A New Lens for Officiating
On a crisp evening in Stuttgart, the world’s eyes turned to a historic experiment in broadcast technology as Germany faced Ghana in an international soccer showdown. For the first time, Riedel’s RefCam Live was woven into a conventional broadcast rig of roughly thirty cameras, delivering a live feed from the referee’s eye level.
The camera’s perspective captured moments that are usually hidden from viewers – the subtle exchanges between players and the official, the tension of contested decisions, and even the pre‑match warm‑ups and line‑ups that set the stage for the contest.
Dalton Koch, junior project manager at Riedel Communications, explained that the RefCam gives referees a tool to record the most critical incidents of a match, ensuring that pivotal calls are preserved for analysis and review.
Behind the scenes, Riedel’s Easy5G private 5G network took charge of the wireless link, transmitting the video signal to production trucks via SDI with the reliability expected of a dedicated broadcast infrastructure.
The referee team also relied on Riedel’s RefComms system equipped with Bolero S headsets, enabling clear, real‑time communication among officials and ensuring that coordination stayed seamless throughout the game.
Jacqueline Voss, executive director of strategy and innovation at Riedel’s Managed Technology Division, hailed the deployment as a milestone, noting that the successful integration of RefCam and Easy5G paves the way for broader adoption in future tournaments.
The technology will next be on display at IBC2026 in Amsterdam, where Riedel plans to demonstrate both RefCam Live and its Easy5G solution to industry professionals eager to explore the next generation of sports broadcasting.