Globecast distributes the African Cup of Nations in 4K and VOD worldwide

It provides a range of services including contribution, distribution and preparation and storage of 4K and VOD content.

Since June 21 Globecast and until next Friday the 19th, Globecast works in collaboration with the Egyptian Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Lagardère Sports, managers and marketers of sports rights in Europe and Africa, and the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) for the distribution of the signal of the African Cup of Nations.

For additional logistical support on the ground, Globecast has partnered with local specialists from KAR Technology, who have contributed their logistical experience and their liaison with the LOC. Globecast has also collaborated closely with Iris Media, which has provided SNGs as well as additional technical support.

Globecast has a long-standing relationship with CAF and is providing a range of services in 2019, including contribution, distribution and preparation and storage of VOD content. For the first time, the opening match and final will be broadcast in 4K, using HEVC encoding. In total, 52 matches are held in four cities in Egypt.

At each stadium, Globecast is supplying two SNG units. The first is the uplink of the main source, plus a second source with additional pre-match material to increase participation in the event. Full redundancy is provided by a second SNG. The primary signals are received at the Globecast teleport in Paris and then returned for further distribution. Backup power is received in London.

Return on investment

To increase ROI and viewer engagement, Globecast is preparing VOD content using its service Content Marketplace, a module of its content processing suite Digital Media Hub. Signals are transcoded into multiple formats and resolutions, including full broadcast quality, clips, and added metadata. Each broadcast affiliate that uses the system receives new content notifications to promote downloads.

Philippe Bernard, President and CEO of Globecast, says: "We are very pleased to have been selected by the Egyptian LOC, expanding our relationship with CAF and Lagadère Sports. This year we see particular innovation with the use of 4K and VOD content offering, with our innovative Content Marketplace that provides broadcast affiliates with new ways to expand viewer engagement. We have worked very closely with KAR and Iris Media and their help has been invaluable. This is a large tournament that requires high technical and logistical level, and between them they have contributed exactly what is needed. The LOC has done a fantastic job in organizing this event, and Egypt has been asked to intervene in the process. What a fantastic sporting spectacle the 2019 event is.”