Euros and the Olympics

BT Media and Broadcast partners with large UK broadcaster for global sports coverage

In 2024, the sporting calendar was packed with two of the world’s biggest events – the Euros and the Summer Olympics – taking place in the same year. As the UK broadcaster for both, the BBC faced the complex challenge of managing high-capacity media production workflows, ensuring seamless delivery to millions of viewers.

These high-profile live events required flawless media services with no room for error. The broadcaster needed to transmit vast amounts of video, audio, and data across multiple international locations, with minimal disruption or quality loss. Key to their success was finding a partner with extensive experience in handling large-scale live events and a proven track record in providing robust, reliable media networks.

To meet these demands, they turned to BT Media and Broadcast (BT M&B), leveraging our intelligent media platform, Vena, alongside our established relationships with leading technology suppliers. Together, we provided a seamless, end-to-end solution that allowed the broadcaster to focus on delivering outstanding coverage.

The challenge

As the UK broadcaster for both the Euros and the Summer Olympics, the BBC needed to ensure reliable, high-quality transport of video, audio, and data across geographically dispersed locations. The transmission of simultaneous live feeds between venues and production hubs required:

• High-capacity bandwidth to handle large volumes of media content.
• Low-latency and jitter-free transmission to maintain broadcast-level image and sound quality.
• Seamless delivery across international borders, including between Paris and the UK.
• 24/7 support to ensure uninterrupted operations during these critical events.

Given the scale and complexity of these events, the broadcaster sought a trusted partner with expertise in live broadcast management and the ability to provide a robust, high-performance network.

The solution

BT M&B, through our Vena platform, delivered a reliable and scalable solution for transporting video, audio, and data services during both the Euros and the Olympics.

For the Euros:

• All broadcast feeds were transmitted through BT M&B’s Vena platform, which used Appear TV equipment to ensure low-latency, high-quality video transmission.
• Compression technology, using various codecs, enabled the seamless transport of media across Vena, from single audio streams to uncompressed 8K UHD video.
• Nevion Ventura equipment was used to meet the broadcaster’s MADI audio production needs, ensuring clear, uninterrupted sound delivery.

For the Summer Olympics:

• BT M&B provided a dedicated managed network to transport video, audio, and data between key locations, including Paris and the UK.
• The broadcaster benefited from real-time monitoring of network performance, providing increased visibility and proactive issue management throughout the event.

To support the large UK broadcaster with their coverage, we deployed on-site broadcast engineers at locations in Paris and Germany, alongside round-the-clock monitoring from their International Broadcast Centre (IBC). This ensured that the broadcaster's content was continuously monitored and managed with the highest levels of reliability.

The result

The collaboration between BT M&B and the BBC resulted in a comprehensive, future-proof solution that met the broadcaster’s needs for both events. By working closely with the broadcaster throughout the design and delivery phases, BT M&B ensured a seamless and reliable media network, allowing them to focus on producing top-quality content for its audiences.

The Vena platform played a pivotal role in the successful transmission of media, showcasing BT M&B’s ability to deliver advanced, future-ready connectivity solutions. The broadcaster was able to provide uninterrupted coverage of both the Euros and the Summer Olympics, enhancing the viewer experience and ensuring the smooth delivery of these global events.