HACKENSACK, N.J.—The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has awarded LiveU a five-year contract to deliver 24/7 live news content through its Eurovision News Exchange.

The exchange project is the next step in an ongoing transition from a previously satellite-only system towards IP-based contribution and hybrid distribution. The Eurovision News Exchange will rely on LiveU Matrix for delivery of its members’ live signals throughout Europe and beyond, LiveU said.

"The project marks a decisive step for the broadcasting industry, as major public service media embrace cloud-based IP workflows for faster, more sustainable and cost-efficient live news delivery,” said Emilio San Pedro, EBU head of Eurovision News Exchange. “LiveU’s Matrix platform enables us to connect Europe’s leading broadcasters better than ever and ensure seamless, future-proof live news delivery for audiences everywhere."

The project connects all members with LiveU technology, extending to more than 60 public service newsrooms in Europe and globally, the company said.

The exchange conducted a rigorous evaluation of the company’s LiveU Reliable Transport (LRT)-based delivery with Secure, Reliable Transport (SRT) capabilities and chose the platform for its reliability and scalability, it said.

The project includes a phased rollout—currently in its pilot phase with 15 members—of LiveU Ingest for cloud recording and shared content workflows across both primary and backup channels.

"Following a very tight and highly competitive selection process, we are delighted to partner LiveU to replace the Eurovision News Exchange live contribution and distribution system,” said Piotr Kaszynski, EBU program manager for the renewal of the Eurovision News Exchange live network, said.

“By the end of 2025, the new solution will bring greater flexibility and faster setup times, enabling our members [to have] continuous, reliable access to Eurovision News Exchange live signals,” Kaszynski added. “With LiveU Matrix seamlessly connecting on-prem and field units already used across the News Exchange, this will strengthen collaboration and deliver even more value to our Members and partners."

LiveU's Matrix IP distribution platform sits at the heart of this transformation, enabling seamless contribution and distribution of live news content among members and ad hoc sharing with other sources. The solution integrates 125 LiveU Transceivers deployed at member premises, with Dual Active (active/active) redundancy ensuring that two parallel streams—via cloud and transceiver—guarantee uninterrupted service in each location. This premium layer of Dual Active reliability enhances Matrix's capability to serve as a primary distribution system complement to backup satellite distribution, it said.

The multiregion, multivendor contingency plan relies on global cloud providers in the various regions, further supporting a highly resilient, multilayered architecture. Proactive monitoring is also included in the solution as well as the option to scale up the distribution channels for high-demand events, LiveU said.

Deployment began earlier this year. LiveU Matrix has already been used for major news events, such as the papal conclave. It will be completed in January 2026, when the EBU plans to gradually phase out its satellite contribution workflow and transition to a hybrid distribution and IP-based contribution. The official go-live date for the new IP-based network is set for Jan. 1, 2026, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

HACKENSACK, N.J.—The European News Exchange (ENEX) added an ad hoc channel to LiveU’s Matrix cloud-native IP video distribution platform, used for the first time in May to boost distribution of the 2025 papal conclave.

ENEX, which has used LiveU Matrix to deliver regular live feeds via three fixed channels to its alliance of more than 50 global commercial news members, wanted to scale distribution capacity for major world news broadcasts.

The news agency can expand its LiveU Matrix on an ad hoc basis at any time to give members a fast, flexible content sharing solution to meet growing demand for more cost-efficient, dynamic live news content, LiveU said.

Millions around the world watched coverage of the papal conclave, May 7-8, in multiple languages. ENEX members were able to grab feeds across the weekend as the cardinals completed the election process, which culminated in the famous white smoke signal from the Sistine Chapel chimney.

The LiveU Matrix makes it possible to share, receive and record high-quality, low-latency live feeds in the cloud. It can be accessed directly from a browser without the need for a satellite or fiber infrastructure, the company said.

The LiveU Matrix expansion follows ENEX‘s recent third two-year contract renewal with LiveU.

