Betting on a New Way to Produce
How Tabcorp – Sky Racing went all-in on LiveU's IP-video remote production solution, transforming the way horse racing is broadcast from multiple tracks with cost-effective, high-quality live coverage
Background
Tabcorp is Australia’s largest gambling company ‘creating the most engaging betting and entertainment experiences business’. Its brands include TAB, Australia’s biggest multichannel wagering brand, Sky Racing, the largest aggregator and distributor of horse racing content globally, Sky Sport Radio and MAX, Australia’s leading gaming services provider. LiveU is working directly with the media arm, Sky Racing.
The Challenge: cost-effective production
Sky Racing covers over 160,000 live horse races per year, broadcasting live on 150 channels on a huge range of formats and producing its own content. They sought a cost-efficient, flexible IP remote production solution to replace traditional costly on-site methods, involving SNG trucks, OB trucks, and full crews. As well as causing heavy equipment ‘wear and tear’, the on-site production model incurred substantial travel, accommodation, and transport costs.
The Solution: IP remote production (REMI) solution
Tabcorp – Sky Racing turned to LiveU’s comprehensive IP remote production (REMI) solution, which provides high-quality, low latency and resilient live video transmissions at a significantly lower cost. Sky Racing now broadcasts horse races from eight tracks in Queensland (QLD), managed from its central production hub in Brisbane. They moved to a model where they designed a remote modular rack system with LiveU’s fixed encoders installed in all their venues.
The rack system can be turned on and tested remotely and from there the live feeds come directly into their centralized broadcasting hub. The production team can log in and support the system from anywhere in the world. Having a centralized hub has allowed further cost savings with certain staff being able to multitask between multiple venues (Director, CCU, Replay and Technicians for example).
2-in-1: Main feed & backup transmission
LiveU’s solution features LiveU’s multi-cam LU810 fixed encoders at each race track, supporting primary transmission of between 8 to 16 cameras (or other sources) per location, over high-speed WAN, sending up to four signals per device. For an extra layer of resilience, a cost-effective backup solution is in place using both LU810 encoders and separate LU810-M (modem) encoders connected via cellular. This set-up leverages the public internet for baseline reliability and can instantly switch to cellular if needed, removing the requirement for costly SNG backup trucks.
Effective Field-Studio Collaboration
Production teams stay in sync between the field and the hub using LiveU’s remote production tools, including Video Return, Audio Connect, and IP Pipe, which provides a secure data connection and camera control. From the central production hub, teams can monitor up to 36 live camera feeds from eight different race tracks simultaneously with LiveU’s Transceiver letting operators customize and control low latency return feeds for each track independently.
Solution Benefits:
Cost reduction
Using IP transmission over the public internet to drive up to 80% savings, & REMI workflow
High-quality, low latency production
Multi-angle coverage; syncing up to four feeds from a single rackmount encoder
Extra resiliency
Optional cellular bonding for extra resiliency or seamless failover
Flexible workflows
Advanced remote communication toolset including Video Return, IP Pipe and Audio Connect
"LiveU's remote production solution has transformed how we deliver live races in Queensland for aggregation and distribution to our domestic and international markets. By deploying their LU810 encoders across our tracks and using our production hub in Brisbane, we've achieved what was previously unthinkable – maintaining broadcast quality while significantly reducing operational costs and complexity. The system's resilience and low latency, with seamless cellular backup and flexible return feeds, ensures we never miss a moment of action while maintaining the feeds needed in both directions."
Jamie Ford, Technical Operations Manager – QLD, Tabcorp - Sky Racing
The Results
LiveU’s innovative remote production solution has provided significant cost reductions of up to 80%, significantly more affordable than traditional satellite/OB methods The flexibility of the LiveU EcoSystem has enabled the optimization of their resources on-the-ground and centrally – the teams can multi-task and one director can mix between different venues. High-quality, low latency live feeds from the various tracks are shared with fans worldwide, including Hong Kong, United States, and Europe, delivering a compelling viewing experience.
"We've ended up with a product that is cheaper, more reliable, and more resilient, it's got more features, lower latency and we have a significant reduction in costs. For us the LiveU solution ticked every single box that we had."
Ryan Osinga, Manager, Technical Services and Solutions, Tabcorp - Sky Racing
