SVG Europe
Sportcast, based in Cologne and a full subsidiary of the DFL, has been host broadcaster for all matches in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, as well as the Supercup, since 2006-07.
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In that time it has produced over 12,500 live games, around 700 a season, and managing director Alexander Günther, who has been there since the beginning, is proud of their achievement.
“Since taking over the inhouse role we’ve gone through the entire story of technology from SD to HD to UHD now HDR, but it is not enough to produce 90 minutes of broadcast any more,” Günther tells SVG Europe on a tour of the match day production at the BayArena ahead of the Bayer 04 Leverkusen versus VfB Stuttgart Supercup final. “We have to meet the expectation of fans with digital.”
Günther points to the Olympics and the recent work of Olympic Broadcasting Services in producing multiple versions of content distributed to digital and mobile touchpoints. He had seen this first hand at the IBC in Paris. “This is our roadmap for the Bundesliga,” he says.
Alongside production of the TV base signal, Sportcast coordinates the contribution and international distribution of the live TV signal in over 200 countries. In addition, it provides weekly live games and highlights shows in English, with international graphics via satellite. To achieve this, the video signals of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 are broadcast via a fibre optic network operated by Sportcast connected to 36 stadiums.
Live tracking, heatmaps and other data are at the heart of this service, developed in conjunction with AWS by the DFL’s Sportec Solutions subsidiary (itself a partnership between Sportcast and Deltatre), continues to produce a Tactical Feed which is taken by several international broadcasters.
Machine learning from AWS is also deployed to glean insights and generate predictions, and provides the bedrock of the Bundesliga Match Facts service. Other initiatives from Sportcast include the implementation of a camera in a corner flag.
“We are always keen to test different cameras, new perspectives and technology to see how much can we get to the match in order to really engage fans,” Günther says.
New angles
While Bundesliga 2 remains a 1080p production, the Bundesliga is UHD HDR as is the Supercup, which is designated by Sportcast as Topspiel+ meaning more firepower than usual.
The Supercup is also used as an opportunity to trial new tech and this year’s tie, held on 17 August, was no different. It was a 29-camera production, 10 more than for regular league games. The additional cameras included Steadicam cine-style cameras capturing teams off the bus and into the changing room and dual ‘coach cams’ trained on the manager dug outs throughout the game.
There was also an Aerial Camera System and a drone for use outside of the stadium used in the pre-match rundown during half time and post game. In the Mixed Zone, Günther points out two fixed cameras that would capture the atmosphere of the media build-up and player interviews during and after the match.
“If it seems to be like a playground for innovation then it is,” he says. “It is all about providing content, content, more content and experience. To find out about new experiences we have to test them and that includes putting cameras where no-one has seen them before.
“This is what the Bundesliga stands for. It’s technology and innovation on the one hand and sustainable and robust production on the other.”
While the Supercup was a conventional OB, Sportcast is laying the groundwork to transition to regular matchday remote production. It has already trialled remote production of a couple of Bundesliga matches last term and plans to make at least another two remote production proof of concepts of live Bundesliga 2 matches this year.
One proof-of-concept was for the Bundesliga 2 match between Fortuna Düsseldorf and Eintracht Braunschweig, which was produced entirely remotely and cloud-based in parallel with conventional production, using 11 cameras. Key tech components under evaluation are Grass Valley’s AMPP system and the Evertz DreamCatcher system. A second system involves solutions by Vizrt and Simply Live which was integrated via an NDI protocol.
“We’re evaluating the remote setup quite intensely,” Günther says. “As we build up a green production environment we’re collecting all the data that is necessary to reduce the carbon footprint.”
It is possible that all Bundesliga 2 games from the 2025-26 season will be produced remotely. Decisions will be made on where to site a national remote broadcast production hub, with Cologne the current frontrunner. The city currently hosts the DFL’s VAR centre.
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