"SailGP Grand Final (Abu Dhabi): when you realize live broadcasting can be more “aviation + RF engineering” than “TV”

szymborskipiotr
Nov 30
2 min read

I took a moment during the SailGP Grand Final in Abu Dhabi and thought: this is not just sport coverage — it’s an industrial-level live production machine running on water, in the air, and across an RF mesh that has to behave like a fiber backbone.

From the spectator side, it looks beautiful: foiling catamarans, perfect framing, dramatic angles, fast cuts.

From the broadcast side, it’s almost absurd (in the best possible way):

1) The helicopter isn’t a “nice extra”. It’s a flying broadcast platform.

A helicopter shot here is not a luxury — it’s part of the storytelling grammar of the whole event. And every minute in the air has a cost: fuel, maintenance, logistics, clearances, and — most importantly — elite professionals who can safely operate low over water while staying stable enough for usable shots.

2) Cameras are everywhere — and the

hard part

is making them behave like one system.

Water changes everything. Constant motion. Salt. Reflections. Distance. Wind. Noise. Risk.

Now stack that with the requirement that production, replay, and officials must still get clean, reliable pictures in real time.

3) RF on water is “hard mode” — and it’s central to this show

SailGP’s broadcast isn’t built around one venue. It’s a moving venue with dozens of nodes: race boats, support boats, cameras, officials, helicopters, and comms — all needing reliable connectivity at the same time.

Riedel has spoken openly about providing RF infrastructure that connects these elements across the event.

And SVG Europe has described a comms setup using Riedel Bolero/Artist, with antennas deployed across F50s, support boats, and the helicopter — engineered specifically for that environment.

4) Replay isn’t just for broadcast — it changes decision-making

One of the most interesting parts (especially for replay people): SimplyLive replay has been referenced as part of the workflow that helps stakeholders see more angles — even reducing the need for certain on-water assets because more decisions can be made from a replay-based perspective.