“LiveU is a market leader in live delivery. Most of our news media partners have decided themselves to utilize LiveU technology as part of their newsgathering capability,” ENEX Managing Director Adrian Wells said. “It makes perfect sense for ENEX to work with LiveU to leverage their solutions through the Matrix delivery network. LiveU continues to be a highly valued and trusted technology collaborator.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

HACKENSACK, N.J.—With all of the recent goings on at the U.S. Capitol, FedNet has had no shortage of live video coverage of proceedings and events that are shared with broadcasters across the country. To help manage all of this content, FedNet has been relying on LiveU technology.

FedNet is a credentialed news organization that provides multimedia content of Congress, pushing out more than 30 hours of live video of Senate and House debates, hearings, press conferences and special events; they also were critical in capturing footage of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

FedNet says that it has been using LiveU technology since the 2016 Presidential Conventions and eventually invested in LiveU dedicated transmission appliances to build out its infrastructure on the Hill. This was part of a move from traditional satellite technology.

Part of this infrastructure now includes the LiveU Matrix for IP content management and distribution. The IP feed option has made it easier to provide the live content FedNet captures to global broadcasters, FedNet says.

“Managing the content and its distribution is a no brainer when we are covering major news events,” said Keith Carney, FedNet president. “Broadcasters used to pay upward of six figures to access feeds. Now clients can access live feeds at a fraction of the cost and use the content they want. Many are already LiveU users, so it is a seamless process to deliver the live feeds to their receivers.”

The impact of the pandemic has caused less news organizations to send crews to the Capitol, which makes FedNet’s coverage a potential resource for many. FedNet says that Trinity Broadcasting Network and the Los Angeles Times recently picked up the Inauguration Day feeds.

For the Capitol riots, Carney said: “It was a scary moment, but it was our duty to make the live feed available to clients using LiveU to show how things unfolded that day. These major events demonstrate the importance of giving our clients a steady supply of content that they can use at a price they can afford.”

HACKENSACK, N.J.—The use of LiveU’s IP technology has shot up 100% in 2020, according to the company’s latest “State of Live” report.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing production procedures to adapt, LiveU has seen growth in the distribution of IP between TV stations nationally and internationally. Specifically, LiveU reports a 100% growth in the use of LiveU Matrix, the company’s IP content management and distribution platform. The number of global events using the LiveU Matrix has doubled, per the company.

According to LiveU, more than 1,000 LiveU customers made more than 30,000 broadcasts per month for local, national and international distribution, which the company says is a record.

LiveU cites the U.S. election as a contributing factor to this growth, with the LiveU Matrix helping to distribute 12,000 hours of content on election day.

“At the height of the pandemic, our customers were able to get around the challenges and deliver content that informed, engaged and entertained the public,” said Samuel Wasserman, CEO and co-founder of LiveU.

LiveU believes that there could be even more expansion in 2021 with major events like President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration and the Tokyo Olympics.

HACKENSACK, N.J.—Record turnout at the polls for the 2020 presidential election was covered by a record number of LiveU-equipped broadcasts, according to LiveU. The company said that more of its products were used and more live feeds provided than in any past election.

LiveU says that about 700 broadcasters from around the world used LiveU portable transmission technology, including the company’s HEVC units, LU-Smart app and LiveU Matrix. Compared to the 2016 election, LiveU has reported a 35% increase in portable transmission units’ usage to 2,764 units, as well as an increase of 30% in simultaneous live streams for a total of 1,760.

Nearly 500 customers relied on the LiveU Matrix for distributing 3,700 live feeds to local, national and global news broadcasts, LiveU reports. This totaled more than 12,000 hours of video over the course of election day, the company says.

In total, LiveU Vice President of Sales, Americas, Mike Savello, said that LiveU experienced 16,540 live streams on election night.

