Finally the long awaited opening of Wembley Stadium was here.  The 24 March 2007 saw the first competitive game held live at the new Wembley Stadium.  The game was broadcast live on Sky Sports and in HD, and Broadcast RF supplied the HD pictures from the Cineflex stabilised camera system from the helicopter.  

The live HD Helicopter Downlink was installed at Stapleford Aerodrome in the morning of the match and the final tests happened just before kick off at 3pm.  Wembley looked absolutely stunning!

Broadcast RF supplied various digital radio cameras for the 126th FA Cup Final and the first to be played at the new Wembley Stadium.  Chelsea won the match 1-0.  This completed a domestic cup double through Didier Drogba’s extra time goal.  The game was widely considered to be a disappointment, however the radio cameras performed seamlessly.

So, Football had been covered, now for the first ever live concert at Wembley Stadium.  George Michael was the performer who dared to perform first at the new Wembley Stadium.  And what a show it was.  Aerial Camera Systems supplied a HD Cineflex which was linked down to the roof receive site near the arch of the stadium.   

HD pictures were beamed live around the world to millions of viewers.  The pictures from the HD link were so robust, the director used the live HD pictures for the closing credits of the show.  How brave is that!

The following week saw Muse perform at the new Wembley.  Once again, the HD Helicopter Downlink performed without a glitch and much to the customer’s satisfaction.

Overall the new Wembley has become a successful hunting ground for Broadcast RF.  We await our next venture.