Kingdom come: Alamiya Media on bringing the Supercoppa Italiana and Supercopa de Espa a to Saudi Arabia By Adrian Pennington
Friday, January 31, 2025 - 09:12
Print This Story
Among the many international sports events staged in Saudi Arabia, the annual Italian and Spanish Super Cups played out over successive weeks in January.
What was a single match between the league champion and domestic cup winner in each country was reformatted in 2023 so that each competition now features the top four teams from the previous season's domestic tournaments.
In return, Saudi Arabia is paying 138 million for the Supercoppa Italiana from 2023 to 2029 and it's paying the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) around 40 million for each Supercopa de Espa a tournament until 2029.
Venue cities tend to rotate between Jeddah and Riyadh, but the common denominator is local production services supplier Alamiya Media.
Since Telef nica holds the rights in Spain to the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, the telco contracts Alamiya as service supplier in a continuation of an arrangement that began in 2022.
Telef nica flies in key personnel, including a technical producer, director, vision mixer and VT coordinator, but the rest of the team is staffed by Alamiya crew who regularly work on the Saudi Pro League (SPL).
Arrangements for the Supercoppa Italiana (technically the EA Sports FC Supercup) differs slightly in that Lega Serie A, which organises Italy's domestic cup competitions, contracts Alamiya Media directly to produce the games while also providing an editorial layer.
Spanish Super Cup
The two Copa del Rey finalists and top two finishers in LaLiga competed for the 2025 Spanish Super Cup, with matches starting on 8 January. Real Madrid and Barcelona duly beat Mallorca and Athletic Bilbao to set up El Cl sico on 12 January in front of nearly 60,000 spectators at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
Despite Real Madrid opening the scoring through Mbappe, Barca saw off their rivals 5-2 thanks to wunderkind Lamine Yamal and a brace from Raphinha.
All three matches were played in Jeddah, which is naturally a benefit in terms of not having to change logistics between games.
They were each covered with a 29-camera plan, including Sony 3500 super slow motion and 6500 Ultra slow-motion cameras in HD 1080i/50. A notable camera addition this year was a FPV drone that flew inside the stadium, not just for pre- and post-match activities and celebrations but also flying over spectators during the game itself.
Production and transmission format depends on the rights holder, says Miguel Caso, chief broadcast officer for Riyadh-based Alamiya Media. All of our larger trucks are UHD ready.
All production is performed on site except occasionally for graphics. This would usually be for international or English language graphics. We always have a backup on site to do graphics but whether remote or on-prem the leagues prefer to handle graphics themselves, bringing in their own operator. They know the graphics package and workflow better and sometimes they bring their own hardware.
Italian Super Cup
The first semi-final of the Supercup, played at Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh on 2 January, was between Inter (winners of the 2023/2024 Serie A championship) and Atalanta (finalists of the 2023/2024 Coppa Italia). The team coached by Simone Inzaghi won 2-0 against Atalanta, earning a place in the final.
On 3 January, Juventus (winners of the 2023/2024 Coppa Italia) and AC Milan (second-place finishers in the 2023/2024 Serie A) engaged in a thrilling match, which ended in a 2-1 victory for Milan. The Milan derby final on 6 January was won 3-2 by AC Milan with a Tammy Abraham winner in stoppage time.
The broadcast model is almost identical to the Spanish Super Cup although Caso describes the Italian setup as creatively more aggressive .
This year included the first use of an AGITO modular dolly system which roamed along one of the touchlines during the final. The buggy carried a stabilised Shotover head and wireless Sony HDC-P50 camera with Canon CN10 lens.
This was a proof of concept and provided some really nice shots during the match, like a Steadicam, but under remote control, he says.
We also used a Sony Venice positioned on a Jimmy Jib behind the goal fitted with a PL lens for nice replays with that cinematic touch.
Camera ops with gimbals carrying Sony A7s with PL lenses offered shots of players in the tunnel and during the match for crowd reactions.
Both competitions used drones, one operating outside the stadium offering beauty shots and fireworks at the final, as well as an FPV in the stadium.
