Network Saturation, No Problem for france.tv with Starlink and TVU

TVU One’s Starlink Synergy Ensures Live Broadcast Success

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – October 6, 2022 – Large crowds often means saturation of cellular networks which can lead to dropped calls and unusable live shots and a battle for bandwidth between broadcasters. This disaster scenario during Queen Elizabeth’s funeral coverage was avoided thanks to TVU Networks’ remote production solutions and SpaceX’s collaboration integrating Starlink into the TVU One. The unique ability of TVU One to aggregate multiple separate signals into a single redundant stream frees its users from cellular saturation and puts an end to instability, the main cause of signal degradation in many live news situations. 

The combination of TVU Networks and Starlink technologies was tested and validated in the extreme transmission conditions in Ukraine and Corsica before being certified by the technical teams of France Télévisions.

“We must offer news production teams and reporters technological solutions to cover every major event regardless of constraints,” says Skander Ben Attia, Director of Engineering at France Télévisions. “The flexibility and ease of use of the TVU Networks solutions met these conditions 200%.”

For the first time, this striking power frees broadcasters from the difficulties of getting their live footage to their newsrooms. Particularly in cases of violent weather with impact on infrastructure, or in areas without strong communication networks, or in the case of Queen Elizebeth’s funeral, large gatherings that completely saturate the cellular networks. All live events are of extraordinary importance with previously very high risk for failure.

For France Télévisions, failure was not an option. The media coverage of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the security associated with the event ruled out the use of live traditional vans and satellite trucks. The cell service was going to be non-existent. Something had to be done. 

Through its partner Magic Hour, TVU Networks provided transmission packs allowing the routing of signals via Starlink as well as reception servers to increase the traffic needs of the France Télévisions news control room on the day of the funeral.

Thanks to this configuration, France Télévisions was able to have continuous live broadcasts, control their production costs, and cover the event from all editorially relevant locations. The TVU One with Starlink deployed ensured the national editorial staff of France Télévisions success in its mission.

“After very conclusive trials in Ukraine and Corsica, we decided to deploy this TVU Networks/Starlink configuration on a large scale,” says Romuald Rat, News Production Director for France Télévisions. “TVU Networks/Starlink configuration has brought us to the crossroads of technology and history, creating the certainty of being able to serve our audience without fail and focus on the storytelling. It is impossible not to be very proud of what we accomplished.”

The collaboration with Starlink is the latest step by TVU to make it faster and easier for broadcasters all over the world to get live footage to their newsrooms. Check out our broadcasting equipment to learn how you can take advantage of the leading tech in industry and optimize your live productions.

“For 17 years, TVU Networks solutions have made every live shot a success,” said Paul Shen, CEO of TVU Networks. We must provide solutions at all levels. Success is about more than delivering a plan from point A to point B. It’s about saving time, money, resources and stress so that our partners have better control over their content. Making every live shot a success is firmly in the DNA of TVU Networks.”