Room With A View

That view will become a familiar sight to viewers during June and July thanks to the Outside Presentation Facilities provided at the IBC. Two units, 500 metres apart, offer a spectacular panorama for broadcasters to take advantage of. Standing at 14 and eight metres respective­ly, the two facilities have been chosen by, amongst other broadcasters, Al-Jazeera, TV Globo, ESPN and ITV to house large scale studios, while six smaller units allow other broadcasters to air programming from atop the scaffold structure.

“What started off as a very interesting intention for us blossomed into a project that has ended up being a very strong arm of the IBC complex,” explained Ronald Den Hollander, Head of IBC Construction. “We had two broadcasters who came to us with ideas almost two years ago and since then we have developed the Outside Presentation Facility into a valuable satellite structure to the main IBC.”

The broadcasters themselves agree that the facility is a fine addition to the IBC. “It gives us the ability to say we are actually here and makes a strong visual commitment to the event and the city,” explained Geoff Mason, Head of Production Planning for ESPN. “I cannot imagine that anywhere else in Johannesburg has such a great view of Soccer City and the skyline.”

ITV have even gone to the lengths of colour matching their set to the brown and orange of Soccer City’s exterior. “The stadium is the heart of the World Cup for South Africa, that is why we chose to base our studio here. It is something that reflects modern Africa and that was something we wanted to put across with our presentation,” explained Production Designer Paul Sudlow. “We just have to hope now that none of our presenters suffer from vertigo!”