
With the uncertainty surrounding live events in 2021, Arqiva's Chris Alner looks at the broadcast challenges of a congested and fluid sporting calendar and asks whether winning strategies will be defined by conventional wisdom or experimental thinking.
2021 should, in theory, be a big year for sport. Alongside all the usual action, scheduled marque events include the postponed Summer Olympics in Japan and the 2021 UEFA European Championship, a Lions Tour of South Africa, and a Rugby League World Cup. All good news for sports fans and broadcasters.
Of course, there are caveats. Big ones. Aside from the now familiar uncertainty around events going ahead, teams and athletes likely to continue to miss matches and forfeit league positions due to COVID-19 outbreaks, the virus will be the catalyst for a considerable amount of congestion in the sporting calendar. This will be a significant problem towards the middle of the year as events originally scheduled for 2020, such as the Olympics, will now clash with other 2021 major sporting events such as the Lions Tour to South Africa.
Keep eyes on the prize There are a range of issues here. First, multiple events will squeeze audience numbers. Even if some die-hard fans choose to watch multiple, concurrent events on a second or even third screen, most won't.
But getting eyes on content won't be the only problem: scheduling will be tough too, particularly for broadcasters with just one or two linear channels. It seems likely that many will look to leverage investment in online players, and on-demand and catch-up services in response.
I think we'll see broadcasters exploring ways to use new technologies like cloud contribution and distribution to quickly spin up (and then shut down) channels on OTT platforms, affording them more opportunity to combat congestion and reach audiences.
It's not just content availability that will help win the fierce battle for eyeballs in a congested market. The viewing experience for audiences will also be a critical factor too.
Create atmosphere in empty stadia The resumption of live elite sport in 2020 highlighted the issue of empty stadia when it comes to the viewer experience. For many, the lack of a crowd detracts considerably from the excitement. Alongside the option of adding crowd noise, broadcasters have been experimenting with some interesting ways to enhance the experience by adding augmented and virtual reality feeds.
We've also seen some interesting examples of adding real time fan commentary and streamed video of fans to create stadium atmosphere. In one example, basketball's NBA displayed live webcam feeds from remotely attending celebrity viewers and fans on big screens around the court.
These have worked well in some instances, most notably in the National Basketball Association's (NBA) bubble games that closed out the final games of the 2019-20 season and playoffs. It was great to see this kind of innovation, albeit underpinned by a lot of behind the scenes work (in terms of production and logistics) to ensure viewers' high expectations were met.
Experiment but stay focused With necessity the mother of invention, it's important to take these (and other) learnings into 2021 and continue to think out of the box. Whether that's looking at new distribution models, augmenting linear channels or developing new approaches to production. In doing so, we'll be turning live sports events into true media and entertainment showcases, something that will stand us in good stead as social distancing regulations look likely to keep fans out of stadiums for some time.
By definition though, experiments can fail. When you're looking for returns on major sporting investments, there's certainly an element of risk in doing so. The key, I would suggest, is to experiment around production, while ensuring the basics of acquisition and delivery are handled brilliantly (and reliably).
Get comfortable with uncertainty Audience experience aside, there remains a very real threat that many planned events won't go ahead. Despite the best efforts of governing bodies, broadcast partners and others, scheduling in a pandemic is something of a matter of guesswork, and multiple programming contingencies are needed to fill gaps in the schedule when (and if) things don't go to plan.
To my mind this requires something of a cultural shift to ensure broadcasters and rights holders become comfortable with uncertainty. For this to happen, they'll need to be confident in their ecosystem and supply chains. This means that their aggregation, media processing and distribution partners have the technology, the expertise and, crucially, the ambition to adapt to changing circumstances with both agility and confidence. In short, it's a matter of trust.
Work with trusted partners As we move into what is likely to be a very constricted and fluid sporting calendar, it's imperative the industry comes together to plan for uncertainty, so, we can be confident in it. We need to know what works and what doesn't in different scenarios, the kind of contingencies we'll need, when to be experimental and when to double down on what we know works. This way, we'll be prepared for whatever happens. If you'll excuse a final sporting pun, it's about all working together as a team to get the right result.
Talk to Arqiva today about staying in control through uncertainty at sportsandevents@arqiva.com.
Published
15/02/2021
Author
Chris Alner, Director of Commercial Broadcast and Radio
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
17/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/03/2026
3D streaming infrastructure provider Miris today announced the launch of a public beta for its new 3D asset streaming platform. Miris is building the infrastruc...
