THE CUSTOMER

Fox Sports is a leading producer of sports coverage, and is home to Australia’s most popular subscription television sports channels as well as Australia’s leading multi-sports website and app.

THE PROJECT

Fox Sports engaged Gravity Media – then branded Inputr Media –  Australia to provide the full turnkey host broadcast production for its domestic broadcast and all international rights holders of Australia’s qualifying home games for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The World Cup Qualifiers take place over two years and see 80 countries do battle for the right to participate main FIBA World Cup competition – next hosted by China.

THE APPROACH

With games taking place across Australia in a number of different venues, Gravity Media’s extensive experience of producing the domestic basketball league (NBL) has allowed us to deliver a world-class product while maintaining and adhering to FIBA’s very specific guidelines.

Working closely with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), Gravity Media is responsible for the planning, management and on-site production delivery of the host broadcast of the five Australian matches on home soil.

We provide all the turnkey production elements and facilities required for delivery.

THE OUTCOME

Contested by 32 qualifying countries, the FIBA Basketball World Cup is a truly global sporting event. The Australian qualifying games have been a great success, leading to a significant rise in viewing appetite for the national team.

Gravity Media Australia is delighted to have provided worldwide highlights across the group stages.

OUR CUSTOMER

NBL Australia is the country’s premier professional men’s basketball league. Every season, competing teams – including one from New Zealand – battle it out at different match locations across the nation, including the more remote cities, like Cairns.

When Gravity Media – then branded Gearhouse Broadcast – was brought in to facilitate production of the league’s television product, NBL Live, the challenge was to come up with a bespoke Outside Broadcast (OB) solution that would be less costly to transport across long distances without any compromise made on the quality of the production kit.

OUR APPROACH

Experts in handling complex production needs and renowned for providing innovative broadcast solutions for live televised events, Gravity Media provided NBL Live with a comprehensive service. A skilled team of specialists from the Australian division was put together to devise a bespoke OB solution that would allow producers to deliver a high-quality product to viewers, whilst saving on transportation costs.

The specially tailored Flyaway kit subsequently designed and built by the Gravity Media team neatly solved the distinct logistical problem associated with moving kit across vast distances between match locations. The team worked in close consultation with NBL Live every step of the way to ensure the show’s specific broadcast requirements were met.

With a clear vision of the deliverables, the Gravity Media team examined every production requirement, using its existing relationships with technology manufacturers to fully customise the Flyaway kit. Ease of transport of the kit was enabled by its compact nature. This allowed it to remain in road cases, with front and rear panels removed for operation connectivity and use. This created an efficient facility able to be transported via a standard 8 tonne truck with a tail lifter.

Match coverage cameras, commentary positions, hosting positions, interviews courtside and ‘flash’ positions were all comfortably facilitated by the purpose-built Fly Away. Able to be deployed with minimum engineering crew, the entire venue de-rig, pack-down and loading (onto the 8 ton truck) was in line time-wise with a conventional OB Unit.

OUTCOME

Worldwide broadcast solutions provider and systems integrator Gravity Media has provided broadcast services in Australia since 1999, based out of Sydney and Melbourne. Its fleet of OB units are used for a wide range of sporting and entertainment events, including the AFC Asian Cup, V8 Supercars and Super 15 Rugby, Madonna’s ‘Rebel Heart’ Sydney concert, the Taylor Swift ‘1989’ concert, the NBL and A-League Football for Fox Sports and the ANZ Netball Championships. As well as Outside Broadcast solutions, Gravity Media specialises in Project Solutions, Event Communications and Systems Integration, as well as dry hire equipment rental.