Sunset+Vine to produce coverage of Riyadh Season Cup

Sunset+Vine (S+V), the renowned UK-based television sports production and media company, has announced its role as the producer of coverage for the Riyadh Season Cup football tournament in the Saudi Arabian capital.

S+V will oversee the Arabian studio output for the event, which commenced this week and spans three games until February 8. The tournament features three teams: Al-Hilal (champions of the Saudi Pro League), Al-Nassr from Saudi Arabia, and Inter Miami from Major League Soccer in the US, with soccer icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi representing the latter two sides.

Alamiya Media will serve as the host broadcaster for the event, which will be covered by four networks: MBC, BeIN Sports, DAZN, and the Saudi Sports Channel. BeIN Sports has previously covered the 2023 edition of the tournament, featuring the same trio of teams.

S+V has highlighted that Alamiya Media will play a crucial role as the key technical supplier for the event, with all presentation delivered in Arabic.

“We are honoured to have been chosen by Alamiya Media to produce these three programmes. It is also an acknowledgement of the editorial, creative and technical quality of our football production teams in both the UK and Italy who are coming together to deliver these productions,” said Nick Moody, S+V’s head of broadcast.

The Riyadh Season Cup is part of the broader Riyadh Season festival, featuring live sports and entertainment funded by the Saudi government. This year’s edition is dubbed ‘The Last Dance’ due to the participation of modern football legends and archrivals Ronaldo and Messi.

Sultan Al Muheisen, chair at Alamiya Media, added, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Sunset+Vine for The Last Dance, with the high-profile, clash of titans, matches. The Riyadh Season is an important event for the city, and our target is to provide the highest international broadcast standards – there isn’t a team we could trust more to deliver expert and exciting coverage.”

Earlier this month, S+V was also announced as the host broadcaster for the ILT20 short-form franchise cricket competition in the United Arab Emirates, demonstrating its continued presence in delivering high-quality sports coverage globally.

S+V’s extensive client base includes major broadcasters such as Amazon Prime, BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5, along with various sports federations including FIFA, UEFA and the International Cricket Council.