Avid announced that, in conjunction with Timeline Television, BT Sport, BT’s new group of sports television channels, competing for the Sport TV market in the UK with Sky, has implemented an Avid end-to-end tapeless asset management, storage, and audio and video editing workflow to efficiently create, access and distribute the hundreds of hours of sports content that will pass through the new facility each year.
The channels, which include BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 2 and ESPN, are based in iCITY, London’s new digital quarter in the former International Broadcast Centre (IBC) at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. BT Sport will go live on 1 August 2013.
BT Sport is one of the anchor tenants at iCITY and has refitted part of the IBC building with three TV studios, a control centre, 20 editing suites, and an audience holding area. The Avid integrated workflow at iCITY comprises: Avid Interplay Production asset management, which will be the central hub for all BT Sport’s media; Avid ISIS 7000 shared storage, and 25 Avid Symphony Nitris DX editing stations to handle the live feeds, pre-recorded footage and studio-based content. A dubbing suite equipped with Avid Pro Tools HDX and a 32-fader ICON D-Control mixing console has also been installed.
Tom Cordiner, vice president international sales at Avid, said:
“We’re delighted that BT Sport has chosen our solutions to be at the heart of its new facility to take advantage of these benefits. During the London 2012 games, broadcasters based in the IBC proved just how robust Avid solutions are at handling hundreds of hours of live media in a 24/7 fast turnaround environment, so it’s fitting that BT Sport has taken up residency there.”
Jamie Hindhaugh, chief operating officer of BT Sport, said:
“At the core of our new studios build is a spirit of collaboration that brings the best of industry – and sometimes competitors – working together toward a common aim: to make the BT Sport studios a world-class hub for the best ideas and talent. We believe talent attracts talent and our partnership has helped us to foster that mind-set.”