Championships team takes pioneering approach to broadcasting to a global audience

European Championships Management (ECM) is pioneering the use of cloud technology to distribute live sports coverage to fans across the globe as part of its digital media strategy for the multi-sport European Championships Munich 2022.

Using the latest development in IP-based streaming, 14 live signals across all nine participating sports are being distributed directly to rights-holding broadcasters in multiple countries including France, Norway, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine.

Beyond Europe, ECM is taking an OTT (or Over The Top) approach to reach territories where there is no rights holder to broadcast the coverage of either the whole European Championships or a specific sport. These are known in the industry as “dark markets” and are reached via YouTube, DailyMotion, and Facebook.

The IP technology has also allowed for live streaming to the individual sports federation websites.

ECM digital consultant David Owen said: “The technology we are using to distribute live sport feeds during the Championships offers us greater flexibility and enables us to react quickly to requests from broadcasters.

“It also allows us to deliver event coverage to new markets and their viewers outside of Europe.”

Cloud technology has opened up the possibility of fast, efficient distribution of the broadcast signals in 1080P HD quality, allowing for the addition of individual stream-takers at short notice without difficulty.

It offers ECM the ability to manage access in real-time, while also being cost-effective and reliable.

Clement Vinet, of France Televisions commented on using the system: “We are very satisfied with the video quality and the system of ‘countdown’ before the start of the events. No issues to report, everything is going very well.”