BBC Sport partners with AE Live for Euro 2024 virtual studios

With the assistance of its long-term partner AE Live, BBC Sport covered the recent Euro 2024 competition from a purpose-built complex in the Pariser Platz in central Berlin that boasted two stunning presentation areas, both of which were designed following the central theme of a football museum, inspired by Berlin’s very own Neues Museum. From these sets, the latest in extended reality (XR) and augmented reality (AR) virtual technology delivered a unique viewing experience to BBC Sport viewers.

In addition to the overall technical integration, implementation and operation of the real-time LED and AR set extensions, AE Live delivered presentation graphics and a match clock across 27 matches, plus graphics for highlight programmes. The use of AR and LED real-time graphics technology digitally extended the sets by over 56,000 cubic feet, providing greater editorial flexibility and presentation spaces which would not have been possible within the confines of the physical set.

AE Live chose to bring Stype on-board to provide camera tracking and Unreal Engine integration technology. Stype RedSpy was used to track three cameras in the internal studio, and Stype Follower was used to track two cameras on the terrace. The StypeLand plugin for Unreal Engine ensured a seamless integration with these tracking products, as well as providing calibration tools to guarantee the XR and AR set extensions blended seamlessly together. A total of seven virtual engines were utilised, handling 56 video feeds, nine of which are 12G UHD.

The set design for the indoor studio married the physical with the virtual to create a stunning XR and AR presentation area. Housing a large physical window on the back wall and utilising Roe-supplied floor-to-ceiling LED screens as side walls, the surrounding space was filled with virtual elements to give the impression of a museum gallery.

The AR ceiling virtually extended the height of the studio and joined together with the scenic content within the LED screens, adding a greater sense of scale and grandeur to the environment, as well as providing positions to stylise the set or playout editorial AR content. Cameras could also turn 180 degrees away from presenters and use an AR extended presentation space to deliver AR content, including a UHD virtual window which took a live feed from stadiums and could take viewers directly into and out of the live match.

The workflow for all virtual elements, including the LED walls, was managed through Stype’s StypeLand Unreal Plugin and an AE Live software application that manages delays and camera cuts, ensuring that all virtual content is delivered in perspective to the viewer with camera movements.

The second studio used the roof top terrace to bring fans closer to the heart of the tournament and give them a taste of the atmosphere. Using similar systems and workflow as the indoor studio, the LED screen instead acted as a virtual floor (window) which looked down into the football museum below. The glass finish to the LED screen provided vibrant results during BBC Sport’s presentation and build-up of evening matches.
The overall delivery of both sets was made even more impressive with the deployment of a remote workflow. On-site, presenters and a core production team, including an AE Live virtual technician mad up a modest-sized crew based in Berlin, with the remaining production team including seven AE Live graphics operators and core OB infrastructure were based out of Media City.

The virtual set designs created by Paul Kavanagh Studio, were realised by AE Live’s virtual art department, who brought the studio to life in real-time by virtually matching real-world textures and materials while also considering the lighting and shadows within the virtual environment for different times of day.

AE Live also produced a suite of AR templates in Unreal, that could be delivered both in the traditional sense, next to and in front of the presenter or guests or within the XR space via the LED screens. AE Live’s CUE application (Control for Unreal) debuted for Euro 2024 on this project and had been specifically designed to provide its AR graphics operators with a flexible and familiar control application for the build and playout of Unreal AR graphics, regardless of whether they need to appear in the AR or XR space within the studio environment. CUE also integrates with AE Live’s data management system, Aether, allowing match stats, tables and team line-up data to directly populate templates.

AE Live has held the BBC Sport Football contract since the start of the 2017/2018 domestic football season. The current contract covers studio presentation and match highlights graphics for BBC Sport’s weekly coverage of the Premier League and domestic football across Match of the Day, MOTD2, Final Score and Football Focus, as well as match and presentation graphics for live FA Cup OBs and international tournaments.

AE Live’s director of innovation and virtual, Chris Izatt, who led the project for AE Live, said: “We are delighted to again be working with BBC Sport and delivering their virtual studio production of Euro 2024, bringing exciting new innovations to their coverage. As a broadcaster, they are committed to delivering the best possible experience for their audiences, and we are extremely proud of what we have been able to produce with our partners.

“This has been an exciting project to work on. Six months of planning, system design, development and testing to ensure that we could provide a fully commissioned system within seven days of boots on ground, ready in time for rehearsals.

“BBC Sport continues to be a fantastic long-term partner and we are proud to be supporting them again this summer.”

John Murphy, design director for BBC Sport added: “BBC Sport is continually seeking ways to elevate our coverage and use technology in the most creative ways possible to entertain our audiences. Our chosen graphics partner has outstanding expertise in synergising all of the technical elements of a production, in order to deliver a flawless broadcast from a graphics perspective.”