FOR-A empowers broadcasters to localise football commentaries

As the 2022 FIFA World Cup drew to a thrilling and unforgettable conclusion with Argentina winning the coveted trophy after 36 years, broadcast and production solutions provider FOR-A was able to reflect on how it equipped the on-location production facilities of multiple broadcasters covering one of the world’s biggest sporting events in Qatar.

Some of these temporary studios are built on flyaway kits, while others use outside broadcast (OB) trucks from Gulf providers. Media Mania, for example, provided a truck built around the FOR-A HVS-2000 3 M/E and 2 M/E production switchers, together with FOR-A routing and multi-viewers. 

The Cubic Media compact OB units were equipped with the FOR-A HVS-490 switchers, which provided “powerful functionality” in a compact form factor and supported 4K Ultra HD (UHD) workflows.

Other providers active in Qatar included Pro TV, which provided studio facilities for Argentina, and Wise Concepts, that utilised both flyaway kits and an OB truck on site. Both had architectures incorporating the HVS-2000 production switchers, along with multi-viewers, routers, and signal processing equipment from FOR-A. 

Mohammed Abu Ziyadeh, FOR-A’s Regional Manager, Middle East & Africa, said, “Everyone around the world shared the host broadcast feed of the matches, but they all wanted to add their own local style and flavour, with the presenters and experts familiar in their home markets adding news and analysis of the action. 

“To do that, many built temporary studios around Qatar to house their own productions. FOR-A production switchers, routers and video infrastructure products were ideal for this sort of application, because they packed all the facilities you needed into an intuitive and compact design.

“We were happy that football fans from around the globe could enjoy the spectacle via FOR-A technology.”