Live TV’s next reroute: from dishes and dark fiber to IP
Caretta Research, in partnership with Zixi, released a white paper reporting that broadcasters and sports organizations are shifting live video distribution and contribution from satellite and fibre toward IP- and cloud-based workflows. The report cites drivers including US C-band satellite spectrum reallocation and broader cost and streaming-demand pressures, and highlights use cases such as scaling live sports production, adding camera angles, and distributing to more affiliates and platforms with monitoring/orchestration tools.
Key Takeaways
- Caretta reports live operations are moving master control and contribution feeds to IP/cloud to scale beyond OB trucks and fixed control rooms.
- In the US, C-band satellite spectrum reallocation is a major catalyst; elsewhere, economics and streaming expansion are pushing the transition.
- Sports workflows are a primary beneficiary: more simultaneous events, more camera angles, and wider affiliate/platform distribution (examples cited: Sky, NHL).
- Operational tooling is becoming central—monitoring, orchestration, and automation are positioned as the “broadcast-grade” layer for multi-protocol IP delivery (e.g., Zixi).
Why It Matters
This isn’t just “satellite replaced by IP”—it’s live video becoming software-defined. That shift changes who captures value: spend moves from fixed circuits and hardware to platforms that deliver reliability, observability, and automated control across messy public networks. For streamers and rightsholders, IP-native contribution lowers the marginal cost of extra feeds (alt cams, pop-up channels, regionalized versions), which directly supports product differentiation and ad/commerce experimentation. The emerging meme: live operations are turning into cloud ops—teams that treat contribution like a programmable network will out-ship those stuck in transport-era economics.
Read full article at tvbeurope.com
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