COLOGNE, Germany—RTL Deutschland, a private broadcaster here, kicked off free-TV coverage of the National Football League (NFL) Aug. 12 with preseason coverage on its special-interest NITRO channel from a new live studio designed specifically for league coverage that features LED screens from Leyard Europe.
The broadcaster previously inked a deal with the league to begin offering action during the 2023-24 season on free television.
The 870-square-foot (265-square-meter) studio, which was designed by a team from Veech x Veech under the direction of RTL project manager Oliver Reich, is an open, 360-degree accessible area with four central LED walls.
On-air talent includes commentators, experts, community hosts and presenters. The centerpiece of the studio is a 38-by-9-foot (11.5-by-2.7-meter) curved video wall. It consists of 38 x 5 Leyard AT 1.5mm LED panels and is used while commentators update game information and analyze action with experts.
The broadcaster, working with Leyard, has installed similar LED configurations at its RTL Aktuell and Punkt 12 studios.
The new studio also has a desk with an accompanying vertical LED wall dedicated to social media content presented by the community host. The format mimics what viewers are accustomed to seeing on their smartphones. The moderator for each broadcast works from another desk with two additional LED walls.
Besides the curved wall, the studio incorporates a 6 x 4 panel Leyard AT 1.5mm, a 5 x 5 TVF 1.2mm and a 5 x 5 TVF 1.2mm LED screen, alongside a 12 x 4 CLI-Flex 1.3mm used as a LED table surface, the company said.
Work on the studio began in April, and installation was completed in July, a quick setup that required coordination between the designer and the other workers involved, said Laurin Schmid, Leyard sales manager for the DACH region, which includes the German-speaking areas of Europe.
“A key challenge was ensuring seamless collaboration within the broader team, which included set builders, electricians, and various other crew members, all of whom were working to a tight timeframe,” said Schmid,
“Typically, planning and constructing a high-end studio like this would take around one and a half to two years. But with full collaboration across the various teams and by taking advantage of Leyard’s Slovakian manufacturing facility, we successfully completed the project on time.”
More information is available on the company’s website.
