Live TV events, especially sports, create an unrivalled buzz, anticipation and excitement among viewers the world over, but there are three major trends that the live production sector needs to recognize and address to ensure continued success. The rise in popularity of Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) services is the first, underlining that consumers want more content – and more choice. The second is a greater focus on improved sustainability and employees’ wellbeing. Traditional live production set-ups require huge amounts of equipment and a large crew to be transported to the live location – not to mention several days’ worth of set up and take-down time. Finally, consumers are prepared to pay for fresh content, principally live sports. The trouble when it comes to live content – particularly sports – is that, as the cost of producing more live coverage is driven up by surging demand, it is not being met by the price that consumers are willing to pay. When you add in the rising outlay for hotly contested rights, the pressure is on broadcasters to find ways to produce more content more affordably – without compromising on quality.
