
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access Features in Year 4 Fan engagement is the focus for the young league's global broadcasts By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Friday, February 14, 2025 - 11:30 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
With more than 100,000 people expected to turn out at this week's event in Adelaide, Australia, LIV Golf is pulling out all the stops for its biggest event to date. Producing the global feed, the upstart golf league's production team aims to capture the atmosphere and excitement in Adelaide for those watching around the world.
A behind the scenes look at LIV Golf broadcast during the final round of LIV Golf Riyadh at Riyadh Golf Club on Feb. 8 in Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf)
Delivering a broadcast that represents the entirety of the LIV Golf experience is an exciting challenge, says James Watson, SVP, production, LIV Golf. We're simultaneously capturing 13 teams, 54 players, our shotgun start, and the incredible atmosphere that surrounds every tournament.
Besides complex coverage on the course, LIV Golf's operations team and broadcast-facilities provider NEP Group must navigate a transcontinental schedule all season long. The overall production setup remains similar to that of previous years, with LIV using flypacks at its international events and mobile units in the U.S. In addition, LIV leverages Mobii technology for cloud-based video integration at events across the globe.
We have a fantastic operations team who ensures we get from city to city and country to country, notes Watson. The flexibility NEP provides with their global facilities network allows us to operate in back-to-back weeks across multiple countries.
Doing It LIV Style: A Dronestravaganza and Up-Close-and-Personal Audio Since LIV's first broadcast, in 2022, Watson and company have pushed the boundaries of innovation. This season, they are introducing new AR drone graphics in partnership with Champion Data and have further refined its Drone Tracer technology (LIV was the first in golf to deploy the tech, in 2023).
Executive Producer Keith Hirshland at the front bench during the final round of LIV Golf Riyadh earlier this month.
LIV deploys more than 60 cameras on the course, including two live drones (in partnership with Kaze Aerials and Beverly Hills Aerials). Although specialty cameras are brought in on an event-by-event basis, LIV's philosophy has been to lean heavily into drone technology for coverage.
Given the unique nature of LIV's shotgun-start format - with both team and individual competitions running simultaneously - flexibility is key, says Watson. Our approach prioritizes the ability to move resources seamlessly between holes, rather than committing high-tech specialty cameras at specific locations each week.
On the audio side, LIV will continue to mike caddies, ensuring that fans hear the full player/caddie conversations in real time. From a production standpoint, LIV's audio team is structured unconventionally, with three dedicated A1s: one handling live mics, one managing tape sound, and Lead Audio Director Phil Hatezic overseeing the main mix.
We remain committed to prioritizing the natural sounds of the game, says Watson, making viewers feel as if they're right there on the course.
The tour's all-access philosophy goes beyond the live broadcast, with the LIV Studios team, led by SVP/Executive Producer Michael Mandt, continuing to push for unprecedented access in golf broadcasting.
Fans can expect more player ride-alongs, miked-up segments, and behind-the-scenes content that bring them closer to the personalities and stories of LIV Golf, says Watson. We're also incorporating golf-centered content creators to further expand our reach and engagement. Bringing fans closer to the players, teams, and storylines remains a core pillar of our content strategy.
LIV Gets Graphic: AR and Virtual, Data and Analytics, the Return of the Leaderboard Pylon In addition to the new AR drone graphics, LIV and tour graphics provider Champion Data are also expanding the use of AR and virtual graphics this season.
James Watson, SVP, production, during the final round of LIV Golf Riyadh earlier this month.
According to Watson, LIV will work with Champion Data and optical-tracking partner Visual Vertigo to integrate more data and analytics than in past years in an effort to enhance storytelling. New for 2025, LIV has also partnered with TrackMan to enhance its radar tracking technology.
The tour's signature leaderboard pylon has been reworked to improve the way the broadcast covers both the team and individual competitions. Another key focus this season is the use of AI-driven, predictive graphics, particularly during the final round.
The LIV production team also continues to leverage Tagboard to enhance fan engagement across not only its competition coverage but its pre/postgame shows. We take great pride in our graphics innovation, says Watson. And Champion Data has been instrumental in allowing us deliver real-time, preshot insights, creating a more immersive, lean-in' viewing experience.
Conducting this production symphony from the truck will be returning Live Executive Producer Keith Hirshland alongside returning directors Daniel Currier and Bryan Lilley. On the creative side, Will Newell continues as Creative Director, overseeing the on-air look and graphics.
Outside of the live broadcast, Michael Mandt and the LIV Studios team have developed a range of original programming that will roll out over the 2025 season. Watson says the LIV creative team is collaborating with teams to highlight community engagement initiatives, showcasing the impactful work LIV Golf players are doing off the course.
The FOX Fac
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...
08/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/09/2026
Mo-Sys, the world-leading developer of virtual production, camera robotics and image tracking technology, has completed a business restructuring, which has incl...
08/09/2026
New York, September 8, 2026 The TSAmediaHUB audiovisual contribution and distribution infrastructure developed by Telef nica's Audiovisual Services area re...
08/09/2026
Expanded Riyadh operation brings Asharq and Thmanyah services together on a resilient on-premises Pebble platform.
Pebble, the leading automation, content mana...
