PLANO, Texas – Learfield Sports today introduced LiveU – the leader in portable live video-over-cellular solutions – as its newest Preferred Solutions Provider (PSP), an exclusive collection of select technology partners endorsed by Learfield’s content group.
The collaboration will provide LiveU a greater opportunity for exposure in college sports with instant access to the more than 50 institutions and associations Learfield Sports represents. Learfield has owned multimedia rights to leading collegiate programs throughout the country for four decades, and has prominence in all of the major athletic conferences. The pairing also paves the way for volume discounting for Learfield partner schools and an unprecedented opportunity for them to stream more live content via the schools’ official digital platforms including websites and mobile applications. The content can be repurposed for use in other video distribution, such as social media and coaches’ shows, as well.
LiveU developed and patented the technology for cellular bonding for remote news gathering in the US and other countries. LiveU products allow colleges to stream live games and exclusive pre and post-game content year round, at a fraction of the cost of traditional uplink such as satellite or fiber lines at venues. LiveU’s product portfolio ranges from backpacks and camera-mounted units to external antennas, hybrid vehicle solutions, computer bonding software, and smartphone apps.
With LiveU, Learfield’s partner schools will be able to capture compelling live video content that is auxiliary to the games produced for TV, acquire live video streams from venues without internet connectivity to send to their streaming partners, and deliver high quality content to their websites instantly from anywhere. In addition to the individual partner school relationships, LiveU will provide stored video for Learfield Sports’ numerous content initiatives at the corporate level.
“OU has used LiveU for the last two years to transmit our coaches’ shows from remote locations back to our control room, and we’ve never had a glitch or drop out in over 80 shows,” said University of Oklahoma Athletics’ Assistant Athletic Director, Broadcast Operations Brandon Meier. “We also utilize LiveU for press conferences, live shots and any live content that originates off campus. The system is easy enough for our student production assistants to take out in the field and get a signal back every time.”
“LiveU is a forward-thinking company with an industry leading product that will serve the needs of our partner schools beautifully, as well as our own as we continue to expand our original content offerings,” said Joe Ferreira, Learfield Sports’ senior vice president, chief content officer. “When we launched the PSP program several months ago, our goal was to identify strategic partners in the technology and digital space that we can endorse and verify, making it a seamless process for our partner schools. At least 10 partner schools already have LiveU demo packs on campus and are seeing great results from this technology.”
“Becoming part of the Learfield PSP program is a very important step for LiveU,” says Tim Prukop, Head of Sports and New Media for LiveU. “Our company has made a huge commitment to the college sports market. So being vetted and selected by Learfield to be the preferred provider of this technology for its partner schools is an incredible endorsement. We believe we can guarantee the acquisition and delivery of compelling sports content for the growing digital platforms that are being created by schools and conferences around the country regardless of the internet connectivity available at or around the venues.”
About LiveU
LiveU is the pioneer of broadcast-quality, video-over-cellular solutions that allow live video transmission (HD and SD) from any location around the world. With top-tier customers in 60+ countries, LiveU’s solutions have been used for breaking news and high-profile events, including the 2012 US Presidential Campaign, London 2012 Olympics, Hurricane Sandy, 2011 British Royal Wedding, Japanese Tsunami, GRAMMY Awards® and Super Bowl. From backpacks to smartphones, LiveU offers a complete range of devices for live video coverage. LiveU’s solutions include multiple 4G LTE/3G, HSPA+, WiMAX and Wi-Fi cellular links, which are optimized for maximum video quality based on the available network conditions.
About Learfield Sports
In addition to Learfield’s individual rights relationships, it titles the prestigious Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup with award co-founders NACDA and USA Today. The company’s multimedia rights encompass numerous content distribution platforms to deliver the passion of college athletics across radio, television and digital networks to fans globally. Learfield Sports’ exclusive sports programming reaches more than 56 million television households nationally and delivers nearly 17,000 hours of radio programming on more than 1,100 radio stations. To learn more about its 40-year history and complete collegiate portfolio, visit www.learfieldsports.com.