Gearhouse Lands Deal For South African Football Flyaway Packs

South African Satellite Broadcaster M-NET contracted Gearhouse Broadcast to build three Flyaway systems to cover domestic football leagues in various African countries to be broadcast by M-NET.

The Flyaway units contain an eight-camera system made up of Sony BVP E30s cameras, a Sony DVS 9000 vision mixer, Teletest rack mount monitors, Harris Inscriber G1 graphics, 2×6-channel SD EVS XT2, Harris glue, Pro-Bel router, RTS/Telex comms system, Yamaha mixing desk and GlenSound commentating units and a mixture of new and used Canon lenses.

Multi-choice, who own M-Net, obtained the rights to cover the football in Kenya, Angola and Zambia and needed to purchase the appropriate broadcast equipment to deliver the contract. Following a complex and involved tender process Gearhouse Broadcast won the contract and is providing its unique flyaway production monitor stack solutions.

“Gearhouse Flyaways are the perfect solution for M-Net’s needs being portable production units which are housed in flight cases and so easily transportable” explains Eamonn Dowdall, Managing Director at Gearhouse Broadcast. The production units have to be flown between South Africa, M-Net’s headquarters, and the respective African nations. OB trucks were not an appropriate solution in this instance, with each location having differing production space available. Dowdall continues “a major factor in securing the contract was Gearhouse’s ability to supply a loan flyaway within less than a week’s time demonstrating the company’s flexibility.”