Ranking the Best Sports Broadcasting Software in 2024
Looking for the best sports broadcasting software available today?
From pro-grade solutions in use at major stadiums to beginner-friendly web-based apps, we’re bringing you the best options for a variety of use cases in today’s review round-up.
What To Look for in Live Sports Broadcasting Software
Most of the top sports broadcast solutions in this market offer similar general capabilities.
But as you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that the various options out there can diverge quite a bit.
For example, a solution built for a solo streamer isn’t going to focus on some elements crucial to sports broadcasting.
And some solutions are so laser-focused on the output and streaming on the platform side that they don’t provide what you need to create assets and design broadcasts.
So before we jump into the rankings, we’re sharing our top 4 elements to look for when selecting sports broadcasting software.
Handles Multiple Inputs and Complex Outputs
The typical solo streamer (whether it’s a video podcaster, a Twitch streamer, or something similar) may use multiple inputs, but those inputs are fairly consistent and static.
No solo operator is switching live between a half-dozen or more cameras.
So it’s no surprise that some live streaming software can handle the typical use case and not much more.
On the other hand, sports broadcasting and streaming software needs to be capable of more.
You’ll typically have many more cameras (and thus video sources), and you’re demanding more out of those cameras. So prioritize a software solution that doesn’t max out at two or three inputs.
On the other end of the process are your outputs. Again, the typical streamer has just one output. Everyone who watches the stream sees the same thing.
That just isn’t going to cut it in a pro sports arena: you have all sorts of displays of all types and sizes, and you likely want to run different content on some of them (rather than showing the same stuff on every single screen).
That’s a whole new level of output complexity that only a handful of live sports broadcast software can handle.
Instant Replay Capability
What is live sports broadcasting without instant replay?
(Answer: not much.)
Video creation tools, live stream solutions, and presentation production tools all vary in their ability to handle the kinds of instant replay required for pro-quality broadcasts of live sports events.
Some can’t do replay; others can, but only using finicky or manual processes. Only a few offer the kind of robust instant replay from multiple video sources that you need in the world of sports.
Equally At Home in Broadcast and Livestream Contexts
Today’s live sports and esports events often must cater to dual audiences: there’s the conventional broadcast market, plus a live streaming market.
While there are separate products that can handle livestream (like Streamlabs OBS, OBS Studio, or XSplit Broadcaster), you’ll add complexity by splitting your content into two versions.
The best options for live sports broadcasting software on the market today are equally at home in both worlds.
They can handle the broadcast-quality and format video and audio outputs you need, plus they can output to the live streaming platforms of your choice using software encoding — no additional external hardware required.
High-Quality Graphics Designer
Sports broadcasting is more than just switching to the right inputs at the right time. There’s an entire complex art to creating on-screen graphics, overlays, score counters, and so forth. Getting it right enhances the immersion even further, while getting it wrong can practically ruin the broadcast.
Many broadcast and live streaming software solutions don’t handle this well. If they offer any kind of graphic designer or overlay builder, it’s extremely simplistic.
So as you search for the best sports broadcasting software for your needs, make sure to take this into account.
Do you want to be constantly switching over to Illustrator or some other application to create this content?
Or do you want a solution that empowers you to create the content within the same product environment that you display it?
Pro tip: that second choice is the way to go.
Top Choices in Live Broadcast Graphics Software
Now that we’ve evaluated some of the defining features you should look for in live broadcast graphics software, it’s time to find the right solution for you.
We’ve done the research and found the best options for live sports broadcasting software, listed and reviewed below.
ProPresenter Scoreboard
ProPresenter Scoreboard is a purpose-built version of Renewed Vision’s industry-leading ProPresenter, designed for the varied needs of the modern digital scoreboard.
When combined with ProPresenter (for multi-formatted graphics and video) and ProVideoPlayer (our multi-screen display control software), ProPresenter Scoreboard provides the most well-rounded, professional grade solution for sports broadcasting software.
This is pro-grade sports broadcasting and graphics software, and you’ll find it powering some of the top professional arenas, stadiums, and venues.
This trio of tools delivers whatever you need to create and display: real-time stats and scores, live video, instant replay, lower thirds, watermarks, bugs, and more.
