Live Streaming Basketball with Multiple Cameras and a Student Production Team

Have you ever wondered what it takes to produce a professional sports broadcast—live, with instant replays, graphics, and multi-camera switching? In this blog post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of a high school broadcast team that’s running game-day productions like the pros. Whether you’re a student, an educator, or just someone interested in live production, this is proof that student-run broadcasts not only provide high-quality sports coverage but also offer invaluable hands-on experience in audiovisual technology.

Empowering Students with Real-World AV Production

This winter basketball season, I had the incredible opportunity to work with Salesianum School in Wilmington, Delaware. Their student-run broadcast team, made up of over 20 media class students, takes charge of live and post-production for the school’s sports programs. On my most recent visit, I helped set up the vMix Instant Replay system and introduced students to the basics of sports replay. What I saw was nothing short of inspiring—these students weren’t just learning; they were running the entire production. Their ability to quickly grasp and apply new technology was truly impressive.

A Huge Thank You to Salesianum’s Broadcast Team

A special thanks to Salesianum School for inviting me to work with their talented student broadcast team and set up vMix Instant Replay during one of their biggest rivalry games. One of the best parts of my visit was listening to the students’ insightful questions and seeing how younger generations think about video production.

Behind the Scenes of a Student-Run Broadcast

A sizable volunteer team ran the production, with four main roles active:

• Video Producer: Operating vMix and ensuring every angle was covered. Using a StreamDeck controller, they customized new buttons to control instant replay, making real-time decisions to keep the production smooth.
• Camera Operator: Positioned next to the producer and using the PTZOptics SuperJoy controller, they smoothly followed the game action.
• PTZ Camera Operator (Training Role): A second SuperJoy controller allowed a trainee to practice tracking and framing shots, learning to “hunt” for close-up moments during the game.
• Instant Replay Operator: Managing the xKeys Instant Replay controller, they quickly marked key moments and queued up smooth replay transitions. They explored marking events in Live Mode versus digging deeper to build an entire playlist of replays from recorded footage.
• Graphics Manager: Using NewBlue Captivate, they managed real-time scoreboards, player stats, and lower thirds, ensuring a polished and professional broadcast.

A Professional-Grade Experience for Students

Watching this team work together reinforced how powerful hands-on learning can be. These high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors weren’t just pressing buttons—they were producing a show watched by thousands of fans online. And they were doing it with the same software and hardware used by professional broadcasters.

A Versatile Video Production System

This live production system is not just for basketball—the same setup is used for wrestling, baseball, soccer, and football, offering incredible flexibility for the school’s sports coverage.

If you’re part of a school media program, a coach looking to enhance your game-day coverage, or someone who wants to level up your sports broadcasting skills, this high school broadcast team offers an inspiring example of what’s possible with the right tools and training.

To help you get started, I’ve put together a free guide: Sports Video – The Ultimate Guide to Live Streaming and Instant Replay.

Download your free copy today and start building your own professional sports broadcast setup! You can download Sports Video here.