Swansea City AFC launch an OTT platform with Blackmagic solutions

The platform called SwansTV Live will use Ursa Broadcast cameras and a Smart Videohub 12G 40×40 matrix from Blackmagic Design.

He Swansea City Association Football Club has developed its own platform for Internet broadcasts (OTT), called SwansTV Live, which includes Ursa Broadcast cameras and a Smart Videohub 12G 40×40 matrix Blackmagic Design.

When it began participating in the English Football League (EFL) championship at the start of the 2018-19 season, the football club had a new opportunity. He began to consider the possibility of broadcasting the content live, something he never thought about during his participation in the Premier League.

Swansea City AFC had two options, according to Jonathan Wilsher, the club's media and marketing manager: "we could work within the EFL's own platform, iFollow, or take the initiative and create our own. This second alternative allowed us to implement a solution that would provide fans with exclusive content of optimal quality that goes far beyond matches and highlights."

StvdioExpert

Thanks to the help of specialist Peter Knowles and his team at StvdioExpert, the club implemented four channels for the Ursa Broadcast model at the Liberty Stadium. A purpose-built studio around a Smart Videohub 12G 40x40 matrix receives all signals from the cameras via the SDI connection, as well as graphics and instant replays, with the aim of producing the final images (PGM).

These then pass through an ATEM Television Studio HD, which acts as a broadcast mixer that selects the source that will be the main signal or a graphic, before sending them to a server for videos on demand (VOD) at a resolution of 1080i50.

"The extended video mode of the Ursa Broadcast is the main factor for us. When combined with good quality B4 lenses, the camera's color reproduction provides an extremely cost-effective system for transmitting material to the air," says Wilsher.

Extending the service beyond 90 minutes of football, Wilsher and the 14-person team also produce programs based on pre- and post-match footage, as well as player and match analysis. This all relies on a build with two Blackmagic Studio Camera units.

This new source of direct sales income has already generated an increase in the number of fans of the club, according to Wilsher. “We have exceeded expectations in terms of number of subscribers thanks to the solution implemented,” he concludes. “By having this level of control over our content, we have been able to engage with fans and sponsors in a completely different way.”