Raycom Media Selects LiveU for Cellular Uplink Across 30 Stations

Raycom Media, one of the largest broadcast groups in the US, announced it has deployed LiveU products in all of its 30 news-producing markets. The deal includes a combination of LiveU’s hardware such as the LU70 backpacks, LU-Smart app for phones, LU-Lite software for laptops, and more.

“Before selecting LiveU, we completed a very thorough diligence process,” says David Burke VP, Chief Information Officer, Raycom Media. “We developed a matrix of decision criteria. Some of the main criteria included signal stability and quality, customer support, usability in the field and studio, latency, advanced options, product variety, vendor financial stability, and life cycle cost. We invited all players in the space for extensive head-to-head testing.”

“LiveU by far scored the highest in our weighted criteria” said Burke. “Some of the key differentiation points included LiveU’s proprietary antenna arrays that we found offered more consistency in tough areas, the company’s devices are well-built and easy to carry; and the cellular modems are encased and protected inside.  The ability to control units from the field or remotely was also a big plus.  LiveU customer service and support has also played a huge role in our decision to go with the company. Finally, LiveU’s financial strength gave us confidence they will be there to support us in the long run.”

According to Burke, LiveU’s LU-Smart cellular bonding app for smartphones has surprisingly been a huge hit with the stations. “At first, we viewed the iPhone app as an added bonus, a secondary option to literally have in our back pocket if needed. After a few months of deployment, it turns out we use LU-Smart much more than we ever imagined.”

“In the 2013 budget, our original plan was to deploy LiveU units in only less than half of our 30 news producing markets, and then expand to other stations over time,” Burke continued. “However, LiveU was so well-received by these initial stations, we decided to expand to all of our news-producing markets in 2013. By standardizing company-wide with the LiveU solution, we’re able to obtain out-of-market stories and share content between our stations.”

Burke summarized: “In recent years, our local stations have expanded the number of hours of locally-produced content, in part because of the rising cost of syndicated content, as well as to meet viewer preferences. Local news is a significant part of our programming schedule and revenue stream. With LiveU, we can originate and produce more live and original content.”

Avichai (Avi) Cohen, LiveU Co-Founder and COO, said, “Since launching the space in 2006, LiveU has been fortunate enough to reach various milestones and receive numerous recognitions. However, hearing our customers describe how our technology and customer service helps improve their business is the most satisfying recognition of all. We look forward to helping our customers accomplish even more with our upcoming innovations for years to come.”