OPINION AND ANALYSIS
Solving the challenges of covering major sports events By Malcolm Harland, co-founder and MD, Garland
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ajor global sporting events bring a wealth of opportunities for those covering them, including boosting revenues and giving viewers hours of remarkable content. But, media outlets sending their teams to cover such events in other countries face many potential problems — from equipment being held at customs, to needing in-time-zone and on-the-ground technical support and spare parts, to understanding the local language, regulations and restrictions. Events such as the Olympics and FIFA World Cup hold the world spellbound as viewers watch the massive amount of coverage. However, outlets wanting to provide coverage without relying on other sources need to have several crews covering various locations, which has considerable budget implications. The sheer size of the task can be challenging as outlets try to cover multiple events simultaneously from venues often hundreds of miles apart. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia this month, matches will be held at 12 venues, the furthest of which are over 1,800 miles (3,000 km) apart. The solution is renting equipment from a provider located in the host country. Working with our partner, LiveU, we’ve assisted many customers with such arrangements. LiveU’s ad hoc rental service of its portable bonded-cellular live video-streaming units is available locally through its global partnership network. Renting lets crews move easily between locations, allowing agility and a smaller team. The technology is compatible with surrounding cellular infrastructure, and includes local data provision, whilst giving excellent HD live contribution at a lower price than using satellite trucks. “LiveU has widespread experience covering major sporting events,” says Ronen Artman, LiveU’s VP of Marketing. “Hundreds of LiveU units provided live coverage of the 2012 London Olympics, 2014 FIFA
World Cup, Brazil’s 2016 Summer Games and South Korea’s recent Winter Games, to name a few such large-scale events.” Viewers also want to see live news conferences, interviews, fan reactions, and more. Crews need to be everywhere, all the time. Being able to react quickly is paramount. And this is where renting LiveU units really comes into its own. “Clients tell us where and when they need a unit and we’ll have it waiting for them at their destination. They don’t have the problem of clearing customs by shipping their own equipment, nor the hassle of purchasing SIM cards with local providers,” states Artman. In Russia, LiveU will have distribution centres in Moscow and St Petersburg, with customers able to pick up their pre-ordered units from both locations. But it’s often the small, unexpected issues that can cause the biggest problems for media outlets. A lack of spare parts or batteries can mean missed coverage opportunities and hours of lost time. LiveU and its local partners maintain spare parts and extra units so help resolve such issues quickly. They also have strong connections to local operators and cloud servers. “It’s the availability of on-the-ground 24/7 professional support that can mean the success of a customer’s coverage,” says Artman. “At the World Cup, we’ll have a dedicated team on site, all Russian-speaking, able to manage local logistics and provide the highest level of support and guidance. “Our global network of LiveU-trained local partners — including Garland in the UK — support customers alongside our own team, and take care of any issues back in their home countries.” LiveU solutions make it as easy for outlets to cover these global events. But it’s the flexibility, versatility and cost-effectiveness of these solutions that make them work for every type of scenario needing live video — whether the event is big or small. n
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18/05/2018 11:25