“This year has challenged our broadcast customers to approach live newsgathering in unique ways,” said Savello. “The pandemic has changed studio environments, crew allocation, budgets and workflows. What has remained consistent is LiveU’s ability to provide high-quality, flexible solutions that news organizations can rely on, especially to cover high-profile news and events.”

HACKENSACK, N.J.—As the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic, in the United States, governors in nearly every state are hosting daily live briefings to update citizens. In addition, local and regional municipalities also have an urgent need to distribute immediate public health and safety information live with local and national broadcasters, but also the need to do it in a safe manner, limiting exposure. By using LiveU cellular bonding and IP distribution, these live broadcasts can be shared seamlessly with local affiliates, national news outlets and social media without the need to send multiple reporters onsite to cover things like press conferences and updates for the community.

“LiveU portable transmission units have powered many of the live broadcasts from each state’s capitol building, a Navy ship docked in Los Angeles, medical centers, universities and countless other remote locations,” said Mike Savello, vice president of sales for the company. “LiveU HEVC portable transmission units and LU Smart app have allowed camera operators and mobile journalists to bring the latest news and number of confirmed cases to viewers around the US. The app helps bring in experts and commentators from remote locations to enhance the broadcast.”

LiveU Matrix takes content contribution and delivery a step further, enabling several governors to share their live feeds with all the broadcasters so they can pull in the content, view and distribute it to their local affiliates quickly. 

“Keeping the public informed during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a critical function of our administration,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “LiveU Matrix has allowed New York and Philadelphia market TV stations, as well as national news networks, to access our camera feed and broaden our reach to get crucial information to New Jersey residents.”

“The feeds have gone incredibly well and are being used on the air,” said Phil Tituis, director of broadcast engineering for PBS affiliate KUED in Salt Lake City. “LiveU support has been a rock and totally available for all my newbie questions.”

Orange TV, the Orange County, Fla., local channel in Orlando, is part of the Orlando Matrix Local Pool and the Florida Governor’s Pool in Matrix. 

“Thanks to companies like yours and professionals like yourself, we can still do our jobs and help other people,” said Mike Seif, station manager for Orange TV. “Thank you for all that you do!”

LAS VEGAS—Want to play some hoops? That will be an option on the floor of NAB Show 2020, as LiveU has announced it will highlight its range of live video production technologies at its LiveU Courtside Studio, which will feature a basketball court covered by multiple cameras.

The star of the studio is LiveU’s Wireless At-Home Production platform, which includes a number of production needs, like Tally Light and Return Video. Then it will show how content can be curated with the LiveU Matrix. It will also demonstrate how its LiveU Control app can enable users to control their LiveU units from anywhere.

This set-up from LiveU was used by the NBA, AT&T and Ericsson to bring 5G to the NBA Summer League’s live production in 2019, and the trio will be on hand at the Courtside Studio to discuss that experience.

In addition, the Courtside Studio will host live streamed interviews with innovators in content production, and LiveU has teased some surprise guests.

The 2020 NAB Show will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center from April 18-22. LiveU will be located at booth SU2615.

More information is available at www.liveu.tv. 

LiveU and NASA TV have joined forces for a live special broadcast on Friday 19th July celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing.

NASA’s Giant Leaps: Past and Future – Celebrating Apollo 50th as we Go Forward to the Moonwill see NASA TV broadcast live from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the restored Apollo mission control room at Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The live special will feature Apollo astronauts, scientists and engineers sharing personal reflections about journeying to the lunar surface.

The LiveU Matrix content management and distribution service will give broadcasters the ability to pick up the official NASA live feed over IP for free.

“We’re honored to help promote NASA’s amazing Apollo 11 Anniversary event,” said Mike Savello, LiveU VP of sales, Americas. “With LiveU Matrix, broadcasters can access high-quality live video and immediately distribute the content without sending a crew to cover the event. Instead, they can receive the official NASA feed and integrate components into their live newscast.”

The live show will take place on 19th July at 1 pm ET. Audiences can watch via the NASA Live website.