Riedel Intercoms Support Live Broadcasts of BT Sports 1 and 2

Riedel Communications, a provider of real-time video, audio, data, and communications networks, announced that Timeline Television is using an Artist digital matrix intercom system within the new BT Sport production hub in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to support the live broadcast of its new sports entertainment channels BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 2, as well as ESPN. The flexibility and reliability of the Riedel intercom system helped Timeline Television play its part in BT Sport’s launch of the new state-of-the-art studio complex.

“Communication is at the heart of broadcast operations, and without it, we can’t make television,” says Daniel McDonnell, managing director at Timeline Television. “For a sizeable installation such as the BT Sport project to be completed within the very short time frame, all technology needed to be best-in-class. That’s why we chose the Riedel Artist system, which we know to be a reliable communications solution that meets the high performance requirements of such a large production facility.”

Within an incredibly challenging space of just five months, Timeline Television helped to transform part of the former International Broadcast Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park into the new home of BT’s new sports channels. The impressive facility includes three large TV studios, seven sports production galleries, a master control room, 20 edit suites, a dubbing theater, and an audience holding area.

The Riedel system, installed by Timeline Television in conjunction with systems integrator Megahertz Broadcast Systems, includes three Artist 128 mainframes distributed across the campus. This system provides more than 150 talkback panels in the facility’s production areas, allowing staff to communicate across the facility, as well as with production teams in OB units at other external sites and other key suppliers such as playout partner Red Bee Media. Because BT already uses Riedel equipment at its BT Tower facility, the company was able to connect the two production centers easily via VoIP.

The ambitious construction program began in earnest in February 2013, with BT Sport and its production partners moving into the newly outfitted facility in July and the high-profile multichannel and multiplatform launch following just four weeks later on Aug. 1. By programming and testing the entire Riedel system off-site prior to installation, Timeline Television was able to save valuable time and maintain its ambitious delivery plan. Once taken live, the Artist system provided production and technical staff with a straightforward and easy-to-use solution for flexible and reliable communications.