The latest from the team behind Meatliquor, Bloodsports combines elements of sports bar and dive bar in a unique nightlife spot in the heart of London’s Covent Garden. Its meanu features classic Meatliquor dishes and the bar broadcasts live sports all day and night, followed by late-night horror movie screenings. Accordingly,elements of classic horror films arewoven into the bar décor – even down to the carpet, which visitors might recognise from Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic, The Shining.
Having worked with founder Scott Collins on A/V system design, implementation and maintenance for the Meatliquor chain, London systems integration specialist Tateside was onboard with the project from the outset.
‘We’ve worked with Meatliquor for around five years, so we were enthusiastic to be a part of this new concept,’ says Tateside Technical Director, Jack Cornish. ‘You don’t find many sports bars around these days and, with its prime location in Covent Garden, it was an exciting project to be involved in.’
With Bloodsports wanting to live stream every kind of live sport in the bar, the video requirements were a major focus. In all, 28 screens cover every possible viewing position in the venue as part of the system design. The spaces covered include the main bar area, alongside a games room and snug area, and a private room for events or larger parties – all without any walled separation. Even the bathrooms feature screens for non-stop entertainment.
Due to the open-plan nature of the space, audio zoning was a crucial consideration, ensuring that multiple sports can be broadcast simultaneously without audio bleeding between areas. Tateside worked with the client and Hisense’s UK distributor to secure the best possible deal on a variety of screens ranging from 32-inch up to 75-inch.
For the backend video system, Tateside used a Video-over-IP solution using a Blustream IP300 series transmitter and receiver, supporting 4K video at 60Hz, essential for live sports. The system integrates eight video sources, including Sky boxes, streaming services, a DVD player for vintage horror films, and a signage player, used for displaying drinks promotions. The video and digital signage distribution is handled through the digital signage platform, embed, which allows remote management and content scheduling.
‘One of the most interesting and on-brand features of Bloodsports was an LED ticker, which we installed above the bar,’ Cornish notes. ‘We commissioned a custom 9m by 250mm ticker-style LED, which is used for displaying slogans, drinks promos and sports stats.’
The audio brief was for a distributed system where different areas of the venue could listen to different audio feeds. This uses a mix of professional-grade audio brands, including Martin Audio CDD loudspeakers and XE212 subs in the main bar, Audac ceiling speakers throughout, and Void Acoustics in the private VIP area.
Dante-enabled Powersoft amplifiers were chosen for audio distribution, with Netgear POE+ switches handling networked A/V traffic . The overall system is controlled through Q-Sys, with a touchpanel and iPad providing user control over audio sources, screen content and even karaoke playback from a karaoke system sourced by the Tateside team.
Given the flexibility of the system and ease of source selection, the karaoke system’s audio and video output can be distributed across multiple screens and loudspeakers, depending on how busy the bar is or what other fixtures are taking place at the time. Beyond sing-a-longs and sports, other entertainment options include a DJ booth with Pioneer CDJ and mixer.
Despite the project’s complexity and strict timeline, the involvement of Tateside from the design phase contributed to the smooth running of the project. Tateside will now provide ongoing support for Bloodsports with a dedicated maintenance service that ensures any technical issues are addressed within four hours.
‘While the project is now signed off and the bar is open, our work with Bloodsports continues via our managed services agreement,’ says Cornish. ‘This high level of support is crucial for a venue that relies so heavily on its AV infrastructure as part of the guest experience.’
Since opening, the bar has been stacking up 5-star reviews.
‘This was our first time working on a sports bar, and it was exciting to be part of something so bold and brash,’ Cornish observes. ‘It’s an ambitious project that combines entertainment, audio and digital signage, into one cohesive experience. The fact that we didn’t have to hide the tech, but rather make it a part of the bar atmosphere, made this a really enjoyable project for us.’
‘The A/V set-up at Bloodsports is next level every screen, every speaker, everything just works seamlessly,’ says Meatliquour and Bloodsports co-founder and CEO, Scott Collins. ‘Whether it’s game day or a late-night horror screening, the atmosphere is always spot on. Tateside absolutely nailed it.’
More: www.tateside.com
