Event-TV is often said to be the last bastion of prime-time linear broadcast.  Sports live production has enjoyed strong representation across the content slate because it is able to capture the attention of an increasingly fragmented audience and to engage them with a content narrative that offers jeopardy, hope, drama, joy and celebration.

Double Jeopardy
In this live sports production landscape, incremental gains in content creation efficiency will not fully close the widening value gap between the cost of bringing a sport event to air and the potential returns available.  In short, today’s sports storyteller must produce more content, for more audience groups (that are smaller in volume) and do so at the right level of production costs for the scale and scope of the event, without impacting production quality.

Using traditional live video production methods, and even more advanced REMI (remote production) techniques still presents the sports content producer with a challenge; how to flex and adapt productions to right-size the costs while maximizing revenue generation potential via the use of engagement driving (and retaining) tools and services?

Audiences have grown used to tier one production techniques, such as slow-motion replays, informative, data driven on screen graphics, multiple camera angles and many more enthralling creative devices, and expect them to be present across their chosen sports coverage, regardless of the scale, tier or level.

From grass roots up
The solution to this sports content creation conundrum requires not just technical innovation, but a commercial model innovation as well to deliver the required levels of accessibility, flexibility, and efficiency. LiveU’s Lightweight Sports Production Solutions are designed to reduce the commercial risk in sports content production in a number of key ways:

• Cloud-based production efficiency – up to 70% less cost
• Single operator, single pane of glass, end-to-end control – resource savings
• Optimized usability, and complete turnkey deployment – ready when you are!
• Built-in seamless interoperability – builds on what you already have!
• Powerful tools simplified for use by non-specialists – all of your team can use it
• Customer-centric ‘pay when using’ for maximum flexibility – no upfront costs

Who is LiveU? 
LiveU, the global leader in IP-video solutions, enables sports organizations, rights holders and content creators to increase or generate revenue, engage and grow their audiences and produce dynamic, compelling live content for less time, effort and cost. The LiveU EcoSystem adds efficiency and shortens workflows across the entire video production chain. Using our innovative solutions, broadcasters, sports organizations, and content creators can capture, transmit, produce, and distribute high-quality live video from anywhere in the world.

With over 5,000 customers in 150 countries, including the world's top sports broadcasters, federations, and teams, LiveU solutions are used for high-profile, large-scale sporting events, as well as niche and extreme sports.

What is LiveU’s Lightweight Sports Production Solution?
Cloud-based production solutions can deliver up to 70% cost savings compared to traditional methods, underscoring its role as a game-changer in the industry. LiveU's Lightweight Sports Production is a combination of LiveU’s award-winning portable encoders, and an end-to-end cloud production solution designed to simplify the workflow for live sports broadcasts. This solution combines three key components:

1. LiveU Field Encoders: These mobile units allow broadcasters and sports storytellers to capture high-quality live video and transmit it from the field over IP networks (such as 4G or 5G cellular networks) back to your production crew in real-time. LiveU's renowned encoders, like the multi-camera LU800 and smaller form factor LU300S, offer ultra-reliable transmission with minimal latency and robust failover, ensuring that the live broadcast remains uninterrupted even in challenging environments.
2. LiveU Mobile Data: Thanks to LiveU Reliable Transport (LRT™), a proprietary and patented IP-video transport protocol optimized for the safe transmission of video over wire-free networks, LiveU video encoders are able to use a range of IP connections such as WiFi, cellular, wired Ethernet or Low Earth Orbit satellite to create a single bonded connection. By bonding multiple, diverse links together, LRT is able to create a higher bandwidth, reliable connection.  LiveU Mobile Data is an airtime data package, with SIM cards specifically tailored for use in live video production.  The Lightweight Sports Production solutions include LiveU Mobile Data to provide the best performance and the reassurance of a managed fixed cost.
3. LiveU Studio: LiveU’s cloud-native video production platform offers a robust and powerful toolset for video switching, graphics, remote guests, instant replay and more attributing to streamlined, intuitive and automated production workflows. It allows users to produce and deliver high-quality live sports broadcasts entirely within a cloud environment.

Cloud production reduces operational complexity and energy usage by up to 65%, making it a more sustainable solution compared to traditional infrastructure. Together, these tools enable a seamless ground-to-cloud-to-crowd workflow – video is captured from the field, produced in the cloud, and delivered to viewers in real time.

Key Benefits of Lightweight Sports Production A Turnkey Solution
LiveU’s Lightweight Sports Production solution is a fully integrated, end-to-end system designed to simplify and streamline live sports production workflows. As a turnkey, all-in-one solution, it offers broadcasters and sports organizations everything they need to produce and broadcast live sports events with minimal set-up and technical complexity.

Cost-Effective
Traditional live sports production, such as REMI (Remote Integration Model) or on-site production, often requires significant investments in personnel, equipment, and logistics. Lightweight Sports Production minimizes these costs by utilizing the cloud for production and IP-based transmission, which eliminates the need for satellite trucks, fiber connections, or large crews. This can lead to potential savings of up to 40% in total cost of ownership, according to industry studies.

Flexible and Scalable
LiveU Studio offers incredible flexibility and scalability. Users can easily scale their production workflows up or down depending on the size of the event. Whether it’s a local high school football game or a major league sports event, the platform adapts to fit the production needs. Cloud solutions reduce the need for on-premises equipment, allowing teams to scale resources dynamically, saving both time and cost.

