EMG / Gravity Media were appointed by TNT Sports UK as the supplier of host broadcast services, unilateral services, as well as CCR, TOC and FANTV services on behalf of UEFA, at the 2024 UEFA Champions League Final (UCLF); the biggest domestic team event on the European football calendar held at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday 1st June 2024. 

With a global live match audience estimated at 145 million, watching Real Madrid’s win against Borussia Dortmund, the UCLF represented one of the company’s largest UK projects since the merger of EMG and Gravity Media with staff working together and demonstrating the combined technologies of the Group to support TNT Sports.

The Challenge

TNT Sports UK developed a world-class editorial strategy and technical plan to enable the delivery of its live coverage of the biggest game in club football. To support its production plans, TNT Sports UK contracted EMG / Gravity Media to supply supplementary equipment, RF facilities and crew not only for coverage of the match itself but also for MD-1 activities, team arrivals and the opening ceremony. In addition to this significant provision for the host broadcaster, the team supported a number of unilateral broadcast productions with their specific requirements.  This included TNT Sports UK’s own channel presentation coverage, a comprehensive set-up for IMG to cover the match for CBS’ American audience, facilities for blue Sport Switzerland as well as UEFA’s bookable unilateral facilities, included in the multilateral production.  In total, two-thirds of EMG / Gravity Media’s UK based fleet was brought in for this major event, for a deployment that included a total of 63 cameras, seven OB trucks plus helicopter coverage.

EMG / Gravity Media teams were also the supplier of the IP Technical Operation Centre (TOC), FAN TV and serviced up to 30 commentary positions on behalf of UEFA.   

The Set Up

TNT Sports UK’s host broadcast set-up comprised of a main OB truck taking in 42 camera feeds, including two super-slow RF HDR Steadicams; a second OB truck covered the ceremonies as well as acting as a back-up for the main truck; and a third OB truck provided service feeds for UEFA. These service feeds could be booked by broadcasters with specific unilateral requirements, such as flash or pitch-presentation stand-up interviews. 11 EVSs were housed in a cabin next to the main truck. 

For TNT Sports UK’s own channel coverage, a further two trucks were available with 10 cameras to cover pitch-side presentations and natural coverage to supplement the host broadcast feed. 

Two additional trucks were provided to IMG for CBS’ US coverage, 10 cameras plus a Steadicam 1080i50 SDR, an Autocue prompt system for the Steadicam and an RF monitor system working pitch-side.

Working with TNT Sports’ own team, EMG Connectivity coordinated RF frequencies including all the cameras, monitors and camera control. In addition to the stadium requirements, links were co-ordinated for a static beauty camera located on a rooftop on Wembley Way looking back at the stadium, as well as a downlink and production talk back to and from a helicopter that captured aerial shots of the team coach arrivals and the stadium itself. EMG / Gravity Media’s specialist camera division, ACS, supplied the helicopter and aerial coordination with a GSS stabilised gimbal package in HD 1080p HDR format.

Within the stadium, specialist cameras included two SMARTgrip™ systems positioned behind the goals, a SMARThead™ remote head with Sony HDC-P50 camera offering tunnel coverage and a new addition to the Final’s coverage with two HFR ‘Manager-Cam’ systems.

A crew of over 180 combined TNT Sports and EMG / Gravity Media visual, audio and technical engineers rigged, tested, operated and maintained the equipment for the entire event.

EMG Head of Production Operations, Chrissie Collins, commented

“This match is always one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year, the conclusion of the exciting European season and an absolute highlight for anyone who loves football. For our clients, the stakes are high and it’s imperative that the broadcast goes without a hitch. For EMG / Gravity Media, it was one of the largest UK events handled this year and there were a lot of moving parts to coordinate. 

We’re so proud of our talented crew from across our expanded company, who came together and worked incredibly hard to produce such a fantastic result.”