good network in the market. We are also currently building two more OB vans. Since we also produce many shows and music festivals – such as the recent Wacken Open Air – we are looking forward to expanding our fleet. TVN-Ü7 and TVN-Ü8 will make us even more efficient and flexible.