Encompass expands master control room in Latvia

Encompass Digital Media has expanded its master control room (MCR) facility in Riga, Latvia, increasing its capacity and operational capabilities. The facility now manages 277 channels for 22 customers worldwide and handles more than 1,500 hours of live sports content monthly.

The Riga MCR supports broadcasters and content providers across Europe, the United States, and Asia. Among its recent activities, the facility supported the simultaneous delivery of all 18 UEFA Champions League matches on a single match day for TV3 in the Baltics, generating approximately 43,000 hours of live streaming.

The expanded facility is designed to manage complex workflows, including ingesting, processing, and distributing multiple feeds in real time. It provides services for live coverage of international sports, dynamic channel playout, reactive channel services, and automated playout functions.

In addition to live operations, the Riga center handles quality control and compliance for thousands of assets each month across broadcast and over-the-top (OTT) platforms. The facility also offers AI-enabled services such as automated subtitling, combining automated processing with operational oversight to maintain broadcast standards.

Marc Bruce, CEO of Encompass digital media, said the investment in Riga reflects the facility’s importance in the company’s global operations. He noted that the center has become a delivery hub supporting multiple regions and will remain central to scaling services as demand increases.