SONY TO PROVIDE HBS WITH PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT FOR 2014 - 07/09/2012

HBS signed its biggest ever equipment provision contract today at the IBC Amsterdam, agreeing to terms with Sony for the provision of production equipment at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. Due to the number of stadiums involved in the tournament (12), the quantity of multifeeds and the size of HBS' HD production plan, the volume of equipment will be greater than at any previous FIFA World Cup™, including among others 340 HD cameras (of which 72 Supermotions), 48 switchers and 816 monitors. The contract also includes the provision of production equipment for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013.

HBS and Sony had previously collaborated for FIFA on the groundbreaking implementation of 3D production at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ for which they received the highly coveted "Judge’s Award" at IBC Amsterdam 2010.

From left: Sony's Katsunori Yamanouchi, FIFA TV's Niclas Ericson and HBS CEO Francis Tellier shake hands at IBC Amsterdam today

All parties involved expressed great satisfaction with the contract. "Sony is delighted to once again be working alongside FIFA and HBS, with overall responsibility for broadcast production at the 2014 FIFA World Cup™,” said David Bush, Head of Marketing and Business Development, Professional Solutions Europe, Sony Europe. “We are committed to pushing the boundaries of live production and delivering an unrivalled viewer experience to the millions of football fans all over the world.”

Niclas Ericson, Director of FIFA’s TV Division, added that "building on a highly successful 2010 FIFA World Cup™ 3D experience in South Africa, we are excited to extend our relationship with Sony. The World Cup is an unparalleled live broadcasting event and in Sony we know we have a partner we can trust to deliver.

As for HBS, its CEO Francis Tellier stated: "Sony’s experience and keen understanding of the  requirements of such a large scale production convinced us that they were the right partner to work with. We are looking forward to working together to deliver the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 and 2014 FIFA World Cup™ to the highest HD requirements.”