EMG Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and France to tell the Giro for RCS Sport
The production of EMG Group has been chosen for the next three years by RCS Sport, the leading organizer of Italian sporting events, to follow all the cycling races on the calendar.
A great international cooperation allowed the opening of the cycling season with Strade Bianche and continued with the great show following the Giro d’Italia 2022.
About thirty days around Italy
In just one month of preparation, the entire organization of a sport like cycling was set in motion, which, due to its great experience in the field, has historically always been the sole prerogative of RAI, the Italian national broadcaster. From this year, however, everything is taken care of by Euro Media Group, which certainly does not have the role of a simple technical service for television filming, but also of editorial manager, logistics manager and much more.
EMG for all cycling sold by RCS in the world
Davide Furlan EMG Italy, Director of Major Events and Overall Project Manager for cycling, confirms: “Right after the great ski project, we took care of the Giro d’Italia with all that it entails: organizing, managing, interpreting the needs of RCS Sport, never improvising, and always optimizing. To give an idea of the optimization effort and the complexity of the organization, last year RAI had 405 employees involved in this great event, while this year we at EMG have fielded only 129 professionals.
RCS Sport, for the first time, has relied on a private group to self-produce not only the Giro but all the World Tour races it organizes, starting with Strade Bianche. EMG has been commissioned by RCS Sport to weave the threads of the entire production, in fact, as executive producer. The assignment for the next three years involves not only the role of technological service for HD TV filming, but to also hold the reins of the editorial part: in fact EMG provides Italian technical staff, such as the director Angelo Carosi and the two assistant directors, Franco Scotton and Antonello Grippo”.
Two TV production standards
The production of the first Strade Bianche race was organized by us at EMG Italy in record time, 15 days, and then we spread that production model over the Giro, using two types of production in response to the requests of the RCS Sport technical specifications:
Standard A: 2 planes, 2 helicopters, 10 motorcycles, 14 fixed cameras on the ground at the finish line.
Standard B: for the “minor” races: 1 helicopter, 1 plane, 5 motorcycles and 12 cameras on the ground.
Standard A includes two Beechcraft B200 radio relay planes, equipped with 14 autotracking antennas in reception and two antennas in transmission: they are the hub of all the radio frequency flows that are managed for the live broadcast. The use of autotracking antennas allows for optimal gain and a stable signal both up and down: each receiving antenna moves and follows the antenna that transmits and/or receives on the ground, despite both the plane and the transmission point being in continuous movement.
The signals arrive in the TV compound to a special RF truck and, at the same time, are received at an intermediate point that acts as a reserve, given that some stages cover very long distances, even 350km. In these stages the coverage cone requires an intermediate reference point, where a 13.50-meter SNG ob-van from EMG France, equipped with complete reception and transmission systems, assisted by a generator, sends the signals back to an intermediate MUX (for example, in the case of the Reggio Emilia stage, the MUX was in Asiano Piacentino).
Moving images
The tour in standard A includes two helicopters, B355 and a twin-engine B355S, operating at altitudes ranging from 100 to 300 meters and equipped with Cineflex HD cameras. They are used to tell the story of the race but also to film the beauties of the country Italy. On the ground, for sportcasting, 5 motorcycles are used with operators equipped with Grass Valley LDX86N compact cameras and a Livetools RF transmitter, created on proprietary EMG engineering.
All signal transmission and reception systems are engineered within Livetools, a Dutch company of the EMG group.
One of the strengths of Livetools is the signal coding based on proprietary algorithms, managed with in-house hardware, not available on the market. The codecs, the ultra-low latency, the managed transmission volume are particularly high quality and the bandwidth is extremely full, because Livetools engineers have specifically designed the codecs for use in motion.
At the start, 5 motorcycle cameras to show the race
As great experts in sports filming, EMG provides highly specialized and passionate staff: all the motorcycle drivers and all the cameramen are competent, former cyclists, some even champions, and this added value is appreciated in the type of filming they are able to propose to the director.
In total, in the Giro, EMG provides 10 motorcycle cameras including those requested by the broadcasters taking over the rights for integration, with moving images or audio. For example, RAI hires 4 motorcycles, two for RAI Sport and two for RadioRai, to intervene live during its customization broadcasts. Eurosport also integrates its AV signal, thanks to another EMG Group motorcycle that allows audio commentary, but also in video, thanks to an onboard cam that frames the journalist while he intervenes live in the race. All these moving signals, including those of the two helicopters, go up to the plane and then down to the TV compound.
The TV compound
To manage the TV compound, EMG hired a 16.5 m OB-truck from Euro Media Group Italy, Orion 209, as the “main control”. Another truck from Euro Media Group France, RF truck Orion C42, takes care of all the reception and distribution of signals.
Inside, the coordinator of the moving images of EMG Belgium, Bruno Coudyzer, takes care of all the RF signals including the N-1 to and from the journalists on the move on the motorbikes. The number of signals that pass through is truly impressive, as you can imagine.
