Marking the One-Year Countdown, Projects Are Now Complete at the Stadiums Hosting the World’s Largest Football Tournament

ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)—November 22, 2021. Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC), a leading global supplier of specialty networking solutions, and Gravity Media, a leading global provider of complex live broadcast facilities and production services, are excited to announce their involvement in four major stadiums hosting the world’s biggest football tournament taking place in Qatar in 2022.

In 2010, it was announced that Qatar will host the eagerly anticipated tournament, and Gravity Media and Belden were then awarded the projects to deliver broadcast systems for four stadiums for the first ever tournament of its kind in the Arab world. Since then, Qatar has been a hive of activity as it equips the host stadiums with the latest broadcast technology. And November 21 officially kicked off the one-year countdown to the opening of the world’s biggest football tournament.

Gravity Media partnered with its long-term supplier Belden to design, supply, install, test and commission the broadcast cabling systems for the opening match venue Al Bayt Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, and Ahmed bin Ali Stadium. Gravity Media shaped the project design using input from local broadcasters and its expertise with high-profile international federations.

“It was an honour to be involved in such prestigious projects,” says Eamonn Dowdall, Executive Director for Gravity Media, “With the combined expertise of Belden and Gravity Media, the solutions provided will support the stadiums’ needs well into the future.”

The respective installations required Belden’s innovative broadcast solutions including SMPTE, Triax, Video, Multi Core Audio, and single-mode fibre cable – enabling host broadcasters to connect their facilities to 50+ camera positions in each of the stadiums which includes interviews, arrivals, and other off-field activities. This will enable broadcasters to transmit content to billions of fans around the world while simultaneously future proofing the stadiums’ systems for long-term, sustainable use.

Fans will be treated to four matches per day during the group stage – another first – and last just 28 days, culminating in the final on Saturday 18 December 2022, also marking Qatar’s National Day.

The brand-new International Tennis Complex in Kuwait City has opened its doors to thousands of fans showcasing a world-class venue home to 18 tennis courts including two show courts accommodating 5,000 and 1,500 people. The complex is now also home to the Kuwait Tennis Federation, the national teams and the Rafael Nadal Academy, the largest Tennis academy in the Middle East.

Gravity Media was delighted to provide the broadcast cabling infrastructure to connect the technical production facilities for the host broadcast on the main show court. Gravity Media has previous experience completing over a dozen new venues to a high international standard across the sporting, cultural and educational sectors in the Middle East.

With over twenty-years of tennis technical broadcast experience across the globe year in year out, Gravity Media has the people and expert knowledge to deliver broadcast services in the sport. At Gravity Media, tennis is in our DNA.

Our coverage, live feeds, production, technical and installation services to tennis authorities and media providers are founded on having the very best equipment for each project – and a work ethos of getting it right first time, every time. In addition to our state-of-the-art technology, which we specifically select to achieve the best outcomes for each tennis project, we’re particularly well known for pioneering replay and highlight content. Our 360-degree replay shots and automated highlights editing have proved a game-changer for tennis viewing the world over.

For example, two of our world-first innovations are our NetCam tennis solution, which has been used at all four Grand Slams since its launch in 2018.

Are you considering or building a future-proof sports arena or stadium fit for international standards? If so, reach out to our expert Systems Integration team, email enquiries@gravitymedia.com.

On Friday 22 October 2021, the brand-new Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar opened its doors to thousands of fans for the Final of the Amir Cup between Al Sadd vs Al Rayyan managed by two former World Cup winners in Xavi and Laurent Blanc. This stadium was designed to resemble the gahfiya – a traditional woven cap worn by men, which will seat 40,000 fans that will see Qatar donate 20,000 of those seats to developing countries.

Gravity Media was delighted to see the grand opening ceremony take place inaugurated by the dignitaries of Qatar. The Al-Thumama Stadium is the fourth stadia which the local team from Gravity Media has delivered to a high international standard playing a key role in preparing Qatar to host what is the biggest and most eagerly anticipated sporting event ever held in the region. Our role was to provide the broadcast cabling infrastructure to connect the technical production facilities for the host broadcast. The other stadia Gravity Media has completed include the Khalifa International, the Al-Bayt and the Ahmed Bin Ali stadiums.

Gravity Media has previous experience working on the 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 World Cups with comprehensive broadcast solutions. Gravity Media has been based in Qatar since 2007 and has successfully delivered several other permanent broadcast installations in sporting, cultural, media & educational sectors. Recently, the Qatar office has had delivered an eight camera HD Outside Broadcast mobile vehicle with DSNG capability.

Are you considering or building a future-proof sports arena or stadium fit for international standards? If so, reach out to our expert local Doha team, email enquiries@gravitymedia.com.

The European Qualifiers resumed last night when England hosted Hungary at Wembley Stadium chasing a place at next year’s FIFA World cup.  

Gravity Media was under the famous arch with a team on site producing the big screen output at Wembley Stadium using our Outside Broadcast truck Pictor.   

Based in the UK, Pictor is a multi-functional broadcast vehicle which can fit up to 16 fixed cameras well as comfortably seat a crew of eight. It is an ultra-efficient mobile TV production unit, designed to support both traditional and remote integration/ At-Home workflows. Cutting edge technology combines with an ergonomic working environment, allowing streamlined production teams to create engaging content in day-long comfort.   
 
