ATLANTA—CP Communications, with the help of Radio Active Designs’ UV-1G wireless intercom systems, covered the whole nine yards of Super Bowl LIII events, before, during and after the big game.

CP Communications was tapped with handling wireless audio transmission for pre-and post-game events handled by NFL Network, CBS Sports and ESPN. For that, company utilized nine UV-1G base stations and 40 RAD bodypacks.

The UV-1G wireless intercom systems feature bodypacks that operate in the VHF band. With Enhanced Narrow Band technology, the UV-1G offers RF channels with a bandwidth of 25 kHz similar audio characteristics of a traditional FM system. The system also provides roaming for 600 meters.

Other features that assisted CP Communications during their week-long productions included the scene change feature, which allows each pack up to 40 talk paths and the ability to communicate with 20 wired comm channels. There is also base linking for matrix-like functionality with up to 18 inputs/24 outputs and audio routing to/from packs. Users can also change belt pack parameters, including radio frequencies, button assignment, talk paths and audio channel via software with intuitive UI.

The RAD products were a key part of CP Communications’ coverage of Super Bowl events like Super Bowl Opening NIght and post-game ceremonies and shows.

NEW YORK—Day-after conversations around the water cooler about sporting events inevitably come around to “did you see that play” or “call”—and when it comes to the Super Bowl, “commercial.”

However, no one ever thinks to ask “when did you see that” –no one except for real-time streaming specialist Phenix. The company, which has created its own spin on WebRTC to power live video streaming at scale with about 500 milliseconds of latency, is keenly aware of the when, especially when it comes to Super Bowl LIII.

“On average, there was a streaming delay ranging from 30 to 47 seconds depending on the platform,” says Jed Corenthal, CMO of Phenix.

To arrive at that finding, Phenix compared the time plays actually occurred on the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to when the same play began on eight platforms used to stream the game, including the CBS Sports App, NFL.com, Xfinity, CBSSports.com, YouTube TV, the NFL App, CBS All Access and the Yahoo Sports App.

The company released its findings Feb. 5 in the form of two online graphs, one laying out the averages for measured lag behind real-time for Super Bowl 2019 and the other presenting the measured audience drift –or ranges of lag for viewers on the same platform—for the game.

More than 800 data points were collected for the eight streams on multiple devices, such as laptop computers, smartphones and tablets. Each was compared by measuring the delay behind the over-the-air, cable or satellite TV signal.

To establish the start times for each sampled play, a Phenix researcher in the stadium reported on a cellphone when measured plays actually began, explains Corenthal, adding that using the cellphone created about 40 to 50 milliseconds of latency.

Some 20 people around the country using different digital devices and streaming platforms then recorded when the same play began on the streaming devices. Measurements were taken throughout the game.

Phenix found that the CBS Sports App performed best among the streaming platforms with an average of 28.2 seconds of latency compared to the on-field game. On the other end of the continuum was the Yahoo Sports App with an average of 46.7 seconds of latency.

The study also looked at audience drift, or the range of lag viewers on the same platform experienced. YouTube TV recorded the greatest drift with 107.8 seconds, while the NFL App with 69.3 seconds recorded the least drift.

The culprit is HLS, or HTTP Live Streaming, which “wasn’t designed for real time,” says Corenthal.

“They [HLS-based platforms] may be able to do things to it that alter the latency of their particular stream, but when you add up the encoding, the content delivery and all of the points along the way, what happens in HLS is you are kind of relegated to a certain amount of latency because that is the way the technology is built,” he says.

Latency may or may not be a problem for viewers, but any Super Bowl fan who was watching the game on traditional TV and also turning to a smartphone or tablet for the game likely saw the effects of streaming latency firsthand.

“Look, for some people that’s OK. It’s not a big deal. But what we are seeing is the general fan is getting tired of that; tired of streams that are behind; streams that are buffering,” says Corenthal.

“The good news is most of the streams had pretty good quality, and quality and scale have been the first two pegs of the triangle that have been somewhat solved. It’s when latency is added –all three pegs of quality, scale and latency—that’s where these platforms come up a bit short in our estimation.”

More information is available on the Phenix website.

CBS’s coverage of Super Bowl LIII drew 100.7 million viewers across all platforms, down 2.6 percent from 103.4 million viewers last year.

According to Fast Total Audience Estimates from Nielsen, the New England Patriots’ low-scoring victory over the Los Angeles Rams was watched in all or part by 149 million people age 2 and up.

