The EMMYS 2020

The Show Must Go On: The Switch Steps Up to Bring Virtual Emmys to Life Despite COVID-19

The Television Academy needed an entirely new production and transmission workflow for the Emmy Awards to broadcast the 2020 event after the global pandemic meant face-to-face interactions were severely restricted
Creative and Primetime Emmys, usually held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on consecutive weekends, were moved to the Staples Center with minimal on-site production and engineering crews, and the nominees and other talent live-streaming from their homes across the globe
The Switch stepped up to deliver a comprehensive suite of live production and global delivery services, providing both remote and onsite production support, as well as acting as the primary transmission network for broadcasters across the world – all on a very tight timeline due to continuing uncertainty around COVID-19

The Switch provided an all-hands-on-deck production crew at its Motor Avenue and Burbank facilities, as well as an on-site production trailer at the Staples Center with extensive safety features in place
Creative Arts Emmys program was produced from Burbank and delivered to the host network utilizing fiber, satellite and redundant IP transmission. The virtual Media Center, where media interviews took place, was simultaneously produced from a different control room in Burbank, both with social distancing measures in place
Employed robust fiber circuits for the Primetime Emmys to enable two-way transmission of the Winner’s Walk and virtual Media Center participants, guaranteeing every interview and speech reached screens across the world
Collaborated with the Television Academy to invent a unique broadcast offering for the popular ‘Backstage Live’ feature, transmitting and recording IP feeds between the recipients of the awards and other celebrity participants

The Switch was able to co-ordinate the delivery of hundreds of live feeds across the globe to more than a dozen countries
Stepped up to the challenge in an incredibly short time frame, organizing the entire production and transmission set up in a matter of weeks and ensuring the much-loved show reached audiences worldwide
Helped the Television Academy redefine The Emmys in a world where live broadcasting continues to evolve, adapt and innovate as fresh challenges from the global health crisis emerge