LiveU LU70 uplinks finding favour with British Eurosport

British Eurosport is using portable cellular transmission technology to give a more local angle to sports carried on the overall Eurosport channels. The broadcaster has chosen the LiveU LU70 backpack to produce UK-oriented material, such as interviews with British players at international competitions, coverage of practise matches and “personal moments” for the main feeds.

The LU70 is a video uplink based on 14 3G/4G LTE, WiMAX and WiFi modems that has been used for sports and news coverage where getting in an SNG van is either too difficult or expensive. British Eurosport tested the system on events including MCE World Superbikes, the French Open and the Masters Snooker. Its next big task will be the Tour de France, where expectation is high for more British success despite the absence of last year’s winner, Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Commenting on the selection of the LU70, Samuel Wasserman, chief executive of LiveU, says: “British Eurosport is a premium sports broadcaster and we’re very pleased that it has recognised the power of our technology. It’s clear that British Eurosport is using it at high-profile events, adding regional flavour to provide an improved viewer experience. We look forward to this continuing relationship.”

Jenny King, head of production for British Eurosport, adds: “For us a lot of the benefit of this technology is convenience as it means that we don’t have to rely on satellite. Often we go to events at quite short notice and booking a truck and a satellite feed is either impossible or very expensive. LiveU’s technology provides us with the flexibility to send back our own specific content, giving us the option to operate quickly and economically to enhance our coverage. This provides an improved end product for our viewers.”