Where are all the Internet Broadcasters?
Where Are All the Internet Broadcasters?
Since the second year of my degree, a thought has been bugging me: why are there no cloud-based internet broadcasters? While we have "Over-the-Top" (OTT) services and on-demand programming, the closest we get to proper live internet broadcasting are live streams on platforms like YouTube or Twitch.
Virgin Media is the closest major broadcaster, but that is only because they deliver their TV service down the same physical cable as their internet—it isn't actually running over the internet. On a smaller scale, several "pirate" platforms rebroadcast channels available on Freeview, Sky, and Virgin, but nothing in the big leagues exists yet.
The Potential of Internet Broadcasting
There are major benefits to broadcasting over the internet; you don't need the expensive hardware traditionally used to fling signals across the country. You can simply leverage existing broadband infrastructure.
Saving money isn't the only reason I’m interested in this, though. I truly believe internet broadcasting could make a massive difference to communities. We already see this success on a global scale with 24/7 broadcasts like NASASpaceFlight, which brings fans together for rocket launches.
I would love to start a few local channels where content is based in a specific town or city—similar to what Estuary TV used to do on Freeview, but more localized. For example, a "Bridlington Channel" could feature:
- The history of the town.
- Updates on local sports teams.
- Showcasing local talent by broadcasting performances from musicians and performers at local venues, pubs, and clubs.
Once local programming is running, you would quickly build an archive of footage that could be used to create topic-centric channels, such as dedicated sports, documentary, or event streams.
The Technical Reality
From a technical standpoint, this is significantly less expensive than traditional broadcasting solutions. For a multi-purpose basic camera rig, you are looking at roughly £10,000 per camera. If you wanted to pair four of these setups to produce live events on the fly, including vision mixers, media players, and streaming kits, the total cost would be around £70,000. Spend a little more, and you can fit most of that gear into a transit van to create your own mobile broadcast truck.
I would love to start this project today, but I lack the initial funding. I could happily spend days putting the kit together, but I am less certain about the business side of things—like who to talk to for booking acts or securing long-term funding. That is why I am a technician and not a producer!
If you are interested in helping me get this project off the ground, or if you know someone who might be, please get in touch. I truly believe a project like this could make a difference to our communities and showcase the very best our towns and cities have to offer.