Remote Collaboration 
LiveU’s cloud-first approach allows production teams to work from different locations, with editors, producers, replay operators, and graphic teams collaborating in real-time. This decentralized model gives sports broadcasters flexibility, especially for covering multi-location events or when operating with reduced teams. Rather than having production crew having to spend hours traveling to the venue, Lightweight production means that they can move instantly to the next job at the click of a browser button!  This remote way of working means that teams can be assembled based on talent and need, rather than geographical availability.

High-Quality, Low Latency Transmission
LiveU’s field encoders are known for their robust video transmission capabilities. They utilize cellular bonding technology, which aggregates multiple network connections (such as 5G, 4G, or WiFi) to ensure smooth video delivery, even in congested areas. This ensures that the viewer experiences high-quality video with minimal delay.  With current model LiveU video encoders, ultra-low latency (ULL) of 300ms is possible using wired Ethernet connections, including Private 5G or low earth orbit (LEO) connections.

Ground-to-Cloud-to-Crowd Workflow
With Lightweight Sports Production, the workflow is streamlined from the moment video is captured until it reaches viewers. Cloud migration can also reduce global CO2 emissions by up to 60 million tons annually, making it an environmentally responsible choice. In a recent case study, European League of Football (ELF) stated that they saved just under $1M in production costs by switching to a cloud-based, decentralized workflow and 300 tons of CO2 in one season.  Lightweight Sports Production, with its full set of sports storytelling tools and IP-video based distribution solutions, is set to make these efficiency savings even bigger for customers in the future.

Revolutionizing Sports Production
The latest iteration of LiveU's cloud production platform, LiveU Studio, marks a significant leap forward in live sports broadcasting capabilities. With enhancements specifically designed to meet the dynamic needs of sports production, LiveU Studio introduces a suite of powerful features that elevate the quality and efficiency of live sports coverage.

Key Features of LiveU Studio Instant Replay: LiveU Studio integrates new instant replay functionality directly into its workflow, allowing production teams to capture and replay key moments with ease and precision. With a user-friendly interface, the ability to replay multiple camera angles, and dynamic speed control, LiveU’s replay solution gives producers an easy-to-use replay solution directly in the cloud platform. This feature is indispensable for sports broadcasting, where replaying highlights and pivotal moments in real-time can significantly enhance viewer engagement and satisfaction.

ISO Recording: The new ISO recording feature allows for isolated recording of individual camera feeds. This capability is crucial for sports events, where multiple angles need to be captured simultaneously to ensure none of the action is missed. ISO recordings can later be used for post-event analysis, highlights reels, or any form of secondary content, providing a comprehensive archival tool that enhances content value.

Intuitive User Experience: The redesigned user interface in LiveU Studio prioritizes ease of use without sacrificing depth of functionality. This intuitive UX design ensures that production teams can operate more efficiently, reducing set-up times and allowing for quicker response to live sports action. This user-centric design approach helps crews focus more on creativity and less on navigating complexity.

Dynamic Ad Insertion and Integrated Graphics: With features like SCTE-35 ad insertion and integrated graphics, LiveU Studio offers enhanced capabilities for monetization and branding. These tools allow broadcasters to seamlessly integrate sponsors into the live feed, tailor content to specific audiences, and enhance the overall production quality with professional, broadcast-grade graphics. The LiveU EcoSystem of open integrations with leading technology providers allows for even more flexibility and creativity in the field. Partnerships with several other graphics and AI clipping providers like Tagboard, SPX and Magnifi make it simple to get high quality graphic overlays, and automatically clip key moments directly within the Studio platform.

A Sports-Ready Solution
These enhancements transform LiveU Studio into a sports-ready production solution, catering specifically to the unique challenges and opportunities of live sports broadcasting. The addition of sports-centric features like instant replay and ISO recording – combined with an intuitive, streamlined user interface – enables production teams to deliver high-quality, engaging sports content. The integration of these advanced features into LiveU Studio supports broadcasters in not only meeting but exceeding viewer expectations for live sports events. The ability to capture every angle, replay every significant moment, and enhance broadcasts with rich graphics ensures that every game is delivered with the highest production values.

How Lightweight Sports Production Stands Apart from Traditional Methods Compared to REMI Production
While REMI (Remote Integration Model) production allows for centralized control, it still requires dedicated equipment at each venue. Lightweight Sports Production shifts production into the cloud, reducing hardware and network requirements. This not only offers superior flexibility but also reduces carbon emissions by up to 84% due to the minimized need for energy-hungry on-site equipment. With REMI, multiple trucks, engineers, and technical equipment are still needed at each site. Lightweight Sports Production eliminates most of this, allowing content to be produced in the cloud with only a few camera operators at the venue, and everything else handled remotely.

Compared to Traditional On-Site Production
Traditional on-site sports production can be logistically challenging and resource intensive. Large outside broadcast (OB) trucks, satellite uplinks, and large teams are required to be physically present at the location. With Lightweight Sports Production, a cloud-based production model removes these barriers, reducing set-up time and the complexity of the overall production workflow.

A Revolutionary Approach to Live Sports Broadcasting
LiveU’s Lightweight Sports Production offers a future-ready solution for sports broadcasters and production teams. By eliminating traditional infrastructure and harnessing the power of IP-based transmission and cloud production, the solution redefines how live sports content is captured and delivered. It democratizes high-quality sports production, allowing even smaller organizations to access broadcast-level workflows without the high costs and complexity.

Conclusion  
LiveU’s Lightweight Sports Production solution is a game-changer for the live sports industry. It merges high-quality video transmission with cutting-edge cloud-based production, providing an end-to-end workflow that is efficient, cost-effective, and scalable.