Top Sports, Events, Concerts
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First live ice hockey broadcast in 3D and HD: PLAZAMEDIA produced opening match of Ice Hockey World Championship
The stadium was buzzing with excitement at the opening match of the Ice Hockey World Championship on 7 May 2010 between Germany and the USA. A crowd of 76,000 turned the Veltins football stadium Auf Schalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany into a seething cauldron, making it the highest-attendance ice hockey match ever effectively a world record. So that viewers at home could also feel as if they were there, PLAZAMEDIA innovatively showcased the sporting highlight for LIGA total! in all its heated atmosphere in 3D, HD TV, and for SPORT1 also in SD 16:9. A total of nine 3D cameras captured the emotion and always ensured the best angles.
The thrilling pace and dynamics of the match were also caught in spectacular shots by special high-performance cameras (PLAZAMEDIA in collaboration with TV Skyline): As well as the main camera and a radio camera, the two behind-the-goal chip cameras, the sportscams on the opposing right and left sides, two chip cameras to the right and left of the penalty benches, and a polecam above the ice rink were guaranteed to keep viewers right in the thick of the action...
It couldn’t get more live! It’ll be the first time an ice hockey match has ever been broadcast live in 3D and HDTV in Europe. Technically its especially challenging because the play is extremely fast and the puck is difficult to make out. We presented world-class ice hockey in a new dimension on 7 May, said Florian Nowosad, CEO of PLAZAMEDIA.
As well as the opening match, PLAZAMEDIA produced the entire Ice Hockey World Championship (7 - 23 May 2010) for sports channel SPORT1, who showed a total of 30 matches in up to 22 broadcasts with over 3,000 live minutes on free-to-air TV. As full-service provider, PLAZAMEDIA deployed a 25-strong crew for each production to ensure that the technology ran without a hitch throughout the two weeks.
PLAZAMEDIA produced the 22nd BMW International Open
For SKY Deutschland, PLAZAMEDIA produced the 22nd BMW International Open in Eichenried, Germany from 23¬ - 27 July 2010. The host broadcaster not only provided the live feed, but also, with an ENG camera team, filmed pieces to camera, unilateral picture feeds and interviews, which were transferred via satellite playouts to the broadcast centre in Ismaning, near Munich.
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FIBA U17 Basketball World Championship 2010: Production for Basketball Event GmbH
It was a successful premiere: The first U17 World Championship in Hamburg from 2 - 11 July 2010 saw twelve teams competing in some thrilling encounters, including insiders favourite Germany. From 9 July, host broadcaster PLAZAMEDIA produced all quarter-final and semi-final matches as well as the final for Basketball Event GmbH. PLAZAMEDIA captured the highlights from all kinds of angles with six cameras and a 20-strong crew. Staying with basketball, PLAZAMEDIA also produced the Eurochallenge Final Tour 2010 in Oldenburg, Germany with five cameras and around 15 crew, also providing the signal distribution.
Tennis ATP BMW Open 2010
On behalf of S&K Marketing, PLAZAMEDIA was responsible for host broadcasting the Tennis ATP BMW Open 2010, which took place at the Iphitos Tennis Club in Munich from 4 - 9 May 2010. The host signal was produced in HD quality with around 20 crew on location.
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Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships 2010: In action as host broadcaster
From 16 - 18 April 2010, PLAZAMEDIA host-broadcasted the Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships in Bremen, Germany together with event organiser Spospom. A world elite of over 350 female gymnasts from 36 countries competed at the Bremen Arena, including many from Germany.
At this sporting highlight, PLAZAMEDIA perfectly showcased the senior tournament in 16:9 and SD with a total of six cameras. With a flexible crane camera and a polecam (ultra-light crane), the team captured the breathtaking routines of the gymnasts at close range. As well as the production, which involved a crew of 20, PLAZAMEDIA also handled all unilateral services for the local TV stations and was responsible for the TV productions of all 16 rights holders of the EBU (European Broadcasting Union).
