After a cancellation due to the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020, the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest got an audience of 183 million viewers across 36 markets. Riedel, for the fifteenth consecutive time, has contributed to make it with its equipment.

This year the Contest agglutinate 24 cameras with 130 video feeds, 140 intercom panels, 75 microphones, 1800 luminaires, 5 mobile units, 3 support vehicles and 60 EVS channels . All together to bring the signal to all over Europe, Australia and the United States.

The Riedel Artist-1024 node got a wide intercom port density as well as full AES67 compliance, as this year’s Contest was the first to leverage an AES67 audio network. The IP-based signal transport system complementing a 60-node MediorNet MicroN network relied on Riedel’s MediorNet MuoN SFP gateway and processing devices and MediorNet FusioN stand-alone I/O and processing devices. At the Contest venue the MuoN modules were configured with Riedel’s SMPTE ST-2110-compliant MADI bidirectional gateway app, providing encapsulation and de-encapsulation of MADI signals to IP for commentary. The FusioN devices acted as 16-image SMPTE ST-2110 multiviewers and enabled video distribution inside the Eurovision Contest commentary control room.

“The Eurovision Song Contest is a complex production, and it evolves from year to year with ongoing improvement to technical and operational aspects, as well as the fan experience,” said Yung Min Lee, Senior Project Manager at Riedel Communications.

In addition to manage communications, distribute images in the Eurovision Contest venue and deliver signals for broadcast and production, Riedel outfitted commentator booths and oversaw communications with every control room in every country that received and customized the Eurovision Song Contest’s signal.