BT Sport to deliver historic 5G broadcast at Wembley

BT Sport, In partnership with EE, will create history this Sunday at Wembley Stadium, as they stage the world’s first ever live sporting event broadcast using a 5G network.

The FA-recognised 2018 EE Wembley Cup final, where YouTube’s biggest football stars compete against international legends of the game, will now be the world’s first live sporting event to be broadcast over 5G using remote production.

EE and BT Sport will deliver the game live via a two-way broadcast over 5G from Wembley Stadium to London’s ExCeL Exhibition Centre.

The broadcast will be carried over 5G and then produced remotely by the BT Sport’s production crew at BT Sport’s base in East London.

Spencer Owen, YouTube influencer, will broadcast the event live over EE’s 5G network from Wembley at 2 pm, via the Hashtag United channel, which boasts over 424,000 subscribers.

Commenting on the landmark development, BT Sport’s chief operating officer, Jamie Hindhaugh, said: “5G will next season enable BT Sport to deploy the most advanced remote production of any broadcaster.

“BT Sport has a rich history of the latest broadcast innovations, whether it’s ultra-high-definition with Dolby Atmos or 360Virtual Reality,” he said.

“It (5G) will allow us to cover more live matches from more leagues and competitions, and to bring fans highlights action closer to the final whistle than has ever been done before in the UK.”

BT’s chief executive of consumer business, Marc Allera, added: “This trial is another showcase of what our 5G network can do and is a big part of our continued investment in using 5G across the whole of BT Group.”