Hard-core premiere: IRONMAN Regensburg
PLAZAMEDIA Austria produces top event with 2,200 participants from 54 countries PLAZAMEDIA Austria has the IRONMAN bug: Following the Kärnten IRONMAN Austria 2010 at the beginning of July, the IRONMAN in Regensburg, Germany making its debut on 1 August 2010 became the second triathlon to be produced by the sports-TV producer within a short time. Event organiser Xdream Sports & Events GmbH commissioned PLAZAMEDIA Austria with the technical production of the event as a TV magazine for sports channels SPORT1 and ESPN. SPORT1 was responsible for creating the editorial content. Five PLAZAMEDIA cameras provided breathtaking pictures from the formidable contest. From 7.00 a.m. onwards, 2,200 athletes from 54 countries battled their way through a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike course and a 42.2 km run. To capture the participants as closely as possible in the various disciplines, PLAZAMEDIA Austria used a Cineflex camera onboard a helicopter throughout the day, as well as two to three cameras on motorbikes for the cycling and running. Altogether some 20 crew from the production company worked locally on the production. Numerous top athletes competed in the IRONMAN Regensburg, including the 2005 IRONMAN World Champion Faris Al-Sultan from Munich. SPORT1 showed a 60-minute roundup programme on Monday 2 August. Sports channel ESPN will show the highlights produced by PLAZAMEDIA in September. But thats not all the IRONMAN news now theyre coming thick and fast. Already on 15 August 2010, PLAZAMEDIA Austria will produce the fourth Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe IRONMAN 70.3 Germany in Wiesbaden, which has this year been officially declared the European Championship over the IRONMAN 70.3 distance. A real top-drawer event, which will see numerous world champions competing.
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Full speed ahead - MOTO GP: Production for SPORT1
PLAZAMEDIA produced the worlds premier motorcycle racing series MotoGP for SPORT1, sophisticatedly showcasing all twelve European races with its own OB van, a 10-person crew on location, and cameras for interviews. The head-to-head battle of the speed merchants was transported onto the screens and into the living rooms of viewers with all its emotion and intoxicating speed. As well as the races themselves, PLAZAMEDIA also produced the training and qualifying for SPORT1.
On top form with Formula 1: Always there where the action is
At 19 Formula 1 races around the globe, PLAZAMEDIA is always close to the action with a 20-strong editorial and production team, all-digital production technology, two digital wireless cameras and an EVS, true to their motto: Always there where the action is thats the PLAZA team. Between Friday and Sunday, they broadcast the free practice sessions live, with even multifeed transmission for the qualifying and the race itself. And this season will see a very special innovation making its debut: The new Silver Arrow Channel cockpit feed, mixed on the spot from the onboard cameras, lets viewers keep up with the race from the perspectives of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg.
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Host broadcasting of international fixtures
Football is everywhere. And of course PLAZAMEDIA was also on the road again in football matters, being responsible for the host broadcasting of warm-up matches in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on behalf of SPORT1, Sportfive, Al Jazeera, TRT, Nova Sports, ADI UK, Point Live Digital and Matchworld. Two of these matches were produced in HD and Dolby 5.1, with around 25 people on location for each project, along with an OB van, seven cameras and a super-slomo camera.
Unthinkable: The World Cup without public viewings
For the opening match of the Football World Cup (screened at Munichs P1 club) and on Germanys match days, on behalf of Sky Deutschland, PLAZAMEDIAs production technology was behind the public viewings on giant screens in Munichs Olympic Stadium or on Berlins Fan Mile. At half-time and after the game, immediate, emotional reactions from the fans were screened, as well as interviews. And successfully bringing the 2009/10 season to a close for Sky Deutschland:
Europa League with the final on 12 May 2010 in Hamburg and the
UEFA Champions League with the final on 22 May 2010 in Madrid, in which FC Bayern Munich lost to Inter Milan.
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Concerts and events
Even though the last quarter was heavily focused on sport, there were still numerous highlights in the event genre:
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PLAZAMEDIA produced three Telekom street gigs on behalf of Feschfilm Entertainment. At the first, in Bremen on 1 May 2010, Jamie Cullum got the crowd going with his unique brand of swing. PLAZAMEDIA captured the party mood with an OB van and around 20 crew. At an open-air concert by the band Phoenix in the Cologne exhibition centre carpark on 24 June 2010, a 12-person team and an HD OB van ensured that everything went smoothly with the tapeless recording of all signals for the Pro7 postproduction. Then on 23 July, PLAZAMEDIA showcased a special musical highlight: On behalf of FESCHFILM Entertainment GmbH, the company provided the TV technology for the live broadcast of a concert by German hip hop band Die Fantastischen Vier at the ProSieben broadcast centre in Unterföhring, near Munich. At this unusual event, PLAZAMEDIA was on the spot with a team of 12, producing with an HD OB unit with up to eight cameras. The pictures were relayed by satellite to Bielefeld via SNG, where the incoming signal was downlinked before being broadcast in the form of an Internet live stream.
Fans of the cult band were thus able to follow the concert live from 9.15 p.m. at www.telekom-streetgigs.de. At their gig in Unterföhring, die Fantastischen Viers set included tracks from their current album Für dich immer noch Fanta Sie.