Both camera plans are very similar but I would say that the Italian one was maybe a little bit more aggressive with new technologies and tweaked for the Italian taste, Caso says.
Read more: Alamiya Media at 50: Preparing for rapid change, an international broadcast centre and the FIFA World Cup
The Italian production wears innovation on its sleeve to the extent that a special graphic was displayed on screen to introduce a new technology or camera angle during coverage.
The FPV drone was briefed to fly around the grandstands during the game but during the second semi-final, after a goal, the operator (or director) disregarded this and had it enter the field of play to fly in on top and over of the players as they were gathering to celebrate.
We felt that was maybe too much, it was provocative, and we made sure not to repeat it for the final but it was a very nice shot indeed, Caso says
Alamiya has previously innovated with drones including during the much-hyped Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo clash in February 2024 when Inter Miami played Al-Nassr. Messi spent most of the game on the bench and his team lost 6-0.
Because that was a pre-season friendly we had more
North America Stories
04/02/2025
L3Harris has signed a two-year agreement with Thai Airways International to provide training service on its A320 Full Flight Simulator (FFS). This significant a...
04/02/2025
L3Harris' all-digital electronic warfare suite, Viper Shield , completed its...
04/02/2025
Nielsen Reports Major Recent Ratings Milestones for CBS and Paramount Series
N...
04/02/2025
BARCELONA Grup Mediapro and Google Cloud have expanded their collaboration to create an innovation lab focused on generative AI to develop solutions for the med...
04/02/2025
WATERTOWN, Mass. EditShare this week said it has received SOC 2 Type II certification, an independently audited evaluation of an organization's information ...
04/02/2025
Executive Creative Director Halle Petro Named Partner of Sonic Union
Brie Clayton February 4, 2025
0 Comments
Sonic Union is excited to announce Execu...
04/02/2025
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Camera for Android 2.0 Update
Brie Clayton February 4, 2025
0 Comments
New update adds support for Xiaomi Pad 6...
04/02/2025
CETA Software Launches Artist Access: The Time-Tracking Tool for Creative Teams
Brie Clayton February 4, 2025
0 Comments
CETA Software, creators of p...
04/02/2025
OWC Announces General Availability Launch of OWC Dock Ejector 2.0
Brie Clayton February 4, 2025
0 Comments
The Ultimate Tool for Efficiently and Safel...
04/02/2025
NEW YORK Paramount Global and Nielsen have inked a new, multiyear deal that will provide measurement for all of the company's platforms, including national ...
04/02/2025
2d Animated Short Concerning a Project for Schools
Brie Clayton February 3, 2025
0 Comments
2d animated short concerning a project for schools
Febru...
04/02/2025
Step by step guide to using 3D Models in After Effects
Graham Quince February 3, 2025
0 Comments
Since 2024, Adobe After Effects has had native suppor...
04/02/2025
Powerful Premiere Automation with new Excalibur Update
Colin Smith February 3, 2025
0 Comments
This tutorial takes you through the new update for auto...
04/02/2025
Cinematography of A Complete Unknown: Shooting 12,800 iso Sony Venice 2 to creat...
04/02/2025
DIY to D A: Ela Minus Breaks Through The electronic artist and producer tells Rolling Stone about her new album, D A, and how shes forged a career outside the...
04/02/2025
The future of football? Technology and entertainment merge in the Kings World Cu...
04/02/2025
Virtual Production and AR Graphics: Demystifying the Tools, Technologies, and Tr...
04/02/2025
SVG All-Stars: Russell Fink, Senior Director, Programming and Content Analytics,...
04/02/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: farmerswife's Jodi Clifford on Organizing Your Pr...
04/02/2025
EA Acquires TRACAB Technologies as It Looks to Move Beyond Games EA believes TRACABs sports tracking/analysis technology will help to make the EA SPORTS App the...
04/02/2025
Kingdom come: Alamiya Media on bringing the Supercoppa Italiana and Supercopa de...
04/02/2025
Alamiya Media at 50: Preparing for rapid change, an international broadcast cent...
