Tech focus: Is 5G in live sports still on track to realise its full potential? By David Davies
Tuesday, January 7, 2025 - 09:26
Print This Story
Several high-profile use cases, including the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and the Olympic flame relay in 2024, have showcased the potential of 5G for live sports broadcasting. But with a usable approach to network slicing still in development, and the underlying business model yet to fully solidify, it could be some time yet before it becomes a live production mainstay.
The view that 5G holds tremendous potential for live sports - not least in streamlining remote productions and reducing costs related to conventional uplink facilities - was expressed consistently during interviews for this piece. But so too was the belief that a further period of network upgrades and the refinement of an effective means of network slicing will be required before this potential can be completely realised.
Jean-Christophe Perier is chief marketing officer at Globecast, whose notable 5G-related trials include a collaboration with Orange a few years ago to deliver remote production of 4K contribution over 5G on behalf of France T l visions Overseas during the Grand Raid ultra-trial race.
The level of interest in 5G for sports is high, but people are having problems, he says. By which I mean the ecosystem between the customers, service providers and equipment providers is still developing, and so there can be an issue for users in being confident about the solidity of the business model. Technologically speaking, it is very interesting; financially speaking, it's still quite challenging.
But it's clear Perier expects these issues to be gradually resolved in the next few years. He points to improvements in performance and price-point in various areas of 5G provision, including orchestration, and indicates that the eventual availability of large scale slicing - thereby making public 5G networks suitable for professional use as well as privately operated ones - will be a critical turning point. Once that is in place, he foresees huge opportunities for 5G-based contribution by presenters and commentators as a significant application: I would suggest that the main scenario is absolutely on the contribution side for about 80% of users.
Flexibility, speed, reliability
Jean-Christophe Albou, sales director Europe at TVU Networks, indicates that interest in 5G among broadcasters is continuing to grow steadily as the technology provides the flexibility, speed and reliability needed for modern production demands .
He goes on to cite multiple applications, including remote production, where it can enable synchronised, multi-camera productions from remote locations; ultra-low latency transmission for real-time feeds and interactions during live sports events; increased mobility due to the ability to utilise lightweight, portable set-ups; and cloud integration for content editing and distribution from the field.
Many of these capabilities feature in TVU Networks' recent high-profile deployments, which include a collaboration with France T l visions during Paris 2024 to broadcast the Olympic flame relay live.
Using a 100% cloud-based system over a combined 5G and Starlink network, France T l visions covered 10 hours of daily live footage across a 1,625km journey during two and a half months. This innovative use case highlighted the benefits of 5G for remote, high-quality event coverage with reduced costs and environmental impact, Albou explains.
Another recent project, revolving around the 2023 DFL Supercup at Munich's Alliance Arena and conducted in collaboration with the German Football League (DFL), illustrated the potential for 5G to work at scale for the most challenging productions. Delivered from a venue housing more than 75,000 fans, the 5G live broadcast was achieved without a conventional satellite truck: The technology enabled live broadcasts from a crowded stadium, showcasing its reliability in high-density environments, he adds.
Innovation enabler
Albou's point about 5G supporting innovative new workflows and additional services is echoed by Michel Bais, managing director 5G services at Vislink. The industry recognises the transformative potential of 5G, particularly for enabling ultra-low-latency video streaming and supporting more dynamic and immersive fan experiences, he says. While traditional wireless technologies remain integral, 5G is viewed as a key enabler of innovative formats like multi-angle replays and real-time augmented reality overlays. The quick set-up time is a key factor in enabling production to teams to quickly move between filming locations and equipment, allowing efficient broadcast schedules.
The level of interest in 5G for sports is high, but people are having problems. By which I mean the ecosystem between the customers, service providers and equipment providers is still developing
Bais highlights three primary applications for 5G in live sports: remote production, where it can support broadcasters sending high-quality video streams from multiple cameras directly to centralised production hubs ; real-time contribution feeds from mobile transmitters, facilitating flexible and dynamic coverage in fast-paced environments ; and support for numerous devices simultaneously, enabling applications such as live streaming alternative camera angles or interactive viewer options for immersive options.
Vislink is already providing a variety of solutions for 5G-based production, reveals Bais: Our bonded cellular transmitters, such as the Dragonfly V 5G and LiveLink, leverage 5G networks to deliver high-quality, low-latency video streams, ensuring smooth coverage even in challenging environments. Dragonfly enables body-worn or drone-carried cameras to transmit live images, while LiveLink provides
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
30/08/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has adopted its FY 2025 Regulatory Fees Order that establishes the regulatory fee rates for the broadcast stati...
29/08/2025
Australian Red Cross and SBS launch training to help workplaces in the fight aga...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
29/08/2025
L3Harris Technologies has concentrated decades of expertise across the entire enterprise to develop affordable and reliable best-of-breed solutions to rapidly c...
29/08/2025
BURBANK, Calif. The CW Network and the Pac-12 Conference have announced a new media rights deal that will extend their broadcast partnership beginning with the ...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK Gracenote has released a new analysis of its global video dataset showing that the number of FAST channels grew nearly 14% from Q1 2025 and 76% since 2...
29/08/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced a series of improvements to its live sports streaming solution that the company said will improve fan engagement, protec...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES Fox Corp. and YouTube TV last night announced a renewal of the full portfolio of Fox networks, including Fox News Channel, Fox Business...
