How Multi-Cloud Is Central To Creating Unrivalled Fan Experiences At Sporting Events
In recent years, new technologies have fundamentally altered the live, in-stadium experience expected by sports fans. Presence alone is no longer enough. Fans require a connected experience, enveloped through mobile devices and an evolving mix of media platforms. For example, the 2022 FIFA World cup saw fans consume over 800TB of data within stadiums, watching live replays, posting on social media on masse, and ultimately pushing local mobile networks to the limits.
As the Rugby World Cup reaches the latter stages, similar expectations and challenges await organisers as they seek to provide an exceptional experience to hundreds of thousands of fans in-stadia, and many millions more worldwide. However, it’s impossible to accommodate demand for spots in stadiums, and there will be a limited number of individuals who can reliably access virtual streams. As such, it’s more important than ever that fans are provided with consistent, rich media and content experiences, no matter where they are located.
A significant increase in demand will ultimately examine the tournament’s ability to deliver connectivity at scale, far beyond the capability of traditional IT environments could support. The key to thriving will be the embracement of a multi-cloud strategy, where organisations utilise cloud computing services from multiple vendors to run their applications, instead of just a single-cloud stack. A strong multi-cloud strategy, which enables any app to be managed across any cloud to any device, could be hugely beneficial for large scale, live sporting events. And by combining multi-cloud with edge computing, which focuses on real-time data processing and communication between devices, stadiums can empower real-time interaction with users.
Here are my top three use-cases for multi-cloud:-
1. Providing Exceptional Insights, In Real-Time
Sport drives an intense connection between fans and their favourite teams and stars. There is an enthusiasm to feel as connected to the game they love as possible, by receiving insights around game preparation, line-ups, tactics. In short, the extraordinary emotional reaction and tribalism that comes with being a fan is unmatched.
In years gone by, rugby fans may well have settled for browsing the match-day programme or listening to the ‘Ref Radio’ – a communications channel that provides referee commentary. However, expectations have shifted. Today’s fans require an entirely new experience, covering the full match-day lifecycle. They desire insights that cover training and injury updates, game build-up and post-game analysis. They also want the option to review the Television Match Official decision (TMO) through their mobile device as they see it on the big screen to review different angles and settle debates with fans around them.
This is the area in which a multi-cloud strategy can enhance real-time connectivity, engagement and scale. 5G, telco and edge clouds work together seamlessly to provide the required computing power, and the low-latent connectivity to scale multi-media content from within the stadium to end-user devices around the world. Stadiums will find that, through multi-cloud, they can deliver the right applications, at the right moment, through a local connectivity point with telco edge and 5G, for the best possible content experience.
2. Enhancing Trust With Fair And Accurate Officiating
Multi-cloud is crucial to developing the fan experience at major events and large-scale sporting tournaments, as it underpins several different technologies.
Rugby’s TMO delivers clarity and certainty on whether the ball was grounded for a try, if there was a foul or infringement in the build-up and whether points need to be rewarded or removed by connecting to multiple stadium cameras. Like hawk-eye in tennis and cricket, it aims to remove the ‘debate’ from the sport and ensures that victory is earned, not stolen. This helps to assure that on-field decisions can be trusted, and losses can be begrudgingly accepted, enhancing the fan experience.
As we’ve sometimes experienced, this trust is easily eroded if the technology fails under stress due to poor testing or implementation. Continuing the example of TMO replays, if it is limited to one stadium screen or the feed becomes pixelated, slow, or simply stops entirely, then the integrity it brings to the game is degraded.
Private 5G infrastructure and the compute support at the edge, will ensure that stadia at the Rugby World Cup can benefit from a containerised environment, ensuring all stadium screens, camera equipment, local applications and storage software connect to the same local network services. This enables the delivery of quick, low-latent, rich multi-media content at scale. As a result, TMO won’t be delayed, fans can trust its output and the tournament maintains an exceptional experience.
3. Consistent Support For Public Infrastructure
The mobile devices of fans will often connect automatically to public Wi-Fi networks upon entry to a stadium. But this is then followed by a quick disconnection, as the experience proves painfully slow and untrustworthy. Private 5G networks help to transform how the connected fan interacts with public services at large-scale tournaments.
Every time a fan connects to the same private 5G network, their seat becomes a de facto connected device, and supplies lots of information crucial to operations. Each connection offers a virtual overview of how many fans are in the stadium at any one time, where they are and whether they’re at their seats, which helps with capacity planning and calculating floor space. In the case of the Rugby World Cup, it enables organisers to understand from a practical point of view, how many fans have left a game, at what points and an estimation of when they’re likely to enter nearby roads or public transport.
Data is at the heart of the connectivity provided between private and public 5G networks. Suddenly, services like transport, public services and security can receive real-time insight into fan activity – providing far greater support for policing, logistics and emergency services when exiting the stadium. Additionally, it also ensures that there is no network congestion, should an emergency occur in the stand. This means support can be attained faster, and with greater context between the digital and the physical characteristics of large-scale sporting events.
Foundational multi-cloud technology in sporting events isn’t a new idea, but rather a natural evolution in line with infrastructure requirements. However, consumer requirements are also evolving – driving increased demand on 5G connectivity to deliver applications and rich companion experiences.
In the aftermath of pandemics, events are only set to grow in popularity. This means smart multi-cloud roles are becoming ever more critical in connecting public services. Additionally, to ensure the fan experience is safe and turn-out is sustainable – it is rapidly becoming the role of the telco service providers, to provision 5G cloud services upon which fans and organisers rely, provisioning continuity.
These are clear examples of how multi-cloud technology can quickly and painlessly bridge between public safety and security needs, whilst maintaining the excitement and passion held by sports fans.
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