LiveU has launched its Lightweight Sports Production solution, making professional live sports production accessible and affordable for any event. This solution opens up new opportunities for diverse and minority sports that have been limited by economic, resource, or time constraints.

Built on a remote production “ground-to-cloud-to-crowd” model, the solution offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional production setups. By eliminating the need for on-site production trucks and satellite uplinks, Lightweight Sports Production can be deployed for as little as $500 per event. This turnkey solution includes everything from video capture and program production to distribution, making it a complete, hassle-free package.

The solution seamlessly integrates LiveU’s portable 5G bonded video encoders with LiveU Studio, the company’s cloud-native video production service. This allows users to easily capture and share multi-cam sources in the cloud, making live content readily available to digital and linear audiences.

LiveU Studio’s next-generation version features a new intuitive interface and a range of sports-centric capabilities, making it a powerful tool for fan engagement. With a single pane of glass interface, users can control all aspects of production, including live switching, Instant Replay, ISO recording, SCTE-35 ad insertion, guest management, and distribution. The solution also integrates with third-party vendors to offer HTML-based graphics and AI video editor tools for a more immersive audience experience.

“On this, LiveU’s 18th birthday, we wanted to honor the passion, dedication and enthusiasm of every player and storyteller involved in the world of sport,” said Steve Wind-Mozley, CMO, LiveU. “We are proud to introduce LiveU Lightweight Sports Production’s turnkey solutions that are designed to make producing high-quality, multi-angle live sports content simple, fast and cost-efficient and attainable for any event size. Fans of niche and developing sports, who were underserved can now be reached, offering fresh monetization possibilities for forward-thinking storytellers. Broadcasters, production teams, leagues, and content creators can easily ‘right-size’ their production costs, allowing them to produce far more content, more sustainably than before.”

Matt Zajicek, LiveU’s Senior Director of Product Management, explained, “With the flexibility and scalability of our new solution, live sports content can be produced from virtually any location, whether it’s a grassroots event in a remote region or a specialized sport with a passionate fanbase, accelerating audience growth and value creation. Additionally, the cloud-based REMI or remote approach reduces the environmental impact of live production, supporting increasingly important sustainability goals by minimizing the need for on-site personnel and equipment. This inherent efficiency, combined with our leading video-over-bonded-IP technologies, means our customers can drastically reduce their per-event production costs, while increasing their high-quality, professional output.”

LiveU’s Lightweight Sports Production solution will be showcased at IBC 2024, alongside the company’s complete IP-video workflow from contribution and production to distribution.