29/08/2025
Budapest, Hungary, August 2025 - The integration of Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) with Lightware's Taurus universal matrix switchers delivers a new level of f...
29/08/2025
Frequency, the engine behind many of the world's best-known streaming television channels, today announced it will launch Studio Live, a next-generation uni...
29/08/2025
In an era when AI and cyber resilience are essential, Scality will mark the 10th anniversary of Scality Day on October 16, 2025 in Paris. This flagship global e...
29/08/2025
Disguise's In-House Creative and Technical Teams Pre-Visualised, Programmed and Delivered Content for the Experience, All Powered by EX 3+
Technology solu...
29/08/2025
Disguise will be demonstrating the latest workflows for TV, film and live events on a number of partner booths at the show
Disguise, the industry-leading tech...
29/08/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Accedo will showcase Accedo Compose, its AI agent-powered modular orchestration layer that assists streaming providers in transitioning client...
29/08/2025
LOS ANGELES Cineverse has announced that it is working with Xperi to bring four of its streaming channels to automobiles for the first time as part of the DTS A...
29/08/2025
DALLAS & ATLANTA Gray Media has announced an agreement with the sports streaming service Victory+ to simulcast 17 Dallas Stars NHL games in 15 television market...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK AND CULVER CITY Comcast NBCUniversal and Amazon have announced new and extended distribution agreements that will expand the content available on their...
29/08/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. RED Digital Cinema will feature its Cine-Broadcast Module supporting live broadcast workflows during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Ams...
29/08/2025
29 Aug 2025
Kyivstar Rings Opening Bell at Nasdaq Marking Landmark Listing and ...
29/08/2025
More than half of all NFL games live on Sky for the first timeFriday 29 August 2025
Sky Sports has announced a new three-year deal with the NFL, extending its ...
29/08/2025
Back to All News
RIV4LRIES: The Trailer of the New Series With Samuele Carrino ...
29/08/2025
Get ready for an inspiring and emotional insight into the world of competitive Irish dancing with My Story: Tomi Champion of the World airing on RT 2 this monda...
29/08/2025
RT has today announced that David McCullagh is to be the new presenter of RT Radio 1's flagship Today programme, which airs every weekday at 10am, replaci...
28/08/2025
By Kristin Feeley, Director, Documentary Film & Artist Programs
If you want to tell untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, you've got ...
28/08/2025
Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Sundance Institute-supported Amer...
28/08/2025
Corridos have been a cornerstone of M sica Mexicana for generations, telling stories rooted in everyday life. Now, a new chapter is taking shape: motivational c...
28/08/2025
Los corridos han sido un pilar de la M sica Mexicana durante generaciones, contando historias enraizadas en la vida cotidiana. Ahora, un nuevo cap tulo est tom...
28/08/2025
Earlier this month, we promised our Verano Forever party would bring the heat, a...
28/08/2025
L3Harris will provide the Polish F-16V fleet with the Viper Shield electronic warfare system as part of an upgrade program....
28/08/2025
Bilbao, August 26, 2025 - AgileTV, an international television and video technol...
28/08/2025
Ken Wilkinson is an Emmy Awards nominated New York audio engineer who specialises in production sound mixing for film, commercial, episodic and documentary work...
28/08/2025
NEW YORK FuboTV today announced that it will launch Fubo Sports, a skinny bundle that focuses on sports with a subscription price of $56 monthly....
28/08/2025
NEVADA City, Calif. At IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam, Telestream will debut its new Global Ingest strategy, introducing a next-generation ingest arc...
28/08/2025
Dr. Rhoda Bernard Releases Groundbreaking Debut Book on Accessible Arts Educatio...
28/08/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has named Oliver Gappa as Sales Di...
28/08/2025
AI-based voice enhancement will be among a series of innovations making their IBC 2025 debut on the DHD stand B46 in Hall 8 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Cent...
28/08/2025
Telef nica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA), the leading system integrator and service provider in the media sector in Spain, with the support of Appear, the globa...
28/08/2025
To fully immerse sailing fans in the world's biggest offshore yacht race, production company, Optical Media turned to LiveU's On-site Production solutio...
28/08/2025
Working with Calrec on its most recent overhaul, radio and television broadcaster, WNED has migrated to a fully IP infrastructure with multiple Type R consoles,...
28/08/2025
Cleeng, the Subscriber Retention Management (SRM ) inventor, has unveiled Cleeng Pro, the first-ever direct-to-consumer (D2C) subscription management platform t...
28/08/2025
Zixi, the industry leader in live broadcast-quality video over IP, today announced that French media distribution platform OKAST has selected Zixi to enable rel...
28/08/2025
Solution offers a streamlined, speaker-free architecture to optimize integration with premium external loudspeakers and advanced loudness metering
Nixer Pro Au...
28/08/2025
Cinegy, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has announced a strategic partnership with Vision One Touch Film Production Services L.L...
28/08/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will debut its new Global Ingest strategy at IBC2025, introducing a next-generation ingest architect...
28/08/2025
Tier 1 operator selects Broadpeak to power high-performance, unified CDN solution across Norway, Sweden and Finland
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and moneti...
28/08/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that 24 Frames Digital, one of India's leading live event streaming service providers, has chose...
28/08/2025
Meet VisualOn at IBC2025: See What's Next in AI-Powered Video Streaming Join VisualOn at IBC2025 and discover how our AI-driven Optimizer and advanced media...
Tech focus: Is 5G in live sports still on track to realise its full potential? By David Davies 
