LiveU Brings Mastercard® Sponsored Live Coverage of 2021 Australian Open Tennis Tournament to Fans Online

Australian production company uses LiveU's live streaming and remote production solution to deliver a unique grand slam tennis viewing experience

HACKENSACK, N.J., April 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LiveU's live streaming and remote production solution was selected by Australian production company 5stream at the recent Australian Open for innovative viewer engagement and branding on behalf of the tournament's official partner Mastercard®. The live production was a key element in the sponsorship activation campaign, managed by local advertising agency McCann Australia to connect fans with the tennis via an immersive viewing experience. LiveU's local partner, Pacific Live Media, provided the equipment and local technical support.

LiveU's LU800 production-level unit was instrumental in covering the tournament, enabling a cost-effective multi-camera sports production with superior video and audio capabilities. Live 360° feeds were streamed in 4K to Mastercard®'s YouTube channel providing unique virtual fan experiences with a behind-the-scenes look at the tennis in real-time. The same unit was also used to cover the tournament from multiple angles with high-res, fully frame-synced feeds, and as a DataBridge with wireless connectivity for direct high-quality data streams on-the-go.

Mitchell Kalika, General Manager, 5stream, said, "With the social distancing restrictions and subsequent lockdown, we were determined to reach the fans stuck at home with a premium 4K 360° viewing experience. At the same time, we needed a cost-effective solution that was reliable and could easily be used as part of a remote production. In the end, the flexibility and efficiency of the LiveU LU800 solution exceeded our expectations, we simply adjusted it to meet our production needs as we went along, switching between single and multi-camera feeds. It was almost like a swiss army knife with multi-camera, live streaming and DataBridge all on the same device!"

"As full service live streaming experts, 5Stream are truly creative in their use of LiveU technology. This remote production, over the course of 14 days, took the live coverage to a higher level providing an incredible tennis experience for virtual fans at home", summarized Yaal Eshel, General Manager, LiveU Asia.

About 5stream5stream's founding team has over 30 years' experience in producing, delivering and distributing premium online video content for local and global organizations to viewers all over the world. Our staff were the first to broadcast a RTMP live stream over the Akamai CDN in Australia. We are a proven, experienced and agile team with a simple goal: delivering innovative and world class solutions, integrations and support in the online video space. For more information, visit http://5stream.com/^[1]

About LiveU LiveU is changing the rules of the game for live news and dynamic sports coverage, with flawless 5G 4K HEVC live streaming and remote production. Together with its cloud-based management and next-gen IP distribution platforms, LiveU offers the most cost-effective end-to-end contribution, production and distribution solution. Our broad portfolio of products sets the industry standard for live video production ranging from our newest, portable production-level field units and smartphone app to satellite/cellular hybrid and external antenna solutions. With over 3,000 customers in 130+ countries, LiveU's technology is the solution of choice for global broadcasters, news agencies, sports and entertainment, streaming live video to TV, mobile, online and social media. LiveU is a recipient of Frost & Sullivan's 2021 North America New Product Innovation Award for its LU800 unit and a winner of the 71st Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards in recognition of its innovation and achievement in Video over Cellular Internet Protocol (VoCIP) technology. For more information, visit www.liveu.tv ^[2], or follow us on Twitter ^[3], Facebook ^[4], YouTube ^[5], LinkedIn ^[6] or Instagram ^[7].