17/03/2026
As media organizations face mounting pressure to produce more content, faster, while maximizing value and operational efficiency, Tedial, a leading provider of ...
17/03/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics, augmented and virtual production, is launching the newest version of its platform, Brainstorm Suite 7,...
17/03/2026
Limecraft today announces the release of Limecraft 2026.2, the second platform update in its 2026 release cycle. Limecraft is an AI-powered production platform ...
17/03/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading system integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast and media industry, showcased its latest broadcast and V...
17/03/2026
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE ...
17/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/03/2026
QuickLink's Latest StudioEdge Models to Make North American Debut at NAB 202
Brie Clayton March 16, 2026
0 Comments
The Multi-platform Remote Gues...
17/03/2026
Frankenstein Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 16, 2026
0 Comments
Sonnenfeld enhances the controlled interplay between warm and c...
17/03/2026
New Voyavox from Link Electronics with Real-Time Speech-to-Text Captioning to be...
17/03/2026
Berklee City Music Stewards META Fellowship Supporting Massachusetts Music Educa...
17/03/2026
The features on social media apps like Snapchat evolve nearly as fast as what...
17/03/2026
The paradigm of consumer computing has revolved around the concept of a personal...
16/03/2026
DAZN will allow fans in select international territories to watch the NCAA men...
16/03/2026
IDM and The Skate Board Association (SBA) have announced a partnership with Coop...
16/03/2026
Solid State Logic (SSL) will debut the Net I/O ST 2110 Bridge at NAB 2026 (booth C6907), a standalone unit that converts between ST 2110 and Dante audio formats...
16/03/2026
Marshall Electronics (Booth C8339) is introducing its first all-IP 4K POV camera, the CV574-WP, at NAB 2026. The camera carries an IP67 weatherproof rating for ...
16/03/2026
Sony Electronics' Camera Verify (beta), a feature of its Camera Authenticity Solution which enables news organizations to share content authenticity informa...
16/03/2026
FloSports has announced a partnership with Storied Sports, a content and IP studio founded by former espnW and The Players' Tribune executives, to develop s...
16/03/2026
Montreux Jazz Festival has announced a multi-year collaboration with Gravity Media, who will become the Festival's Audio Visual Production Provider followin...
16/03/2026
USSI Global, a provider of customized network, broadcast and digital signage systems and services, has announced Ralph Annunziata joined the company on Jan. 5 a...
16/03/2026
Boland Communications (booth C3519) will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas, ...
16/03/2026
Built in partnership with Diversified, the system
As the sports broadcast indus...
16/03/2026
Global FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) viewership grew 21% year-over-year ...
16/03/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
16/03/2026
A still from Mr. Nobody Against Putin by David Borestein and Pavel Talankin, a...
16/03/2026
Promises studio-grade fidelity for the stage
Cloudvocal have announced the launch of a new instrument mic designed for professional live performers and engi...
16/03/2026
Popular MIDI/CV converter & interface overhauled
Kenton have announced the launch of the USB Solo Mk2, a new and improved version of their compact MIDI to C...
16/03/2026
Running from 16-29 March 2026
Starting from today (16 March) and running until 29 March 2026, Sonarworks are offering discounts of up to 40% across their ra...
16/03/2026
Dr. Robert H. Goddard and a liquid oxygen-gasoline rocket in the frame from which it was fired on March 16, 1926, at Auburn, Massachusetts. Credit: NASA....
16/03/2026
Precision-guided munitions shown in production illustrate one of many operational systems benefiting from modernized M-Code GPS, supporting assured positioning,...
16/03/2026
NEW YORK - March 16, 2026 - A E Global Media and Nielsen today announced a new,...
16/03/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, is delivering the first commercial 100-Gigabit systems following successful validation and certification for customer n...
16/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/03/2026
Shotoku USA, Shotoku Broadcast Systems' North American operation, will unveil significant additions to its platform at NAB 2026. Topping the list is the wor...
16/03/2026
Ikegami USA will demonstrate the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast-quality cameras, controllers and monitors on Central Hall booth C3819 during th...
16/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/03/2026
ELEMENTS launches GRID at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton March 15, 2026
0 Comments
North Hall, Booth N1717
ELEMENTS returns to NAB Show 2026, with an exp...
16/03/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Artist Salavat Fidai's Micro Sculptures
Brie Clayton March 15, 2026
0 Comments
6K sensor and open gate capabilit...
16/03/2026
DHD to Introduce Latest Generation Broadcast Audio Mixers at NAB 2026, Las Vegas
Brie Clayton March 15, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image: Front of DHD RM1 P...