Over the past few years, the entertainment programming during Chinese New Year has become much more diversified as tech giants compete to sponsor the Spring Festival Gala, the world’s most-watched national TV broadcast. This year, Kuaishou, one of China’s leading video sharing apps and a sponsor of the festival for the last three years, launched their “Super Broadcast, a live, interactive show hosted on their platform during the month of February. Kuaishou’s extensive live broadcast relied on Clear-Com®’s FreeSpeak II® Digital Wireless Intercom System to facilitate effective communications between production teams.
Kuaishou’s Super Broadcast content aired every night at 8:00 p.m. from February 1st –26th and reached an online audience of 46 million. The broadcast consisted of original Kuaishou content, promotional ads, interactive games, the live streaming of the gala and other interactive elements like the traditional red envelope distribution to Chinese citizens throughout the month.
The FreeSpeak II wireless system was deployed every night of the show to connect various elements of the broadcast including the Director, production crews, lighting, audio, video, stage designers, screen operators and special effects. “A successful show cannot be achieved without collaboration between teams, and the FreeSpeak II wireless system played an irreplaceable role for this event,” the General Manager of Beijing Great Ideas Culture Communication Co., Ltd., Fei Xu explained.
GICC had several considerations to address in the planning stages of this event, mainly involving gear compatibility and overall coverage of the large on-site area. “We had a vast mix of gear for the show that could potentially cause transmission interference, and we had to consider how it would all interface together without compromising our ability to cover the surface area of the set,” explained Xu.
To address these challenges, GICC used FreeSpeak II Base II system operating in the 2.4 GHz band, FreeSpeak II 2.4 GHz digital wireless beltpacks and RS-701 wired beltpacks. One FreeSpeak II Base and two FreeSpeak II splitters were positioned at the main control area, and six FreeSeak II transceivers were strategically placed – at the control area, around the stage, and behind a mammoth LED screen—to ensure stable comms coverage across the 1000m2 set.
FreeSpeak II transceivers connected to CAT5 cable or optical fiber depending on what the placement location necessitated, and robust cellular roaming technology kept users connected and moving freely across the expansive space. There was concern that the imposing LED screen would create a transmission barrier between the Director and his teams, but FreeSpeak II’s ability to perform in the most challenging RF environments proved true according to Xu. “We assured the client that the system was equipped to perform in this environment, and as expected, all gear operated smoothly and responded flawlessly to onsite demands.”
GICC is a provider of AV equipment rental and technical services in China. They have provided solutions for many brands such as BMW, Dior, SUBARU, Motorola, the 2019 Military World Games and more. “Where there is a communications need, Clear-Com is absolutely our exclusive comms systems brand and supplier of choice,” Xu concludes.