Broadcasters working on the multi-storey platform (Eurovision)

Millions of viewers and listeners witnessed the canonisation of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII at the Vatican in Rome through the large-scale operation led by Eurovision News Special Events. 

The Special Events unit, and Italian subsidiary Media House Roma (MHER), distributed Vatican Television's 12-camera coverage of the ceremony (27 April) in both standard and high definition worldwide and provided extensive on site broadcast services to providing services to more than 60 international Radio and TV broadcasters from all five continents. The Special Events team provided unilateral services in HD and SD using 18 outgoing and five incoming simultaneous channels routed via satellite and fibre, working around the clock to manage broadcast facilities at four key sites. Studio and stand-up positions on two purpose-built multi-storey Eurovision platforms provided prime views of Saint Peter's before a crowd of some 250,000 pilgrims who gathered at the site.

EBU Director of Media Annika Nyberg Frankenhaeuser says Eurovision is a global force, providing special events services anywhere in the world, backed up by strategically located offices in Beijing, Singapore, Washington, D.C., New York, Moscow and Rome.

“The EBU has built on its long-standing partnership with the Vatican to bring news coverage of the Canonisation of two of the last centuries most popular pontiffs to millions of homes worldwide,” Ms Frankenhaeuser said. “Our bureau in Rome, which is situated just steps from St Peter's – was the central hub for the Special Events operation, with the main MCR, temporary and long-term workspaces for 13 EBU members and other broadcasters, and additional live facilities from its terraces with views of Michelangelo's cupola and the Vatican. The premises also housed the health and safety and credentialing back office which issued 964 passes for the broadcast platforms and TV compounds in cooperation with the Holy See Press Office.”

EBU-founding-member Radio Vaticana and the Vatican Television Centre (CTV), in cooperation with Eurovision and the Holy See Press office, provided workspaces, live commentary positions, equipped studios, and technical assistance to broadcasters in the temporary Vatican Media Centre.

The video and audio feed of the historic canonisation ceremony, respectively produced by the Vatican Television Centre and Vatican Radio, were distributed through Eurovision and EuroRadio networks and also within the Media Centre. Vatican Radio’s commentaries in English, French and Spanish were distributed by Eurovision as audio guides for TV commentators.

Vatican Radio covered the canonization ceremony throughout its worldwide network with nine linguistic commentaries (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish) both for its audience and to more than 80 broadcasters that were linked with the Pope’s Radio for this live transmission, along with many more local radio stations worldwide taking Vatican Radio’s broadcast of the ceremony from Intelsat and Eutelsat satellite channels.

Vatican Radio and Polskie Radio also provided joint coverage of the ceremony from Vatican Radio’s studio, with live commentary in Polish, that was broadcast simultaneously in Poland and Rome.

Find out more about Eurovision News Special Events at eurovision.net.