O2 Production Relies on Panasonic KAIROS for Broadcasting Top-Tier Football and Ice Hockey in Czechia

"It aligned perfectly with our vision of modern broadcast management. We chose to base the entire centre on the ST 2110 IP protocol, which gives us the flexibility to scale our services in the future. The functionality and control system of KAIROS also impressed us. The centre is equipped with three Panasonic KAIROS AT-KC200 mainframes, with each supporting eight control stations. Compared to other systems, this offers an unbeatable price-to-performance ratio."

"One of key advantages of Panasonic’s KAIROS system is its unique logic, which differs significantly from competing systems offered by Sony or Grass Valley. This makes it highly modular and adaptable to the dynamic needs of our Remote Broadcast Centre. Whether we’re broadcasting live football or ice hockey, each event has different signal processing needs; KAIROS allows us to configure and recall settings in just a few clicks."

"The majority of our broadcast capacity is during morning and nighttime broadcast windows. In addition to Czech football and ice hockey, we also handle international events such as the Dubai Half Marathon. We’re steadily receiving more orders and gradually expanding our services across Europe and beyond."

"The sustainability benefits of this approach are significant. We now send a maximum of two technicians to a sporting event – instead of seven or eight – drastically reducing our carbon footprint. costs and transport-related emissions. At the same time, this has also enabled us to triple our live production output. With travel and set-up time totalling around 16 hours – all for a three-hour broadcast – this previously required an overnight stay. Now, with a couple of people at the venue and approximately four staff managing up to eight broadcasts from the venue, this has resulted in major cost-savings, especially in staffing the broadcasts, which was becoming problematic, given the current labour shortage."

"We were unsure how it would perform under full load, but it has exceeded expectations. Even at peak capacity, where KAIROS is handling eight broadcasts and 52 incoming signals, it runs flawlessly. Unlike hardware solutions offered by competitors, KAIROS is entirely software-based, with the only variable being server performance. We can map signals, process layers, and configure workflows without limitations. Once you understand its logic, it fits our needs perfectly."

"Football and ice hockey stadiums are well-equipped with fibre optic networks. However, if broadcasting from areas such as Wenceslas Square in central Prague, the first challenge would be establishing a reliable network connection. Depending on the number of cameras involved, 5G or fibre connectivity would be preferable, but you’d need at least 100 Mbps for a three-to-four camera set-up. This shift is part of a broader change in mindset as we understand the benefits that remote production can offer. The Remote Broadcast Centre isn’t suitable for every type of broadcast, but it excels in recurring events from fixed locations, such as football and ice hockey. For one-off events, it always requires a case-by-case evaluation. That said, additional elements, such as a studio feed for a local broadcaster, can still be managed through the Remote Broadcast Centre."