NEP Introduces Software-First OB Unit for Live Broadcast Production

NEP Australia’s new OB runs live production on a software platform onsite, connected to NEP’s production hubs in Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland.

MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the broadcast production industry continues its shift towards hybrid workflows combining new software solutions with traditional hardware, NEP Australia—part of NEP Group, the world’s leading media services provider for live sports and entertainment—has launched a new outside broadcast (OB) facility built entirely around this hybrid environment, with software being used for all video and audio processing.

NEP Australia’s newest OB introduces an intelligent technical design for major event productions across leagues including the NRL, AFL and NBL—and is a significant departure from traditional OB infrastructure. Named “HG 31” within NEP’s global fleet, the truck houses just three racks of IT and networking equipment, handling all video and audio processing, routing and monitoring.

Rather than relying on conventional onboard production infrastructure, all production operations are managed remotely through NEP’s connected hub ecosystem, including the NEP Andrews Hubs in Melbourne and Sydney, and NEP’s Production Hub in Auckland.

HG 31 supplements traditional hardware control surfaces with software-driven touchscreens, enabling agile workflows onsite synchronised with a full hardware-based mixing board or audio console in remote production control rooms. Production and engineering teams can move seamlessly between software and physical interfaces as workflows evolve, making it one of the most flexible OB units ever designed.

This combination of a compact, lightweight, software-driven OB unit working in tandem with an offsite production facility marks an industry first for top-tier live productions. The approach further advances NEP’s strategy of delivering flexible, scalable, and software-defined media solutions that adapt to the evolving needs of broadcasters and rightsholders.

“This marks another milestone for NEP in the global development of our software solutions, giving broadcasters the flexibility to scale production processes and configurations up or down as needed, all within a single, easy-to-use platform,” said Dan Murphy, VP of NEP Platform, who is leading NEP Group’s software platform development globally.

"NEP has a proud tradition of combining the best-in-class technology available to deliver the right solutions for our customers. The evolving world of software processing expands this capability, and we’re excited to give customers more freedom to choose the right tools for each production and adapt even more quickly as requirements change."

NEP’s development of software-led broadcast solutions began nearly a decade ago with the creation of TFC, NEP’s all-in-one broadcast control, orchestration, and infrastructure platform. Designed to manage the complexity of IP workflows, TFC brings hardware and software systems together into a single, intuitive control environment for live production teams.

Today, TFC powers live productions across more than 120 NEP facilities and OBs worldwide and is available industrywide for rightsholders, leagues, federations, news organizations, and streamers to deploy within their own operations.

This year, NEP is celebrating 40 years of its company's history of innovation, reliability and excellence as the trusted media services and live events partner behind many of the world’s most iconic live productions, including: the Super Bowl, the World Cup, the World Series, The Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, Premier League football, Wimbledon, the Eurovision Song Contest, the Oscars, The Voice, numerous concert tours, conferences and product launches for Fortune 500 companies, and major news events like the NATO Summit.

About NEP Group

NEP is the world’s most trusted media services partner for live sports and entertainment. With a global network of experts, cutting-edge technology, and an expansive portfolio of customer-driven, innovative solutions, we empower our customers to tell their stories in breakthrough ways. Through operations in 25 countries, our teams have supported thousands of major productions and events on every continent with excellence and reliability. See how we bring content to life at nepgroup.com.