represent already-proven, well-established technologies and processes. At the highest level, particularly for rights owners, there is a strong emphasis on using hardened, field- tested solutions. Further along the chain, rightsholders may have slightly greater flexibility to take measured risks, though the importance of validation remains. The so-called ‘demo effect’ underscores this – success at a small scale does not guarantee performance at full scale. The primary recommendation, therefore, is clear: do not deploy anything without rigorous testing. Workflows should be extensively Conversely, testing must be taken seriously and conducted continuously. Assumptions based on previous success can lead to failure; systems that worked in one context may not perform identically in another. Consistent and repeated testing is essential. Ongoing communication is equally important. Assumptions should not be made on behalf of partners; instead, regular dialogue is required to ensure alignment. Practices such as factory acceptance testing provide an opportunity not only to validate systems, but also to identify gaps, clarify expectations and strengthen collaboration. This process extends beyond technical integration to include alignment at a human level, making sure that all stakeholders share a common understanding of objectives and requirements. stress-tested or proven in real-world conditions before implementation. An additional consideration for projects of such scale is your team’s composition. Increasing the diversity of skill sets within event teams can have a positive impact on performance. While experienced engineers remain essential, incorporating individuals from other areas of the organisation can enhance empathy, communication and responsiveness. These perspectives can be particularly valuable in support functions, such as first-line response and stakeholder interaction. So broadening team composition can contribute to more effective delivery, complementing technical expertise with a wider range of capabilities. >> The event is too complex and distributed for everything to go perfectly <<
through extensive pre-testing cycles before large-scale Games deployment. Innovation is absolutely essential – but it must arrive at the Games already battle-hardened. For must-do, build a redundancy plan assuming your primary plan will partially fail. At this scale, something will go wrong. Weather, access restrictions, equipment failures or network congestion – the event is too complex and distributed for everything to go perfectly. The broadcasters who performed best at the Winter Games 2026 were those who had designed every layer of their operation with the assumption of partial failure. Another European broadcaster relied on LiveU bonded cellular as its primary transmission path for roving teams. The must- do is simple: build the redundancy plan. ALEX REDFERN: A key principle is to avoid deploying software or workflows that have not been thoroughly tested. Ideally, these should already have been validated in live production environments – such as test events – and
OPHIR ZARDOK: Yes, and they tend to cluster around three particular areas: planning timelines, equipment logistics and access rights. Planning timelines: The most effective vendor-broadcaster relationships at the Games are those that begin planning at least 12-18 months in advance, ideally with joint technical reviews of the venue maps and signal architecture. One of the reasons why LiveU’s operational footprint in Italy was so effective – 980+ units, 37 countries, near-zero reported operational failures – was because we embedded with key customers during pre-event planning. Some customers, for example, worked through their LiveU workflows during the Paris Games 2024 before scaling it massively for Italy in 2026. Equipment logistics: Distributed events such as the Winter Games 2026 exposed how unforgiving logistics can be. The lesson: zone-based pre-positioning of equipment is not optional. Vendors must be briefed on the full zone deployment plan and have local support in each zone. The overarching principle: It is necessary to treat key technology vendors as production partners, not just suppliers. Bring them into the planning process early, share your runbooks and establish communication protocols for the live window.
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