Even though ProPresenter Scoreboard is powerful enough to handle pro-level arenas and professional-caliber broadcast content, it’s still easy and intuitive to use. High school and university athletics departments can benefit just as well.
Scoreboard has built-in integrations for nine sports, and if your sport isn’t included, you can create custom setups that align with the needs and rules of your sport. All the relevant stats and tracking (score, time remaining, foul counters, timers, and more) are available at your fingertips.
When you combine all these features into one powerful software package, you get a solution that’s unmistakably the best live sports broadcasting software on the market today.
vMix
vMix is a live streaming and broadcast software solution that works well in many sports contexts. With support for up to four cameras (eight for vMix PRO and vMix Max users), including for instant replay, vMix focuses on the raw video aspects of live sports.
If you need to output to a video referee system or just project your live feed onto the big screen in the arena or stadium, vMix is a solid choice.
You’ll also have the ability to record the game and create highlights packages, and an included social module allows for easier sharing to places like Facebook and YouTube.
However, best we can tell, vMix doesn’t include any slide design or overlay or scoreboard tools. You’ll need to build overlay and scoreboard content elsewhere and then feed it into your vMix system.
VidBlasterX
VidBlasterX is a serious solution for demanding production environments (such as the 10MILA 24-hour race) and tech-forward operations (such as those relying on cloud servers and virtual machines to power their software).
It has most everything you might want, including multicamera, multi-channel inputs, slow-motion, replay, Multiview, and streaming capabilities.
The modular user interface makes for a highly customizable workflow and supports personalized overlays, lower thirds, and video effects.
VidBlasterX is powerful, but it’s also complex. Depending on your needs and comfort level, the learning curve and operational requirements may be more than ideal.
Three versions of VidBlasterX are available, at drastically different prices (and with just as drastically different feature sets). To get everything we’re describing (including support for broadcast formats such as NDI), you’ll need the quite pricey $999 per year Broadcast edition.
Grabyo
Grabyo is a modern SaaS platform for live video production and content distribution. It’s a little different than some others, taking a modern, web-first approach to video production. It delivers the ability to broadcast live video in HD, apply graphic overlays and data visualizations, and more.
With support for branding, Grabyo is angling for a less advanced audience with the goal of making them more polished in their presentation.
Grabyo supports a sort of commentator overlay that looks a little more Zoom Meeting and a little less ESPN, but in the right contexts this is a powerful and easy-to-use feature.
Real-time highlights are another nice capability, though you’ll run into limitations here compared to more pro-grade tools like ProPresenter and VidBlasterX.
After-the-fact video editing and live clipping are other headline features that deliver value, even if they don’t directly apply to live sports broadcasting.
Prism Live Studio
Prism Live Studio is more geared toward smaller-scale streamers, but some of the features here make it noteworthy in a sports context. It may not be your sole broadcasting software tool, but it could fill in some of the gaps of another tool.
Prism Live Studio allows users to add effects and external content to their video content or to their live stream (if using Prism for livestream creation). Adding music, animated text, effects, and other media types to your live video content is a nice feature.
Still, most sports setups are more about scores and stats than they are about attaching GIFs and animated text. We can see Prism Live Studio filling a specific content niche, but we think you’d have a hard time running a full sports broadcast from the app.
FFsplit
If you’re looking for a free version, FFsplit is worth a look. It’s freeware, so you won’t pay a cent. If it works for you, you’ll be able to merge inputs and do basic video production work.
We include it here because free is hard to come by, but we need to give some major caveats. First, support was formally discontinued several years ago, so we can’t say how well (or for how long) the software will work. It’s also PC-only.
As you might expect from a free tool, the feature set here is pretty basic.
Start Your Scoreboard + ProPresenter + ProVideoPlayer Journey Today
Combining Scoreboard, ProPresenter, and ProVideoPlayer delivers a trifecta of sports broadcasting and streaming performance that’s hard to beat.
Beginners can get started producing polished broadcasts without a ton of software training. You won’t need to mess with virtual machines or cloud instances if you don’t want to. And pros can access just about any capability they could want in a sports broadcasting solution.
See what the future of your sports broadcasts could be when you switch to this suite of solutions. Start your two-week trial today!
