WRC

Case study 14 Oct 2024 2 min read

WRC

Download the WRC Case Study PDF

Pushing the limits

Industry
Sports Organisation, Media

Location
Global

Rally car racing has to be one of the most challenging and unpredictable of all the motorsports. As rally drivers speed across up to 350 kilometres under all kinds of weather conditions, they need to navigate their way along terrain that includes everything from gravel and tarmac to ice and snow. The speeds are fast, the road surfaces are pitted and uneven, and each stage is dramatic. And the fans love it.

World Rally Championship (WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), which is the owner and organiser of Formula One racing. Each season consists of up to 30 races per year across the three championships—WRC, the European Rally Championship (ERC) and the World Rallycross Championship (World RX). The WRC broadcasts globally via more than 50 media partners.

With up to 25 race stages that often take place in extremely remote locations, and fans that love to watch every second of the action, WRC contributes more than 25 hours of live broadcast for each WRC event. The organisation was looking for a partner they could work with very closely, in a relationship- and service-oriented model. They needed to be able to deliver vast quantities of WRC content to their broad global network of takers, reaching more than 800 million viewers on a variety of screens and platforms.

The biggest challenge is the logistics of the events. WRC does not happen at a racetrack or a stadium. They are often staged across expansive stretches of wilderness, yet with the need to follow the cars wherever they go, and transmit high-quality video content to broadcasters and audiences. Coordinating all of this in areas with zero connectivity and no phone signal is no easy task.

The WRC team collects footage from SNG trucks, individual cameras, helicopter cameras, drones and more, and shares the content with NEP Finland’s large-scale production hub in Helsinki over a combination of satellite, fibre, and 4G/LTE. From there, WRC produces the multiple feeds that are shared across the globe.

The team produces anywhere from nine to 16 hours a day live, across a four-day event. Audiences really care about rally racing and want to have as much content as they can. Our partnership enables WRC to use all paths of content delivery, including satellite, fibre, and the Internet.

“We have some of the most engaged fans in the world. The number of hours of content our fans are watching is simply incredible. For us, it’s important that we deliver quality of service to all our partners and fans. This is what our brand stands for, and we want to deliver that all over the world.”

Phillip Männer, Senior Director of Media Rights and OTT at WRC