Live graphics – Gravity Media

Interview with Alessandro Curti, Head of Graphics at EMG Italy

EMG Italy and RCS Sport have renewed their partnership for the production of the leading Italian cycling events, with a strong focus on technological innovation, editorial quality and integrated management. Giro d’Italia 2025 will feature advanced systems including live data-driven graphics, drones, artificial intelligence and pixel tracking.

More than 120 professionals are involved, along with a mobile production unit for the international feed and tailored streams for digital platforms. The aim is to deliver an increasingly immersive and technically refined television experience.

“Last year we implemented a number of new graphic solutions, and this year we’ve continued along the same path,” says Alessandro Curti, Head of Boost Graphics in Italy, the international broadcast graphics division of EMG / Gravity Media.

“This year’s project involved advanced technologies, new data collection systems, and a significant expansion of the features dedicated to the live television production of cycling’s flagship event, the Giro d’Italia.”

RCS Sport has entrusted EMG / Gravity Media Italy with the international production and distribution of its cycling events, while all graphics operations are managed by its subsidiary Boost Graphics.

This collaboration allows for early-season trials of new tools during events like the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milano-Sanremo, which are then fully developed and deployed at the Giro. Other RCS races follow: Milano-Torino, Gran Piemonte and Il Lombardia. Since last year, new additions include Sanremo Women, Giro Donne and Giro Next Gen, expanding the calendar of covered events.

The Giro represents the culmination of all graphic innovations tested throughout the season.

Among the key developments this year are new solutions that highlight athlete data: in addition to biometric parameters (speed, cadence, power output in watts) previously limited to a few riders, the 2025 edition features a greatly expanded dataset.

Additional information such as weather conditions, cultural content and historical notes on each stage location have also been integrated, some of which are provided directly by the organiser through dedicated tools developed to enhance their graphic representation.

“For biometric data collection,” Curti explains, “we’ve developed a new system in collaboration with VELON, an external partner of RCS. The data are captured by sensors mounted on the bikes, transmitted via mobile networks using transponders, and sent to a central data hub. From there, the information is transferred via API and internet connection to the Boost Graphics operations centre, where it is processed in real time and provided to the main production director.”

Boost Graphics has also developed a custom application for collecting and managing this statistical data.

Almost every bike (within technical limits) is equipped with a transponder, and the transmitted data is processed to create athlete-specific biometric graphics, enabling dynamic comparisons between riders in breakaways, in the peloton or among general classification contenders.

All of this is integrated into the live graphic flow for the international feed. The transponder signals are first received by the VELON hub and then sent via mobile network (which can present challenges in mountainous terrain) to Boost’s graphics hub, where the system processes the data with minimal latency. Graphic operators select the most relevant content in line with the narrative choices of the live director. The data feed is continuous, but only pertinent elements are broadcast, using templates created during the off-season.

Live images are accompanied by informative graphics, from weather and biometric data to group composition and breakaway formations. A single graphics coordinator maintains direct contact with the director to ensure editorial consistency. Three Boost Graphics OB vans are stationed at each stage finish, staffed by personnel managing timing (in partnership with Microplus), intermediate sprints, stage results, secretariat tasks and photo finish.

“One of the key innovations in 2025,” adds Curti, “is the introduction of the ‘Red Bull kilometre’, a new intermediate sprint that required the development of dedicated and branded graphics. We’ve also expanded our technical infrastructure: six OB graphic vehicles in total—three at the finish and three along the course to manage the intermediate sprints. Two additional graphic workstations have been installed on one of the OB vans to reinforce operations.”

The intermediate sprint vans are responsible for collecting and transmitting the sprint standings in real time, including graphics and official statistics.

Personnel are distributed across three intermediate sprint positions, two photo finish stations, one secretariat, one for race radio, one for GPS, one for pixel tracking, and three operators for central graphics—for a total of 13 specialised roles.

The Pixel Tracking system, used exclusively on helicopter footage, allows real-time tracking of rider positions within the race, with dynamic on-screen labels showing name, bib number, and jersey type. One operator is dedicated to this task, and the footage is also used in post-production.

Finally, to integrate with RAI’s graphics, EMG / Gravity Media Italy has assigned a dedicated operator and equipment within RAI’s OB van, ensuring unified and consistent graphic management throughout the race.

