For the first time, coverage of El Clasico this season includes sound technology that allows viewers to be right at the heart of the action.
25 October 2018.- On 28 October, El Clasico between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Camp Nou will be one of the most groundbreaking televised sporting events of 2018, on a par with other global events, such as the Super Bowl, in terms of the use of innovative technology to provide viewers from all over the world with the most immersive experience possible. The match will once again be produced by MEDIAPRO in 4K-HDR resolution thanks to 30 UHD (Ultra High Definition) cameras positioned around the Camp Nou.
Coverage of El Clasico this year includes sound technology for the first time which allows viewers to be right at the heart of the action. This brand new system locates the ball through automatic tracking and activates the microphones in the vicinity. Fans can listen to what is happening on the pitch, from each shout to each shot on goal, while always respecting players’ privacy when they exchange words on the pitch.
LaLiga has partnered with various leading technology providers on the global stage to put together a range of technical tools including 4K-HDR, 360º replays, an aerial camera and Be The Player, enabling a potential audience of over 650 million supporters in 183 countries to feel closer to the action than ever before. An uninterrupted international feed will begin two hours before kick-off and run until after the post-match press conferences, ensuring that fans all over the world do not miss a single second of the event. There will be a total of 40 cameras, including some in helicopters or on cranes, while six super-slow ones will track the world’s biggest stars throughout the contest.
In addition, thanks to 38 5K cameras located all over the stadium, coverage will feature 360° video replays, using the same technology implemented in competitions such as the NBA and NFL. The 360° replays offer unique shots from anywhere on the pitch, including the chance to take in the action from the players’ perspective, thanks to the Be The Player feature.
This groundbreaking technology was used for the first time in LaLiga during El Clasico in December 2017. A total of six stadiums are equipped with 360° replay technology: the Camp Nou, the Santiago Bernabeu, the Sanchez-Pizjuan, the Wanda Metropolitano, Mestalla and San Mames.
LaLiga’s aerial camera is positioned 21 metres above the pitch, which provides unique overhead footage and allows fans all over the world to enjoy spectacular bird’s-eye views of the action and the stadium. The lofty vantage point, coupled with the camera’s ability to spin and travel at great speed, means it offers a special perspective of the pitch.
These cameras are compact, high-definition models with a 2/3, 14x zoom wide-angle lens, whose footage is transmitted from the pitch to a mobile unit via fibre-optic cables. They can cover an area of almost 7,000 m2.
LaLiga’s Mediacoach suite of cutting-edge match analysis tools and services, developed by MEDIAPRO, will be available to managers Ernesto Valverde and Julen Lopetegui even as the action unfolds during El Clasico. Mediacoach captures statistical, tactical and performance-related data, all of which is made available almost in real time, so that the managers can make decisions in the dugout.
Such technology ensures that LaLiga fans continue to get the best and most innovative television experience ever seen in world football.
