Welch calls the shots on Dublin’s big show

THEY might still be regarded as the kid brother to the big guy out in Montrose but tonight TV3 get to feed the world.

As host broadcaster for the first European football final in Ireland, the station will literally call the shots for the Portuguese derby at the Dublin Arena, providing the live “feed” to more than 170 markets worldwide.

The technical logistics for television coverage of the big event are suitably staggering. In total, there will be 52 different broadcasters on site and more than 600 television personnel. There will be 70 cameras in the stadium, including the first ever use in Ireland of a spidercam — that’s the dizzying one which swoops and soars around the stadium — as well as a camera on board a helicopter to provide aerial views of the whole scene. By kick-off, there will be some €75 million worth of TV equipment in and around the ground to ensure that no aspect of the night is missed by an estimated audience across 20 countries of 40 million viewers.