How the BBC managed 369 live feeds during election night

The BBC has revealed how it remotely managed 369 live feeds from vote counting locations across the UK during last week’s General Election night.

The feeds were streamed on BBC iPlayer, the BBC News website, and transmitted to a giant virtual mosaic screen at Broadcasting House. The BBC’s broadcast reached a peak audience of 4.6 million viewers in the UK.

A BBC custom-created tripod and smartphone kit running the TVU Anywhere app was sent to every count. Cellular bonded live transmissions enabled BBC News to capture real-time video feeds regardless of local pressures on cellular networks.

The compact design of the kit combined with the lack of reliance on broadcast vehicles make it possible for the broadcaster to generate more live content in an environmentally friendly way.

BBC News’ Geraint Thomas, who led the project, said: “This approach not only upheld the BBC’s highest quality standards but also pioneered a new method of election broadcasting that would have been near impossible using traditional methods. The TVU cloud platform allowed us to scale up a vast number of feeds and handle peak traffic seamlessly without investing in additional hardware. This was both an editorial and technological innovation that transformed the viewing experience, bringing the vote counting process closer to our audience, setting a new benchmark in election coverage.

“When we started planning this project, many believed the election would be held later in the year. In a matter of weeks, we managed to achieve what we thought would take months to develop, and integrated the TVU cloud platform with our on-premise workflows in a cost-effective manner.”

The BBC’s London studio featured a massive virtual LED wall connected to all feeds, while the national programmes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also all had access to the live content. The live streams were also used as political commentators provided real-time updates and expert analysis in a split screen, making the coverage as interactive and visually engaging for the audience.

Hundreds of live feeds, which would previously have required extensive server setups, were ingested and recorded in real-time. These feeds were displayed in a large mosaic view, allowing viewers to see all voting locations across the UK simultaneously and access custom mosaics for their local regions.

The BBC managed 21 regional workflows, providing tailored coverage for different areas of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Jonny McGuigan, BBC News streaming editor, said: “We delivered the most personalised election coverage ever in live video. Across the UK, wherever you looked you could see democracy in action, live. 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 SNG and bonded connectivity, we could guarantee we’d be where audiences needed us, on digital platforms, TV and radio all night long”.

Paul Shen, CEO of TVU Networks, added: “It’s about innovating together and redefining the boundaries of broadcast technology. This collaboration is a testament to what’s possible when we combine our strengths. The future of broadcast is now, offering an accessible, sustainable model that opens up endless possibilities for storytelling to audiences everywhere.”