Live Streaming, and How it has Brought the Stadium into our Living Rooms

Livestreaming of sports content online has really transformed the way in which sports are viewed and distributed the world over. Not only big media houses like Sky sports and ESPN but also domestic media houses have jumped on the bandwagon of live streaming and other OTT content marketing. Now, let us take a look into how the industry of live streaming operates and what are the technicalities that are involved. We would like to point out that live reporting of match scores, stats, and betting odds also play a vital role in the live stream ecosystem.

How does live streaming work?

First, let us take a look at what exactly is live streaming. Well, live streaming means sharing video and audio content over the Internet without actually being stored anywhere, on a real-time basis. With modern technology, live streaming has evolved a lot as well, and one can simply use social media platforms, like Instagram, to live stream, if they so wish to.

Now, let us see the steps involved

• Shooting the video- The process of live streaming any sporting content starts with actually capturing the sport in real-time, on the field. When someone decides to live stream football games, they need to send a videographer to the match physically, who in turn records a live video feed.

Usually, there are numerous cameras present at any particular venue for big games so that a more enthralling display can be provided.

The process of live streaming of scores, something like the basketball world cup live score live stream does not require this step and can skip it.

• Encoding and compression- Raw transmission of the data can prove to be pretty cumbersome and the bandwidth requirement will be sky-high, thus rendering it useless for households. So, as a compromise, media companies tune down the content, both audio and video, so that they can be practically and efficiently transmitted. This is done by removing the parts of the file that do not deliver any critical data. This process is similar to what goes into compressing an audio file from FLAC to MP3 and is called compression. Encoding denotes converting this compressed data into formats that are widely recognized by devices around the world, like MP4, AVI, H.264, etc. This is done as raw data formats are usually not recognized by domestic devices and the raw formats are much heavier, making them less efficient.

• Segmentation- Since it is inefficient and unpractical to transmit all the files at once, the streaming companies resort to dividing the whole data into smaller packets and segments which can then be delivered one at a time.

• CDN distribution and caching- Once all the aforementioned processes are completed, something which takes only a few seconds, the feed is forwarded to a CDN [Content Delivery Network]. These CDNs act as a middleman and forward the data to the end user’s device as and when requested. This reduces the load on the origin servers while maintaining a constant stream for the end-users. The CDNs keep the data packets cached on their local servers so that the end-users do not have to ping up the origin servers. The cached data usually lags by a few seconds and so we see live stream football games a few seconds behind the real one.

• Decoding and playback- Once this cached data reaches the end user’s device, it is decompressed and a media player plays the audio and video on the device for the user to consume.

So these are the steps that are involved in live streaming of sports. Live reporting of scores works a little differently since they do not transmit video or audio. The live match stats are delivered by an independent match data provider, which is then uploaded by the reporting companies on their servers for all to access.

The phenomena of live streaming have changed the realm of sports forever, and now anyone sitting in one corner of the world can instantly access the basketball world cup live score, something which is taking place in an entirely different geographic location, at the blink of an eye. All they need is an active internet connection and a connected device.

Advantages of live streaming of sports

• The sport can be witnessed by anyone, from anywhere, on any device, at any time of the day.

• Nowadays, live streaming of sports has enabled spectators to engage with the action happening on-screen via methods like tweets, comments, stickers, etc. This engagement is beneficial since it keeps fans engrossed while generating greater revenue for the streamer, thus helping them grow.

• The streamed content is available online long after the actual event has taken place, which enables people to witness and get a feel for the real event in a virtual manner. This content can also be utilized by sports management teams, coaches, scouts, etc. to improve future performances.

Final take:

Live streaming of games has made the world of sports really dynamic and engaging, and it can be safely assumed that upcoming technology will only serve to make it better.