The EuroLeague basketball, known as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, represents the primary club basketball competition in Europe. This prestigious league includes 18 top-level teams from various European nations. The tournament unfolds in three phases: the regular season, where points are accumulated through round-robin matches, the playoffs, where the top eight teams compete, and four winners advance to the final phase, the highly anticipated Final Four to determine the EuroLeague champion. After the NBA in the United States, the EuroLeague is undoubtedly considered the second most prestigious and spectacular club basketball competition globally, attracting some of the most talented teams and players outside the United States.

The Role of EMG Italy

EMG Italy plays an essential role in the television production of 17 EuroLeague games, ensuring high-quality TV coverage. For the third consecutive year, EMG Italy produces the home games of one of the two Italian teams in the EuroLeague, Virtus Bologna, in collaboration with SKY Italy; the second team being Olimpia Milano. Virtus production involves 14 specialized cameras, each with a specific role.

A summary of the camera layout:

For each match, a total of 14 specialized cameras are strategically placed to capture all aspects of the games. 

The main cameras for the game are 10, covering the on-court actions and the overall gameplay. The primary camera, 1 main, provides a comprehensive view of the entire court. 

The 2nd camera captures close-up shots, detailing on-court actions, bench reactions, and the crowd. Cameras positioned under the hoops and operated from the shoulder are 3 and 4, offering a close-up perspective of the actions under the basket, with one of them in Super Slow Motion. The 5th camera in a central position from the center court provides a wide and low-angle view. 

The "beauty" camera, number 6, placed strategically, offers a total and spectacular view of the entire arena and is often used as a background for graphics. Cameras 7 and 8 are micro-cameras placed on the hoops to provide unique angles. Camera 9 in a reverse position captures actions from the opposite perspective and reactions of the key figures. 

Camera 10, the "clock," is aimed at the scoreboard and is used to monitor the game's timer and clock. It serves as an official tool for referees and a backup for the TV production. Camera 11, positioned on a hi-lo, records in Supermotion 3x, equipped with a long-range lens, and its replays are the most detailed and emotional. Camera 12 is located in the flash area and is used for pre and post-game interviews. Camera 13 handles press conferences held in a dedicated room known as the press conference room. Camera 14, on the other hand, is an aerial drone camera used to capture aerial shots and exterior views of the arena. All these cameras contribute to creating comprehensive and engaging TV coverage of EuroLeague games.

Two Mobile Units in One

The mobile production unit used by EMG Italy to manage all the aforementioned cameras is the flagship OB Truck "NOVA 150," with triple expansion capabilities, ensuring a comfortable workspace for the onboard crew. 

Introduced in 2020, the Nova 150 outside broadcast vehicle is a highly flexible and state-of-the-art structure capable of comfortably accommodating up to 34 workstations. It represents an ideal solution for productions that require up to 24 UHD cameras. The OB Nova 150 truck is highly versatile and perfectly capable of handling two concurrent productions, thanks to two completely separate control rooms and access points, ensuring comprehensive coverage of games for both the international main feed and the national customization for SKY Italy. 

The preparation process for the mobile unit starts in advance, the day before, with pre-setup. Then it moves to the match venue on the day of the game and is engaged in long hours of work, from early morning until late at night, to ensure flawless transmission. The production team responsible for filming EuroLeague games for Virtus comprises around thirty professionals, significantly dedicated to capturing and delivering every aspect of the game and the event to the audience.

Virtus Arena

The home of Virtus is the Virtus Arena, a modern space inside a Bologna trade fair pavilion, the venue for most games. The fiber-optic-wired installation, provided and installed by EMG Italy, is in use throughout the year. 

EMG Italy serves as the host broadcaster, producing a complete main feed with graphics and advertisements as an international signal for broadcasters worldwide holding the rights. It often handles national integration for SKY Italy as well, leveraging the mobile unit's ability to manage two concurrent productions through two entirely separate control rooms on the same vehicle, thereby optimizing resources.

Eurocup

EMG Italy, also for SKY for three years now, is responsible for the television production of Eurocup games, the second-most prestigious European competition after EuroLeague. In terms of typology, the media adventure is quite similar to what has been described for EuroLeague, except that there are slightly fewer cameras used here. 

Three fewer cameras are employed, and even though the same mobile production unit is used, a slightly lower use of technology is applied, with two EVS machines instead of three. It is still an excellent television production with 12 cameras capturing a significant competition in the European basketball landscape, offering teams and players the opportunity to compete at an international level and demonstrate their skills. Notably, the team that wins the Eurocup advances to EuroLeague the following year, considered the pinnacle of European basketball competitions.

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© 2023 Presspool PressOffice Roberto Landini