The Switch delivers international live video of Wimbledon 2023
July 18, 2023
The Switch, a provider of production services and live video delivery, provided international connectivity and transmission for the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. Supporting IMG Studios in the UK and the main international rightsholders, including ESPN, Tennis Channel and Stats Perform, The Switch’s expertise in first-mile connectivity and robust network reach bought live feeds of the world’s premier grass court tournament to millions of fans worldwide at low latency and in unparalleled quality.
Supporting the British Grand Slam tournament, The Switch installed a dedicated private dark fibre ring into the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) in Wimbledon to deliver tournament feeds to IMG Studios at Stockley Park, West London, where all the production for coverage of the competition is handled. This dedicated network delivers 100-200Gb capacity, ensuring every live feed from every court at Wimbledon is delivered to fans seamlessly. The flexible fiber network ensured redundancy and allowed capacity to be spun up and down as needed.
George Lopez, Senior Vice President of Operations at The Switch, noted: “Wimbledon is one of the most prestigious live events in tennis, and it was critical fans could enjoy every second of the action uninterrupted. This project brought together The Switch’s long-standing heritage supporting major Grand Slams with our knowledge and expertise in delivering high-value sports content, which meant the main broadcast partners and rightsholders could rely on us to deliver bigger and better coverage. We’re proud to play a central role in bringing this much-loved tournament to more fans than ever worldwide.”
The project combined The Switch’s top-tier IP infrastructure and its deep experience delivering live coverage of the world’s foremost sports events to ensure uninterrupted transmission – including the largest stadium Point of Presence (POP) the company has built to date. The Switch carried all feeds from all 18 courts at Wimbledon, plus behind-the-scenes content and beauty shots.