28 ESPORTS FOCUS Production
Will Waters, VP of ‘Customer Success’ at NewTek believes the reason for this popularity “has a lot to do with the live aspect of the events and the excitement that anything can happen.” Its rise also goes hand in hand with higher production values, demanded by broadcasters like Sky and ITV (partnered with esports network Ginx) and by enthusiasts themselves. “Esports audiences are generally much more attuned to experiencing higher quality because many games are available to play in HDR and UHD,” says Jens Fischer, an account manager for broadcast equipment vendor EVS. “The digital engagement or social media aspect of gaming is also an important part of the live events. Not only do audiences want to see the best possible quality, they also expect a more engaging live experience.” All of which has prompted esports producers to upgrade their kit and work with vendors more associated with live TV outside broadcasts. “A major difference between conventional sport and an esport event is that the audience at the venue don’t just want to sit and watch the game. They want to be truly involved,” says Fabian Leimbach, technical director at ESL, a leading esports producer and event organiser. ESL’s UK studio operation in Leicester has room for several teams of gamers, commentators and an audience of up to 100 fans. The largest studio is broadcasting three or four times a week and includes a range of products from Ross Video.
“We wanted to take a step up from our previous equipment and create slicker and more professional-looking broadcasts, but we also wanted to ensure that these broadcasts could be easily and consistently run by the people on the team who aren’t actually broadcast engineers,” says Sam Deans, ESL UK’s production director. OB TRUCKS ROLL OUT Esports is one of the few sectors that is actively embracing large trucks and flypack formats. “Esports companies like to make a statement to their tech-oriented fanbase, and a large truck/flypack definitely adds to the wow factor,” confirms Marc Genin, VP, Gearhouse Broadcast USA. “I would say that, currently, esports is probably the only growth market for large OB trucks outside of entertainment.” Genin finds similarities with the music and entertainment market where the first thing an esports company looks for in a city is a venue with status – a Hollywood Bowl or Royal Albert Hall. “These venues add to the excitement level of the event and add kudos. Of course, most of these venues do not have a large control room and typically have just a screen control room. The only alternative is to bring in a large truck or flypack to service the event.” On some events such as Call of Duty, the client will supply the qualification infrastructure that is typically a ‘multiple production in a box’ solution as made by Ross Video, NewTek or Blackmagic
During a live esports game, anything three- minutes old is forgotten
Design. Again, there’s a demand for high quality broadcast equipment for the main programme for which a large truck/flypack is the answer. “It has the capability to take in the client-supplied feeds and mix them into a full broadcast production. In short, high production values for a major tournament are always asked for.”
TEAM SPORTS Esports production teams like this one at a GPL League Of Legends tournament in the Philippines are using gear from the likes of NewTek, EVS and Blackmagic
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