• Agreement includes full service delivery of every aspect of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Host Broadcast, including more sports coverage than any previous Games;

• More than 150 jobs to be created in the West Midlands to meet skills shortages in the creative industries, with a focus on underrepresented groups.

 

Birmingham 2022 and CGF Partnerships (CGFP) has appointed world-leading sports broadcast production company Sunset+Vine as Host Broadcaster, responsible for delivering coverage of the Commonwealth Games to a global audience of more than 1.5 billion. 

The contract, which includes the option to extend coverage to the 2026 and 2030 editions of the Games, was awarded to Sunset+Vine following an international tender process.

Over the 11 days of the Games, held between 28 July - 8 August 2022, Sunset+Vine will capture multi-camera TV coverage of all 19 sports, ensuring 2,000 hours of spectacular sporting action is available to Rights Holding Broadcasters (RHBs) for distribution to territories around the world.

The agreement will ensure that there is far more sports coverage available than previous Games, with each of the 4,500 competitors taking part featured during the Games. 

Sunset+Vine is also responsible for full coverage of the highly anticipated Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as additional material including preview series, support programming, highlights shows and short-form content.

A range of extra services will be provided including a 24/7 Games Channel featuring the best of each day’s action, and a Multi Channel Service consisting of six uninterrupted feeds with a mixture of live and delayed action for broadcast and digital platforms. Visiting Rights Holders will be accommodated in a state-of-the-art International Broadcast Centre which will be designed, installed and managed by Sunset+Vine.

The full service media agency is experienced in producing award-winning coverage of high-profile sporting events, including the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in 2018 and Glasgow in 2014, the London 2012 and Rio Paralympics, the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London and the 2018 World Equestrian Games.

Most recently, Sunset + Vine won the RTS award for Best Sports Programme for its coverage of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup Final. That production has also been nominated for a BAFTA at the upcoming television awards on 31 July 2020.

In addition to its broadcast services, Sunset+Vine is committed to launching a Host Broadcast Training Initiative (HBTI) in the West Midlands designed to push boundaries by addressing the lack of diversity in the creative sector.

Tapping into the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of the West Midlands, the HBTI will offer training to 200 young people from the region over a twelve-month period, with 50% of participants recruited from underrepresented groups and a focus on creating opportunities for the BAME community.

At least 15% of the 1,600 technical and production workforce will come from Birmingham and the West Midlands and the HBTI will result in 150 Games Time employment opportunities for participants in the scheme.

CGFP, which is a subsidiary of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), has embedded resources integrated in the Birmingham 2022 delivery teams, who bring previous Games expertise and generate commercial income for the Games through corporate partnerships, TV rights, licensing and merchandise.

Ian Reid, Chief Executive Officer of Birmingham 2022, said:

“Sunset + Vine is internationally renowned for delivering award winning coverage of the biggest sporting events in the world. Working with them guarantees that more coverage of Birmingham 2022 will be made available than any other Commonwealth Games, putting the West Midlands firmly on the global stage and delivering an unforgettable experience for fans.

 “I’m also delighted that we’re working with a company that is dedicated to leaving a positive lasting effect on the media industry in the West Midlands by providing jobs and upskilling the future workforce, contributing to our Games mission to help the region grow and succeed.”

Jeff Foulser, CEO at Sunset+Vine, commented:

“This is such an exciting win for Sunset+Vine and we are delighted to have prevailed following a very rigorous bidding process.  The contract award further establishes the company as one of the few worldwide businesses with the creative and technical expertise to handle large scale events.  We thank Birmingham 2022 and the CGFP for placing their trust in us and look forward to delivering best in class production for all broadcast rights holders at the Games.”

David Leather, CEO of CGF Partnerships, said:

“Securing the Host Broadcaster is an important milestone for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and we are delighted to be partnering with a world leading sports production company in Sunset+Vine.

“A key part of our strategy is to create long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships and we now have the arrangements in place to partner with Sunset+Vine and ensure a very high-quality broadcast for the next three Commonwealth Games. 

“This demonstrates a huge amount of confidence in the Commonwealth Sports Movement and in Birmingham 2022 to deliver fantastic Commonwealth Games.”

Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Sport, Heritage and Tourism said:

"I'm delighted to see that coverage of Birmingham 2022 will be produced by a UK-based, world leading production company in Sunset+Vine. Their commitment to providing employment and training opportunities in the West Midlands is particularly welcome, and will provide a vital boost to the industry in the region."

David Tippett, Head of Broadcast at Sunset + Vine, added:

“Our aim is to capture the excitement and atmosphere of the biggest sporting event ever to be held in the West Midlands. We’ve reinvented the traditional broadcast model to produce creative and innovative coverage for the digital age which will engage audiences all around the world. We’ve built bespoke plans around the latest technology which will showcase the very best sporting performances in front of passionate fans in one of the UK’s most vibrant and diverse regions.”

The Host Broadcaster is just one of Birmingham 2022’s suppliers which, by the end of the summer of 2022, will have benefited from an estimated £300 million of Games contracts.

More information about the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games can be found at www.birmingham2022.com.

 

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About the CGF

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is the organisation that is responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games, and for delivering on the vision of the Commonwealth Sports Movement: to build peaceful, sustainable and prosperous communities globally by inspiring Commonwealth Athletes to drive the impact and ambition of all Commonwealth Citizens through Sport.  

 

About the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games    

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will be held from 28 July until 8 August 2022, will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to put the city, the region and its people on the global stage.    

The Games is already proving to be a catalyst for transformation across the West Midlands, attracting new investment and funding, creating jobs and apprenticeships for local people and new opportunities for local businesses, as well as accelerating projects that will ensure the region is ready to host a fantastic sports and cultural celebration.    

Birmingham 2022 will be the Games for everyone, bringing people together from across Birmingham and the region, to provide a warm welcome to millions of visitors during the summer of 2022.   

Find out more at www.birmingham2022.com