EMG stays on Wimbledon courts

EMG Group companies Aerial Camera Systems (ACS) and EMG Connectivity (previously Broadcast RF) have extended their Wimbledon Broadcast Services contract to supply specialist cameras and RF equipment.

ACS has been working with WBS for over 20 years, while EMG Connectivity has supplied various broadcasters’ RF services over several years but became the exclusive supplier of RF cameras when WBS took over the host broadcasting of The Championships from the BBC in 2018. the new deal covers the next four years.

For the 2023 tournament, which begins next week, the vast majority of camera systems are either UHD or 1080p HDR for the first time. Centre Court itself features some notable specialist units including an ACS SMARThead mounted on a 10m railcam positioned along the baseline and housed within a purpose-built hide, whilst another four units are mounted on bespoke camera brackets designed specifically for Wimbledon, including two on the umpire’s chair dedicated to player coverage.

In addition to the two tracks in Centre Court and No.1 Court, ACS is also supplying rail systems covering the Southern and Northern courts at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club. As well as covering several angles of on-court play, numerous beauty cameras provide contextual coverage of the event and include remote crowd cams, coverage of the player arrivals area, Aorangi practice courts, and Media Theatre, plus topographic venue shots from a hoist-mounted GSS stabilised camera gimbal sitting high above the venue for overhead shots of the local area and London skyline.

Meanwhile, EMG Connectivity is providing kit and expertise to WBS as well as multiple unilateral broadcasters, supported by a crew of 6 for fortnight and more for the rig and de-rig of The Championships. There are 40 antennas site wide which feedback to a central RF cabin in the Broadcast Compound, switched and fed into their appropriate receiver units. A wide area return video system for roving RF monitors is also provided to a number of broadcasters, allowing them to analyse footage from anywhere within the grounds.

EMG Connectivity also provides steadicam RF coverage of the Walk of Champions from the dressing rooms to the entrance of Centre Court pre-match. It also covers the champion from Centre Court up the stairs of the clubhouse, through the corridor to the dressing rooms and onto the members’ balcony to be greeted by the cheering crowd.  This requires its own dedicated receive installation with antennas secreted within the walkways and corridors, providing seamless coverage within the building and in addition to the 40 antennas EMG Connectivity have around the grounds.

Matt Coyde, sales director at ACS, said: “When we first started working with the BBC at Wimbledon we only supplied three or four camera systems.  That provision has steadily grown and when WBS took over as host broadcaster they placed additional emphasis on creating unique shots of The Championships by placing more remotes around the Grounds to capture, for example, the crowd atmosphere and the players’ practice areas.  This year will be our largest Championships delivery to date, with the supply of 46 SMARThead™ robotic camera channels and 26 operators supported by a small team of technicians and three on-site vision engineers.”

Chris Brandrick, commercial director at EMG Connectivity, added: “This is the first year that some of the RHBs have returned with onsite presentation to Wimbledon. It means we will be supplying more RF cameras and RF monitors than ever before.  With our seamless wireless connectivity which unites the fans and the players, we are confident we can set the bar higher than ever before.”

Paul Davies, head of broadcast, production and media rights at the All England Club, commented: “We are delighted to extend our relationship with ACS and EMG Connectivity as we continue to evolve our coverage to provide new standards of quality and innovation in the broadcast of Wimbledon.”