From remote commentary to Watch Together, Vitecs Natasha Bougourd takes a look at the new technology sports broadcasters are employing to keep fans watching
By Contributor
Published: February 24, 2022
From remote commentary to Watch Together, Vitec's Natasha Bougourd takes a look at the new technology sports broadcasters are employing to keep fans watching
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
When the first national lockdown was announced back in March 2020, it came with the news that we'd no longer be able to attend sporting events live.
Most people weren't able to attend any sporting fixtures for over a year. As a result, live sports became more accessible to view at home. The pandemic also changed the way these broadcasts were delivered, with remote commentary teams and social distancing in place.
Now that most lockdown restrictions have eased, are we still utilising the technologies and systems that allowed the continuation of sports broadcasting?
Sports commentary goes remote During the March 2020 national lockdown, most broadcast sports were completely cancelled. Then, as many resumed via enterprise video streaming but without live audiences, we saw many social distancing measures in place. Presenters were six feet apart, and in many cases, separated by glass partitions. Some broadcasters, though, weren't even in the venue.
For coverage of major sporting events, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the French and US Opens, and the Tour de France, Eurosport used a low-latency solution that allowed commentators to narrate the events remotely. BT Sport also used remote commentators when its Bundesliga coverage resumed in May 2020.
This presented significant challenges, especially around delays to commentary and delivering multiple commentary streams to different audiences over one live video stream. The latency, or measure of delay between the video capture, playback, and commentator receiving it at home, needed to be below 250ms to avoid a delay to viewers. Eurosport deemed its use of the technology during Covid lockdowns a success and now uses it regularly even with restrictions eased in many countries of broadcast.
The appetite for streaming and broadcasting grows The Premier League 2020-21 season began with no supporters inside stadiums, and it stayed that way for most of the season save for some fans of a few lucky clubs during a brief winter window. As a result, the Premier League struck a deal with Sky Sports, BT Sports, and Amazon Prime to broadcast every match during the season live.
Now that supporters are once again able to attend matches, we've reverted back to a model of a small number of games being selected for live broadcast at set times. But for many, the temporary removal of the Saturday 3pm blackout that prevented standard matches from being broadcast was welcomed. While live supporters are the lifeblood of the sport, this opened it up to many who can't be there in person.
This issue was compounded during the saga of the breakaway European Super League, which was widely condemned and eventually fell through. It was discovered that traditional match-going supporters were allegedly deemed legacy fans by the clubs involved, with attracting TV viewers and supporters in other countries deemed the priority.
Many now argue that, while live supporters are of utmost importance to football clubs and other sports, those who can't attend matches should also be catered for. What's more, an end to the 3pm blackout hasn't been ruled out. We've tasted the sweet honey of being able to watch each of our team's matches, and now we want more.
Watch together when miles apart For millions of sports fans, one of the most missed elements of attending live events was watching it with their friends and family. At various points between March 2020 and July 2021, people couldn't even gather in pubs or each other's homes to share the experience.
A number of broadcasters, including Eleven Sports and Sky Sports, offered viewers the opportunity to virtually watch matches and events together. Sky Sports' Fanzone allowed six households to convene virtually on a second screen - whether that was their mobile devices, tablets, or laptops - and watch football matches together in real time. The service also offered trivia questions related to the live match for a fun, interactive experience.
Eleven Sports' Watch Together feature operates in a similar way, with up to four households able to connect at once. As well as private rooms with friends and family, viewers also had the opportunity to join open rooms', which allowed them to meet new people virtually and connect with other fans.
This again offers a great opportunity for live experiences to be replicated for people who can't be close to friends and family or who are unable to attend live events.
Sports broadcasters were forced to make changes as a result of multiple Covid-19 lockdowns. Not only were live attendees prohibited for 18 months in many sports, but commentators, pundits, and live-stream editors were also remote in many instances. And, while many sports in multiple European countries can once again be played in front of a crowd, we're seeing shifting demands from fans as a result of live offerings during Covid. Will they eventually be met in the long term?
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...
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...
28/01/2026
Top L-R: The Liars, Jazz Infernal, Living with a Visionary
Second Row L-R: Paper Trail, The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Crisis Actor
Third Row: The Boys and ...
28/01/2026
Music discovery should feel intuitive and personal. That's why we're continuing to give you more control, so you can ask for what you want, shape what y...
28/01/2026
Today, Charlie Hellman, Spotify's Head of Music, shared the following note on the Spotify for Artists blog that the company paid out more than $11 billion t...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
28/01/2026
As demand for more complex live sports coverage grows, Balkan broadcast specialist MVP has upgraded its flagship HD1 progressive OB truck with the installation ...
28/01/2026
Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Marshall Electronics launches the CV420-27X, its next-generation ultra-high-definition (UHD) IP camera, at ISE 2026 (Stand 4N900). Engineered for modern IP-base...
28/01/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Television Mobiles Ltd. (TVM), one of Europe's leading independent outside broadcast providers, has carried out a major refu...
28/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities
FOR-A is bringing remarkable new technologies to FOMEX, the Future of Media Exhibition (ex...
28/01/2026
Continuing a longstanding collaboration, Riedel Communications and Nordic media technology company Media Tailor have once again joined forces to deliver a state...
28/01/2026
Pebble has appointed Paul Nagle-Smith as vice president for customer fulfilment, strengthening its senior leadership focus on customer delivery and operational ...
28/01/2026
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset has announced that leading Mexican broadcaster, TV Azteca is using Veset Nimbus on AWS as a disaster recovery (DR) playo...
28/01/2026
Ensuring it can keep pace with a rapidly evolving live sports market, Balkan broadcast facility provider MVP Most Valuable Production has upgraded its flags...
28/01/2026
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud solutions provider that powers and protects life online, and Yospace, the leader in dynamic ad insertion tec...
28/01/2026
The renowned Reykjavik City Theatre (RCT) recently underwent a major intercom system upgrade using Clear-Com solutions. This milestone project utilizes Clear-C...
28/01/2026
Luxembourg, January 26, 2026 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading space solutions company, acknowledges the credit rating action announced by Fitch to...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
28 01 2026 - Media release Screen Australia refreshes Market & Audience approach...
28/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonar...
28/01/2026
28 Jan 2026
VEON Notes Kyivstar Group Publication of Selected Full Year 2025 Fi...
28/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host 2026 edition of its online event Demystifying EMC Rohde & Schwarz invites the global EMC community to join a crucial discussion on pre...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
The Wait Is Over: Teaser Trailer Drops for Jo Nesbo's Dete...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case
Entertainment
28 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to ...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Santiago Mitres New Film Starring Ver nica L...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Teaser Trailer for Berlin and the Lady wit...
28/01/2026
Stadtwerke Wolfhagen Modernize Customer Management with AEP.energysuite from Arv...
27/01/2026
Click for Japanese version
Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
January 14, 2026
We are proud to share that 25 Ontario, First Gulf's commercial project located just two minutes from our head office, has been recognized ...
27/01/2026
January 22, 2026
First Gulf is excited to share that a full-building lease has been secured at 625 Bronte Rd in Oakville, part of Bronte Station Business Park,...
27/01/2026
January 23, 2026
First Gulf continues to demonstrate its commitment to high-performance, sustainable real estate with 351 King Street East achieving BOMA BEST ...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
From remote commentary to Watch Together, Vitecs Natasha Bougourd takes a look at the new technology sports broadcasters are employing to keep fans watching
