When London’s sports fans pour into the capital’s newest high‑energy hangout,few will stop to think about the technology that makes every screen,sound and spectacle feel seamless. Yet behind the scenes at this transformed venue lies a meticulous AV overhaul led by systems integrator Tateside. Tasked with turning a conventional sports bar into a dynamic, multi‑zone experience capable of handling everything from Premier League clashes to late‑night DJ sets, the company has delivered a solution that blends cutting‑edge control, flexible video routing and immersive audio. This article explores how Tateside reimagined the venue’s infrastructure to meet the demands of modern sports entertainment in one of the world’s most competitive hospitality markets.
Designing immersive AV environments for high energy sports bar audiences
Inside the packed venue, every screen, speaker and lighting fixture has been orchestrated to hit the same emotional peak as the action on the pitch. Tateside has layered large-format displays with carefully placed supporting screens so that no guest ever feels like they’ve drawn the short straw on sightlines, whether they’re at the bar, in a booth or standing shoulder to shoulder near the entrance. The AV backbone is routed through a central control system that lets staff switch from split‑screen analysis to a single, dominant “hero” feed in seconds, synchronising graphics, branding and live odds to maintain momentum during breaks in play.
- Dynamic zones for bar, booths and VIP areas
- Matchday presets for different sports and kick-off times
- Audio focus that follows the main screen, not the bar noise
- Lighting cues triggered for goals, replays and post‑match highlights
| Zone | Visual Focus | Audio Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Bar Front | High-brightness LED wall | Elevated, energetic mix |
| Booth Seating | Localised screens | Clear commentary, lower spill |
| VIP Corner | Curated multi-view feeds | Selectable channels per table |
Crucially, the soundscape is treated as seriously as the visuals. Directional arrays and discreet under-balcony fills keep the commentary intelligible above crowd noise without forcing staff to ride faders all night, while low-frequency energy is tuned to deliver impact without rattling glassware. Background playlists are configured to crossfade seamlessly into live sports audio, ensuring that pre‑match build-up feels like part of the same experience rather than an abrupt handover. The result is a cinema-grade habitat built for standing-room-only nights, where every cheer, chant and last-minute decision lands with maximum effect.
Integrating flexible content management to maximise live sports coverage
To keep pace with multiple fixtures, channels and last‑minute scheduling changes, Tateside deployed a centralised control layer that lets staff curate what appears on every screen with just a few taps. A mix of media players, matrix switching and IP‑based distribution feeds into a simple, role‑based interface, so bar staff can recall pre‑built “matchday scenes” or improvise on the fly without touching a single remote. This agility transforms the venue from a standard sports bar into a live production space where content can pivot instantly between goals, studio analysis and local promotions.
The backbone of that workflow is a flexible CMS that treats each display as a dynamic canvas rather than a fixed TV output. Operators can blend live feeds with branding, time‑sensitive messaging and sponsor content, ensuring that every screen is always earning its keep.Key capabilities include:
- Drag‑and‑drop layouts for fast reconfiguration of multi‑screen walls
- Profile-based presets for different sports, tournaments and dayparts
- Real-time overrides to spotlight big moments across the venue
- Automated scheduling that syncs with broadcast timetables and promotions
| Zone | Primary Content | Dynamic Layer |
|---|---|---|
| Main bar | Flagship live match | In-play stats & sponsor IDs |
| Booth areas | Fan‑selected games | Table service prompts |
| Entrance | Upcoming fixtures | Time‑limited offers |
Optimising acoustics and sound zoning for clarity in busy hospitality spaces
With multiple matches, commentary and crowd reactions colliding in one venue, Tateside treated the bar like an acoustic jigsaw rather than a single, noisy box. Using detailed room modelling and on-site measurements,the integrator mapped how sound would behave across booths,standing areas and the main viewing zone,then specified directional loudspeakers and tailored dispersion angles to keep audio locked to each screen cluster. Acoustic treatment, discreetly integrated into the industrial interiors, tackles reverberation without dulling the atmosphere, ensuring key frequencies for speech intelligibility cut through the roar of the crowd instead of getting lost in it.
The result is a venue where fans can follow the action clearly, wherever they sit, without competing soundtracks bleeding into each other. System tuning focused on subtle but critical details, including:
- Audience-focused coverage – speaker placement aimed at listeners, not walls or ceilings
- Dedicated audio zones – flexible routing for different sports, languages or private events
- Calibrated loudness – level management that keeps commentary clear while preserving impact
- Smart DSP presets – rapid recall of profiles for match days, DJ sets or quieter service periods
| Zone | Priority | Sound Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Main match area | Commentary clarity | Focused, high impact |
| Bar counter | Staff-guest communication | Lower level, warm |
| Booths | Conversation comfort | Soft, controlled |
| Private room | Content adaptability | Independent mix |
Recommendations for future proofing AV infrastructure in competitive leisure venues
To stay ahead in a market where screens, sound and interactivity are the main draw, operators should design systems with scalability and flexibility at their core. That starts with an IP-centric backbone, allowing video and audio to be rerouted, expanded or reconfigured without disruptive rewiring whenever a new sports format, pop-up event or commercial partnership appears. Specifying displays and projectors with higher native resolutions, robust color reproduction and commercial-grade lifespans ensures today’s fit-out can accommodate tomorrow’s broadcast standards and content expectations. Equally, leaving rack space, spare network capacity and clearly documented pathways for future endpoints turns what could be a static installation into a living platform that can evolve as quickly as fan behaviour and broadcast rights do.
True resilience also comes from smart operational choices. Deploying centralised management and remote monitoring tools means technical issues can often be identified and fixed before they impact the match-day experience, while open protocols and cross-vendor compatibility help avoid lock-in to a single ecosystem. Venue teams benefit from tiered user interfaces, where day-to-day staff see simple presets and power controls, while advanced configuration remains accessible to engineers. The most successful leisure destinations are already planning for emerging formats such as interactive betting overlays, mixed-reality fan zones and data-rich scoreboards, supported by AV-over-IP, robust Wi-Fi and edge processing. Investing now in adaptable control layers, rock-solid networking and obvious service agreements positions venues to monetise new content formats without another disruptive refit.
- Design for expansion – reserve network bandwidth, rack space and signal paths.
- Prioritise interoperability – choose standards-based AV-over-IP and open protocols.
- Plan for higher resolutions – 4K-ready today, 8K-capable where feasible.
- Enable remote support – monitoring, diagnostics and firmware updates off-site.
- Simplify daily operation – intuitive presets for bar staff, granular tools for technicians.
| Focus Area | Future-Proofing Move |
|---|---|
| Network Backbone | 10Gb+ switching, AV-over-IP ready |
| Displays & Projection | Commercial 4K, HDR-capable panels |
| Control System | Scalable, API-first architecture |
| Content Formats | Support for UHD, low-latency streams |
| Operations | Remote monitoring and analytics |
Final Thoughts
As the dust settles on Tateside’s latest London project, the venue stands as a clear demonstration of how smart design, integrated technology and a nuanced understanding of the modern sports fan can reshape the bar experience.
In a market where differentiation is increasingly hard-won, this install shows that it’s no longer enough to simply turn up the volume and add more screens. Rather, success lies in creating a flexible, future‑ready environment where content, comfort and control work in unison.
For integrators and venue operators alike, the project underlines a growing expectation: that sports bars must now deliver a polished, immersive experience on par with other high-end hospitality spaces-without sacrificing reliability on match day.Tateside’s work suggests that, done well, AV can be the deciding factor in keeping customers at the bar, and bringing them back once the final whistle blows.
