Bandwidth requirements depend on the production: the number of outgoing streams, the encoding settings, remote contribution feeds and backup paths. The more important question is not how many megabits are available but whether the upload is dedicated, stable under load, and backed by an independent second connection.
Upload, not download
Venue and office connections are usually advertised on download speed. A broadcast consumes upload, sustained, for the entire duration, while everyone else in the building is also using the network.
Dedicated beats fast
A modest dedicated line with a fixed allocation is more useful than a large shared connection that collapses when the audience arrives with their phones.
Account for everything the production sends
- Each streaming destination
- Backup or redundant encoding paths
- Remote speaker and remote site contribution feeds
- Production communications and monitoring
- Cloud recording or file transfer during the event
Always plan a second path
For mission-critical productions, an independent backup connection on a different provider or medium is the difference between a degraded broadcast and no broadcast.
Test under real conditions
A test at 8am in an empty venue proves very little. Testing should reflect the load the network will carry when the audience is in the building.