Formula E Opens Unique Production Facility
Formula E will broadcast from a new production facility in London that will deliver its coverage while reducing its environmental impact.
Now in its ninth season, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will race in Hyderabad this Saturday, the first time the all-electric motor racing series has visited India. The race will air live in the UK on Channel 4 and Eurosport and will be broadcast from its new facility.
Beginning this season, the live international race feed distributed to more than 40 broadcasters and airing in more than 150 countries will be produced remotely from The Production Centre in London, a new production facility developed by media and broadcast company Gravity Media.
The facility is based in White City, the same location as the former BBC Production Centre.
The production setup will allow for the seamless remote integration of replay, audio and graphics into the live programme output, as well as a resilient disaster recovery system to ensure the broadcast feed remains uninterrupted in the event of technical difficulties.
As part of a new multi-year partnership with London-based Gravity Media, and alongside Formula E’s existing editorial partner, Aurora Media Worldwide, the live broadcast feed of Formula E’s international races will be produced at Gravity Media’s Production Centre in London instead of a temporary broadcast facility installed at each race location.
Live broadcast coverage of an international sports event is typically an environmentally intensive process with staff and equipment travelling by air. Formula E is reducing the impact of staff travel and shipping of heavy production equipment by centralising the majority of live editing and production at the facility in London.
Aarti Dabas, Chief Media Officer, Formula E, said,“At Formula E, as the world’s first net zero carbon sport since inception, we are constantly challenging ourselves to show how delivering world-class sports entertainment and maintaining industry-leading sustainable practices can co-exist without compromise.
“Our technology and broadcast teams have worked closely with Gravity Media and Aurora Media Worldwide to help us achieve this. The London-based facility and new approach to presenting Formula E coverage helps us stay true to our vision of accelerating human progress and encouraging the adoption of EV transportation while entertaining millions of viewers around the world.”
Ed Tischler, EMEA Managing Director, Gravity Media, added, “We are thrilled to be working with Formula E as the first partner to use our brand new, next-generation Gravity Media Production Centre in White City. By taking the bold, innovative step of relocating TV production from a temporary facility in a remote world city to London, we are changing the game for how major global sports events are covered on television.
“Our new Production Centre located in the heart of White City in The Westworks building will house a growing team of creative and innovative media specialists and we hope to encourage more major sports to adopt a similar approach for TV coverage of their live events.”
This year, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will race in 11 world cities, more than any other season. Cape Town, São Paulo, Berlin, Monaco, Jakarta, Portland, Rome and London will follow Hyderabad while Mexico City and Diriyah in Saudi Arabia hosted the opening races of the season last month.
