Cellhire enables the BBC to live stream UK General Election counts

Cellhire, a national and global provider of mobile communications, played a major role in the BBC’s coverage of the 2024 UK General Election. The company deployed its “Count Cam” packages powered with Cellhire’s IoT connectivity solution to 369 vote-counting locations across the UK to allow the BBC to live-stream footage as the election results unfolded during the night of July 4th-5th.

As votes were tallied and results announced, thanks to Cellhire the BBC was able to provide continuous coverage throughout the night, employing a combination of reporters, crews, freelancers and state-of-the-art streaming solutions.

Tony Guerion, chief executive officer, comments, “I am delighted that Cellhire was able to play such a key role in bringing the election to millions of people across the UK. The visibility provided by our IoT solution not only allowed the public to stay informed but also enhanced the transparency and accountability of the electoral process.”

Cellhire’s “Count Cam” packages, equipped with pre-configured iPhones, helped the BBC to enhance its election broadcast coverage. Demonstrated by BBC’s journalist Laura Garcia on TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@lauragarciarb/video/7388020057890180385), the Count Cam kits featured an adapted Apple iPhone 12 with an integrated battery pack and a tripod, making it quick and easy to set up and stream across the different venues.

Guerion continues, “Ensuring that the viewing public could witness the vote-counting in real time helped to foster trust in the democratic process. With the BBC, we set a new level of access and transparency in the democratic process, which is essential in maintaining the integrity of our elections.”

The iPhones were fitted with Cellhire’s multi-network IoT SIM cards, allowing them to always remain connected to the best available UK mobile network. This ensured extensive geographic coverage and reduced the likelihood of any downtime to close to zero. Additionally, Cellhire further optimised the devices by installing essential apps only, making them easier to use and ensuring more efficient performance.

A virtual broadcast experience
Streams from the Count Cam packages were transmitted to a virtual screen in the BBC TV studio, with individual streams accessible via iPlayer and the BBC’s online constituency pages. “The setup allowed for an impressive, interactive viewing experience by providing live updates and visuals from locations across the UK,” Guerion says.

Cellhire's pre-configured iPhone kits offered a cost-effective alternative to deploying full news crews, enabling quick and efficient setup of broadcast-quality live feeds. The user-friendly design and simple instructions meant that anyone could set up and operate the kits, helping to democratise the process of live reporting.

Geraint Thomas, assistant editor who led the project for BBC News comments:
“The aim to livestream from every county across the UK was incredibly ambitious and, due to its scale, would have been challenging to accomplish using traditional broadcasting methods. The project involved numerous moving parts, but connectivity was at its core, with the multi-network SIM cards offering a particularly efficient solution. The user-friendly setup was easily configurable, even by staff without a technical background, allowing us to add a brand new dimension to the BBC's election night coverage.”

Jonny McGuigan, BBC News streaming editor comments: “We delivered the most personalised election coverage ever in live video. Across the UK, wherever you looked you could see democracy in action, live. The ability to choose from any one of 369 counts on the night meant we could always be where the story was. When augmented with our traditional broadcast live Satellite News Gathering, SNG, and bonded connectivity, we could guarantee we’d be where audiences needed us, on digital platforms, TV and radio all night long.”