Gravity Media deployed a full IP-based production workflow for the 20th Solheim Cup, utilizing its NOVA 112 truck and 40 km of fiber and SMPTE cabling. The project involved managing complex logistics across five major golf events, including the integration of multiple international broadcasters.
The transition to a full IP-based infrastructure for a major golf tournament demonstrates the increasing maturity of SMPTE-to-fiber conversion at scale. By replacing traditional copper cabling with a high-density fiber backbone, production teams can significantly reduce rig times and physical footprint in complex environments like the Solheim Cup. This deployment proves that IP workflows can handle the high-bandwidth demands of UHD sports while managing the logistical strain of back-to-back international events. As broadcasters demand more flexibility for multi-feed distributions, the success of the NOVA 112 unit sets a benchmark for future DP World Tour events. Watch for whether Gravity Media expands this IP-first model to hillier terrains like Wentworth, where RF infrastructure requirements are significantly higher.
Gravity Media has been building its IP production capabilities across multiple major golf events in 2026. At the 154th Open Championship in July, Gravity Media and European Tour Productions managed more than 170 cameras and one of the most ambitious RF deployments in memory at Royal Birkdale, with the core compound housed in a large IBC building containing production-control rooms, replay areas, and audio rooms. The event also saw six productions handled remotely, a significant increase from 2017 when remote workflows were not yet standard practice for golf broadcasts.
The company's investment in remote production infrastructure has accelerated since the EMG merger in early 2024. Gravity Media's 38,000 square foot remote operations centre in West London, completed in spring 2025, features ten dedicated sound control rooms with Calrec Artemis surfaces and 21 flexible multi booths, all designed as a SMPTE 2110 IP facility from the outset. The facility bridges legacy audio feeds including analogue, AES, and MADI alongside IP-native signals, positioning Gravity Media for a full migration to an IP environment as its phased expansion progresses.
Gravity Media's IP-first approach to live production dates back to 2019, when the company deployed an open standards-based IP core built on Cisco Nexus 9000 switches and Grass Valley gateway cards at the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid. That system, which uses SMPTE ST 2110 encoding over redundant 25 GbE links, allowed Gravity Media to bring an entire IP core up and running within a single day for major sporting events. The NOVA 112 truck used at the Solheim Cup represents the latest evolution of this strategy, extending the IP workflow from fixed facilities to mobile units covering complex multi-day golf tournaments.
Gravity Media successfully deployed a full IP-based production workflow for the 20th Solheim Cup using its updated NOVA 112 UHD mobile unit. By replacing traditional copper with a high-density fiber backbone, the team managed complex multi-feed distributions, demonstrating that IP infrastructure can efficiently handle the high-bandwidth demands of major international golf tournaments.
Gravity Media utilized the newly updated NOVA 112 UHD mobile unit to manage the production.
The technical crew deployed 20 km of 24-core fiber and 17 km of SMPTE cable to support 56 different camera positions across the golf course.
Transitioning to an IP-based infrastructure allows production teams to significantly reduce rig times and physical footprint while handling the high-bandwidth demands of UHD sports and multi-feed distributions.
The production compound operated on hydrogen power during the event.
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