Why TV Broadcasters Need the Internet More than Ever
The Internet is becoming an increasingly crucial tool for TV broadcasters across the world. As technology improves, more and more consumers are going online to watch live broadcasts or to find information about the TV show they are enjoying.
Most of the country’s major broadcasters have realised this, which is why they have all significantly boosted the amount of content being made available online. Gone are the days where the majority of the public will wait until the evening news to find out the latest events around the world. Media companies are now expected to be posting up-to-the minute coverage on their websites. What this means is that TV production crews are now consistently in need of a secure internet connection on set.
Satellite Internet
Although 3G and 4G mobile communications technology allows for a reasonably reliable connection, it’s not yet of a good enough quality for the country’s biggest broadcasters to rely on it. Those who are planning on broadcasting to thousands of viewers online need a high-quality satellite internet connection.
This sort of connection is often provided via a satellite Internet van. The vans have a big satellite disk on their roof and a control room, with all the equipment needed to deliver dependable online footage, in its trunk. These vans, complete with crew, are available to rent on a one-off basis.
Usage
A high-quality Internet connection will allow TV production crews to stream footage directly on to their company website. Improved bandwidth has increased both the quality and the popularity of these events. Hundreds of millions of people across the world are thought to have watched the royal wedding online. In spite of the extensive TV coverage afforded to the event, the majority of them were from the UK. Barack Obama’s inauguration and the 2010 World Cup final were amongst the world’s other most-highly-downloaded streams.
A high-quality Internet connection will allow TV production crews to have an alternative means of communication with their colleagues in an emergency. It will allow them to send footage or copy back to their online team with ease or even update their company websites with a short news story themselves. This is perhaps most crucial in countries with poor mobile internet access.
Live-blogging has become increasingly common in recent years, especially by journalists covering important news or sports events as they happen. The majority of sports matches, major political statements or large public events are now live-blogged by mainstream media organisations. Most popular live TV entertainment shows, such as ‘The X Factor’ and ‘The Eurovision Song Contest’ are reported online in this way as well.
The future
Although live TV and television news doesn’t appear or be going anywhere any time soon, we have reached an age where many people are turning to the internet as their first port of call for the latest updates on the things that matter to them. This has led to satellite internet solutions becoming essential for any serious media organisation. Although other forms of mobile internet are improving, this looks set to be the case for the next few years at least.
Related information: Satellite Internet by Satellite Information Services