Streaming the Super Bowl set records. The average minute audience was 2.6 million viewers, up 31 percent from last year. The game was seen on 7.5 million unique devices, up 20% from last year, and viewers consumed more than 560 million total minutes of live game coverage, up 19 percent from last year.

CBS said Super Sunday delivered the biggest day even for new subscriptions to CBS All Access. Sign ups were up 84 percent, unique viewers rose 46 percent and there was a 76 percent increase in time spent on CBS All Access.

CBS said that for its owned stations in Los Angeles and Boston, this year’s game was the highest rated Super Bowl ever.

Following the game, CBS drew 22.22 million viewers for The World’s Best, best ever for CBS. The Late Show drew 5.52 million viewers, its third highest total ever.

The lower viewership was matched by estimates that CBS drew fewer ad dollars for the Super Bowl.

Kantar Media’s preliminary estimate for in-game ad revenue for Super Bowl LIII is $382 million, down 6 percent from $408 million in last year’s game The record was set in 2017, when the Super Bowl went into overtime and Fox rang up revenues of $419 million, according to Kantar.

Data and analytics company iSpot.TV estimates that advertisers spent $391 million on in-game spots on CBS during the Super Bowl.

DENVER—Call it a sign of the times –21 percent of Super Bowl LIII viewers will stream the game this year, a 160 percent increase from the 8.1 percent who did so for last year’s content, according to the results of a new survey from digital marketing agency Adtaxi.

The finding, part of Adtaxi’s annual Super Bowl Viewership and Consumer Streaming Trends Survey, underscores the growing reliance consumers are placing on streaming media as a source of live television, including sports.

“As new streaming services and content options emerge left and right, consumers are increasingly finding that their television needs can be met entirely through digital platforms—including watching live sports,” said Chris Loretto, EVP of Adtaxi. “Based on the exponential shift in our data, we may well see a day when Super Bowl streaming overtakes traditional TV viewership completely.”

Other Super Bowl related findings include:

• 68 percent they will use some other media platform to engage with Super Bowl content while watching. 78 percent will use social media; 30 percent will use group chats; 28 percent will visit sports websites and 15 percent will access online forums.
• 53 percent said they are looking forward to the game; 27 percent are looking forward to the commercials; and 20 percent are most excited about watching the halftime show.

Other results:

• 61 percent of respondents said they would not miss cable TV if forced to give it up forever. Additionally, 64 percent plan to cancel their cable subscriptions at some point in favor of streaming content; 41 percent said they will do so this year;
• 60 percent said their reason for transitioning to streaming was to save money; 43 percent was to watch on their own schedule; 43 percent to binge watch TV; 36 percent to avoid traditional TV commercials; and 27 percent said to get to the content they prefer. (Respondents could choose more than one reason.)

The online survey was done by polling 1,000 people across country. Adtaxi said the demographics represented a broad range of household income, geographic location, age and gender

ATLANTA—For the first time in its history, CBS Sports will deploy multiple 4K and 8K cameras at the Super Bowl to provide close-ups and alternative viewing angles for NFL fans.

CBS will use a total of 115 cameras including 16 cameras with 4K capabilities as well as nine Sony 4800 camera systems strategically placed around the stadium. The cameras will provide additional live game camera angles, and give the production the ability to replay key moments of the game in a super slo-motion and an HD cut-out with zoomed-in perspectives with minimal resolution loss.

This is not the first time 4K has been used in the Super Bowl; NBC deployed a number of 4K cameras for its coverage of Super Bowl LII in 2018. 

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For the first time in a live network broadcast, multiple 8K cameras will be deployed in the endzone to cover the game (in what the network calls a “highly-constructed engineering solution”).

To provide virtual coverage, CBS will use a live, wireless handheld camera showing augmented reality graphics and up-close camera tracking on the field. This will allow the camera to get closer to these virtual graphics in a way that gives viewers different perspectives and angles including “never–before-seen” field level views of these graphics.

CBS will utilize four cameras (including the SkyCam) with live augmented reality graphics, plus an additional 10 cameras with trackable first-down-line technology. In all, 14 cameras creating virtual graphic elements that are completely manufactured will seamlessly blend in to the real environment of the broadcast.

Over 25 cameras will flank each endzone including HD cameras with super slo-motion capabilities, six 4K cameras, three goal post super slo-motion cameras shooting the backlines and 14 cameras embedded in pylons per each side of the field. A total of 28 pylon cameras will be a part of the 50-plus camera feeds from the endzones.

Super Bowl LIII will take place Feb. 3 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.