ESPN India Commends the Performance of LiveU's LU600 HEVC at the FIFA World Cup™ in Russia

LiveU has always earned its reputation by delivering cutting-edge technology solutions and flawless performance in even the most testing of circumstances.

At this year's FIFA World Cup Championship, LiveU managed to break all its previous records. LiveU released its live broadcasting figures for the FIFA World Cup™ in Russia with 485 units onsite used by customers from over 40 countries. The numbers have doubled, and even tripled, since the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ – including over 15,000 hours of live broadcasting, over 30,000 live sessions and 36TB of live transmission – with LiveU's LU600 4K HEVC solution enabling customers to broadcast more hours with less data.

With numerous interviews of players, fans and spectators and exciting behind-the-scene captures, LiveU has successfully grasped the essence and atmosphere of this truly global event with daily live feeds.

One of the biggest sports broadcasters – ESPN India – was present in Moscow to catch all the live action of FIFA WC 2018 with the LU600 HEVC.

Live feeds captured on the ground needed to be sent back to India to be broadcast live on Sony Pictures Networks India. Flexibility, mobility and signal reliability were the three main requirements and LiveU was able to pass with flying colours. 

"We used LiveU units throughout the tournament to capture live feeds that were sent back to India to be broadcast live on Sony Pictures Networks India. Our experience was really good – even at crowded locations where there were issues of network congestion. Sending live feeds back to India was seamless with no technological glitches," said Suketu Mehta, a Multimedia Producer with ESPN, India.

The other two features of the LU600 HEVC that were highlighted were its form-factor and cost effectiveness.

"There was a time when the live TV experience involved the use of heavy and bulky equipment and a huge crew. Now it has been replaced by this small, portable, easy-to-carry solution that fits in a backpack. The compact chassis is what makes it one of the most portable solutions. You can literally carry it anywhere," Mehta said. "Thank you LiveU for your rock-solid support!"

LiveU was able to provide customers with bandwidth guarantees for superior connectivity in the 11 host cities. The offering provided a special add-on priority SIMs package for streaming high-quality live video, enabling customers to reach 20Mbps uplink and deliver HD live feeds even from the most crowded locations. LiveU had a dedicated technical team on site, managing the logistics and providing 24/7 support, with two designated distribution centers in Moscow and St Petersburg.