UK Production Company Over Exposed Deploys LiveU for Dynamic 5G Remote Production of Vitality London 10,000 Run

Using a range of LiveU solutions – including the multi-camera LU800 – Over Exposed partnered with Gravity Media to create BBC Red Button and streaming content

Long-time LiveU user and UK-based production company Over Exposed, turned to LiveU once again to create dynamic, viewer-engaging and highly cost-effective, 5G remote production coverage of the recent, iconic Vitality London 10K run. The run also integrated the British 10K Championships.

Over Exposed began using LiveU eight years ago and has continued to expand its use of the technology, moving from small streaming projects, through large-scale streaming events to broadcast use. The production company is known for its remote productions and overall outside broadcast work.  

It owns four units and expanded this to six in order to create the dynamic, mobile coverage of this event. Over Exposed deployed a mix of LU300 and multi-cam LU800 units. It provided the on-site technical facilities, acquisition of the feeds via LiveU and then the management of those feeds back to Gravity Media. Gravity Media’s remote production gallery received the feeds and handled the production – commentary, graphics and anything else required – before distributing to London Marathon’s YouTube channel and the BBC Red Button service.

Russell Martin, Co-Owner of Over Exposed, said, “This is a very well-established event and we have a strong relationship with the London Marathon. They posed the question as to how we could make the coverage as engaging and energetic as possible, and as cost-effectively. So, we did precisely that with LiveU. Because of the scale, having a partner of Gravity Media’s expertise was invaluable.”

Over Exposed used roaming cameras and LiveU units to allow presenters to move about freely because, as Martin said, the inherent mobility of the technology encourages this. “This gave us access that with a traditional OB truck would have been either impossible or prohibitively expensive,” he added. The company also used three motorbikes with LiveU units to follow the runners.

He said, “Again, this gave us unrivalled flexibility and cost reduction as otherwise we would have had to use a helicopter. You don’t need to spend vast amounts of money rigging equipment around London, which is, of course, also a logistical nightmare. You don’t need permissions for cranes or aircraft and so on. It is a far, far more cost-effective, efficient and flexible way of working: it allowed us to gather great content wherever we wanted. In combination with the resource saving that remote production allows, along with 5G, which is definitely a benefit, though LiveU works brilliantly with 4G too, this was a very successful project.”

Ryan Goad, Head of Communications at London Marathon Events, said, “The coverage achieved at the Vitality London 10,000 was excellent. The motorbike-based footage was crystal clear and helped to bring to life a fantastic collection of elite races, as well as give a real sense of the varying emotions of the thousands of mass participation runners that took part in the event. The cost saving that comes with using this technology also can’t be ignored given how significant it is.”

Malcolm Harland, LiveU UK Country Manager, said, “The way Over Exposed used our technology for this event is a real vindication of all the work LiveU has done across the sports market and beyond. Remote production, 5G – 4G, too – and LiveU is a formidable combination of technologies and workflows that ultimately benefits the viewer.”