“It’s a complex but cohesive team effort,” concludes Curti, “and I would like to thank Antonello Grippo, Cycling Project Manager, in particular. The result is a graphic system that is richer, more precise and more dynamic—one we’re especially proud of, as it truly serves the television storytelling of the Giro d’Italia.”

Partner of RCS for timing, live graphics and data processing of Giro 2023

“The 2023 edition of the Giro d’Italia”, says Dario Marra Head of Graphics of EMG Italy, “started on May 6th. But Boost Graphics got on track even earlier, as early as May 4, on the occasion of the live production of the Team Presentation which took place in Pescara. Here we gave a first taste of the new look & feel of the graphics, desired by the organizer RCS, which once again has elected us as protagonists of the entire historic cycling competition for live graphics, timing and data processing services for the next two years”.

A powerful Boost

Boost Graphics, the specialized graphics department of EMG Italy born from the experience of Netco Sports, boasts 21 editions of the Giro d’Italia as a service provider. From 1999 until 2001 all the graphics of the Giro were the prerogative of Netco which interfaced with the Italian Timekeepers Federation for the timing service. Since 2001 Netco has also taken over timing management and, up to and including 2019, was the official supplier of all graphics and timing, in collaboration with partner Microplus.

From 2023 Boost Graphics takes over the service for RCS in full and, in addition to timing and graphics, it carries out a real data processing service, providing all the related processing also to the various apps, portals and sites that are linked to the Giro d’Italia.

Antonello Grippo, Project Leader of graphics services related to cycling races, describes the commitment of Boost Graphics in more detail. “There are two dedicated live graphics lines”, says Grippo, “one for the domestic signal and one for the international one for the many hours of live coverage that cover the race. Thanks to the data processing work in the live graphics, also with the support of the customer, we have implemented numerous innovations to offer the user more information and content”.

Transponder and photo finish

For timekeeping two photo finishes are used on the finish line, in addition, a transponder is installed on each bicycle. This system allows a double level of control to determine the order of arrival. In addition, in some stages, an antenna is placed at least 3 km from the finish to guarantee the neutralization of the times should there be crashes in the group in the last stretch.

“This is valid,” adds Grippo, “by regulation in all stages, except the mountain ones. In all the stages, however, there are intermediate surveys valid for the points classification which assigns the Maglia Ciclamino and bonuses for the general classification”.

Motorcycles and GPS

During the race, GPS signals are also used which are transmitted by the motorbikes involved in filming the athletes along the way. By processing this data, Boost is able to provide real-time, throughout the live broadcast, the km remaining to the finish line and the gaps between the groups.

This is also possible thanks to Velon, another RCS partner who conveys some advanced data to enrich the editorial product. The devices mounted on the bikes transmit very interesting data for each athlete, such as power, cadence, speed, heart rate and gradient on uphill stretches. In addition to live graphics, this data is also made available for post-production, which creates ad hoc clips of the protagonists in the competition.

Data and software

Antonello Grippo explains: “Thanks to all these elaborations we are able to know the position in real-time of the Maglia Rosa, of the second in the standings, as well as of all the athletes in the race. Furthermore, thanks to our experience in data processing, calculations and aggregations are carried out to develop further algorithms. This allows us to offer additional information and content, both for live graphics and digital outputs. All the softwares used in the perimeter of the services are developed and owned by EMG-Boost Graphics”.

The team

The team dedicated to graphics, timing and data processing services is made up of about fifteen people who add up to almost twenty during the timed stages. A large part of the crew is placed at the finishing line, while another small part presides over the intermediate goals valid for the points classification.

The fleet dedicated to graphics

The Boost mobile vehicles that EMG Italy dedicates to the Giro are five, of which three placed at the finish line and two at the intermediate stages. Upon arrival at one of them, the staff is dedicated to live graphics services (national and international), the second is dedicated to data processing services, and the third is reserved for timing.

The final comment by Dario Marra, Head of Graphics: “Following the request of the organizer RCS, Boost Graphics has introduced for this year’s edition of the Giro various small editorial innovations that do not go unnoticed. This additional information, as well as the novelties related to the look and feel, will ensure the public an even more engaging product, enriching its use. The goal, also from a future perspective, is to guarantee RCS further innovations both in terms of look and content, thanks to the strong drive in terms of innovation also certified by the profound international expertise of the EMG Group”.