SVG Europe is sad to announce the untimely passing of Barry Johnstone, the chairman of EMG UK and the founder of CTV Outside Broadcasts, who has died at the age of 76 following a heart attack.

Born and educated in New Zealand, Johnstone moved to London in 1970 where initially worked in the music industry before founding a small facility post-production facility that was acquired by Carlton Communications and rebranded as Carlton Television Facilities (CTV)

In 1981, he was appointed CEO and broadened the company’s services to include studios, outside broadcasting and transmission and playout. Fourteen years later Johnstone bought CTV from its parent company and in 1996 renamed the outside broadcast division CTV Outside Broadcasts.

In January 2018, after 37 years as the head of CTV, he became Chairman of EMG’s UK companies CTV, BRF and ACS and stepped down as CEO of CTV.

In total, he spent 33 years as managing director of CTV Outside Broadcasts.

During that time he garnered a deserved reputation for being someone that could be relied on, who was a good leader, and who kept the company at the forefront of technology and made it a great place to work.

He was inducted into the ‘Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame’ in 2013 and in 2018 received SVG Europe’s award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to European Sports Broadcasting’

A staunch supporter of SVG, he will be missed by many in the industry including everyone here at the Sports Video Group. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.

Some of the most notable events and productions his company was involved with include:

Sports

• The Open Championship – Around 25 years providing facilities for US broadcasters including ABC Sports, ESPN, later NBC Sports and Sky Sports.

• Ryder Cup – Coverage in both Europe and the United States.

• European Tour Productions – CTV built a dedicated fleet of OB trucks and covered every European Tour event after winning the contract in 1997.

• London Marathon

• The Boat Race – Including the first live sports production using a complete IP acquisition solution.

• NFL London Games – Facilities for CBS, FOX, Sky and the BBC.

• Match of the Day

• Sky Sports cricket, boxing, darts and other major sports.

Olympic & Royal Events

• 2012 London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony

• 2012 London Olympic Games Closing Ceremony

CTV was at the centre of the television production for both ceremonies, regarded as among the most technically complex live broadcasts ever staged.

The company also covered:

• Trooping the Colour

• The Cenotaph Remembrance Service

• Numerous Royal ceremonial events.

Entertainment

• The BRIT Awards

• BAFTA Film Awards

• BAFTA Television Awards

• Strictly Come Dancing Live

• Britain's Got Talent

• The X Factor Live

• National Television Awards

• Major music productions including a live Robbie Williams concert broadcast for Sky.

Why Barry Johnstone is so highly regarded

Barry wasn't famous as an on-screen broadcaster—he was famous because he built the infrastructure that allowed these broadcasts to happen. He transformed CTV from a small facilities company into one of Europe's premier outside broadcast providers, pioneering innovations such as Europe's first mobile edit suite and the UK's first live HD sports broadcast. His work earned him induction into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2013 and SVG Europe's Outstanding Contribution to European Sports Broadcasting Award in 2018.

Given your work with Funeral AV, Barry's career is particularly relevant because he championed reliability above everything else—investing in backup systems, new technology and experienced crews so clients could trust that major live events would be captured without failure. That philosophy is one of the reasons CTV became the company trusted with some of the world's highest-profile broadcasts.