Instant replays to fans' phones tested at FA Cup final

Mobile operator EE and the BBC will test mobile apps at the FA Cup final using 4G Broadcast technology to offer instant replays to watching fans.

The trial will work with 20 devices, with a public service planned for 2016.

4G Broadcast helps solve the problem of limited bandwidth which hinders streaming when demand in one area, such as a stadium, is too heavy.

EE said it had not yet determined a charge for the service, which could use up to 800 MB of data per match.

The two companies first trialled 4G Broadcast at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year. In that trial several streams were offered to mobile devices reflecting the coverage on BBC1, BBC3, and the BBC's red button service.

This time around, the plan is to offer multiple live camera angles of the FA Cup final alongside replays of any goals or incidents within one minute of them happening on the pitch.

Users will be able to select which cameras to view the action from and for the first time instant replay feeds will be stored on the device in the background, so fans can easily access key moments of the match during the game.

4G Broadcast allows mobile cell masts to broadcast a video stream which compatible 4G phones are able to receive, much like a TV terrestrial broadcast.

EE said that in the future mobile phone cells would be able to recognise a significant demand from many subscribers for one specific video stream and automatically switch to broadcasting that.

"4G Broadcast is going to overcome the major capacity challenges in the mobile network - instead of sending a single stream of video to every user, we broadcast one stream that any number of devices can connect to," said Matt Stagg, head of video at EE.

"In 2016 we'll be starting to make this available in places where we have large groups of customers likely to be watching live sport or events.

"Wimbledon, for instance, where 4G Broadcast might let a customer pick which of the televised courts they want to watch, all on their phone, wherever they are in or around the grounds."

While broadcasting over 3G networks has been tried in the past, the technical limits of mobile devices and networks gave mixed results and the appetite from users for streaming video was not as great as it is today.

Many sports fans have recently become accustomed to sitting down with a second screen in their living room, and this development appears to offer a similar experience for the supporter in the stadium as well.

Other UK operators are looking at the technology closely. Vodafone carried out the first 4G Broadcast trial in Spain earlier this month, while US mobile operator Verizon has tested the technology at the Superbowl.

"The best part of this experiment is that it should provide something genuinely new," said technology journalist Rupert Goodwins.

"People will have more fun and be more deeply involved."

Streaming live video uses a lot of data and could see fans using up their allowances very quickly, while paying by the megabyte could prove expensive.

"There's also the chance to deliver stuff at much lower cost than before. Because the operator has to deliver a single, local broadcast signal that's picked up by everyone, that's much cheaper than having to provide 20,000 individual high bandwidth streams through the network," said Mr Goodwins.

"It's not quite as simple as splitting one data bill across all 20,000 people, but it's not far off."

But EE said it planned to charge users the normal rate for data use when they make use of the 4G Broadcast technology.

It estimates that live streaming a football match on 4G Broadcast would consume in the region of 800MB.

"We'll get the technology right first, and recognise the need to have appropriate pricing for data hungry services," said Mr Stagg.

Some in the mobile industry have suggested that the mobile networks could become the new broadcasters.

But the BBC's principal engineer on the project, Chris Nokes, said this was not a replacement for terrestrial digital broadcasting.

"Ultimately it's about serving our audiences, and this [4G Broadcast] could help us reach our audiences better through mobile devices in congested areas.

"In the short term it could be used in places like railway stations and airports to help the BBC reach its audience while they are on the move.

"In the long term we want to see the technology integrated more widely into the next generation 5G mobile networks."

Analyst Ben Wood has been following the emergence of mobile broadcasting for several years and is positive about the potential for 4G Broadcast, but sees two potential pitfalls.

"Some venues have expressed concerns about giving football fans access to live replays of controversial incidents such as a dangerous foul. They will undoubtedly be watching any trials closely to see if this results in any issues during matches," said Mr Wood.

"[Also] there are likely to be some complex rights issues that will need to be overcome for services like this to be commercialised.

"Taking the FA Cup as an example, the TV rights for this belong to the BBC and BT Sport, so it's not necessarily straightforward for a mobile network operator to share that content.

"This is something fans might struggle to understand, given they can watch the same content on iPlayer via their PC."