The Junior Eurovision Song Contest (JESC) 2025 recently transformed the Georgian capital of Tbilisi into a global epicenter for youth musical talent, showcasing a production that pushed the boundaries of modern broadcast technology and stage design. Following the 2024 victory of Andria Putkaradze with the emotive ballad "To My Mom," Georgia earned the right to host the prestigious competition, selecting the theme "United by Music" to guide its creative direction. The resulting production was a masterclass in the integration of high-end media server technology, sophisticated lighting, and immersive content design, all orchestrated to meet the rigorous standards of an international live television broadcast.
At the heart of this massive technical undertaking was the German firm trust.rental, which was tasked with the planning, implementation, and operation of a complex video and content infrastructure. Utilizing a robust Media Server architecture based on Green Hippo Hippotizer MEUSE MX systems, the technical team created a visual environment that seamlessly blended fairy-tale aesthetics with cutting-edge digital architecture.
A Visionary Stage Concept: Geometry and Spatial Depth
The visual identity of the 2025 contest was the brainchild of Raphaël Demonthy of Sunrise Studios, who served as the Lead Lighting and Stage Designer. Breaking away from the traditional, often flat configurations of many song contests, Demonthy’s design utilized a multi-layered media architecture that prioritized spatial depth and geometric precision. This approach allowed the production team to redefine the stage for every individual performance, providing each of the young artists with a unique visual world while maintaining a cohesive brand for the overall broadcast.
The technical realization of this video-centric stage was spearheaded by Sebastian Huwig of trust.rental, acting as the Head of Video Planning. The stage layout spanned the entire width of the venue, featuring two large, curved LED wings that framed the performance area. These dominant background elements were complemented by a smaller, central LED screen that served as the architectural focal point of the set.
Connecting these elements was a wide "show staircase" leading to the center stage. Both the steps of the staircase and the floor of the center stage were fully integrated with high-resolution LED panels, creating a continuous digital canvas. To further expand the performance space, the design included lateral terraces with LED-clad fronts, offering additional levels for choreography and staging. A continuous LED banderole ran along the front edge of the stage, serving as a visual anchor that unified the diverse elements and provided a clean visual transition between the stage and the live audience.
The Technical Backbone: Green Hippo Hippotizer MEUSE MX
To manage the immense data requirements and ensure the stability of the live broadcast, trust.rental deployed a sophisticated Media Server infrastructure. The choice of the Green Hippo Hippotizer MEUSE MX was driven by its reputation for high-performance processing and its ability to integrate deeply into complex live production workflows.
The system configuration was designed with maximum reliability in mind. It consisted of five active MEUSE MX systems paired with five redundant backup units, ensuring a 1:1 safety net for every output. In total, the setup provided 16 independent 4K outputs, which were necessary to feed the various LED surfaces and projection elements across the set.
Beyond standard video playback, the system managed three distinct pixel-mapping zones via Art-Net. These zones included video-capable LED strips and architectural lighting accents integrated directly into the stage structure. This level of integration allowed the video team to extend visual content into the very fabric of the set, blurring the lines between traditional lighting and digital media.
High-Speed Networking and Massive Data Management
The scale of the JESC 2025 production required a data infrastructure capable of handling unprecedented volumes of media. The production utilized a 100-Gigabit media network centered around a high-performance NAS (Network Attached Storage) system. Throughout the duration of the project, the team processed approximately 52 Terabytes of video material.
To maintain playback stability and minimize loading times during the high-pressure rehearsal environment, the team utilized the NotchLC codec. This high-quality, GPU-powered codec allowed for the seamless playback of large-scale content while maintaining the fidelity required for 4K broadcast. The internal storage capacity of the MEUSE MX series proved vital, allowing the team to store and access massive amounts of content locally on the servers for instantaneous recall.
