Streaming at scale
How Spiideo Play powers Morawa Digital’s live streaming operations
We are able to – without any drawbacks – stream any game that we want to without worrying about the need for a camera operator.
Sports broadcasting was once only available to those at the very top of the sporting pyramid. Fans would only get to see the big events featuring the best teams, which offered the greatest revenue opportunities to broadcasters. But media companies – such as Morawa Digital – are now capturing live games at scale to serve publishers, clubs, and fans across all tiers of sports.
The Vienna-based broadcaster works with media partners such as Kronen Zeitung to capture, prepare and stream to fans across Austria. It also partners with individual clubs through a pay-per-view model. Typically these are smaller clubs that may hold less interest for broadcasters but wish to capitalize on the monetization opportunities live streaming provides.
Both of these operations rely on one solution: Spiideo Play, an automated live streaming platform. AutoFollow – AI game tracking technology – keeps track of the action and captures broadcast-worthy footage without the need for a camera operator. This intelligent camera system allows Morawa to cover games at scale, with thousands of games being captured with minimal human effort.
Overcoming the challenges of live streaming at scale
Given the volume of games being captured by Morawa, Spiideo’s automated solution is the foundation for success. The company captures as many as 15 concurrent streams simultaneously with just one person on hand to monitor the cameras.
Does it make sense for someone to stand for 90 minutes moving the camera back and forth? No, it makes sense to automate it
In previous projects, Rangger would typically rely on DSLR and handheld cameras to capture footage. While this did the job on a smaller scale, the process would prove messy and inefficient when scaled up.
It’s all the little things… The batteries need to be charged, the tripod needs to be assembled, parts get lost and take a few days to replace.
Now, fixed Spiideo cameras are placed at partner clubs’ venues. Connected to the internet and accessible through the cloud-based Spiideo Play platform, the set-up process has been reduced to a few clicks.
Why Spiideo Play?
When searching for an automated live streaming solution, it was important to Morawa that it offered the flexibility to use alongside its own tools and platforms. As well as streaming directly through the complete OTT platform, customers can also use Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) in Spiideo Play to connect their Spiideo cameras to an external streaming platform, whether directly to video sharing sites such as YouTube or alternative services such as Fan.at, a streaming platform operated by Morawa and Kronen Zeitung.
The setup is as simple as scheduling a broadcast through Spiideo Play and delivering the same high-quality footage.
To be able to stream it to our own platform without any boundaries was especially important, and the feedback is very good. What we hear a lot about the video quality, is that it’s a sharp, clean image.
An added incentive for Morawa’s partner clubs
Live streaming presents a valuable monetization opportunity to the clubs involved. Clubs that work with Morawa through its PPV model are able to generate revenue from their games by charging fans to access streams. Likewise, clubs can use Spiideo Play’s live production tool, CloudStudio, to show logos and advertisements during streams, generating additional revenue and increasing the appeal of club sponsorship opportunities.
Many clubs also show interest in Spiideo’s powerful video analysis solution. Powered by the same automated camera setup Morawa uses to capture live streams, the company offers access to Spiideo Perform as an incentive to its partner clubs.
The setup is as simple as scheduling a broadcast through Spiideo Play and delivering the same high-quality footage.
Spiideo offers a great synergy between us and our partner clubs — They give us the rights to stream their games and in return gain access to Spiideo Perform, the analysis platform.
Spiideo Perform removes common challenges associated with effective video analysis, such as camera setup, footage transfer and preparation, freeing up time for coaches to gather insights that support tactical and individual development. Using Spiideo Perform’s tagging, clipping and presentation tools, coaches and analysts can create useful, visual feedback that improves the quality of play on show during Morawa’s streams.
One club we work with – St Johann, a small club – say the ease of accessing footage through Spiideo Perform has improved their game by miles.