Even the telemetry of every single plane, helicopter and motorbike that moves along the route is constantly displayed and coordinated within a live cartography. This telemetry with real-time visual control, which allows you to know exactly where the vehicles are on the route, is used by those coordinating the filming to indicate the positions of the cyclists to the various motorbikes and therefore provides valuable information to the control.
The strength of Euro Media Group
“In general,” Furlan continues, “the coordination and management for RCS Sport of all the low frequency is by EMG Italy, while the entire setup for the “moving” radio frequency is handled by EMG France, EMG Holland and EMG Belgium.
This year the Giro started from Hungary and EMG Group sent the technical means of EMG Belgium to follow the first three stages and, at the same time, the group composed of EMG Italy and EMG France moved to Sicily because, otherwise, in just one day of travel between Hungary and Italy it would not have been possible to create such a complex setup.
Therefore, the use of international resources and means was truly huge in order to manage the double setup in Hungary and Sicily at the same time. EMG Italy had the burden of organizing all the logistics of all 129 people involved in the Giro and who moved all over Italy, with the related problems related to the weather and the very different locations. The staff hired was distributed in TV compound with 70 people, a dozen in the intermediate relay group, about thirty at the departures and about eight in the group between planes and helicopters”.
“Hot” backup in 4G
Furlan emphasizes: “We have integrated the technical specifications with a backup system for transmitting images from helicopters and motorcycles in the event of an extreme default of the planes, i.e. for conditions in which the planes cannot fly (as has already happened in past editions).
In fact, all the motorcycles and helicopters also have 4G backup transmission systems on board; therefore all the signals, in addition to the radio frequency from the plane, are simultaneously transmitted on the 4G bridges to be able to go on the air without interruptions, in any case, in any adversity.
Upon arrival in all the TV compounds there is an internet connection dedicated to this use. Other technical innovations have not been introduced – for the moment – and given the high complexity of the production, EMG is already thinking about some innovations to introduce for the next edition, after having demonstrated, in this one, the quality level of the entire organization”.
The role of EMG
The responsibility of EMG Group also included the total management of the TV compound, that is, the satisfaction of the requests of all the broadcasters who showed up for the integrations, including the supply of electricity, spaces, parking, etc.
For example, RAI was present with about 800 square meters of vehicles, three editorial offices, RAI Sport 1, RAI Sport 2 and a third that creates content for RAI 1, 2, 3, therefore three traveling studios; and then two mobile control rooms for RAI TV, two mobile control rooms for Radio RAI and the offices. The TV compound that the Giro needs to park all the vehicles at each stage is two thousand square meters.
Then Eurosport, with an ENG control room, which puts together a lineup at the finish line at each stage with two journalists and radio cameras, to which is added an SNG vehicle in the stages in which it also creates the video of the race with a motorcycle. The Swiss broadcaster RTSI also joined, after a few stages, for customization.
Another important point to underline is the complete management of the radio frequency, carried out entirely by EMG, which entailed an expense for this edition of over 123 thousand euros for the concession of the frequencies by the MISE Ministry of Economic Development. It should be noted that in France, for the similar service in the Tour de France, the cost sustained by EMG was 1200 euros.
First requirement: guarantee a quality service
All the logistics were managed by EMG Italy, led by Davide Furlan and, operationally, managed by Valentina D’Alìa, booking-logistics coordinator of the TV compound and known as “the one who slept the least of all!” following a team of 129 people on 24 stages and on 4 different situations.
Valentina D’Alia on numbers: “My job was to coordinate the booking crew for the logistics of the entire operational group made up of Italians, French and Belgians. All the logistics, finding hotels near the “hot spots”, organizing the catering, moving all the staff, was a colossal undertaking, for a product on air from noon to 6 pm for each stage, for a total of 106 hours of live.
To give you an idea, here are some of the numbers:
• 6764 km traveled in 27 days of travel
• 1958 rooms in total with relative overnight stays, excluding the air crews and helicopters with another 8-10 people
• 20 drivers with 20 minivans for the caravans that transport all the staff to the hotel
• 47 vehicles – of which 33 embarked on 6/05 on the Genoa/Palermo route (20 hours of crossing)
• 1,548 catering meals in total between arrivals and departures
• 60 hours of night surveillance
Fabio Guadagnini, EMG Italy CCO
The Giro Project Manager who held the reins in coordinating the French, Italian, Dutch and Belgian groups, comments:
“RCS Sport has made a strategic and also very courageous choice, and has relied on EMG Group for three years, becoming the organizer also for the production part. For us it is a great responsibility that also covers the entire package of the 9 races in Italy. To do this we have set up a France-Belgium-Italy partnership, also to do some experimentation.
For the first year we did not have the technical times because it was too close to the start of the competitions with Strade Bianche, but we are already working on a strategy for the next few years where we will propose “new adventures” together with RCS Sport which is a very receptive interlocutor and for us this is important. We have therefore decided to put on the track the best of what the Group can offer at a European level for cycling: our great technological knowledge, starting from the RF services and the management of the signals of EMG Belgium and France and our expertise in the territory, in addition to the management of the technical means and ob-van production which is managed largely by EMG Italy”.
