Time and effort: World’s largest student-led broadcast prepares to go On Air for 24 hours this week

On Air, the world’s largest student-led broadcast, is taking place this week on Thursday 16 October 2025. Over the course of 24 hours the livestream will span six continents and will be produced by over 500 students from 18 universities worldwide.

Hosted from On Air’s central hub at Ravensbourne University London by Youth TV presenters Urban Judge, Acacia Daniel, Mya Harris and former Gladiator Suzie Cox (Vogue), the audience will be guided through live coverage. Stories will be connected as they unfold from participating universities across the globe.

The challenges in getting the 24 hour livestream organised and operational on the day are myriad, says Carrie Wootten, co-founder of the Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto which is behind the On Air project, speaking to SVG Europe. “One is the technical workflows, just from a pure engineering perspective,” she notes. “Making sure that all of the suppliers that we’ve got in that chain are all integrated and we get that feed to YouTube, and that the YouTube feed stays consistent and live for the 24 hours.”

She adds: “Integrated with that is the editorial policy and compliance issues. We’ve created a channel that we want to be pre-watershed, because it could be pre-watershed anywhere in the world. We want the students to be thinking about this as a broadcaster, and we want to ensure that they’ve got some parameters that they’re working with.”

Carrie Wooten, co-founder at Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto, which is behind the On Air project

Time and effort

A further challenge has been the logistics of organising so many people, Wootten states. She  notes: “Just coordinating with everybody around the world, making sure that they know what they’re doing, all of the technical process and systems that they need to put in place, the content that they’re producing, making sure that the content is slightly different so it’s not all just game show, game show, game show across the whole 24 hours, has been challenging!”

The people donating their time and effort to make the day run smoothly are key to the venture, Wootten says. “None of this would be possible without an amazing group of industry volunteers. There are people that have worked exceptionally hard to make this happen, and it wouldn’t have happened without them. From an engineering point of view, from scheduling, from play out, to everybody’s who’s been attending meetings on a Friday morning for the last six months to ask, “what is it we need, what are the gaps in the workflow, who do we need to bring in, what do we need to put in place?”.

“It’s just pure dedication, passion, and enthusiasm; none of it would be happening without them. The project will be successful due to them and their expertise and their knowledge, and the pure drive for wanting to support the younger generation,” Wootten says.

Each of the 18 locations for the broadcast get no more than 60 minutes of live airtime. Universities have been compiling filler content for the remainder, and Wootten says that just the links from location to location as well as presenter introductions and the like will easily devour the rest of the time.

Collaborative tech

More than 500 students are now confirmed to participate across every stage of the media workflow, from content creation and live production through to playout, distribution, and post production. At the heart of the project will be cloud-based workflows powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), FAST channel methodologies, and AI tools deployed in areas such as subtitling, editing, ad creation and content generation.

On Air will be the first use in production of a Time Addressable Media Store (TAMS) based on the opensource API specification from BBC R&D. Using the AWS reference implementation and opensource tools, the whole live programme output will be recorded using Techex tx darwin as a single item into the store.  With TAMS students worldwide will have real time access to the ingested content, enabling them to create social media clips and edited segments as the broadcast progresses.

In addition to the main university-led broadcast, On Air will also feature a dedicated segment developed in partnership with CNN and Wandsworth Council as part of its year as London Borough of Culture 2025. Part of a year-long journalism programme to develop creative skills Year 8 students from 17 secondary schools in the borough will take part in media academies and contribute to a live segment filmed at CNN’s London studio, giving them a first taste of broadcasting in a professional environment. CNN Academy Abu Dhabi – the network’s initiative to empower and upskill emerging talent in the Middle East region – will also provide an hour of original programming, further supporting On Air’s mission to offer meaningful access and hands-on experience to emerging talent across the globe.

Expanded network

The initiative has also expanded its partner network, now supported by more than 20 organisations including recent additions, NEP and Convergent DS. Recent additions include .monks, Boxer, Clear-Com, DTG, IABM, InSync, OOONA, IPLocker, BCNXXT. They join existing supporters AI Media, Aski-Da Taldea, AWS, B&Co, Deluxe, IBC, ITV Studios (Media Partner), Levira, OTTRED, Platform Communications, Provys, Ravensbourne University London, SMPTE (Education Partner), Tag Video Systems, Tanooki, Techex, and Vizrt.

Also supporting the event is Rise Academy, which is doing so as part of its commitment to inspiring, educating, and informing young individuals about the diverse pathways and opportunities within the media technology sector.

Confirmed universities/locations include: AFDA; Cape Town;  Baltic Film and Media School; BTS Audiovisuel Bayonne-Biarritz; California State University LA; CNN Academy Abu Dhabi; De Anza College; San Francisco; Grafisch Lyceum; Rotterdam; Griffith University; Brisbane; Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart (SMPTE); Lycée René Cassin – Biarritz; Medieklyngen – Media Cluster Norway; Montgomery College; Washington; University of Sao Paulo in partnership with Faculdade Casper Libero; University of Surrey; TAFE NSW (SMPTE); University of York and Whistling Woods Mumbai with Ravensbourne University London as the central hub for master control room, playout control and operations.

Ravensbourne University has taken on a triple whammy on the day, with its own one hour of content going out live, as well as hosting an alumni event that will be broadcast on the channel, and additionally, they are managing the channel over the 24 hours. Ravensbourne students are working in two 12 hour shifts to cover the 24 hours.

Jon Kinsbury, vice chancellor at Ravensbourne University London, said on the project: “We are delighted that Ravensbourne University London is at the heart of On Air, serving as the project’s technical headquarters. Our students are playing a central role in ensuring the success of this global broadcast, working at the cutting edge of media production.”

How to Watch

On Air will stream live worldwide on YouTube from 16 to 17 October 2025. The broadcast will remain available afterwards, ensuring employers, mentors and educators can continue to engage with the content and connect with students.

Audiences can already subscribe to the channel at youtube.com/@mediatalentmanifesto to receive updates and reminders, and to make sure they don’t miss the start of the broadcast.

To find out more, including how to get involved, visit: http://mediatalentmanifesto.com/on-air