Cybathlon 2020 Goes Virtual, Coordinating Live Team Competition from 20 Countries with TVU Networks

Cybathlon 2020 Goes Virtual, 20 Countries Compete Remotely

“We were challenged by the Cybathlon organization to produce a completely remote version of what is usually an in-person competition. The goal was to find a solution that could transmit high-quality live video over the internet from multiple locations around the world,” explained Thomas Stäubli, CEO of BBM Productions.

View Related Products
Cybathlon 2020 Goes Virtual using TVU Networks Remote Production Solutions

Fifty-one teams from 20 countries competed in Cybathlon 2020 Global Edition, a series of races in which people with disabilities used exoskeletons, brain-computer interfaces, and other state-of-the-art assistance systems to complete everyday tasks. This year, teams were unable to gather in Zurich, Switzerland, due to COVID-19 restrictions, and instead opted for TVU Networks remote production solutions – including TVU One mobile transmitters, the TVU Anywhere mobile broadcasting app, and the TVU Partyline collaborative platform – which helped teams provide multi-camera video from around the world to create a live streaming event.

“We were challenged by the Cybathlon organization to produce a completely remote version of what is usually an in-person competition. The goal was to find a solution that could transmit high-quality live video over the internet from multiple locations around the world,” explained Thomas Stäubli, CEO of BBM Productions, whose team produced nine hours of live streaming content. “TVU was able to seamlessly combine live footage from professional cameras and camera phones into the same production.”

The production used a mix of footage from TVU One mobile transmitters and the TVU Anywhere app. Before the competition, BBM Productions helped teams configure their mobile phones to deliver the best quality signal using TVU Anywhere.

“Most challenging was that we were collaborating with teams that were not familiar with broadcast or streaming technology,” Stäubli said. “We had to deal with teams from all over the world in many different time zones and with limited prep time, which created a lot of challenges. The flexibility of the TVU system gave us the freedom to do this.”

TVU systems and support were provided to Cybathlon participants by Videolink, a systems integrator headquartered near Zurich. Coordinating the live feeds from competing teams was simplified using TVU Command Center, a cloud-based management platform that remotely controls and monitors all live transmissions. Five BBM operators managed the event, with one assigned to the TVU Command Center while the other four coordinated live streaming efforts with the competing teams.

“The GUI from the Command Center is great. It provided a complete overview of the production at all times, which made it easier to manage so many video feeds from so many different locations,” Stäubli said. “The TVU system delivered all the video sources directly to the SDI outputs of the receivers, so we could switch the live production like any other show.”

Start a Discussion

For any information on this case or for any inquiries on the above products

We can help

See Similar Stories

UHD-Spain, with Board Members MediaPro and SAPEC, Partners with TVU Networks and Radio 3 for Pioneering 5G UHD-HDR Broadcast

"The experience of seeing how a 5G network can be used to contribute UHD-HDR signals with enriched audio, upload them to the cloud for remote production, and process them for distribution via 5G Broadcast has been truly remarkable and enlightening. This process has allowed us to gain invaluable insights into the potential of using these technologies together to successfully reach viewers in a new more effective way."...

TVU and MediaLuso Deliver Live Remote Coverage of the 2023 Pan American Games

TVU Remote Commentator enabled MediaLuso to successfully host 50 commentators over a two week period to cover the just concluded Pan American Games medal events live, eliminating the need for commentators to be physically on-site for the first time....

TVU Networks Expands Presence in France with New Partnership

TVU Networks today announced that it has partnered with MediaPower France to offer the company’s full suite of cloud and on-premise solutions for live video production, extending its support to more French broadcasters and providing greater response and flexibility across the entire country....

Back to All Stories