Integration of Video and Lighting Workflows
One of the defining features of the Tbilisi production was the tight integration between the video and lighting departments. The Green Hippo systems were fully embedded into the DMX workflow, controlled directly via a grandMA2 lighting console. This "console-based" approach is increasingly preferred in high-stakes live TV because it allows for instantaneous synchronization between lighting cues and video content.
This synergy was particularly beneficial during the dynamic rehearsal phase. As delegations made adjustments to their performances, the technical team could implement changes to the video mapping, masking, or color grading in real-time, often without the need for time-consuming re-rendering. Features such as live masking and pixel-mapping allowed the operators to adapt content to the complex stage geometries on the fly, ensuring that every camera angle looked perfect for the broadcast.
In Germany, the Green Hippo brand is distributed exclusively by cast C.Adolph & RST Distribution GmbH, which continues to support the adoption of these systems in high-profile international events.
Creative Support and Delegation Management
While several international delegations arrived in Tbilisi with their own pre-produced media content, trust.event engineering played a critical role in the overall creative output of the show. The team was responsible for designing the "House Looks," as well as the visual content for the show openers and interval acts.
Furthermore, trust.rental provided extensive creative and technical support to delegations that did not have their own dedicated LED content teams. This involved assisting in the development of visual concepts and ensuring that the artistic vision of each country was successfully translated into the technical environment of the JESC stage. This holistic approach ensured that the show remained visually consistent and of a high professional standard throughout the three-hour broadcast.
Chronology of a High-Stakes Production
The path to the live broadcast was a multi-stage process that began months before the first truck arrived in Tbilisi.
- Planning and Pre-Visualization: Following Georgia’s win in late 2024, the creative team at Sunrise Studios and the technical planners at trust.rental began developing the stage geometry and server architecture.
- Load-in and Infrastructure Setup: The technical crew arrived in Tbilisi several weeks prior to the show to install the 100-Gigabit network and the LED surfaces.
- Content Integration: As delegations arrived, the media server team began the process of ingesting 52TB of data and mapping it to the unique stage layout.
- Rehearsal Phase: A rigorous schedule of technical and dress rehearsals allowed the team to fine-tune the integration between the grandMA2 console and the Green Hippo servers.
- Live Broadcast: The event was broadcast to millions of viewers worldwide, executed with 100% technical uptime thanks to the redundant server configuration.
Broader Implications for the Live Event Industry
The success of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Tbilisi serves as a significant case study for the future of international live television. The production demonstrates that the divide between lighting and video is continuing to disappear, replaced by a unified "media environment."
The use of 100-Gigabit networking and massive storage arrays highlights the growing "IT-ification" of the event industry, where data management is now as critical as power distribution. Furthermore, the ability of trust.rental to provide both technical planning and creative content support reflects a trend toward full-service technical partnerships in the broadcast sector.
By combining the fairytale-inspired creative vision of Raphaël Demonthy with the technical precision of trust.rental and Green Hippo technology, the 2025 JESC set a new benchmark for what is possible in youth-oriented international competitions.
The Team Behind the Show
The execution of a project of this magnitude required an internationally experienced team of specialists. The Front of House (FOH) team and technical leadership included:
- Production, Lighting & Video Design: Raphaël Demonthy
- Head of Video Planning: Sebastian Huwig
- Assistant Lighting Designer: Marcel Knauf
- Lighting Director & Showlight: Fabian Schmidt
- Media Server Operator: Matthias Schöffmann
- Media Server Farmer: Christian van Deenen
- Media Server Projection Mapping: Martin Karl
- Spot Caller: Matthias Hagel
- Keylight Operator: Tobias Heydthausen
- LD Gaffer: Oliver Klaus
- Vision Engineer (LD): David Kulla
- FollowMe System Engineers: Matthias Held & Christian “Rocketchris” Glatthor
- Motion Graphics Design: Sebastian Huwig & Nathalie Zittlau
This collaborative effort between Sunrise Studios and trust.rental ensured that the "United by Music" motto was not only heard but seen through a flawlessly executed digital landscape.