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 ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
18/08/2026
Riedel Communications has announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, ...
18/08/2026
Company launch with stereo-imaging tool
Panoramic is the debut release from Panorama Labs, a new company formed by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. C...
18/08/2026
Control software now available for older interfaces
Focusrite have just announced the launch of an update that extends Control 2 software support their Scar...
18/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Lightware announces an integration with SpectralBot that helps system integrators and AV operators troubleshoot faster using augmented reality (AR), AI-assisted...
18/08/2026
Command Frame for After Effects
Scott Black August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Free download, demonstrations, hands-on tests, and creator resources
Want to t...
18/08/2026
At Stand 14.A57, the data company will demonstrate GreenDot and IBM Aspera together, giving media and entertainment businesses real-time visibility of what thei...
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.
