With the arrival digital broadcasting propagation delays, baseball fans at Louisville Slugger Field in Kentucky found themselves unable to follow the play on transistor radios – a game day pleasure they had enjoyed for generations.
The successful deployment of StreamGuys Ultra-Low Latency Streaming (ULLS) technology has now reinstated their ability to listen to the team’s live radio broadcast in perfect sync with on-field action, restoring a beloved baseball tradition that had largely disappeared.
‘We heard from a lot of fans who love listening to the broadcast while they’re at the ballpark, but suddenly they were hearing pitches several seconds after they happened,’ says Nick Curran, Director of Broadcasting for the Louisville Bats. ‘There’s something special and nostalgic about baseball on the radio. Our fans wanted that experience back, and StreamGuys gave us a solution that was much easier, faster and more affordable to implement than I ever expected.’
Successive generations of fans brought portable radios to the ballpark so they could enjoy hometown broadcasters calling the action while watching the game unfold live. However, with delays of 10–20s or more appearing on many radio and streaming broadcasts, synchronised listening was virtually impossible. Curran, who has served as the Bats’ lead broadcaster since 2016, said the organisation began exploring options after a corporate-mandated delay was introduced on the team’s flagship radio station.
‘What impressed us immediately was that the technology simply worked,’ Curran says. ‘The set-up was incredibly straightforward, and the support from the StreamGuys team was outstanding. Once we got everything in place, fans immediately noticed the difference.’
The response fans been overwhelmingly positive: ‘We receive emails from listeners throughout every homestand, and people consistently tell us how much they enjoy being able to hear the broadcast in real time again,’ Curran reports. ‘It’s definitely enhanced the experience for people in the ballpark.’
The ULLS deployment aligns with a broader commitment by the Louisville Bats organisation to continually enhance the fan experience. Louisville Slugger Field has undergone significant renovations in recent years, including new premium hospitality areas, expanded social gathering spaces, upgraded seating options and new food-and-beverage destinations to create a more engaging game-day environment.
‘Organisations like the Louisville Bats understand that fan experience is about much more than what happens on the field,’ says StreamGuys Executive VP of Technology, Eduardo Martinez. ‘They’ve invested heavily in creating a first-class ballpark environment, and ULLS complements those efforts by restoring one of baseball’s most cherished traditions. Fans can once again enjoy the voices of their hometown broadcasters in perfect synchronisation with every pitch, hit and home run.’
Introduced by StreamGuys in 2024, ULLS eliminates traditional streaming delays by leveraging StreamGuys’ Contribution Network and low-latency delivery architecture to synchronise audio and video streams with live event action. The platform supports deployment through team and broadcaster mobile applications on both Android and iOS devices.
In addition to enhancing the fan experience, ULLS promises new sponsorship and revenue opportunities through optional dynamic pre-roll advertising. Teams and broadcasters can incorporate sponsor messages before fans join the live stream, creatins a new digital inventory opportunity without interrupting game action. Organizations may also participate in the StreamGuys Ad Network Marketplace when direct sponsorship inventory is not sold.
Beyond recreating the classic radio simulcast experience, ULLS also helps sports organisations strengthen direct digital relationships with fans through their own mobile apps, creating opportunities for push notifications, merchandise promotions, concession offers and other engagement initiatives throughout the season.
For the Louisville Bats, however, the immediate benefit has been simple – bringing a baseball tradition back to life. ‘Baseball and radio have always gone together,’ Curran says. ‘Our fans wanted that experience back, and now they have it. That’s been incredibly rewarding to see.’
More: www.streamguys.com