Our flexible Production Centre in London offers full live production, whether on-site or as part of a hybrid remote configuration. The facility is ideal for fast-turnaround rolling highlights edits for broadcast or digital, live streams, in-match clips for social and digital, as well as crafted highlights, along with features and traditional post-production. 
 
Football is in our DNA and to find out how we can help you with your next production, email enquiries@gravitymedia.com

Paris/London, 5th Oct 2021 — Globecast, the global solutions provider for media and content management, has announced it’s partnering with Gravity Media, the leading global provider of complex live broadcast facilities and production services to content owners, creators and distributors, to provide end-to-end production and connectivity services to customers at next year’s major soccer event. 

Gravity Media will be providing a range of onsite technical facilities from standup positions to complete temporary studios for broadcasters from around the world to use. This will then be supported by Globecast’s marketing-leading, fully redundant satellite and fibre connectivity as well as public internet reach if desired. Gravity Media will also provide post-production services for broadcasters.   

Ed Tischler, Managing Director at Gravity Media in EMEA, said, “This partnership is about making life better and easier for customers. By working with Globecast, we can provide clients with a single, tightly integrated offering that we can tailor to the needs of each customer. We can offer remote production as well, with customers able to use our production facilities in London, San Francisco and Sydney, again supported by Globecast’s connectivity. We have also had offices in Qatar since 2007 so we know the country very well.” 

Tischler adds the two companies have previously worked together so each party understands how the other works and their respective technologies, providing a further level of trust and reliability for customers. 

James Whittaker, Business Development Manager, Globecast, said, “This is a powerful partnership that will provide premium, end-to-end services for customers at what is one of the world’s great supporting events. Broadcasters not only need our combined technical capabilities, they also need premium level signal reliability wherever they may be. Alongside this connectivity, we’re really focussing on our customer approach with this partnership as well.” 

Executives from both companies will be available to discuss the partnership at Sportel 2021, Monaco Oct 5^th – 7^th. 

In the second blog in our Qatar 2022 series, we look at one of the region’s flagship stadia, the Khalifa International – also known as the National Stadium.

The Khalifa is Qatar’s most historic football venue, having previously hosted the Asian Games, Gulf Cup, Asian Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. It is located in Qatar’s capital city, Doha, which is one of the wealthiest cities in the world and home to 2.4 million residents – some 80% of Qatar’s population.

Doha boasts three World Cup venues, the other two being the Ras Abu Aboud and the Al-Thumama. The Khalifa was the subject of a major recent refurbishment, as part of Qatar’s plans to ready itself for hosting the World Cup. Thanks to Gravity Media’s presence in Doha since 2007 and our reputation for deep technical expertise and efficient delivery, we were the clear choice to win the contract to install the broadcast system at the 45,000-seat stadium.

A key requirement of the project was to enable broadcasters to plug into the infrastructure from multiple positions around the ground. Our team took on end-to-end responsibility for the job, first advising on planning and design, and then overseeing the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the entire system. The solution required 130,000 metres of cable and over 50 wall boxes, each connected to a central OB patch room that we kitted out with audio-video distribution infrastructure and conversion equipment.

The high-tech new stadium hosts its first World Cup match on Monday 21 November 2022, with seven further matches being held there up to the third-place play-off on Saturday 17 December.

There’s under two years to go until the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off, and we’re already really looking forward it – not only because we’re fanatical football fans, but also because it represents a little ray of light in the COVID-19 gloom. And we’re not just World Cup supporters, we’re also delighted to be taking part, by playing a key role in getting Qatar ready to host what is the biggest and most eagerly anticipated sporting event of the next couple of years.

Thanks to our extensive experience in stadium fit-outs and big-ticket live events, we were commissioned to support the redevelopment of the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha – the first World Cup venue to be finished – as well as the Al-Bayt, the Al-Rayyan and the Al-Thumama: four of the eight host stadia being used at the Middle-East’s first running of the event. What’s more, all these projects were run and managed out of our Doha office, ensuring technical expertise was met by the necessary local knowledge to deliver these projects successfully.

Gravity Media has had a permanent facility and operation in Qatar since 2007, servicing the burgeoning demand for live sport, entertainment, conference and cultural event coverage across the region. The team has recently taken delivery of a newly commissioned mobile unit, Suhail, which has been designed with DSNG capabilities, and can take up to six fixed cameras and two RFs, as well as seating a crew of seven. Suhail is available now for World Cup bookings – but demand is high, so don’t leave it too late.

To find out how we can help you with your next production, email enquiries@gravitymedia.com

Gravity Media is known worldwide for supplying high-quality broadcast equipment, production facilities and project management support for productions great and small.

Over the years, as our experience has grown and we’ve fine-tuned our techniques, we’ve developed specialist skills in a number of key markets and disciplines.

At Gravity Media, sport is such an integral part of our business that we not only support the production and broadcast of major sporting events, but we also support the construction of the stadia that make those competitions possible. And as our business operates worldwide, clients benefit not only from our capacity to take on projects anywhere in the world, but also a uniquely flexible service that blends international experience with local, on-the-ground knowledge.

With experience spanning decades – and almost every major sports event in existence– we’ve become a world-leader in stadium broadcast and AV infrastructure solutions.

Working closely with sports associations, constructors and contractors, we’re often involved from the outset of these major capital projects. This means clients come to us for comprehensive, end-to-end solutions comprising planning, consultancy, design, engineering, project management, installation, commissioning, training, maintenance and aftercare.

Find out more about the Sports Stadiums we’ve worked on here and to see how we can help you with your next production, email enquiries@gravitymedia.com