Inside the remote production of the UCI Gravel World Championships

Rethinking the traditional OB model, Gravity Media facilitates Beyond Productions’ world-class coverage of the UCI Gravel World Championships through a complex remote production spanning more than 3,000 kilometres.

When the remote location of a world championship challenged the traditional outside broadcast model, Gravity Media developed a bespoke remote production solution to facilitate Beyond Productions’ (Beyond) coverage, connecting specialist crews in Western Australia with production control in Melbourne, more than 3,000 kilometres away.

For the first time, the UCI Gravel World Championships were held outside Europe, bringing the world’s best gravel cyclists to the rugged valleys and spectacular forests of Nannup, Western Australia.

But bringing a world-class broadcast to this remote corner of the country presented a significant commercial challenge. The travel, accommodation and logistical demands of a conventional outside broadcast (OB) deployment threatened to consume almost the entire local production budget.

Rather than accept those limitations, Gravity Media brought together its various service teams to develop an alternative approach. By centralising production control at its Production Centre in Melbourne and reducing the operational footprint in Nannup, Gravity Media facilitated a highly complex remote production for Beyond, bringing together the infrastructure, connectivity and technical expertise required to produce a world-class sport production.

Rethinking the traditional OB model

Covering a gravel course across challenging terrain required a flexible, multi-camera approach capable of following the action wherever it unfolded.

The camera operation combined fixed cameras at key points, including the start and finish, with mobile and aerial coverage from chase motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), drones and helicopters. Together, these perspectives captured the intensity of the racing, the decisive moments across the course and the spectacular Western Australian landscape.

Getting those pictures back from a geographically dispersed course was a significant technical undertaking. RF links, supported by mobile and cellular-bonded connectivity, helped connect the live camera operation across the course. Multiple digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) vans positioned at different sites supported the workflow, multiplexing and transporting feeds back to the Production Centre in Melbourne. CELBO, Gravity Media’s remote production technology, supported the ground-based start and finish cameras, forming another key part of the solution alongside the SNG network and drone coverage.

This distributed approach enabled the production to draw on multiple camera platforms across the course while keeping production control centralised in Melbourne, reducing the need for a traditional OB deployment at the venue.

Connecting the course to Melbourne

At the heart of the operation was Gravity Media’s Production Centre in Melbourne, where control room operations and virtual hosting supported Beyond’s production.

Multiple live feeds from Nannup were received, processed and synchronised in real time. The production was integrated across Gravity Media’s facilities, with the domestic and world feeds produced within the control room, supported with localised commentary in the virtual hosting studio environment. EVS systems further supported the production workflow.

The communications infrastructure was equally important to coordinating the operation across such a vast distance. A complex IP network was established and satellite internet zones helped complete the communications loop, while GPS tracking was integrated through the motorcycle links to support the production.

The workflow supported Beyond’s production of an international world feed for cycling audiences around the globe, alongside dedicated coverage for Australian audiences on SBS, featuring bespoke interviews, live crosses and commentary.

Specialist expertise, working as one team

The production brought together expertise from across Gravity Media, spanning remote production, RF services, specialist cameras, live coverage, studio operations, graphics and satellite transmission.

A key contribution came from Boost Graphics, Gravity Media’s Belgium-based live graphics and virtual production subsidiary. Drawing on its experience with major European cycling events and the UCI, the team brought specialist knowledge to the production and helped integrate GPS tracking into the broadcast to elevate the viewing experience.

This collaboration brought together technical capabilities and event-specific expertise that extended beyond a traditional OB operation. From designing the camera and transmission workflow to establishing communications across the course and integrating the production in Melbourne, teams worked across service areas to solve challenges that required a tailored approach.

The project demonstrated what can be achieved when established ways of working are reconsidered and specialist teams collaborate to extend their technical capabilities and problem-solving expertise.

Beyond the traditional OB model

The UCI Gravel World Championships presented a challenge that couldn’t be solved simply by deploying a conventional OB operation. Its remote location demanded a different approach to balancing production requirements with the commercial and logistical realities on the ground.

By facilitating a bespoke remote production for Beyond, Gravity Media helped make a complex, multi-camera global sporting production possible through centralised production control, distributed camera and transmission infrastructure, and collaboration across its specialist teams. Across two days of racing, the operation supported coverage that showcased the world’s best gravel cyclists and the spectacular landscapes of Western Australia to an expected global audience of 130 million people.

Marcus Doherty, Account Executive for Media Services and Facilities at Gravity Media in Australia, commented: “Working with a Beyond on this project demonstrated what’s possible when we bring together the full breadth of Gravity Media’s services, expertise and capabilities and an experienced editorial production team. Operating in a challenging environment required our teams to think differently, adapt our approach and develop innovative solutions to deliver a successful outcome.

“It’s particularly rewarding to see our engineers challenged beyond the demands of day-to-day broadcast operations, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and turning complex technical challenges into practical solutions.”

Beyond Executive Producer, Frank Chidiac, commented: “Working with Gravity Media on this project was a great experience. Their team brought outstanding technical expertise, flexibility and a practical approach to solving challenges in a demanding environment. Their collaboration and commitment played an important role in delivering a successful outcome to a complex production model.”

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Images: Gravity Media