HBS Ready for CONMEBOL’s Copa America Tournament Kick Off This Thursday

Mediapro Miami serves as hub for production effort spanning the U.S. for the next month

CONMEBOL’s Copa América USA 2024 tournament kicks off on Thursday when Argentina takes on Canada at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. HBS is at the center of production efforts for the 32 matches, which will culminate in the Copa Final on July 14 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Miami is also home to the HBS Production Hub, which will be operating out of Mediapro’s Miami production center.

Some of the world’s biggest soccer stars will play in the CONMEBOL Copa America tournament, which is being held in the U.S. for only the second time.

“We have teamed up with Mediapro for our hub services with things like graphics, commentary, postproduction, two control rooms, and a QC area,” says Enrique Rabasco, project director, HBS.

This is the 48th edition of the tournament but only the second to take place in the U.S. (2016 was the first). Organized by CONMEBOL and Concacaf, this year’s tourney comprises 10 CONMEBOL teams and six guest teams from Concacaf: the United States, Panama, Jamaica, Mexico, Canada, and Costa Rica qualified through the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League. Taking the field will be 10 South American FIFA World Cup title-holders and some of the biggest stars in world football.

Given the tournament’s importance to fans in South, Central, and North America, commentary and graphics will be in three languages: Spanish, Portuguese, and English. Rightsholders will have a choice of either 1080p HDR or 1080i SDR feed (the latter available via satellite).

The beginning of the tournament comes after a greatly compressed pre-event production-planning process that was efficiently pulled together in only four months. “It’s challenging to have only four months to prepare,” says Rabasco. “Overall, it has been very positive, and we’re very happy so far with how things are going.”

The Production Hub is only half of the equation. According to Kasia Humska, production lead, HBS, nine trucks will be deployed at 14 stadiums across the U.S.

“Two of them are provided by Mediapro, and Game Creek Video will provide the other seven,” she says. “We will basically have three different camera tiers: Tier C with 21 cameras for eight matches; Tier B with 23 cameras for 20 games. The Opening Match, semifinals, and final are all Tier A and will have 37 cameras. Those shows are quite big.”

A number of Copa America production efforts will take place at Mediapro Miami.

A drone will be used for aerials, flight restrictions permitting, and, where there are restrictions (Metlife Stadium in New Jersey, Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, CA), an external jib camera will be deployed. A helicopter will also be used for the opener, semis, and final.

Rightsholders will be onsite at the stadiums instead of at the Production Hub. Argentina matches have been generating the most interest. “We have a full house of rightsholders for those matches,” notes Rabasco, “but all of them will be working remotely from their headquarters [in their home country].”

CONMEBOL Copa América has been a learning process for both HBS and CONMEBOL, says Peer Seitz, project manager, HBS, noting that it is the first time the two have worked together directly. “There are some differences on things like handling of broadcast partners and even match coverage. It has been a get-to-know-you phase combined with a let’s-get-things-done phase. But it has been our goal to work with CONMEBOL, so we are very happy with this collaboration.”