Case Study: Cornell University achieves HD, cost-efficient live streaming of Big Red home games to the Ivy League Network and ESPN3 with Telestream Wirecast

Cornell raises its game on streaming live sports

Cornell University’s athletics department faced the challenge of producing hundreds of live streams a year—covering 16 of its 37 Division I sports—for the Ivy League Network, ESPN3 and social platforms from a tight-budget operation largely run by ~30 student crew members. Relying on time-consuming, component-based fly-packs made setup and training difficult across multiple simultaneous campus venues while still meeting fans’ expectations for 720/60p H.264 HD streams.

Cornell adopted Telestream’s Wirecast software and the all-in-one Wirecast Gear appliance, which simplified on-site setup (four SDI/HDMI inputs, NDI support) and integrated switching, graphics, instant replay and encoding into a single workflow. The result: faster deployments and easier training for student crews, reliable HD streams from multiple venues, expanded coverage of overlooked sports, and a roadmap for future remote IP–based centralized production that raises production quality and fan engagement.

Cornell University

John Lukach

Director of Multimedia, Production and Web Communications for the Athletics Department