No matter if you’re an established sports broadcaster looking to increase engagement, media company venturing into live streaming, or passionate fan, broadcasting sporting events live can be an incredible way to reach and connect with audiences. However, before diving in live stream event livestreams must follow certain key guidelines in order to be successful.

Selecting an effective platform Your selection of a host platform for your live stream can have a dramatic effect on its success, from better accommodating certain types of content to opening new monetization avenues for you.

An effective platform will equip you with all of the tools to reach and engage with your target audience, deliver an outstanding user experience and maximize monetization potential. A platform like YouTube Live provides free access and analytics that help improve broadcasts; but for livestream delivery to multiple devices or platforms it may be wiser to invest in professional hosting solutions instead.

Have the Right Gear

Sports broadcasting requires having the appropriate equipment. A camera capable of capturing fast-paced action will be key, while video switchers allow you to switch between various cameras quickly. Finally, tripods will help ensure stable shots during fast action shots.

As most sporting events take place outdoors, reliable internet connection will also be essential. A strong, stable cellular data signal or WiFi with good coverage are both great choices; additionally, you should bring along a backup internet source like a mobile hotspot just in case the venue’s internet goes offline unexpectedly.

Appropriate audio gear is essential in sports venues with ambient noise that could interfere with your audio output. A quality headset will filter out ambient noise so you can hear commentary and player voices clearly.

Participating viewers can increase engagement and viewership for your event by inviting them to comment and cheer for their teams on video. By adding live comment moderation features, you can ensure only appropriate comments appear.

For maximum monetization, offer your viewers a subscription model. This will allow true fans to purchase access to all events at once and can help increase ad revenues substantially. Using an experienced video streaming service provider like Dacast allows you to easily implement a paywall within your player; interested viewers simply enter their payment information directly within the video window before starting to watch, increasing ad revenues exponentially.