UK Broadcaster SIS to broadcast 2010 Games India Live in HDTV format

The much awaited 2010 Commonwealth Games in India will be broadcasted by SIS Live (Satellite Information Service) as the public broadcaster Doordarshan has awarded the important contract to cover the 2010 Commonwealth Games to the British company SIS Live.

To make certain better image resolution for the first time in India, Europe’s leading Outside Broadcast (OB) and uplink supplier, SIS will provide the production and coverage facilities and services to cover the 2010 Commonwealth Games which will be held in New Delhi. SIS Live will use High Definition TV (HD TV) for the first time in the past record of Commonwealth Games.

Broadcaster Doordarshan (DD), a subsidiary of Prasar Bharati, is the host broadcaster for the Games which will be held in New Delhi from 3-14 October 2010.

After a thorough tender process, Aruna Sharma (Director General of Doordarshan and Prasar Bharati) said that they have tied up with SIS Live to cover 2010 Commonwealth Games. The Games’ contract to SIS Live is valued at $500 million, according to industry sources.

Further Arun Sharma said, “SIS Live would provide all production facilities and personnel to cover 17 different sports across 12 venues in Delhi, as well as the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies.” Moreover, SIS will also provide coverage of the Queen’s Baton Relay, which will make a 340-day, 120,000-mile journey across all the Commonwealth countries and territories, ending in New Delhi at the beginning of the Games on October 3, 2010.

Sharma added that SIS Live will also provide foreign commentators for the Commonwealth Games, though DD will arrange Hindi and other regional languages commentators for the domestic viewers.

SIS Live is supplying more than 1,000 highly-skilled technical and production staff at the 12 venues, assisted by 300 DD staff, which will be trained by SIS’ technicians.