As local sports popularity rises, broadcast innovation in India continues apace

While European and US audiences may be witnessing a growing Indian fan base for international leagues like the English Premier League, a fascinating shift is happening within India itself. The country’s burgeoning middle class is developing a strong appetite for local sports, extending beyond the highly popular Indian Premier League (IPL) to include the Indian Super League (ISL), Kabbadi, field hockey, and vibrant regional cricket leagues, amongst others. This surge in interest comes amidst India’s bid for the 2036 Summer Games and its recent successful hosting of the U-17 Women’s World Cup, both hinting at the nation’s growing role in the global sporting landscape.

A leader in live sports broadcasting
As the passion for local sports grows, India continues to strengthen its live sports broadcast and production capabilities. Much of this progress can be attributed to innovation associated with the IPL and the attraction of top-tier sponsors. On a recent trip to India, which included a visit to the Broadcast India conference and meetings with leading broadcasters and rights owners, I was deeply impressed by the expertise, knowledge, and facilities that now power high-quality live sports productions across the country. Broadcasters like Sports18 are a testament to this, boasting well-equipped broadcast hubs that deliver exceptional live sports experiences for viewers.

Through conversations with industry experts during my visit, a consistent message emerged – local production and broadcast professionals are prioritizing cost-effective, efficient, and reliable live production solutions. This focus aligns perfectly with the capabilities offered by innovative broadcast technologies like LiveU.

Bridging the connectivity gap
While cellular infrastructure in rural parts of India may not yet guarantee seamless video transmission, highly reliable connectivity solutions are possible using Wi-Fi or local area networks (LAN) for fixed venues. Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity can also be a promising option, where available. The latter is increasingly available through local providers, and is emerging as complementary to cellular bonding for LiveU clients. Looking ahead, as India’s 5G rollout expands beyond major metropolitan centers, it will usher in a new era of low-latency, highly reliable video transmission, enabling seamless live streaming, cloud production, and remote production.

Today, bonded cellular solutions remain fundamental for the transmission of shoulder content – capturing interviews and behind-the-scenes footage before and after the action on the field of play. This approach ensures high-quality transmission even in remote locations.

Empowering local sports broadcasting in India
LiveU’s success stories in India highlight the value our technology brings to the broadcast landscape. Take the example of ANI, a leading news agency, which utilized LiveU solutions with support from our partner Lamhas, to deliver exceptional live coverage of India’s elections to international broadcasters. Similarly, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), a popular cricket team, have tapped into LiveU technology to enhance fan engagement through live interactive experiences. Sportzworkz, a prominent sports production company, also utilized LiveU, with support from our partner ARK Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd., to deliver high-quality broadcasts of the Hero Women’s Indian Open, allowing fans worldwide to witness the action unfold.

We continue to innovate in response to the demand in India for cost-effective, efficient, and reliable live production solutions. Recently, we introduced a new lightweight sports production solution that allows a single operator to effortlessly manage a fully featured sports broadcast from a single screen. By combining LiveU’s single- or multi-camera field encoders, mobile data, and cloud-based production, the solution offers an extremely cost-effective option that eliminates the need for extensive setups, trucks, or satellite uplinks. The solution transforms every sports event into an opportunity to cultivate a dedicated fan base, enabling sports organizations of all sizes throughout India to expand their digital reach and increase fan engagement.

LiveU will further empower broadcast capabilities in India with the introduction of our LiveU IQ (LIQ™) solution later in 2025. This groundbreaking technology utilizes AI-optimized connectivity, promising even greater resilience and performance for video transmission over any network.

A bright future for Indian sports broadcasting
India’s burgeoning domestic sports landscape is mirrored by an equally dynamic broadcast production industry. With a growing demand for local sports content, broadcasters are turning to innovative technologies like LiveU to deliver efficient, reliable, and high-quality live broadcasts

As 5G infrastructure continues to expand and AI-powered solutions gain traction, the future of Indian sports broadcasting looks bright. With the combined passion of fans and the commitment to pioneering broadcast technology, India is set to continue its leading position in live sports broadcasting.