The first time as intercompany
In practice, EMG has employed and combined the various international expertise that excels in specific and complementary sectors: this is essentially the first time that the Group has brought this intercompany joint venture to the field on such a complex project.
Cycling is undoubtedly the sport that implies the greatest complexity and, even if it sometimes has recurring circuits, in the case of the Giro everything changes every day, both from an environmental, technical sports, infrastructural, logistical, technological and connectivity point of view. This is because the very varied orography of the Italian territory requires very different procedures from stage to stage.
“A very important challenge”, sums up Fabio Guadagnini, “that we faced with great commitment and aware that we could never let our guard down: recounting a sports performance over 200/270 km in 5/6 hours of live coverage implies many risks and dangers”.
The RF section with Bruno Coudyzer
“It wasn’t “difficult”, but rather “quite a challenge”, says Bruno Coudyzer of EMG Belgium. “Each country and city where we stop has its own difficulties: just look at how large the TV compound is for international and national feeds, to understand that we have to deal with complexities and logistical, technical and practical solutions, very demanding and very different.
While in the “flat” stages, such as Reggio Emilia [which most of the photos refer to, ed.], management is simpler, in the mountain stages we have less space and room for maneuver to make everything work. Here the intermediate team is crucial since the mountains often block the optical propagation line for the RF signals to pass through.
The setup is very large and similar to that of the Tour de France with 10 motorcycles and 5 for the unilateral RAI, some for the audio commentary and one for Eurosport. In addition to the two in flight, we have a helicopter on standby and also a second plane – also on standby – which is used for the so-called “queen stages” and the “long stages”.
I really couldn’t calculate in my head how many RF channels we use, but in terms of frequencies in use there are about 80, not only for video but also for communications and data, since intercommunications here are crucial in such a mobile setup.
The bulk of the equipment is from Livetools, a proprietary brand of a company within the EMG group, which has its own research and development sector and which produced the Fusion platform.
Transmitters, receivers, software and additional hardware make this huge setup possible over long distances and allows the use of all the frequencies involved to be coordinated.
We transmit and receive all signals through different Fusion components that allow links, even of 120 KM, up to aircraft that operate between 6500 and 8000 meters above sea level, in addition to 12 sources to transport and a myriad of audio video and data channels.
Given the importance of radio frequency signals, there are two aircraft because one, in fact, is always ready as a backup to avoid any interruption; furthermore, in some particularly long stages where the flight autonomy is exceeded (about 6.5 hours), the second aircraft takes over in overlap”.
A passion for cycling
Angelo Carosi, the director of the Giro, says: “What we have put on display here in Italy is not only the best of the television technologies on the market, but also, from an operational point of view, it is the best team that anyone could ask for. Even the motorcyclists and cameramen are super passionate, often champions, and this can be seen in the result of the images on air.
With particular dynamics we went in search of aesthetic detail and the most important directorial novelty is the discovery of the Italian territory, thanks to the production of EMG for RCS Sport, where our commitment was to create the right “combination” between the sports and the territorial spectacle.
We are very lucky because, unlike other nations, we have a variety of territory that allows the enhancement of the country at a tourist and spectacular level. The direction of the Giro is a rather complex operation that, apart from the pure technological grandeur, involves a total effort of the people who have to assemble and dismantle everything in a few hours and this makes you think about how many resources and how many men are needed to manage a circus of the genre. Those who watch the race on TV don’t realize the physical effort of everyone: we have to cover a live broadcast of six hours for almost thirty days!
Personally, among the many challenges faced in my career, this is a new one and it is the first time that the Giro d’Italia is produced by an external company and not by RAI with a co-production agreement in which RCS Sport relies on EMG. The guys who work with me are all very motivated and passionate and it couldn’t be otherwise, otherwise we wouldn’t have achieved such an effective formula in such a short time, also confirmed by the praise of the international takers who take the signals.
The staff hired by EMG is of the highest level, to the point of not missing the excellent professionals that RAI fielded in the past. The winning choice was to rely on an international dimension, involving enthusiastic internal enthusiasts from EMG Belgium, France and Italy and to support people who have a high level of know-how.
We experienced 30 days of great enthusiasm with a strong search for technical sports detail, details that had lost in the past, despite the absolute competence of RAI, and that the cycling enthusiast loves to see, all with great quality of 1080i images, therefore with an excellent signal.
What stands out in the style of how we told the Giro is our specificity of having prepared two parallel schedules, one that tells the story of the road race and one for the helicopters and motorcycles. To enhance the territory and the most important technical points of the race we created two different run-downs where some motorcycles and helicopters take turns temporarily detaching from the race and go to film the points of interest near the track, to then reconverge at a well-identified point and resume the live broadcast.
This is equivalent to the construction of two production plans that are followed live thanks to a live graphics map in the RF Truck and decided on the basis of the initial morning coordination, a production meeting, which daily orchestrates the day like in a score for a large orchestra”.
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