Global sportscasting is undergoing a rapid evolution. From a historical perspective, it has traditionally been at the forefront of technology advances, being among the earliest broadcast programming for radio, starting in 1920. Since then, sports coverage has led the way in early technology adoptions: TV (1936 Olympics), color TV (1955), satellite (1962), CATV (1972 HBO), HDTV (1998), and today's charge to 4K/UHD.
The 1936 Olympics introduced the idea of sports on television.
As revolutionary as these transitions have been, there is little doubt that today's changes are broader reaching and more disruptive. Internet delivery has massively complicated global sports broadcasting, presenting a host of technology challenges as sportsumers demand a more interactive, engaging experience than traditional television can offer. Broadcasters and their licensees are grappling with multidevice consumption and social media and are trying to grow the fan base in new markets.
While content owners and licensees continue to enhance the sports experience through IP-based delivery, they face new challenges that threaten their ability to deliver the best possible experience online:
Delivering broadcast-quality online video to a multitude of devices
Sudden surges in audience numbers and global viewership
Securing and protecting content from unauthorized access or theft
Failing to overcome these hurdles can undermine brand, reputation, engagement, and ultimately revenue.
Audience Expectations
Thanks to the Internet, expectations for the broadcast-sports experience have changed. Growing up with the instant on, instantly available gratification of electronic devices like the television and, more recently, the mobile phone, certain demographics - namely, Gen X (1965-1979) and millennials (1980-2000) - expect sports events streamed online to have the same quality as they would find on the television.
But it's not only expectations for broadcast-quality video that are changing. The same demographic groups have also been trained by the interactivity of digital. Whether it's being able to watch an event or clip on a mobile device, interacting socially during the event, or even engaging with real-time data, audiences are demanding more than just a television experience. In addition to a flawless, buffer-free stream, they want something engaging.
Broadcasters are meeting these challenges head-on. Just as they are trying to create more interactive experiences (using second-screen apps, like ESPN Sync, for example), they are working feverishly to reduce buffering and compress bitrates for a more TV-like quality, no matter the device being used or the location of the viewer.
Unexpected Results
There is another dynamic at work, something no one could have predicted: the globalization of sports audiences. Consider World Cup Soccer, World Cup Rugby, NFL games played in London, and the Arsenal Football Club. Delivery of sports events online in a more engaging, interactive manner than traditional television has spurred global growth and expansion of audiences. Fans are everywhere now, drawn to online streams by both the teams themselves and the promise of an interactive experience. It is not uncommon to find UK expats, for example, gathered in U.S. sports bars in the early morning watching their favorite football clubs (with second-screen apps at the ready) or to see Americans traveling abroad viewing NFL games together (even huddled around a mobile phone) anywhere from Beijing to the Middle East.
The ultimate goal is to provide the best possible Quality of Experience (QoE) and the only way to do that is to be prepared for the possibility of unpredictable spikes in the number of viewers.
Prepare for Traffic Surges
Most broadcasters plan their capacity well in advance. Using historical data and predictions, they put the right amount of infrastructure in place to handle projected traffic. But, with the organic nature of the online world (and how quickly news, such as a great play or a tight ending to a match, can spread), no prediction can prepare for a major traffic surge. Here are some of the times that a live sports production can generate sudden audience surges:
Sign-up/Sign-in: In a highly anticipated game, you may see a spike in sign-ups and, consequently, sign-ins as your audience prepares for the event to start. This can potentially overload your waiting room (returning a server busy message) or even prevent people from logging in, which may cause them to miss the start of the event.
Event start: If there is an inordinate number of people logged in to an event - more than there is capacity for - the simultaneous requests to start the stream may result in buffering or connection time-outs.
Special moment: What happens when a star player makes an unbelievable play and word gets out? Or, better yet, one of your viewers captures the moment and distributes it via social media? The result could be a sudden surge as people join to watch the rest of the event, potentially overrunning your capacity and resulting in buffering and time-outs.
Event closing: Let's say that your event is a barn-burner. Maybe it's between two rivals. Maybe it's all coming down to the wire. Whatever the reason, word gets out, and a flood of people join, maxing out your streaming capacity and creating a poor experience for everyone connected.
The effect of sudden scale and global viewership is additional latency. Although users may be able to access the content, the QoE will be less than desirable - starts and stops, buffering, artifacting, and more - all because your event soared in popularity. Luckily, even in the face of sudden scaling, you can ensure the best possible QoE.
Building an Edge Network
The key to providing a great live-streaming experience is ensured local delivery. To achieve that,
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
29/04/2024
29 04 2024 - Media release Screen Australia announces James J. Robinson's debut feature First Light
First Light
Principal Photography is underway on Firs...
29/04/2024
Capitol Broadcasting recently became the inaugural company honored with inductio...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
27/04/2024
On April 26, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher E. Kubasik joined CNBC's Mor...
27/04/2024
PORTLAND, Oregon Audinate Group Limited, the developer of the Dante AV-over-IP solution, announced significant new additions to Dante Connect, its cloud-based D...
27/04/2024
TORONTO Bell Media has launched 10 English and French-language FAST channels featuring entertainment, factual, news, and sports programming. The new free stream...
27/04/2024
An extensive new analysis of the news segments in the broadcast evening news programs of ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS has found that broadcasters devoted most of their...
27/04/2024
GERMANTOWN, Md. EchoStar's Hughes Network Systems has opened a new manufacturing facility and private 5G incubation center in Germantown, Maryland....
27/04/2024
Harry Pappas, one of three brothers who founded Pappas Telecasting Companies in 1971, died April 24. He was 78 years old....
