Russia’s Match TV Turns to TVU Networks for Summer Games Coverage

Russia’s National Sports Channel, Match TV, relied on its TVU Networks video transmission technology for extensive coverage of the Summer Games. The station had seven ENG crews in Rio using TVU equipment throughout Games, which took place August 6-21.

The National Sports Channel produces sports broadcasts for Russia’s federal television channel within the country and abroad. The station first started using TVU Networks equipment in 2013, when it began relying on the TVUPack TM8100 mobile uplink solution. Leading up to the Rio Olympics, Match TV purchased three new TVU One mobile newsgathering solutions. The video transmission packs were used to shoot live stand-up videos and interviews throughout the Games in stadiums, press mixed zones, and scenic environments around Rio, including beaches and high viewpoints.

“The biggest benefit we find in using TVU Networks technology is the mobility that it allows,” says Kirill Kolomyts, Head Producer of International Broadcast, Match TV. “With the ability to do live transmissions from almost anywhere at any given time, we have unlimited possibilities. In general, we’ve found ourselves relying on TVU equipment more and more. In fact, Match TV’s news department has been using TVU technology on a daily basis for live broadcasts.”

Having been the national representative of the XXII Winter Olympic Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014, Match TV is familiar with the complexities and challenges that can come with covering world-class sporting events. The station sent a production team of 130 people to Rio to get the job done, and TVU Networks equipment provided Match TV with reliable video transmission technology that didn’t let them down during the Games. It also removed the need for costly SNG equipment.

“Our TVU technology made our jobs easier in Rio,” Kolomyts explains. “We are very happy with the reliability and performance of our TVU mobile newsgathering packs during the Summer Games.”