Reimagine the Sports Viewing Experience with Multi-Camera Feeds

Authored by Manik Bambha, CEO & President at ViewLift

Sports OTT platforms are rapidly replacing traditional TV as the preferred viewing option for fans, largely due to their superior experience. It was a matter of time before this shift happened, with games on demand, complete with social media integration leading to community experiences and the sheer variety of sports that streaming platforms offer.

But, until relatively recently, one thing remained unchanged – digital live-streaming feeds mirrored TV broadcasts. This made sense, as sports franchises and broadcasters had invested heavily in large production teams and celebrity commentators to churn out slickly packaged content. And, at a time when streaming audiences were just starting to make the shift from TV, they were comfortable with TV-like feeds on digital platforms.

However, in recent years, this dynamic has changed drastically. The new generation of sports fans are die-hard digital natives, with many never even owning a cable TV connection. Even cord-cutters have embraced streaming platforms after being wowed by the advanced features that linear TV could never offer them. Today's fans now regularly consume content on multiple screens, a behaviour that has created new opportunities for content owners to push the envelope and experiment with truly new age viewing experiences.

Multiple camera feeds: The next level of audience engagement

Sports fans crave engagement and immersive experiences with their favourite games and players. Digital platforms are capitalizing on a distinct advantage over linear TV – the ability for viewers to switch between multiple screens on the same or another device. This lets them stream numerous angles of the same live action, putting control of the viewing experience in the viewers' hands. The NBA, for example, offers alternate "Rail Cam" and "Courtside Cam" angles, and the Indian Premier League, too, is following suit.

But, where multiple camera feeds truly shine is in 'multi-ball sports' like golf and motorsports. Unlike 'single ball' sports like soccer, hockey, baseball, or cricket, where all the action is focused on a single point, multi-ball sports see action happening in different places. Each golfer, for example, is playing a different hole at the same time, and different drivers are jockeying for position on different parts of a track or rally route. By its very definition, Linear TV can only offer a fragmented view of the action, thanks to its reliance on a single, non-switchable screen. So, for example, a Scottie Scheffler fan is forced to watch Rory McIlroy tee off, or a Max Verstappen fan can only get fleeting glimpses of him inside his car 

In contrast, digital streaming platforms are unencumbered by this limitation. They can serve up multiple camera feeds that cover all the action, allowing viewers to customize their viewing experience according to their preferences. For example, in addition to its TV broadcast feed, LIV Golf Plusoffers individual player camera feeds. For serious golf buffs, it also separates feeds of all the Par 3 holes, where the most technically exciting action happens. Formula 1's F1 TV has increased its helmet camera feed from the top eight drivers in 2022 to all twenty drivers this year. It also has a live pit lane feed, a data channel with live timing and tire usage data, and a Driver Tracker. All these can be displayed on separate tabs simultaneously. Multiple feeds speed up the action in both cases, allowing for a more engrossing, viewer-driven experience.

Multiple viewing angles: A game changer in more ways than one

Creating a vastly superior viewing experience remains at the top of the benefits that multiple feeds provide, and rightly so. In fact, in our experience, multiple camera feeds boost content consumption by up to 10X. Customer demand for such features is also strong. Over the years, numerous surveys have found that 25 to 30% of viewers desire the ability to switch viewing angles - roughly the same percentage as the ability to skip ads, access highlights, or watch games at a convenient time. This sentiment saw LIV Golf Plus' app downloads grow by 82% in its initial six weeks, while its stream users grew by 64%.  

Besides viewer growth, multiple feeds also offer new monetization opportunities for sports content owners. Brands can plan for endorsement deals for specific cameras that show brand-related content. So, Calloway can, say, have its logo on its endorser Phil Mickleson's player camera. Likewise, a Pirelli camera can cover the F1 pit lane, and Red Bull can have cameras on all its teams' cars.   

But, most importantly, the ability to watch multiple camera feeds encourages fans to migrate from TV to streaming. Multiple feeds create a nearly addictive viewing experience, fundamentally changing the way fans consume sports content. As streaming surpasses TV and more and more sports content owners invest in DTC platforms or OTT partnerships, multiple feeds can expedite the fan transition, adding to content owners' profitability and ROI and spurring continued innovation.