27/04/2024
ATLANTA and LONDON Mexican telecommunications and broadcast company Televisa has selected Synamedia for an overhaul of its broadcast distribution....
27/04/2024
Participate in the Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024
0 Comments
By participating in this surve...
27/04/2024
SDVI Rally Access Workstation Earns Two Top Awards at 2024 NAB Show
Brie Clayton April 26, 2024
0 Comments
SDVI, the leading platform provider for clo...
27/04/2024
Berklee's Music and Health Institute Launches Community Health Musician Cert...
27/04/2024
Charter Communications reported higher first-quarter profits despite continued cord-cutting and competition for broadband customers....
27/04/2024
Two environmentally-focused groups are partnering to engage the unscripted TV world in finding better ways to address climate change. Reality of Change is an ec...
27/04/2024
Sarah Garcia has been promoted to weekend anchor at KTLM McAllen, Texas, known as Telemundo 40. Starting April 27, she will anchor Noticias Telemundo 40 weekend...
27/04/2024
CBS Sports said it launched a new 24-hour free, ad supported streaming television (FAST) channel devoted to the UEFA Champions League....
27/04/2024
Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts received $35.4 million in compensation in 2023, up 11% from the previous year, according to a proxy statement filed by th...
27/04/2024
Art Happens Here With John Lithgow, which sees the actor study dance, ceramics, silk-screen printing and vocal jazz with students in Los Angeles, debuts on PBS ...
27/04/2024
Remember Leave It to Beaver? Bewitched? Dragnet? When cable ratings were rising?...
27/04/2024
Next up for the weekend binge at Catchy Comedy is Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Every weekend, Catchy Comedy features The Catchy Binge, a marathon of a classic sitcom....
26/04/2024
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks-off today with screenings in 5 theaters in Mexico City and the opening-night film, FRIDA, directed by Carla Guti rrez...
26/04/2024
[Editor's Note: This interview is part of a larger feature about the women d...
26/04/2024
Once again this year, SGL Carbon opened its doors to interested children and young people. On the occasion of the German Girls and Boys Day, which took place on...
26/04/2024
Orders1 of $5.5 billion; book-to-bill of 1.06x
Revenue of $5.2 billion, up 17%,...
26/04/2024
Five Considerations For Communications Modernization In The 21st Century
In the digital-enabled battlespace, the Joint Force needs to shoot, move and communica...
26/04/2024
CBS Sports has launched Champions League as a new, 24-hour streaming channel that will serve as the year-round destination for nonstop highlights of the UEFA ...
26/04/2024
Despite tough competition in the streaming space, Roku reported solid results in Q1 2024, beating revenue expectations, with total net revenue up 19% YoY to $88...
26/04/2024
LONDON AND TORONTO Pinewood Toronto Studios has appointed Sarah Farrell as general manager of the Studios in downtown Toronto....
26/04/2024
Quantum to Offer Advanced Filesharing Technology and Performance in StorNext and...
26/04/2024
FilmLight Colour Awards welcomes 2024 entries and introduces new Emerging Talen...
26/04/2024
Picture Shop Announces Chris Evans as Head of Unscripted
Brie Clayton April 26, 2024
0 Comments
Picture Shop announced Chris Evans will lead Unscripte...
26/04/2024
Participate in a Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024
0 Comments
By participating in this survey,...
26/04/2024
Toy maker Mattel said it is working with Samsung to launch its first free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels later this year....
26/04/2024
Trusted Media Brands (TMB) said it named Marty Moe as president....
26/04/2024
Ron Howard is the director on Jim Henson Idea Man, a documentary that premieres on Disney Plus May 31. Henson of course created Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big...
26/04/2024
The ice continues to melt under the regional sports network business as the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League have made a long-term deal to broadcast...
26/04/2024
Heading into the upfronts, Warner Bros. Discovery said it launched Olli, a first-party data platform advertiser can use for converged, targeted advertising camp...
26/04/2024
CBS has renewed the drama The Equalizer, which will see season five on in 2024-2025. Queen Latifah stars....
26/04/2024
The CW has entered into an exclusive multiyear broadcast partnership for the Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Teen USA Pageant. The 73rd Miss USA Pageant will air ...
26/04/2024
Fuse Media isn't mincing words in a campaign urging its young viewers to register and participate in the 2024 elections....
26/04/2024
Dead Boy Detectives, a series from Neil Gaiman about a detective agency staffed by ghosts, debuts on Netflix April 25. George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri are in t...
26/04/2024
The Story Collective has gradually repurposed the former Mortlake Brewery to include production offices, workshops and sound stages
By Matthew Corrigan
Publi...
26/04/2024
Perkett joins the company following a 25 year career in product management, product marketing, engineering and user experience (UX) across multiple industries
...
26/04/2024
Teradek, the industry leader in wireless video transmitters and receivers, announced today the launch of new Bolt 6 LT 750 and Bolt 6 Monitor Module 750 RX with...
26/04/2024
NEW YORK Amagi has appointed Richard Perkett chief product officer (CPO)....
26/04/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced the results of the 2024 NAB Radio and Television Board of Directors elections. The...
Global sportscasting is undergoing a rapid evolution. From a historical perspective, it has traditionally been at the forefront of technology advances, being among the earliest broadcast programming for radio, starting in 1920. Since then, sports coverage has led the way in early technology adoptions: TV (1936 Olympics), color TV (1955), satellite (1962), CATV (1972 HBO), HDTV (1998), and today's charge to 4K/UHD.
