Since its launch in 2013, BT Sport has used technology to differentiate its product and compete with market leader Sky Sports. Mobile streaming, 4K ultra-high definition (UHD), and virtual reality (VR) are some of the innovations it pioneered during this period.
The next step in this evolution is remote production and 5G, technologies that promise to change the way sport is consumed and produced. That's why BT sought to transfer Matt Stagg from EE to BT Sport and fill the newly created role of mobile strategy director.
"I was the only man in the (mobile) sector who specialized in sports," he told TechRadar Pro. Stagg is speaking at the IBC event in Amsterdam, where BT Sport is presenting one of the first live multi-site live shows in 5G.
5G Broadcast
EE and BT Sport hosted the first 5G offering in November, with the EE Wembley Cup becoming the first sporting event in the world to be broadcast using 5G-enabled remote production.
Since then, EE has commercially launched 5G in several major UK cities, promising faster and more reliable mobile broadband for consumers and businesses. However, future iterations of the standard will reduce latency and enable network splitting, a feature that allows operators to connect a part of the network to a specific user to guarantee performance.
These features will enable a new range of commercial applications, but Stagg thinks 5G is ready for broadcasters. 5G not only has much higher capacity than 4G, but for now it also has relatively few users.
"From a use case point of view, streaming is one of the most exciting and developed 5G applications," he said. "There are ways to prioritize and ensure performance and reliability without cutting the network."
Transforming production
Remote production is a much more efficient method of producing live sports coverage. It allows BT Sport to deploy fewer camera operators at matches, allow staff to take part in multiple events a day while being in one centralized location, and it's quicker.
To illustrate, BT Sport coverage of the National League is now being produced remotely. Stagg freely admits that the adoption of the technology was based on efficiency and that he hadn't even thought of creative options.
"For me, it's about creativity," says Gemma Knight, Match Director at BT Sport. "We can make these cameras do a lot of things." For less important competitions like the National League that give us more access, we can interview a manager at home in the morning, take a seat on the team bus, and then cover the game with the same camera.
"We rely on animal feed and remote production gives us a better balance of life." I can wake up, have breakfast with my son, run a game, then create a highlight show, and then put him to bed. It's amazing. "
BT Sport attaches great importance to the fact that the historic transmission of the National League is the oldest of any football competition in the UK. It airs every Saturday at 19:30 p.m., while the broadcaster has increased the number of games featured.
Even on a Premier League ground where fiber connectivity is available and where BT Sport has a bigger presence outside of broadcast, the use of 5G will open up a range of creative options hitherto impossible or unrealistic.
At IBC, BT put the technology in action, connecting reporters from Arsenal, Chelsea home stadiums and Manchester City on 5G.
(Image credit: future)
end to end chain
For Stagg, the demo highlights the benefits of being able to control every part of the content journey, from production to distribution.
"Every stage of the journey is (internal). We want our content to be perfect for all BT Sport customers, whether they're in the US or not. We can make it work on our network because we can optimize it."
"It was the only company in the UK and one of the few in the world that had a mobile phone network, a fixed network, a sports broadcast division and a broadcast and media division. We must be able to exploit these technologies and our investments ."
"There were so many things in the sport and mobile divisions, but (when these efforts are combined), they represent a sum greater than its parts."
All broadcasters will benefit. Although BT Sport is a major internal client, BT's Broadcast and Media division works with companies such as the BBC and Sky.
"We have some of BT's best mobile workers (at BT Sport)," says Stagg. "We want to make sure that we evolve the final radio networks that we serve (our customers). 5G is so good, we're ready to put our content on it."
And consumers will benefit from better coverage in stadiums. Although operators and sports organizations have repeatedly tried to improve connectivity in stadiums, mobile networks are often overwhelmed by demand, as anyone who has already tried to check scores at halftime can attest.
With 5G, increased capacity means fans can actually access apps, including streaming and social media. According to Stagg, the popularity of platforms like Instagram and Facebook had somewhat taken the industry by surprise and sparked renewed interest in uplink capabilities.
It will take time for 5G to reach the country. EE 5G is currently available in parts of London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester. Ten more locations are planned before the end of 2019.
But if you live near a National League club, it may be sooner if BT needs 5G to power remote production.
"We have an opportunity to influence the 5G roadmap," says Stagg. "Fans will also have a better experience."