An Olympics-style operation and the major difference between UK and US coverage: INSIDE TENNIS goes behind the scenes with TNT Sports at the French Open
It is towards the end of my peek behind the curtain when we duck into a bunker-type room, completely dark other than thousands of dials, switches and buttons - and the light coming from an enormous wall of screens. Bank on bank of monitors showing courts, crowds, backstage shots and interviews. A crew member remarks: 'That's what covering 18 courts, in 19 languages, in 49 countries looks like.'
Mail Sport has gone behind the scenes on the gargantuan broadcasting operation that is TNT Sport at the French Open 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
24 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Barry McIlheney obituary
Barry McIlheney, who has died aged 67, presided over many late 20th-century media success stories. In 1989 he launched the monthly film magazine Empire as editor, and in 1999 the celebrity weekly Heat as publisher. In his first job as editor, at the pop music fortnightly Smash Hits, he had more than doubled the magazine's sales in just over two years (it sold 400,000 copies when he took the job in October 1986; in November 1988, its Poll Winners' Party special sold over a million). As editor, he honed Smash Hits' quirky style and headlines ('Corky O'Riley, It's Kylie!' ran the cover line for a 1988 interview with Kylie Minogue) and led a team of writers that included the future Observer columnist Miranda Sawyer, biographer Chris Heath and novelist William Shaw. He also commissioned memorable features, including Tom Hibbert's 1987 interview with Margaret Thatcher, in which she was asked if she watched Spitting Image, and when she was going to knight Cliff Richard. McIlheney's personality was welcoming and irreverent, and he was referred to by various nicknames by his staff. These included Big Man, Barry Mac and Barney Tabasco, a name by which he was once announced by an American receptionist (in the 2000s, he adopted it as a writing pseudonym for Word magazine). While editing Empire, from 1989 to 1993, he also reviewed films, in an unpretentious, lively style. 'Nothing really happens except for a lot of guys sitting around talking shite,' he wrote of 1992 drama Glengarry Glen Ross. 'But what wonderful guys, what memorable shite.' Made managing editor of Empire and its sister title Premiere in 1992, he ran the entirety of the Emap Metro publishing group from 1995, then the merged company Emap Elan from 2000 to 2007, with Q, Mojo, Elle, Red, the Face, FHM and Zoo all in his roster. The younger son of Muriel (nee Wilson), an office administrator at the Kennedy and Morrison steel company, and David McIlheney, a production manager in the shirt-making and textiles industries, Barry was born in Belfast and grew up in the north of the city near what became the Oldpark Road and Cliftonville peace line. A pupil at the Belfast Royal Academy, he became a fan of the NME at 14. 'I'm sure a therapist would have a field day on the escape that this new world offered me from the very grim reality of everyday life in north Belfast,' he said in a 2013 interview with the MagCulture website. At 18, he went to Trinity College Dublin to read history, often returning home to sing and write lyrics for the North Belfast Boogie Band, who in 1978 changed their style to punk, and their name to Shock Treatment. They were played on the John Peel Show, supported the Skids and U2, and released three tracks before McIlheney's departure in 1982: the first of these, Belfast Telegraph, about local news, appeared on the 1980 Room To Move EP, and a double A-side single, Big Check Shirts/Mr Mystery Man, was released in 1981. His father had died in 1979 and, living with his mother after leaving university, McIlheney worked behind the counter at the Kennedy and Morrison steelyard, then as a library assistant at Skegoneill Library. He found work in local newspapers and freelanced as Belfast correspondent for the Irish music magazine Hot Press. Around 1983, he moved to London for postgraduate study at City University Journalism School and freelanced for Melody Maker, becoming a staff writer then the magazine's reviews editor. His report of Live Aid in 1985 won him the Periodical Publishers Association (PPA)'s Young Journalist award. Recommended to Smash Hits by a colleague, he was hired soon afterwards as its new editor. McIlheney left magazines in 2008 to become Sport Media Group's editor-in-chief, a position he held for a year. In 2010, he became chief executive of the PPA; he described the role to MagCulture as 'the perfect chance to have a meaningful and useful second act'. After semi-retiring in 2020, he became a part-time board member of the press regulator Ipso, ran events for the Integrated Education Fund, a charitable foundation supporting integrated schooling in Northern Ireland, and spent more time at his home in Spain. In 2020 he wrote about his punk past for the Northern Irish culture fanzine Dig With It ('Everybody looks so young, everybody looks so thin'), and in 2024 he returned to sing vocals with the reunited Shock Treatment, including on three tracks for the album Exclusive Photos. He was due to perform with them again in Belfast this month. He married his Smash Hits colleague Lola Borg, now a writer and psychotherapist, in 1991. She survives him, as do their son, Francis, and daughter, Mary, and his older brother, Colin. Barry Wilson McIlheney, journalist, born 13 May 1958; died 25 May 2025
Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Andorra vs England predictions: World Cup 2026 qualifying tips and odds
