Update: Univision has been awarded an Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Coverage in Spanish for their coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
As Univision kicked off its coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Positive Flux is pleased to have been selected to play a critical, strategic role in the production. Like a goalkeeper who sees the entire field and supports the whole team, Positive Flux worked with Univision to plan the logistics of the technical roll out for the games, produce fail-over plans and directly supervise the load-in and load-out of production systems.
Background:
Univision’s planned coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil would be the network’s most ambitious, multi-platform, multi-channel project to date and among the most comprehensive sportscasts of its kind. The plan called for 31 days of 24/7 coverage that would include all of the matches across five programming networks and extensive special programming, as well as a dynamic interactive experience for online and mobile audiences. The project would combine the sophisticated technical prowess and impressive production capacity of the Univision headquarters in Miami, along with remote facilities and fly-away kits to be constructed in Brazil and at the international broadcast center in Rio de Janeiro. Success would require coordination of Univision facilities and teams, as well as various vendors throughout the Americas. Expert leadership and management were required to coordinate the ambitious timetable that would involve international logistics, plus dependencies on the schedules of both FIFA and the host country’s construction efforts.
Mission:
From the outset, Univision management was aware that it was taking on a transformative project of a scale and scope with few comparisons. To make the most of this opportunity and maintain control over the thousands of details, Positive Flux was hired to bring its experience with massive events such as the Olympics to bear on the technical and logistical requirements. Positive Flux would have responsibility for coordinating between the many groups across the Univision family to ensure the project adhered to budget, timetable and other expectations.
Method:
Beginning in December of 2013, Positive Flux met with Univision engineering to develop systems and infrastructure requirements, create timelines, select and coordinate the equipment rental and integration vendor, and plan logistics for delivery of equipment to Brazilian locations. This dovetailed with crafting technical and logistical plans to create the studio, production, remote facilities and the international broadcast center to support live and recorded programming. Positive Flux led the effort to source international vendors for the construction and delivery of studio elements and fly-away packs. Throughout the build-up and the actual event, Positive Flux would provide expert personnel on site to oversee the installation and load-out in Brazil, as well as supporting needs at the Univision command center in Miami.
Positive Flux developed methods that optimized communication among the teams within the Univision family that would participate in the event. This included coordinating among all Univision distribution properties, including sports, news and entertainment channels, as well as video on demand and interactive platforms. The Positive Flux team worked directly with key Univision personnel to develop production timelines that would mesh with the schedule dictated by FIFA.
Throughout the project, Positive Flux developed models to identify gaps and performed risk analysis to prepare strategies to guarantee 24 hour operation. In addition to supporting the initial development of budgets, Positive Flux handled ongoing cost analysis to keep the project on track.
Results:
Positive Flux helped to ensure that both the rental equipment from Bexel in the United States and the studio sets that were assembled in Colombia were all delivered, assembled and ready for use. With help from Positive Flux, Univision’s spectacular FIFA World Cup coverage kicked off across the entire Univision family of distribution platforms on June 9, 2014. Juan Carlos Rodríguez, president of Univision Deportes, summed up the coverage in an announcement by Univision by saying, “With three dedicated studios in Brazil, a Univision Deportes team of over 150 media professionals on the ground, plus the use of today’s most sophisticated broadcasting technology such as Augmented Reality graphics, multi-touch screens and many other features, no one else will cover the World Cup like Univision Deportes—the undisputed home of World Cup action in America.”
Summary:
The Positive Flux team brought needed experience that cut across all disciplines to enable Univision to bring its ambitious FIFA World Cup 2014 plan to life for millions of eager sports fans.
