Live Streaming Recommendations

In season 2018/19 Cricket Australia tested live streaming solutions with several clubs across the country, with the aim to evaluate the live streaming options currently available.

The needs of each club vary across the country, live streaming is no different. They are various software providers and equipment options available to live stream matches.  

Find below the summary results of the live streaming pilot in season 2018/19, this broken down into the following subject areas: 

• Must have equipment options 
• Optional equipment options 
• Software options
• Summary of learnings 

Must-have equipment: 

Optional Equipment: 

7m Stand – If your venue doesn’t have any elevation (from a hill or pavilion), you will need a way to elevate the camera. This is a great piece of equipment, sturdy and competitively priced, it will also give the right elevation (5+ metres high) to get a good view of the pitch. You can find product information here. 

Tilt Kit –  This gives you the ability to adjust the pan/tilt of the camera manually, it’s highly recommended you have one of these.  

Motion Box - This gives you the ability to adjust the pan/tilt of the camera via an app on your mobile. If you buy this, you will also need to buy a tilt kit (above). This gives you the ability to adjust the pan/tilt when the camera is 7m in the air, this is a luxury item. 

Internet Dongle – We used Telstra but you can use any internet provider. 
 

Software:  

In addition to the equipment, you also require a separate licence for scoring software. This is going to display the graphics (match and player scores) and decides on the software you use to score the match.    

Footage per software solution: 

NVinteractive –  More videos  

MyCricket Live Score – More videos 

MyAction Replay – More information 

Guidance regarding the filming of players (including minors): 

Below is some legal guidance regarding the filming of players: 

1. To begin, we you will need to receive consent of the players that will be live streamed. You can get this either in writing from the players when they register, or by ensuring that the live streaming supplier you use includes an ‘opt out’ for your players to use. 
   
   
2. Please be aware that with juniors (minors) you should speak to parents and get their consent, be aware that they will have increased levels of sensitivity regarding their children’s privacy. 
   
   
3. If a player/s or parent/s opt-out, we suggest not streaming the match. Or alternatively, speaking to the live streaming supplier you use to ask whether the stream can be accessible through private channels. 
   
   
4. Read the terms & conditions of the live streaming supplier/s, it’s important to understand where your footage will be stored. This is important because if the footage is sent to other video platforms (ie: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter etc) you will have to accept their terms & conditions and privacy policies to use their platform 
   
   
5. If you’re going ahead, let us know at Mycricketsupport@cricket.com.au  

Summary of learnings: 

• The price if the camera does not necessarily make it the best camera to use. We didn’t believe the Sony A6300 was a good camera for live streaming, which was the most expensive. We suggest using a camcorder. 
• The Camera’s input port is important, Micro USBs don’t work as well as Mini USBs, or HDMI. Micro USBs seem to snap under the load of the cable (as such we do not recommend the Sony 6300 shown above). We recommend using a camcorder with HDMI input.

• A regular match at 1080p for a 4500 Bitrate will use approx. 2gb of internet data per hour to stream to match
• Regular camera stands are not tall enough for flat grounds, the camera needs to be approx. 5m high to get a good view of the pitch. We suggest the stand shown above. 
• The first time you will setup the live stream will be the most difficult, set aside up to 2 hours to have it working. You will need the support of the software provider. After that, it gets much quicker (15-30mins). 

Questions that you need to ask before you start: 

You should answer the following questions before buying equipment/a software package: 

1. Do you know the venue/s you are streaming on? 
   
   
2. Do you know where you will place the camera? 
   
   
3. Does it have a hill/balcony or do you need to buy a stand? 

Note* You should know the answer to this question before committing to live streaming, as stands are quite expensive. 

1. Is there internet at the venue? Or do you need to purchase this as part of the software package/ a separate internet dongle? 
   
   
2. Is there power at the ground? Is it possible to connect the camera to power during the stream, or do you need backup camera batteries?
   
   
3. Who is going to manage the stream throughout the day? It’s hard for a player/coach to drive this, it needs to be driven by someone else (scorer, volunteer etc..)