Telstra built a professional overlay media network to deliver all audio, video and data services from eight stadiums in the UAE to the International Broadcasting Centre at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Telstra Broadcast Services was contracted by Lagardere Sports, the commercial partner of the AFC Asian Cup, to design, deliver and operate the professional live contribution media network.
Telstra built a professional overlay media network to deliver all audio, video and data services from eight stadiums in the UAE to the International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking about creating the infrastructure, Andreas Eriksson, Acting Head of Telstra Broadcast Services, said: This was the first time that a full fibre contribution network of this type had ever been deployed in the UAE. The collaboration marked a significant milestone in the way football content was produced in the UAE.
The network carried stadium camera and production feeds along with data and communications between the stadiums and the IBC, including the video and audio feeds required for the video assistant referee (VAR) to ensure each game was officiated to the highest standards.
Telstra also provided Lagardere Sports with the international fibre and satellite teleport network to deliver the world feed from the IBC to AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 rights holding broadcasters around the world. It also provided unilateral international contribution feeds to beIN Sports and Al Kass Sports, which allowed these broadcasters to create unique content and programming on their channels.
Telstra Broadcast Services brings to its customers high performance media networks, teleport and satellite services, online video and cloud platforms, and 24/7 bookings, operations and engineering support. The Telstra Broadcast Operations Centre manages over 400 video, satellite and data services for leading Australian and international media and sports companies, facilitating over three million permanent channel hours and 20,000 event bookings every year.
