Giro d’Italia

What we do

The Giro d’Italia, often dubbed “the toughest race in the world, in the most beautiful country in the world,” is one of cycling’s Grand Tours alongside the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.

RCS Sport, the event organizer, entrusted EMG Italy with the entire television production, including live coverage of all stages, RF Services & Connectivity, international distribution, live graphics and data processing.

What we used

The EMG/Gravity Media group, responsible for bringing the Giro d’Italia to cycling enthusiasts worldwide, divided the roles within the group’s countries as follows:

EMG Italy:

• Manages the entire production and all logistics, providing the main OB regia mobile vehicles and serving as the Executive Production for cycling.
• Oversees television direction, ensuring impeccable coverage of each stage.
• Coordinates and liaises with the MIMIT for radio frequency licenses.
• Coordinates and executes satellite bookings for all contribution transmissions.

EMG Connectivity:

• Coordinates on-stage moving image activities during the stages and provides the necessary personnel and technical support.
• Ensures wireless transmission of images and data from the race to the HB’s OBVan.

EMG Belgium + EMG France:

• Coordinate the operation of helicopters and airplanes during the stages.
• Ensure the safety and perfect integration of the footage taken from motorcycles.

EMG Netherlands:

• Manages satellite transmission.
• Distributes the Giro d’Italia video signal to television broadcasters around the world.

Boost Graphics:

• Developed the race’s graphics package and provides timing and data processing services.
• Enriches the television production with informative and engaging visual elements in real time.

Aerial Camera Systems (ACS):

• Provides gyro stabilised cameras positioned on helicopters for coverage of the action from above.

The production team faced numerous challenges, including managing a crew of over 120 people who traveled from one stage to the next each day and transporting the TV compound, which consisted of regia vehicles and support vehicles for graphics and connectivity. Maintaining signal transmission throughout the entire race route was one of the most demanding tasks, requiring 10 motorcycles, 2 helicopters, an aerial repeater system at 6,500 meters to receive and retransmit audio and video signals to intermediate signal reception/distribution points and satellites.

Outcome

The total duration of the live broadcast, which varies in length depending on the stage and weather conditions, averages six to seven hours each day. The international feed produced by EMG for each stage starts 30 minutes before the start of the race and continues for 45 minutes after the stage winner’s finish, including the daily jersey presentation ceremonies.

Director Koen Van Mourik expresses his enthusiasm for the project, stating: “It was great working with the truly international team put together by EMG Italy and RCS for this great event, which brought together so many specialists from so many parts of Europe. The excellent organization of everything allowed everyone to really give their best in every segment of the production, to create a performance at the highest level.”