04/02/2025
Back to All News
Clara Galle, Claudia Salas and Paula Usero Star in That Night,...
03/02/2025
The L3Harris IPLCS is a fiber-optic tether connecting a torpedo to the origin vessel, providing data in real time. Credit: L3Harris...
03/02/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. Video Services Forum (VSF) today announced that the VidTrans 2025 conference and exposition will take place Feb. 25-27 at the Marina del Rey Marr...
03/02/2025
WASHINGTON Last week Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) introduced the Stop Sports Blackouts Act to make cable and satellite companies ref...
03/02/2025
Amazon Prime Video has added more companies to its Preferred Vendor Services Program....
03/02/2025
BURBANK, Calif. The CW, NBC Sports and Grand Slam Track, a new global track competition, have announced a media rights deal that makes The CW the exclusive U.S....
03/02/2025
Adding LED wall to green screen studio expands creative options
CJP Broadcast Service Solutions, systems integration, production and content digitisation speci...
03/02/2025
CJP Broadcast Service Solutions, a systems integration and content digitisation specialist, has been appointed as a certified QuickLink Gold Partner. This strat...
03/02/2025
2d Animated Short Concerned a Project for Schools
Brie Clayton February 3, 2025
0 Comments
2d animated short concerning a project for schools
Februa...
03/02/2025
Academy Award-Winning Production Company Caviar Signs Director Dawit N.M.
Brie Clayton February 3, 2025
0 Comments
Academy Award-winning independent p...
03/02/2025
Blackmagic Design Announces Customizable Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K Body
Brie Clayton February 3, 2025
0 Comments
New body only model of Blackmagic URSA...
03/02/2025
Berklee Alumni Recognized at the 2025 Grammy Awards Winners took home trophies in 14 categories, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Songwr...
03/02/2025
For media production companies, the drive for increased efficiency without extensive incremental costs or added complexity is always near the top of the priorit...
03/02/2025
Any lingering resistance to virtual production involving next-generation elements like LED walls, in-camera visual effects (ICVFX) and mixed reality (MR) is rap...
03/02/2025
The physical function of audio mixing remains relatively unchanged today despite technology's onward march. There are now many ways to mix studio and outsid...
03/02/2025
Lightbridge, creators of the renowned Precision Reflectors for motion picture lighting, celebrates 8 years of innovation with a 40% discount on all current CRLS...
03/02/2025
High dynamic range (HDR) has transformed the sports fan experience, enabling broadcasters and OTT providers to deliver live events with remarkably lifelike colo...
03/02/2025
MainConcept, the leading provider of video and audio codecs, announces the latest additions to its MainConcept EVA (Easy Video API) technology, set to greatly e...
03/02/2025
Back to All News
Last Samurai Standing' Unveils 14 New Cast Members Ahead of November Debut
Entertainment
03 February 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied to ...
03/02/2025
Super Bowl LIX: Flown Sound System Adapts Older Stadium for Game, Hip-Hop-Heavy ...
03/02/2025
The NAMM Show Continues To Move Beyond the Music Dale Pro Audio had a front-row seat to what has become the major U.S. pro-audio expo By SVG Staff
Monday, Fe...
03/02/2025
As it heads to its estimable 30th anniversary, the HPA Tech Retreat continues to add one-of-a-kind programming to its schedule. The HPA Tech Retreat committee h...
02/02/2025
2026 Edition of Sundance Film Festival to Take Place in Park City and Salt Lake ...
02/02/2025
Back to All News
Sintonia - The Last Party: Netflix Celebrates the Shows Fifth ...
02/02/2025
Back to All News
Toma Ikuta Stars in Demon City' with Music by Tomoyasu Ho...
01/02/2025
Cow Job Listing: Calling All Creative Editors! Love Japan? Japan-Inspired Video ...
01/02/2025
DirecTV said it has significantly expanded its MySports package, which includes 40 national sports and local broadcast channels, to 122 Nielsen designated marke...
Kingdom come: Alamiya Media on bringing the Supercoppa Italiana and Supercopa de Espa a to Saudi Arabia By Adrian Pennington 