Our expert has three tips for Saturday's World Cup qualifying match between Andorra and England at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, Spain (kick-off, 5pm BST). We think England could rack up the goals in Catalonia. Andorra vs England tips England -3 goals on handicap @ 4/5 with Sky Bet Pau Babot to commit 3+ fouls @ 11/10 with Sky Bet BuildABet - England to win to nil, Andorra to commit 18+ fouls and Bukayo Saka to score or assist @ 3/1 with Sky Bet Odds courtesy of Sky Bet. Correct at the time of publication and subject to change. Already a Sky Bet member? Check out more free bets from the best betting sites, reviewed by our experts. England should ease to victory Finding the value in a mismatch such as this can be tough but England to win by four or more goals looks overpriced at 4/5 with SkyBet. Thomas Tuchel's tenure started with 2-0 and 3-0 wins over Albania and Latvia respectively, and Andorra are another level below those sides, sitting 173rd in the Fifa world rankings, and they in turn were outclassed in a 3-0 defeat by Albania in March. England are likely to field a strong side for this one with players likely to be rotated for the friendly with Senegal next week, and attacking players such as Ivan Toney, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Gibbs-White and Morgan Rogers will want to make their mark if given the chance. Inexperienced Babot may rack up fouls Given the uncertainty with team selections, punters should tread carefully in the player markets but 21-year-old Pau Babot has started Andorra's last two games and, if he gets a run out in this one, he could rack up the fouls. Babot's inexperience showed in his last two games for his country as he recorded two fouls against Albania and an almighty seven against Latvia. England averaged 73.8 per cent possession in their first two World Cup qualifiers, so Andorra will have plenty of work to do off the ball and Babot is a decent pick to commit 3+ fouls at 11/10. Saka can shine for new boss Tuchel Those looking for a BuildABet for this contest should start it with England to win to nil. The Three Lions have kept clean sheets in their last four competitive matches, limiting Latvia to just a single shot on target in March's 3-0 win, and Andorra are without their chief goal threat Albert Rosas. Andorra to commit 18+ fouls is another enticing selection. Only Bosnia (19.5) have averaged more fouls than Andorra (17.5) in World Cup qualifying so far and England should have the lion's share of possession. Complete the BuildABet selection with Bukayo Saka to score or assist with the Arsenal man expected to feature for the first time under Tuchel. The winger managed six goals and 10 assists in the Premier League this season. Andorra vs England odds All odds courtesy of Sky Bet. Correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
BBC News
32 minutes ago
- BBC News
World Oceans Day 2025: What is this year's theme?
Sunday 8 June is World Oceans Day. A time to celebrate and raise awareness of issues affecting the world's theme for World Oceans Day 2025 is "Wonder: Sustaining what sustains us", which event organisers say aims to celebrate the wonder and awe that the ocean inspires in us, and the important role that wonder plays in encouraging curiosity, scientific knowledge, exploration, and innovation.A big event will be hosted in Nice, in France, on 8 June, ahead of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference which takes place between 9 – 13 June, is everything you need to know about World Oceans Day and the most important issues facing oceans around the globe today. What is World Oceans Day? On 8 June every year since 1992, the United Nations (UN) has designated a special day marking the importance of the world's call it World Oceans marking it take place across the world and more than 100 countries take part in the 2020, the event called for world leaders to commit to protecting 30% of our oceans by 2030 - in the hope that if that happens it will help combat climate change and protect marine biodiversity. Each year a different theme is year, the theme was Awaken New Depths, focusing on changing our relationship with the seas to ensure the ocean's health and UN holds a live event with special guests discussing topics from the seas to special guests, like actor Jason Momoa who plays Aquaman, are invited to talk too. Why are oceans under threat? According to research released in 2023, oceans across the world have reached record high temperatures, and 2024 was the warmest year on are now warmer than at any other time in recorded human history and the increase in temperature has been directly linked to global believe that human activities - such as the burning of fossil fuels and emissions from factories - are having a bad effect on global temperatures, causing harmful gases to be released into the atmosphere. Those gases end up in the Earth's atmosphere and trap more of the Sun's heat, which then increases the Earth's sea temperatures have a huge effect on sea life and many animals and plants are struggling to adapt. Plastic pollution: How much plastic is in our oceans? There is also the big issue of plastic waste in 2019, the World Wide Fund for Nature - which is the world's largest wildlife and conversation charity - said plastic pollution was causing an environmental than 75% of all plastic ever produced is already pollution kills wildlife, damages natural ecosystems, and contributes to climate change. The problem with plastic is that most of it is not biodegradable. That means it doesn't rot, like paper or food, so instead it can hang around in the environment and take hundreds of years to break than eight million tonnes of plastic enters the world's oceans each year and most of that escapes from 171 trillion pieces of plastic are now thought to be floating in the world's oceans, according to scientists. Ideas for how to celebrate World Oceans Day Although World Oceans Day is an important day to learn more about the crisis state our oceans are in, it is also a day to celebrate oceans that take up 70% of our are some things you can do on the day:You could make some marine themed art. If you fancy making a fish decoration to keep after World Oceans Day is over, check out how to make your very own moving we know how much plastic ends up in our oceans, why not try to avoid using single-use plastics like carrier bags, straws and bottles and switch to reusable and refillable ones instead? Here are some more useful tips on how to cut down on the plastic in your not try eating vegetarian food for a day? There are lots of delicious recipes that don't contain fish or seafood. You could even try this vegan recipe generator to come up with an idea for your next you're lucky enough to live by a beach, why not take part in a beach clean-up event? This way you can do your bit by collecting rubbish that could make its way into the finally, you can learn as much as you can about our oceans and how to protect them.
