Background
The United Center is home to the renowned NBA team – the Chicago Bulls and a host of other concerts and special events throughout the year. With capacity for over 23,000 people, the venue was at the forefront of the recent Democratic National Convention (DNC). The large-scale event included a global media presence, tens of thousands of attendees, and high-profile politicians, entrepreneurs, and celebrities that included the Obamas, Oprah, Pink, Spike Lee, Mark Hammill and more!
"I can’t thank you guys enough, right now if we didn’t have your (SIM) card, there’s no way our reporter would be on air right now in the bowl"
LiveU Customer in Milwaukee
The Challenge
The nearly 30-year-old venue underwent an update in 2023, but anyone who works in news – especially around a contentious election knows – that even when the venue is modern, connectivity can still be a challenge. Add 20,000 attendees using their phones and hundreds of broadcasters and MMJs trying to cover the speeches live and you’ve got a real bandwidth concern.
"I just wanted to send out a note saying how great the support was during the DNC. From the on-site assistance at the United Center with the spare packs, to the remote assistance we received throughout the week and leading up to the event. This all led to helping us execute at the highest level and it was very much appreciated."
LiveU Customer in Chicago
The Solution
LiveU has been integral to US Presidential Election coverage for 18 years, continuously innovating to meet global demands. In partnership with Pente Networks, we developed LiveU Private Connectivity, ensuring uninterrupted, reliable service, even during high public network use. Our goal was to help customers capture key moments of the DNC in top quality for efficient transmission and distribution.
This private connection enhanced our customers‘ LiveU field encoders by adding a secure, managed cellular option, avoiding WiFi instability and public network limitations. On-site LiveU engineers ensured flawless execution, enabling broadcasters to focus on delivering critical convention news.
"Thanks for your help! That modem saved us last night."
LiveU Global Cable News Customer
LiveU EcoSystem Proves Crucial for DNC REMI Production
LiveU customer, BC Live Productions was entrusted with managing all remote transmissions for the DNC. The team managed live conversations from the DNC stage at the United Center to delegates, civil service workers, and watch parties across the US. To ensure seamless execution, the team integrated various technologies including LiveU encoders, transceivers, and Video Return to support the multi-camera remote production.
“LiveU has built this wonderful infrastructure where we can take remote hits from anywhere in the world and ensure high-quality transmission. At BC Live Productions, the quality of our video transmissions and our work is of the utmost importance. LiveU’s innovations and their consistent product reliability have us rely on them frequently.” – Alon Rogenstein, Technical Producer, BC Live Productions.
LiveU CTO, Dan Pisarski led the development of this important service offer. “Having this’ ad hoc’ private mobile network solution means we can provide this service almost anywhere, and deploy it quickly, giving our customers new creative options as they share the stories of the day,” he commented
With the Presidential Election poised to be the biggest news event of the year, LiveU predicts that it will break records in terms of continuous simultaneous live video transmissions, so now is a good time to get in touch with us to hear how our advanced connectivity options can give you the edge in November.