08/09/2026
Techex, a pioneering leader in live video workflows, will showcase its broadest software feature set to date at IBC 2026 (Stand 2.B45), extending its lead in so...
08/09/2026
Visitors to Grass Valley's booth at IBC2026 will be introduced to new Framelight X capabilities that connect content acquisition, management, editing and pu...
08/09/2026
BCNEXXT will showcase the latest evolution of Vipe at IBC2026 (Stand 2.B09), introducing a series of innovations designed to deliver higher-quality audience exp...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Ad Insertion Platform (AIP), a leading innovator in advanced ad insertion technologies, to...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics and augmented and virtual production, is announcing a major package of enhancements to its Suite 7 soft...
08/09/2026
Big Blue Marble is supporting TDF, French infrastructure and network operator, broadcasting Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and radio services, as a techno...
08/09/2026
Agents work inside a single production environment, from incoming wire copy to a live studio show...
08/09/2026
Building on their strategic partnership, Ceeblue and Layercake make the unthinkable possible: scalable sub-second streaming over standard DRM, SSAI, and CDN wor...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics, augmented and virtual production, is completing the environment for fast-paced broadcast production wi...
08/09/2026
A SaaS portfolio built to work together, helping operators grow audiences, monetise smarter and run leaner, on their own terms
At IBC 2026 (stand 1.B49) Synam...
08/09/2026
Accedo, global provider of video streaming software and services, has been selected by PlayOn Sports, a national leader in high school sports technology, to exp...
08/09/2026
LiveU, the leader in live IP-video solutions, is enabling The Associated Press to take global newsgathering to the next stage with intelligent connectivity and ...
08/09/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced the latest evolution of it...
08/09/2026
Compact, power-efficient X Platform performance brings broadcast-grade reliability and ultra-low latency to space-constrained remote production (REMI) workflows...
08/09/2026
Zixi, the leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Kiloview, a leading provider of professional IP video encoding and decoding solutions, t...
08/09/2026
Collaboration gives content owners scalable CDN capacity and broadcasters enhanced flexibility, including for C-band transition planning
Quortex today announce...
08/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/09/2026
By Ramona Flume and Lucy Spicer
There's a particular kind of magic that hap...
07/09/2026
Two new full-range, flat-response cabinets introduced
HeadRush have recently introduced a pair of new full-range, flat-response cabinets designed for player...
07/09/2026
Answering questions about AI in game audio
GameSoundCon, the largest professional conference for video game music and sound design, have announced that they...
07/09/2026
New directional headset mic on show at IBC
Just ahead of this week's IBC show, DPA have announced the launch of a new directional headset that's bee...
07/09/2026
We are not building systems to replace human decision-making; we are building systems that execute our decisions at machine speed. The media companies that win ...
07/09/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces New Lower Price for Blackmagic PYXIS 6K and Blackmag...
07/09/2026
GB Labs to Unveil Core.ONE at IBC2026, an Intelligent Storage Platform for Media...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Freddie Meredith joins cast of SNL UK ahead of start of Season 2
Freddie Meredith Images
ZIP (3MB)
Saturday Night Live UK announces ...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Sky and NFTS team up to launch new routes into screen careers
Sky has today announced a new apprenticeship programme, with application...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Sky Sports announces most comprehensive NFL coverage to...
07/09/2026
Dolby, MainConcept, Techex and J nger Audio will showcase the industry's first demonstration of Serial Audio Definition Model (S-ADM) in a cloud-based produ...
07/09/2026
dB Broadcast will showcase APIS Hive, its software platform for designing, deploying and managing modern broadcast infrastructures, at IBC 2026.
Developed from...
07/09/2026
552,000 streams on RT Player
The historic fight, which saw Katie Taylor become...
06/09/2026
Recreates Rolands TB-303 & MC-202
BS-203 MacroAcidizer is the first virtual instrument from Born Second, and it offers a recreation of two Roland classics -...
06/09/2026
London, UK September 2026 PlayBox Technology is inviting broadcasters, OTT and FAST operators, content owners and media organisations worldwide to become De...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
05/09/2026
MK2 & Bass system control app improved
HEDD Audio have just launched a new and improved version of the control software that pairs with their MK2 and Bass m...
05/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
05/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/09/2026
InSync Technology, the leading provider of premium video conversion solutions, will showcase a new generation of products at IBC 2026, designed to help broadcas...
05/09/2026
GlobalM successfully supported quattro media GmbH and World Rowing, the world governing body of the Olympic sport of Rowing, with the international distribution...
05/09/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-In recognition of his exceptional work to understand the chemistry of carbohydrates and the role they play in health and disease, Scripps Family Ch...
04/09/2026
Media organisations interested in the Media Innovation Europe 3.0 Business Innovation Synergizer (BIS) can now consult a new FAQ document providing additional a...
04/09/2026
Eluvio will demonstrate updates to its Content Fabric platform at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Stand 8.MS5, and Future Tech Zone, Hall 14, Stand 14.A58, September 11-14). C...
04/09/2026
LiveU has joined the IBC Accelerator's Smart Stories consortium, a multi-vendor initiative developing an open standard for Story Context interoperability in...
04/09/2026
Telos Alliance will demonstrate new audio observability capabilities at IBC2026 (Stand 8.D37, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), covering monitoring of audio heal...