The BBC employed mobile technology from Cellhire to live stream 369 vote counts during the General Election.
The York company provided a “Count Cams” package, which the BBC used as part of its nationwide news-gathering operations on July 4th.
“The aim to livestream from every county across the UK was incredibly ambitious and, due to its scale, would have been challenging to accomplish using traditional broadcasting methods,” explained Geraint Thomas, Assistant Editor who led the project for BBC News.
“The project involved numerous moving parts, but connectivity was at its core, with the multi-network SIM cards offering a particularly efficient solution. The user-friendly setup was easily configurable, even by staff without a technical background, allowing us to add a brand new dimension to the BBC’s election night coverage.”
The Count Cams are pre-configured iPhones, with an integrated battery pack and tripod. They are then fitted with Cellhire’s multi-network IoT SIMS, so that they remained connected to the best available mobile network, to reduce the likelihood of downtime “to close to zero.”
“We delivered the most personalised election coverage ever in live video. Across the UK, wherever you looked you could see democracy in action, live,” said Jonny McGuigan, BBC News Streaming Editor.
“The ability to choose from any one of 369 counts on the night meant we could always be where the story was. When augmented with our traditional broadcast live Satellite News Gathering, SNG, and bonded connectivity, we could guarantee we’d be where audiences needed us, on digital platforms, TV and radio all night long.”
Streams from the Count Cams were transmitted to a virtual screen in the BBC TV studio, with individual streams accessible via the iPlayer and online constituency pages.
“I am delighted that Cellhire was able to play such a key role in bringing the election to millions of people across the UK,” said Tony Guerion, Cellhire Chief Executive Officer.
“The visibility provided by our IoT solution not only allowed the public to stay informed but also enhanced the transparency and accountability of the electoral process.”
“Ensuring that the viewing public could witness the vote-counting in real time helped to foster trust in the democratic process. With the BBC, we set a new level of access and transparency in the democratic process, which is essential in maintaining the integrity of our elections,” continued Guerion.
