LED walls, virtual floors and AR politicians to engage audiences like never before as part of broadcaster’s comprehensive election night coverage.
The hub of Sky’s Election Night is Sky Studios’ Studio 4 commonly used for Monday Night Football (MNF), Formula 1, NFL and boxing. Described by Ben Fisher, Head of Sky News Studio Output as “a 360-degree immersive space making a brilliant canvas for storytelling and data,” he explains that “as soon as we saw it on air we thought, hang on a minute, this is built for an election.”
Zonal marking
Sky News has split the studio into four zones. The large curved LED which acts as the backdrop for MNF will be the main presentation space for anchors Kay Burley, Beth Rigby, and Trevor Phillips, with Andy Burnham and Ruth Davidson as pundits. This will feature a screen dubbed the ‘window to the world’, featuring a mosaic of live feeds from 102 constituency counts.
The central zone is referred to as the ‘disco floor’, filled with a giant virtual map of the UK populated by results through the night. Ed Conway, Sky News’ Economics and Data Editor, will head this analysis zone and be able to call up AR characters such as MPs Grant Shapps and Penny Mordaunt.
“One of our big reveals on the night is we’ve made a life-size AR model of Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer,” Fisher says. “You know when you see AR footballers appear to walk out and make a gesture? Well, we got [the party leaders] to do that while they were in Grimsby for our leader’s debate on June 12.
“We’ve made a full-size 360 model of them. Their eyes will follow you around the room, the camera can get up close and personal. They’ll pop up variously through the night...
You are not signed in
Only registered users can read the rest of this article.
World AI Film Festival: “There is no emotion in AI”
The World AI Film Festival fielded new and established storytelling voices, but the jury is out on whether AI can capture the human spirit of cinema. Adrian Pennington reports.
IBC Content Everywhere: Cloud adoption reaches a critical point
The adoption of cloud-based working practices is an ongoing process within the Content Everywhere industry. While most streaming companies have embraced the cloud, there have been concerns in the past about a lack of strategic focus and whether providers are adopting cloud-native solutions rather than relying on virtualised or cloud-ready solutions.
Virtual production after the hype: Where it actually works now
Virtual production is no longer being treated purely as spectacle or novelty – it is becoming a production tool, with clear strengths, clear limits, and a growing body of experience around how to use it well across a range of budgets. IBC365 investigates.
NAB 2026 technology round-up: “The biggest shifts in media are no longer theoretical”
The 2026 NAB Show has wrapped after welcoming more than 58,000 registered attendees and a host of new tools and technologies intent on shaping the future of media.
NAB 2026 review: “Live immersive production is here, and it’s extraordinary”
If there is a single takeaway from NAB 2026 it’s that the broadcast media industry is rebalancing. The centre of gravity is shifting, the customer base is diversifying, and the definition of “media” is expanding across sectors.
