As technology grows to become integral in our everyday lives, more and more real-world events have been translated into the virtual world of the internet, allowing for mass amounts of connectivity from the comfort of the home. However, the companies that dominate the market for online video footage, YouTube being the biggest, have failed to establish a specialized platform for video coverage of sporting events.
Meridix, founded in 2003, has solved this issue, providing a specialized tool-kit for the average joe to broadcast, upload, and stream live video footage of sporting events, big or small.
Meridix delivers a broadcasting service to anyone in a local setting, without the need for expensive equipment only big networks have. “In short, we’ve launched a platform that empowers any sports team to create live, multi-camera, HD broadcasts using the devices they already have in their pocket,” CEO of Meridix, Tyler Feret, told SportTechie in an interview. “We want people to be able to go out to a field and whether they have laptops, tablets, smartphones, whatever equipment they have, they can take that out to a field and create something that really looks like espn, used at the pro level.”
What makes Meridix stand out from other broadcasting providers is how unrestricted their service is. Feret’s goal in this service is to maintain the identity of the teams. Rather than Meridix running the services entirely, it’s the teams that have full control over the produced broadcasts. “We want the teams to be the identity. We want to be the tech provider underneath so that they have the tools and can use them easily and put the broadcasts on their sites or leagues,” said Feret. “Its their logo, their colors so when people go to watch those broadcasts, they can go straight to that team or leagues website or social media channel and with one click can watch the game and get it in a very espn-like professional gametracker.”
Large broadcasting companies have already partnered with Meridix, including ESPN, WWL in New Orleans, and MSBN in Minnesota, just to name a few. So far, Meridix has powered over 70,000 broadcasts, ranging from small radio stations and childhood sports teams to Division 1 powerhouses.
Meridix also solves many of the issues with statistical tracking that other platforms such as YouTube cannot satisfy. It allows for easy integration of key aspects of sports-watching, including game clock, replays and statistics for players that most platforms don’t usually allow.
Meridix furthers this idea of the customer’s identity by ensuring not only an original broadcast, but also on an original network. Meridix simply gives the teams the tools for broadcasting, and then allows the team full autonomy on how to run their own broadcast and network. “Its not their broadcast on our network, it’s their broadcast on their network, powered by Meridix,” said Feret.
Teams and players have also used this service for recruiting purposes, allowing high school players to add high quality video footage of games and highlights to their portfolio for recruitment in a more accessible manner than other providers.
Although the fans use any equipment they have, that does not mean quality is sacrificed. The point of Meridix is not only to provide the broadcasters with an easy and effective way of publishing live video footage, but also to benefit the customer by providing a high-quality program that is engaging to watch. “We want to get to a standard where if you’re watching a broadcast from Meridix, it’s just as good of an experience as what you’re going to see on ESPN or CBS,” said Feret.
When it comes down to it, Meridix is all about allowing the customer to make all of the decisions regarding their broadcasting. Meridix provides the necessary tools for quality footage, while staying far enough away so that teams can control every aspect of the footage, upholding the integrity and identity of the users. “We simply give them the tools and then we get out of the way,” said Feret.