DAZN is the host broadcaster for the UEFA Champions League Final taking place at Munich’s Allianz Arena this weekend, where Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan will face off to take the coveted trophy home.

As if the pressure of the host broadcast was not enough, DAZN is also running its own unilateral production from the stadium.

Platinum production

Speaking to SVG Europe, Stefanie Fulczyk, DAZN’s director of production resources, says: “We have unilateral production on site as well. This time we’ve gone with a separate OB provider, Studio Berlin, who we’ve used to produce [for us] during the season to make sure they’re used to the standards we have at DAZN. So it’s totally separated [from the host broadcast].”

For the host broadcast, DAZN is working with technical services provider, TVN Group.

She continues on the unilateral production: “We call it a platinum production, which means we are fully on site with dedicated cameras, dedicated signal transfer, etc, to provide our editorial team the best product production experience.”

The platinum package means DAZN has a steadicam on the pitch plus one other camera, and a comm cam for the full equipped commentator spot which will host a pundit and a commentator.

Adds Fulczyk on the pitchside presentation for DAZN: “This time it’s a little bit bigger because we are going to have a few more people on the pitch because it’s a final, so we have a lot to say about it. So it’s not only two or three persons talking, we can have four or five; it depends a little bit on what the editorial team is wishing for. We have a full graphics service on site as well. That means we are completely independent from our galleries at home, so nothing is remote. We will have everyone on site.”

The significance of the final is the reason no one is back in the remote gallery, which is around 10 kilometres from the stadium, says Fulczyk: “We are really big fans of smart productions at the DAZN, but we’re talking about a Champions League Final, so it’s like, come on, it’s not worth it to send the poor graphics guy to the remote gallery!”

Editorial goals

Speaking about the editorial goals for its unilateral broadcast, Michael Bracher, SVP production and editorial at DAZN, says it is all about bringing viewers as close to the action as possible, with no added bells and whistles.

He explains: “: “In the final we are mostly very close to the action on the pitch. No stories left or right. We are very close to the action. We are very tactically-based. Of course we want to entertain, but football itself is entertaining. But if the action on the pitch is exciting, the commentator gets very excited, but not with side stories, with the action on the pitch.”

Bracher continues on the presentation format: “Our DNA is the stadium, it is our studio. [We don’t need any] big tables, big screens, no shiny, glossy studios; we mostly stay on the pitch site in our area without any equipment because that’s how we started to produce it, and it is and is liked by our customers.

“And honestly the second thing [on why we have continued to present like this] is it’s way more easier to handle, because [with tables and the like] you have to build it up to pull it down during halftime, build it up again after the match,” Bracher continues. “We do not have to do this, but it’s not because of the technical side, it’s because of editorial side. We just like to stand on the pitch and talk because the most important thing is to talk about football, not what it looks like.”

This unobstructed view of the stadium adds to the atmosphere for viewers at home, Bracher adds: “We want to smell the grass, [and that means] being close to the fans, being close to the action on the pitch and not [working remotely] even if it’s only five or 10 kilometres away in the studio. That’s how we produce since the beginning of DAZN.”