WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST TECHNICAL HURDLES WHEN IT COMES TO EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS?
Winter Games, around 60% of supported sessions used LIQ, achieving over 36% higher average bit rates and enabling consistent 4K and HDR coverage even in remote, bandwidth- constrained mountain environments. Logistics were also a major constraint. At distributed Games like in Italy, moving tech equipment between venues – even for repairs – is time-consuming. On top of this, weather introduces power vulnerabilities, increased equipment failure rates and challenges for outdoor studio set- ups. IP-based cellular contribution is inherently more resilient, weather-proof and faster to deploy than traditional fixed infrastructure in adverse conditions. ALEX REDFERN: Much of today’s infrastructure is increasingly resilient to both extreme heat and extreme cold. Video servers, for instance, are now capable of operating in harsh environments, including an ability to continue functioning reliably in desert conditions with significant sand and dust. There remains, however, an inherent advantage in custom-designed hardware. As the industry moves towards commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems, it is important to recognise that these are fundamentally general-purpose computers. As a result of this, these systems are often less resilient to environmental extremes, including but
OPHIR ZARDOK: Winter Games production introduces unique weather-related technical challenges that simply don’t exist at summer events. At the Winter Games 2026, snowfall, sub-zero temperatures and remote mountain locations produced a combination of physical and connectivity pressures. The most immediate issue is cellular and wireless network reliability. In high-density crowds and on mountainous terrain, traditional bonded cellular can become congested or degraded. This is precisely why we focused on the first large-scale global deployment of LiveU IQ (LIQ) – our AI-driven predictive congestion management system – at these Games. LIQ uses real-time network analysis to optimise transmission paths dynamically, anticipating congestion before signal quality is impacted. Across nearly 12,000 live sessions and 15,000+ hours of live broadcast at the
HOW DO YOU BALANCE INNOVATION WITH RELIABILITY AT A GLOBAL EVENT?
ALEX REDFERN: Innovation does not typically occur at the event itself. It takes place well in advance – often six, 12 or 18 months beforehand. The role of the live event is to validate innovation. It would be highly unusual to introduce something entirely new and untested on site. Broadcasters, particularly host broadcasters, require assurance that systems are proven and reliable because they cannot assume unnecessary risk in high-profile productions, especially when delivering a world feed to a global audience. In most cases, innovation is developed and tested in controlled environments ahead of time. This includes clearly defining your expectations and ensuring systems perform as required. Successful implementation and delivery at the event is therefore the
culmination of weeks, months and even years of detailed planning. The event itself serves as a showcase for these efforts. Examples such as drone deployments at the Winter Olympics, or the increasing use of AI- driven tools for motion analysis, illustrate this point. These technologies are not introduced overnight; they are the result of sustained development. While generative AI has recently attracted increased attention following major winter sports events, many of these capabilities have been in development and use for years. Growing confidence in such tools is built on accumulated evidence and long-term application, even if their visibility increases more suddenly. In some cases, elements may still be introduced close to the event, but only after sufficient validation.
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