Remote Studio: Moving Dunedin to the Centre of the World
Client
The PGA Tour
Bringing Global Sports to Dunedin
The Virtual Eye remote studio is revolutionising how our product stack reaches the world, all from our base in little old Dunedin, New Zealand. It delivers significant benefits to broadcasters and sports leagues looking to harness Virtual Eye’s cutting-edge broadcast enhancements.
Initially developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the remote studio has become a week-to-week powerhouse across multiple sports—a development that Executive VP - Commercial and Production Ben Taylor is relishing as it continues to drive value for the business.
“That innovation has essentially moved Dunedin from the bottom of the world to the centre of it in terms of sports broadcasting,” Taylor says. “It’s all about finding opportunities where technology allows us to innovate.”
Three Major Benefits of the Remote Studio
Cost-Effective Broadcasting
A Centralised Training Hub
Enhanced Development and Support
Cost-Effective Broadcasting
The remote studio is a game-changer for budget-conscious broadcasts, enabling scaled-down operations without sacrificing quality.
“With many industries, but especially broadcast, companies are being asked to do more with less,” Taylor explains. “This room was initially necessitated by COVID, when we couldn’t travel to events, but it’s become so much more. Our first remote studio has allowed us to support broadcasts from all over the world - right here in Dunedin.”
By centralising operations, Virtual Eye can provide coverage without requiring operators at every event. This has eliminated the need for extensive travel across golf tournaments, cricket matches, baseball games, and more, resulting in significant cost savings.
The studio also facilitates hybrid models, where part of the team operates on-site while the rest remains in Dunedin. This setup provides the flexibility to work across time zones, delivering the best possible coverage.
A Centralised Training Hub
The remote studio doubles as a training hub for Virtual Eye’s diverse sports portfolio, enabling operators to develop their skills on a global scale—all from Dunedin.
“Historically, training new operators could only happen on-site,” Taylor says. “Now, with this centralised setup, we can give them exposure to broadcasts across all our sports, right here in one place.”
This approach not only accelerates skill development but also ensures a consistently high standard of operation across Virtual Eye’s global network.
Enhanced Development and Support
Perhaps the most unexpected benefit of the remote studio has been its impact on debugging and development. With full integration into broadcasts worldwide, developers, operators, and project managers can provide real-time support like never before.
“Our team can hook into a live golf broadcast at Pebble Beach in the morning, assist with the Big Bash in Australia during the afternoon, and debug baseball or sailing—all without leaving their desks,” Taylor explains.
This capability has significantly improved response times and the quality of on-site support, cementing the remote studio’s role as a cornerstone of Virtual Eye’s operations.