Tankō Fighting Championships: MMA Broadcast Production
We produced all three Tankō shows, developing the workflow from a five camera SPORTbible livestream into as live television programmes completed in post.
Covering MMA with the immediacy of live television
Across three Tankō Fighting Championships shows, every bout had to be covered in real time. Cameras, direction, graphics, replay, sound and venue outputs needed to follow the official fight card without the safety of another take.
The distribution model also developed across the series. The first event went out live online, while the later shows needed an as live programme recorded to broadcast standard and refined in post before television transmission.
An evolving five camera broadcast workflow
We produced all three Tankō shows. For the first, our five camera programme was streamed live and SPORTbible carried the final three fights. For the later events, we shot and cut the programme as live, then completed the final polish in post for television broadcast.
The workflow brought together live direction, vision mixing, fight graphics, action replay, sound coordination, venue feeds and broadcast standard recording. SPORTbible reported more than 450,000 views for the first stream, while Tankō’s Executive Producer described the response from fighters and the public as phenomenal.
In numbers
Three Tankō shows, one evolving broadcast model
Tankō Fighting Championships staged its first event at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on 13 August 2016. It became the first of three Tankō shows we produced, giving us the opportunity to develop the programme from a live online broadcast into an as live television workflow.
Every show had the pressure and pace of live sport. The cameras, director, graphics, replay, sound and production team had to follow the fight card in real time, with no second take when a contest changed direction.
The first Tankō show: live with SPORTbible
For Tankō #1, we produced and streamed the full event. Seventeen bouts placed sustained demands on the production team, officials and commentators across a long live card.
SPORTbible took our live feed for the final three fights and added its own final distribution layer. The publisher described it as a strong first run and reported more than 450,000 stream views by 11pm that evening.
Producing the later shows as live for television
The later Tankō productions used a different delivery model. We shot and cut the fights as live at the venue, creating the programme in real time to television broadcast standards. The recorded programme could then be tightened, polished and completed in post before transmission.
That approach preserved the energy and efficiency of a live production while allowing the final television version to receive an additional quality control and finishing pass.
A five camera MMA production team
For the first show, our five camera operators were Tristan Ayling, Matt Bridger, Andy Dunbar, Colin McKevitt and Jay Rozanski. Jay produced, Matt directed, Simon Taylor supervised motion graphics and Jenny Alsina worked as Production Secretary.
We worked alongside the commentators, referees, judges, timekeeper and venue production team. Clear roles and dependable talkback kept the cameras, direction and official running of the fight card aligned throughout each programme.
Graphics, replay and different audience outputs
We built the workflow around 1080/50i video, fight clocks, fighter lower thirds, referee and judge panels, commentator graphics, replay sequences and programme idents. The venue screen and programme output could share a consistent Tankō identity while serving different audiences.
For the live first show, SPORTbible branding was incorporated into the online segment. For the later television programmes, broadcast standard recording protected picture and sound quality for the post production and transmission stages.
Building broadcast experience across all three shows
Producing all three Tankō events let us develop a practical MMA broadcast workflow under genuine fight night pressure. We learned how to balance the speed of live direction with the technical discipline needed for later television delivery.
Tankō’s Executive Producer told us he was more than happy with the production and described the response from fighters and the public as phenomenal. Together with the first show’s reported online audience, that feedback gives the series a clear and human measure of success.
For practical planning advice, read our boxing and MMA broadcast guide. Explore our VIP Boxing live streaming for related production work.
Frequently asked questions
Were the Tankō shows livestreamed or made for television?
Tankō #1 was livestreamed, with SPORTbible taking the live feed for the final three fights. The later shows were produced as live, then refined in post before television broadcast.
How many Tankō shows did you produce?
We produced all three Tankō Fighting Championships shows.
What did you deliver for Tankō?
We delivered multi camera fight coverage, live direction, vision mixing, graphics, replay, sound coordination, recording and the programme outputs required for online and television delivery.
How many people watched the first Tankō stream?
SPORTbible reported more than 450,000 stream views by 11pm on the night of Tankō #1.
