Pitch International has gone live with a cloud-based distribution set-up for Emirates FA Cup matches, using Synamedia’s Quortex Link platform integrated into Globecast’s managed services.
The move gives broadcasters in Pitch’s rights territories across western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa a choice of receiving matches over IP or satellite, with Globecast providing a hybrid workflow designed to keep delivery consistent during high-density match rounds.
Globecast said it used its Connect Live SRT platform, powered by the SaaS-based Quortex Link, to deliver low-latency IP feeds to affiliates. The platform also supports format and frame rate tailoring per broadcaster, alongside security and redundancy options, while retaining satellite as an alternative distribution path.
The partners said the workflow was used to deliver all 32 third-round matches, positioning the approach as a “best-of-both-worlds” model for rights-holders and broadcasters looking to add cloud distribution without giving up traditional delivery methods.
Alex Mehrer, Head of Live Production & Distribution at Pitch International said: “The FA Cup has a magical quality, with incredible drama, such as non-league Macclesfield’s victory last month. Our new partnership with Synamedia and Globecast gives broadcast rights holders more choice with the option to receive FA Cup match streams over AWS cloud using Quortex Link or to continue with satellite. Interest in switching to the cloud-based stream has already exceeded our expectations.”
“The FA Cup brings together football heritage and global scale,” said Steve MacMurray, Head of Digital Media Development at Globecast. “Synamedia’s Quortex Link platform is a key enabler in allowing us to extend that heritage into a modern, IP-first distribution environment, without sacrificing reliability. The real success of this project is that the delivery was entirely predictable, despite the complexity.”
Edward Allfrey, EVP and General Manager of Video Network, Synamedia, commented, “The world’s greatest domestic cup competition brings exceptional pressure on content distribution to perform at the highest levels and our collaboration with Pitch and Globecast shows how cloud-based services can meet those demands. Quortex Link brings the benefits of cloud-based distribution while working alongside traditional delivery methods, and the FA Cup joins a growing list of leagues and sports associations, including the organisers of a current winter sports event in Italy, who are realising the benefits of this approach.”
Quortex Link is positioned as a pay-as-you-use, multi-tenant cloud distribution service aimed at reducing reliance on static infrastructure for live events, sports and pop-up channels.
