From ‘broom closet’ to 24/7 sports hub
In less than ten years, the Livecenter of Gravity Media NL has been transformed from a “side activity” in a dark corner of the building at Hilversum’s Media Park into an international sports hub. With first Ziggo Sport and now ESPN as frontrunners, a 24/7 operation, and an infrastructure ready for the next step in remote production, the Livecenter is firmly connected with the sports world – both literally and figuratively.
Tom Eshuis and Jasper Jurgens, respectively Manager Technology and Project Manager Livecenter, have both been active at Gravity Media NL (formerly EMG Nederland) for almost 25 years. Tom and Jasper often work together on satellite operations and still remember well how it all began: “In a kind of broom closet, with half an edit set and a multiviewer for when we had to do something live in our own studios or in postproduction, then we could staff it ourselves. But after 2019, during the Covid period, it really took off: lots of livestreams, small remote productions and webinars, at the time in cooperation with Quadia (now Motionmakers).”
“Then Talpa joined with daily programs, we started doing the same for RTL, and extra space was set up in our Postplaza. When that became too small as well, we ended up with perhaps the nicest spot in the building. Our people can now work in daylight and have a view of the weather and the satellite dishes, always useful for satellite connections.”
Stepping stone
Not long after that move, the first major client was contracted: Ziggo Sport. “That was really the stepping stone for our current track record,” Jurgens realizes. “Until then, we mainly did routing of studio productions such as the daily RTL Boulevard broadcasts and support for file-based workflows for ENG clients, but a major contract for sourcing – bringing in live feeds – was something new and our first step toward continuity and 24/7 occupation. When we proved we could handle that too, we got the chance to seriously compete in the ESPN tender.”
Winning that (multi-year) contract literally meant a doubling of operations, both in staff and equipment – including three hundred monitoring screens on the wall. An investment of several million euros. Eshuis: “For ESPN we are also the MCR and do the sourcing, but then for all channels; nine in the Netherlands. Many feeds are produced in the Netherlands but are actually international, such as ESPN Africa and Star Channel in China.”
Connectivity
The infrastructure is hybrid: satellite and fiber. Livecenter is linked to international hubs such as BT Tower in London and major MCRs in the US, but not only that. Jurgens: “Fiber connectivity has grown tremendously, also with parties producing for ESPN and, what really makes it unique, we also handle the connections for the Eredivisie and a large part of the KKD. So all stadium images come in here as well.”
”New compression techniques lead to major efficiency gains”
Within Gravity Media, Hilversum forms a triangle with Gravity Media Belgium and London (Westworks). Eshuis: “Heavy thunderstorms, for example, can disrupt downlinks, but then a feed can be received elsewhere and sent via fiber.” In addition, new compression techniques make it possible to send multiple lines over a single connection without visible quality loss – a major efficiency gain. “We figured that out together with ESPN,” Jurgens adds. “The client is technically well versed and we were able to clearly explain how we wanted to do it, which they greatly appreciated.”
HDR
With the start of the ESPN contract, the broadcaster switched entirely to High Dynamic Range (HDR) in one go. Not just a few programs, but everything: studio, inserts, postproduction and distribution. Jurgens: “July 1 was an exciting date for us, but even more so for ESPN.”
Eshuis: “Worldwide, there aren’t many broadcasters that dare to make such a drastic shift from SDR to HDR without exceptions; very ambitious and bold in my opinion. And you can see it, the quality jumps off the screen.”
For viewers, it means more vibrant colors and more detail. Fluorescent shirts really are bright, contrast differences remain visible, and detail is preserved even in shadows. “ESPN also pays a lot of attention to quality control, there are HDR supervisors who remotely watch the football matches to ensure that everything matches,” Eshuis adds. Sports not yet delivered in HDR, such as American baseball, are converted in real time in Hilversum, complete with correct metadata.
diPloy
Technically, the Livecenter runs entirely on SMPTE ST 2110: separate transport of video, audio, and metadata over IP, with perfect synchronization. Ideal for scalability, but in a 24/7 environment it requires redundancy and smart workflows. That is where diPloy comes in: an in-house developed modular, IP-based system that integrates control, audio, video, intercom, monitoring, and data. A five-person diPloy team literally works underneath the Livecenter and provides custom tools and daily support.
“Within Gravity Media the course is clear: fewer and fewer large OB trucks on site”
Gravity Media NL also manages the entire intercom structure between ESPN and final control. Live commentary from home and abroad – whether it is an English voice-over or a French cyclocross commentator – is broadcast with low-delay monitoring and tight synchronization. That mix of video, audio and communication makes the Livecenter a versatile hub, both for existing clients and for future remote productions.
Remote production
Because that is the future, Jurgens and Eshuis realize: “Within Gravity Media the course is clear: fewer and fewer large OB trucks on location. More and more central control rooms via stable connections, so that all locations in the countries are connected and we can easily facilitate remote productions throughout Europe or even worldwide if needed. We can do this uncompressed with the highest quality feeds, but also via compressed connections for smaller sports, for example.”
The Livecenter plays a major role in this and will only become more crucial, both realize. “Our space is modularly designed: everything can be moved or removed to make room for expansion. And that will probably not be a luxury. Demand is growing and chances are high that in the coming years we will have to scale up again.”
Text: Jeroen te Nuijl // Photography: Studio Kastermans
