Amsterdam, Netherlands, 13th September: Sony is pleased to announce major service provider NEP has purchased 13 MLS-X1 modular switchers nodes to improve their live sports production in Norway, Finland, and Sweden.

The switchers will be used to produce a wide range of programs across the Nordic region.

The modular switcher, part of Sony’s Networked Live solutions, helps productions take full advantage of resources in high-quality mission critical live situations through connected hybrid on-premises and cloud capabilities.

The solution helps NEP move forward with their aim to create scalable, flexible, and efficient systems and follows ​ the commitment of NEP Australia to use the MLS-X1 to broadcast live sport across Australia from one central hub in Sydney.

Per de Navaro at NEP says “We’ve always had a very good working relationship with Sony and are excited to continue our partnership by investing in this new technology. Sony switchers have always been very reliable and the MLS-X1 with its structure and design takes this to new levels, not only in terms of reliability but mostly in the way we can scale and work in a decentralized setup as the one we have built in Sweden. The MLS-X1 allows us to deploy services and workspaces to our customers where our they need them and both parties can make use of high utilization in an efficient manner.”

“Our history with NEP has been nothing but successful, which is why we are thrilled that they have chosen to continue with Sony by using the MLS-X1 to broadcast live sport in the Nordics,” comments Norbert Paquet, Head of Live Production Solutions at Sony Europe. “We know that our switchers will provide the best experience for both NEP and their audience thanks to the flexibility and reliability of the MLS-X1.”

NEP are set to use thirteen switcher nodes across the Nordic region, already installed at their Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland facilities and others set to be installed in Oslo, Norway in early 2024. From September this year the new technology will be used to produce major league ice hockey in Sweden. NEP plan to branch out to other sports in various countries and even plan to use the same set up to broadcast multiple matches at the same time. ​ Thanks to their modularity the switchers are already set to be used to broadcast the Rally Finland racing.

In a further innovative move the production control rooms hosting the switchers in Sweden and Norway can easily be connected through NEP’s own private network. The system will use IP via telecommunications networks to transfer signals from the heart of the action to NEP’s hubs to ensure the highest-quality and most reliable remote production. NEP will use a browser-based MLS resource manager, that manages the live deployment and allocation of resources.

This large investment by NEP is set to future-proof their broadcast systems, providing a failsafe, modern solution which will save them both money and resources in the long term.

The MLS-X1 is a modular, scalable and reconfigurable Live Production Processor and Switcher. Whether on-premises or in the cloud, onsite or remotely, the MLS-X1 enables integrated operational control of processors at multiple locations from a single user interface.

Each MLS-X1 unit is connected by a network, and its physical structure can be changed dynamically bringing the agility to scale up or down according to present and future production needs. Thanks to the modular concept, logical switchers can be configured and interconnected using one to multiple MLS-X1 units as needed, avoiding the need to prepare in advance for excessive capacity or functionality. By combining scalability with the ability to use the MLS-X1 remotely the switcher is a sustainable but reliable choice.

For more information about Sony Live Production solutions please visit pro.sony/liveproduction

About Sony Europe B.V.

Sony Europe B.V. is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation and is headquartered in UK. We drive Sony’s leading Entertainment, Technology & Services business for consumer and professional markets, as well as Imaging & Sensing Solutions business across Europe. From R&D and engineering, design, to sales, marketing, distribution and customer service, we work to deliver Sony's purpose to fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology. ​

For more information, visit: www.sony.eu/presscentre

About NEP

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Headquartered in the United States, NEP has operations in 25 countries with over 5,000 employees. Together, we have supported productions in over 100 countries on all seven continents, and we’re still growing. Learn how we help our clients bring content to life at nepgroup.com ​

NEP Sports coverage liberated by Sony MLS-X1 switcher

NEP is deploying MLS-X1 modular switchers at three locations across the Nordic countries to level up their coverage of ice hockey and other sports through remote and distributed production.