Within our sports stream production service, we stream numerous handball matches. We not only broadcast handball as part of our regular operations but also produce live handball matches when TV networks cannot allocate airtime for a game, yet organizers and teams aim to serve sponsors and viewers. After all, the reason doesn’t matter as much as the task at hand: for the MTK-Vasas Hungarian Cup match, we handled the stream production of this handball game with 5 cameras, sports graphics, replays, highlights videos, and interviews.
Sports stream production vs. streaming
We prefer to deliver our sports stream productions at a TV-level quality. Moreover, handball is an incredibly fast-paced sport, so instead of a single-camera minimal streaming approach, we opted for the classic multi-camera setup used in indoor sports. This allows us to capture the action from multiple angles. Each camera has a specific role, which is determined not by us, but by “tv-production requirements” and similar documentation based on decades of broadcast experience. Major international matches often feature 11-camera broadcasts, as outlined in the EHF broadcast plan. It also specifies the required graphics and standardized data to be displayed during live broadcasts.
If you’ve ever watched single-camera streaming, you’ve probably noticed that the streamer either shows a static shot where nothing is visible or tries to compensate for the lack of other cameras with zooming and quick movements, which provides a completely different experience.
Highlights and Interviews in Streaming Productions?
During sports broadcasts, we have become accustomed to seeing the best moments and goals in a music video-like format when there’s enough time. This is easily achieved with the advanced technology and personnel in the production trucks. However, in smaller, budget-friendly video setups, there may not be the necessary resources or, if there are, they are handled by a single person who has to multitask. In the case of single-camera streaming, this is not even an option.
The end-of-match highlights video is also part of our sports stream production service because, according to our philosophy, the channel of the broadcast should not only determine the technical parameters but also follow the same solutions that TV viewers are accustomed to. This sets your broadcast apart from amateur streaming.
Another characteristic of live broadcasts is conducting post-match interviews, which primarily relies on the floor manager and communication system to immediately coordinate the production team’s work and find the individuals who may be angry or euphoric and not necessarily eager to be interviewed.