The annual broadcast trade show, IBC 2024, taking place from September 13-16 in Amsterdam, will be a hub for showcasing the latest technological advancements in sports production and delivery. The focus will be on enhancing the viewer experience and streamlining production workflows for global sporting events.
The challenges of delivering high-quality live sports content to a global audience remain a critical issue. “Fresh from all the action from the Olympics, live sports production and delivery is likely to be a big topic for this year’s IBC. For any live content, but especially high-profile sports, it is crucial to ensure a high quality and seamless experience for all viewers, even when the audience is huge and global,” said Stefan Lederer, CEO and co-founder of Bitmovin.
Lederer acknowledges the complexities involved: “not least because streaming involves requirements for solutions from multiple vendors and at times complex integrations.”
AI is poised to play a major role in improving video workflows. Lederer predicts, “This year’s event is where we will see some real traction with AI and a huge slew of solutions and services leveraging AI, predominantly aimed at improving cost and resource efficiencies and enhancing video workflows.”
One example is Bitmovin’s Analytics AI Session Interpreter, which utilizes AI to provide users with insights and recommendations for improving their service.
The transition to software-based tools and cloud workflows continues to transform the broadcast industry, especially in live sports production. “Since the last Olympics, there has been a steady shift towards software-based tools and cloud workflows. This year, we have seen those in action on a large scale across the entire event,” said Kieran Kunhya, founder and CEO of Open Broadcast Systems.
This shift towards commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) IT hardware offers increased flexibility and scalability. “The rack rooms at the summer sporting events contain substantially more IT hardware than ever before,” said Kunhya. “More and more manufacturers and end-users are seeing the benefits of using COTS hardware in their products and facilities,” Kunhya explained.
The move to software-based solutions provides broadcasters with the ability to adapt quickly to changing requirements. “Our encoders and decoders are all software-based and deployed on standard off-the-shelf IT hardware. This means we can add capabilities in the field as requirements change, something particularly valuable for live sports broadcast,” said Kunhya.
Efficient content delivery is paramount as sports organizations expand their reach and platforms. “We are increasingly seeing the need to efficiently deliver high-value content amidst decreased budgets and an overcrowded market,” said Kristian Mets, global head of sales business development at Net Insight.
Mets highlights the growing demand for scalable and efficient live media transport solutions. “There is an increasing demand from media companies for scalable and efficient live media transport solutions that do away with complicated workflows and overcomplicated costly infrastructure,” said Mets.
The push for global reach in sports content distribution is driving innovation in media transport technology. “With an urgency to expand and access new consumers, content providers are looking to reach previously untapped audiences across the globe,” Mets noted.
Jean-Christophe Perier, CMO of Globecast, anticipates that discussions at IBC will focus on modernizing technology stacks and workflows. He expects a focus on “the major industry opportunities presented by the accelerating pace of hybrid cloud technology integration and orchestration, as well as the growth of the OTT service model.”
The rise of OTT services is reshaping the landscape of sports broadcasting. OTT platforms provide new content delivery and monetization avenues, allowing sports organizations to reach viewers directly and offer more personalized experiences. “Following a big summer of sport, we also expect sports broadcasting to be top of mind – in particular, how an IP/cloud distribution mix has enabled playout and global distribution of major sports tournaments,” said Perier.
This underscores the growing role of IP-based and cloud technologies in facilitating large-scale, global sports broadcasts. “Exhibitors rebooking for 2025 have been informed that Content Everywhere will be expanding its IBC footprint again next year, reflecting the growing importance of multi-platform delivery, OTT, and content monetization,” said Perier.
The confluence of these technologies – software-based tools, cloud workflows, efficient media transport and OTT delivery – is creating new possibilities for live sports production and distribution.