A revolution is happening in live production. Driven by both changing viewing habits and access to new technology, the ability to stream coverage of an event or news story live over the internet is taking the media production industry by storm.

The opportunity offered by Virtual Production from Sony, an on-demand, virtualised live media streaming service, lets any organisation capture, mix, and distribute live content completely within a cloud-based workflow.

The only extras you need are WiFi-enabled cameras and a connection to the internet. Add the ubiquity and flexibility of social media into the mix, and you have access to a whole new dimension in producing and delivering live coverage.

Whatever the size of your organisation, here are five reasons to choose Virtual production and take part in the live streaming revolution.

1. Be more flexible

With today’s mobile connectivity, and the on-demand Virtual Production service, you can rapidly cover events in hard to reach locations or attend exclusive occasions where an OB truck would be an impractical and budget-constraining option.

Rather than deploy a full broadcast crew, just send a camera team with a connection to the internet. With the camera mixer in the cloud, the director doesn’t even need be on site.

Simple to connect, easy to operate, with Virtual Production a greater range of sports and events can be covered.

2. No more boxes

With Virtual Production, the cloud is your control room. All is virtualised, with no need for expensive switching or distribution hardware, or the personnel to install and run them.

A sole operator can control error-free switching between multiple cameras, with the ability to add graphics and captions, while streaming live from the cloud. Professional audio mixing, live control of comments on social media feeds, and full stream or programme clip recording are just some other advanced cloud-based features available as standard.

3. Stand out from the crowd

A cloud-based vision mixer and multi-camera control gives your productions the professional touch, while still being simple to use. QoS streaming, a unique protocol from Sony, automatically guarantees a high-quality service, with no drop-outs.

Security and robustness are assured thanks to the service being backed by AWS, one of the top three cloud providers in the world.

Economically priced, this on-demand solution allows you to easily predict costs and keep within your budget, as you only pay for what you use.

4. Expand your reach

With competition for audiences fiercer than ever, deliver content rapidly and exclusively. Distribution is fully handled in the cloud, so Virtual Production streams instant coverage direct to social media or over your own network. Give your audience an insider’s view of the red carpet as the stars arrive, or as the deal is signed, or deliver a personal message live on social media from the team dressing room to drum up excitement for the big game broadcast.

5. Add impact

In an era rocked by fears of fake news, the ability for event coverage to come live direct from the scene stamps authenticity on any report or update.

Studies also show a stronger empathy exists between viewers and presenters when they stream live, leading to a greater connection between the audience and the message, or the brand.

Now anyone can do this, on-demand with Virtual Production.

Get ready for the future

Live streaming is everywhere, becoming the most effective way to communicate with your audience. As the media industry evolves, your production workflow needs to evolve with it.

Virtual Production gives you professional tools to connect directly with your viewers and cut through the crowded landscape of content.

Sony is currently offering a free trial of Virtual Production, so why not sign up today for the opportunity to produce up to 20 hours of broadcast-quality streaming video.