Swansea City FC goes it alone for live match production and streaming to fans By Fergal Ringrose, Editorial Director, Europe
Thursday, January 10, 2019 - 12:48
Print This Story
A general view of the Liberty Stadium in Swansea, Wales, during a Sky Bet Championship match
At the start of the current football season EFL Championship side Swansea City took the plunge in providing its own studio-based multi-camera production and live streaming service direct to fans.
The club enlisted the help of Blackmagic Design and StreamAMG - along with football broadcast production consultant Peter Knowles and his StvdioExpert team in what was a very tight timescale, given that the club had been relegated from the Premier League in May 2018. A decision was taken not to opt into the English Football League's existing iFollow streaming service, which provides basic live match coverage for all 72 clubs in the EFL's three divisions.
Swansea City head of media and marketing Jonathan Wilsher told SVG Europe, It was a new venture for us, having dropped down from the Premier League - it was the first time we were offered the EFL's iFollow streaming service. But we found it restrictive, in that it was only one camera. And at the time they were overlaying the BBC commentary onto the pictures as well.
The broadcast suite and studio for the Swansea City AFC live broadcasts at the Liberty Stadium, Wednesday 30 November 2018
The big thing for us was that we wanted to give our fans the best possible service, within a limited budget. Obviously, finances played a major part, dropping down from the Premier League - all of a sudden you're losing millions in revenue, so you have to be careful in how to invest to improve the offering to supporters, said Wilsher.
And during our time in the Premier League we had built up quite a strong following overseas, and I think that was key to our decision making as well, to give them a good service having been able in the past to watch all the Premier League games live.
Most iFollow clubs will produce the match: as a subscriber, you log in just before kick-off and watch the game off one camera - with nothing happening on the pitch at half-time. Instead we produce, for pretty much all the games, a 30-minute pre-match show onto the StreamAMG streaming service and onto Facebook, with a presenter and a guest. Included in that is a pre-match interview with the manager, going through his team selection from the tunnel, which is unique content which you can't get anywhere else.
During a home game, we have three/four cameras, with one in the tunnel and three camera production during the game (with two cameras at away games). The fans get replays of key incidents with graphics as well, which wasn't included in iFollow. We have our own commentators on top, with main and again an ex-player as co-commentator to give supporters that extra bit of insight.
At half-time, we go back into the studio for a show, with the guest running through the main highlights of the game reviewing the clips. We'll have a pre-recorded feature played in there as well.
And at the end of the game, we normally do a 10-minute wrap-up, again with highlights, where we will grab a player for an interview straight off the pitch, which also goes live into the show. That's also unique content. We then put the whole lot and highlights onto our web site for free at midday the following day, said Wilsher.
We only put the pre-match show on Facebook - we can't put any live action on there. We'll also put the post-match press conference with the manager on Facebook and on our web site.
The club's streaming platform, SwansTV Live, has a live workflow featuring the Blackmagic URSA Broadcast and Smart Videohub 12G 40 40 router. Having enlisted the help of broadcast consultant Peter Knowles and his StvdioExpert team, the club deployed four channels of URSA Broadcast around the Liberty Stadium.
A purpose-built studio centred around a Smart Videohub 12G 40 40 router gathers in all of the live camera feeds via SDI, as well as the custom graphics and VT packages needed to produce the master program mix (PGM).
That is then taken through an ATEM Television Studio HD, which acts as a transmission switcher selecting the source to stream be it programme or a holding graphic before being fed into an AMG VoD server at 1080i50.
The URSA Broadcast's extended video mode is the killer ingredient for us, said Wilsher. Combined with good quality b4 lenses, the colour reproduction straight out of the URSA Broadcast means you have a really cost-effective system for live to air broadcast acquisition.
Previously we had never done any live streaming (apart from the Under 23s) so this was a whole new adventure for us. And we've been pleased with the way it has turned out, said Wilsher.
The subscription side has been encouraging: we've hit the targets we expected to receive. It was a shot in the dark, with regard to the take-up. Having this level of control over our content has allowed us to engage with our fans and sponsors on a whole new level, he said.
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...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
03/05/2024
BOSTON Brightcove has announced that it has implemented Amazon Q Business, a new generative AI assistant on Amazon Web Services (AWS)....
03/05/2024
NEW YORK CBS has declared that it will finish the 2023-24 season as Americas Most-Watched Network in primetime for the 16th consecutive season....
03/05/2024
A new survey indicates that U.S. businesses and consumers had an overall positive attitude towards their technology spending plans in the first quarter of 2024,...
03/05/2024
Sony and Apollo Global Management have sent an offer letter to Paramount Global's board of directors making an $26 billion all cash offer for Paramount Glob...
03/05/2024
EMG / Gravity Media has appointed Charlie Cubbon chief operating officer (COO) and Jamie Hindhaugh regional CEO for the U.K., U.S., Australia and the Middle Eas...
03/05/2024
Final 2024 Season Games to Air Saturdays on WRAL at 10:30am in May, Championship on June 1
Taping for the final episodes of the 2024 season of WRAL-TV's Br...
03/05/2024
Estrella MediaCo said it is expanding its connected TV portfolio by launching three new channels with Curiosity that will first appear on Samsung TV Plus....
Swansea City FC goes it alone for live match production and streaming to fans By Fergal Ringrose, Editorial Director, Europe 
