Intro

Company name:
Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB)

Industry:
Sports & Entertainment / Live Events

Company website:
acb.com

Location:
Madrid, Spain

 
 
Behind the amazing action of Spain’s premier basketball league lies a sophisticated media infrastructure that captures, manages, and distributes content to millions of fans worldwide. Liga Endesa (ACB) has relied on NETGEAR AV equipment and a Media Asset Management (MAM) system, enabling seamless content production, ultra-low latency video ingestion, and efficient distribution across multiple platforms.

The result? Streamlined workflows that support one of Europe’s most-watched basketball leagues while delivering broadcast-quality content to 97 countries.

Background

As Spain’s top professional basketball league and one of the world’s most competitive, ACB delivers high-quality basketball content to fans across the globe. Eighteen teams make up the league, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons.

The league’s content reaches an impressive global audience, with Finals broadcasts available in 97 countries and territories worldwide. Behind this success lies a sophisticated technology infrastructure powered by NETGEAR AV switches that manages the complex flow of audiovisual content from capture to distribution.

Challenge

The organization was looking for a solution that could seamlessly bridge traditional broadcast equipment with modern IP-based workflows, delivering the reliability and performance standards essential to professional sports broadcasting while positioning them for future technological advances.

The transition to a comprehensive digital media infrastructure presented several significant challenges that required careful evaluation and planning. A robust network infrastructure was needed, capable of managing audiovisual content across multiple venues, production facilities, and distribution channels while handling massive data flows at the scale and complexity demanded by sports broadcasting operations.

Of course, live sports production requires ultra-low latency and near-zero delay to support real-time decision-making, instant replay systems, and synchronized multi-camera operations, where timing precision directly impacts broadcast quality. The organization also required a sophisticated media asset management solution that could efficiently ingest, store, organize, and retrieve vast amounts of video content, including game footage, highlights, interviews, and promotional materials, ensuring quick access when needed.

Looking ahead, they recognized the importance of building a scalable infrastructure that could adapt to evolving broadcast standards and accommodate growing content demands without requiring complete system overhauls.

Solution

After extensive evaluation of networking solutions, Liga Endesa selected NETGEAR AV switches as the backbone of its comprehensive media infrastructure. The implementation centers around a sophisticated Media Asset Management (MAM) system that leverages NETGEAR’s proven reliability and advanced features. Broad Service was responsible for integrating all these systems, ensuring seamless operation across the entire media ecosystem.

The system utilizes EditShare EFS 310 storage as the central media repository, with EditShare Flow servers handling content ingestion and user access management. The workflow includes automated proxy creation, metadata management, and seamless integration between live production and archived content.

A dedicated ultra-low-latency network carries real-time video signals via AJA Bridge NDI 3G converters, which convert traditional SDI signals into NDI streams. The Kiloview CUBE X1 NDI matrix serves as the central hub for signal routing and management across the entire network.

The network architecture implements a carefully segmented design with dedicated pathways for different content types and priorities. The NETGEAR M4350 switches create isolated network segments for media storage access, NDI video distribution, and control systems, preventing any single traffic type from impacting overall network performance. This segmentation ensures that high-bandwidth media file transfers never interfere with time-critical NDI video streams, while control and management traffic operate independently on dedicated infrastructure.

NETGEAR Products Used:

• NETGEAR M4350-32F8V switches manage the primary media network traffic
• NETGEAR M4350-24X8F8V switches are dedicated to the NDI Full Bandwidth network
• Integration with FS S5850 core switches, providing redundant backbone connectivity
• FS S5850-24S2Q switches for end-user access to both media and NDI networks

Results

Since implementation, the league has achieved exceptional reliability in media workflows, simplified content management processes, and enabled ultra-low latency video production that meets the demanding requirements of modern sports broadcasting.

With NETGEAR AV switches powering their media infrastructure, Liga Endesa has successfully established itself as a leader in sports broadcasting technology, delivering world-class basketball content to millions of fans while building a sustainable foundation for future growth and innovation.

The NETGEAR-powered media infrastructure has delivered outstanding performance across all operational metrics: the NETGEAR switches have maintained flawless operation with zero network-related outages since implementation, ensuring uninterrupted content production for Liga Endesa’s demanding broadcast schedule. This perfect network reliability has been crucial during high-stakes playoff broadcasts and international distribution requirements.

The NDI Full Bandwidth network consistently delivers near-lossless video quality with minimal latency, enabling real-time production decisions and seamless live broadcasting across multiple platforms. This ultra-low latency achievement allows production teams to make instant decisions during live games while maintaining broadcast-quality standards across all output streams.

The integrated MAM system has dramatically reduced content production time, enabling editors and producers to access, edit, and distribute content more efficiently. Users can now locate specific content in seconds rather than hours, significantly improving operational efficiency and enabling rapid turnaround of highlights and promotional materials that keep fans engaged across social media and broadcast platforms.

Why NETGEAR was chosen:

• Purpose-Built for AV/Broadcast Applications
• Pre-Configured Broadcast Profiles
• Proven Ultra-Low Latency Performance
• Scalable Architecture for Future Growth
• Advanced VLAN and Network Segmentation Capabilities

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