Harmonic Unveils Advanced Live Sports Streaming Innovations

Harmonic has introduced a suite of new capabilities for its sports streaming platform, designed to boost fan engagement, enable advanced monetization, and enhance content protection.

The updates were announced from San Jose, California ahead of the NAB Show 2026, where the company will showcase the innovations at booth W2831 from April 19–22.

"Live sports represent the most valuable and demanding content in streaming today," said Jean Macher, senior director of global SaaS solutions at Harmonic. "Sports fans expect immersive, real-time experiences — and sports rights buyers need solutions that can monetize live events while delivering compelling viewing experiences that keep fans engaged. Our enhanced live sports streaming solution, built through collaboration across the sports ecosystem, reinforces Harmonic’s commitment to helping customers maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly dynamic marketplace."

Harmonic's new server-side multiview feature allows viewers to watch multiple games or camera angles simultaneously. The capability supports any end device, ensures synchronized playback with low latency and high video quality, and can be deployed in a geo-redundant setup for reliability. Customers can design HD or UHD multiview templates through an intuitive API or user interface.

The updated platform now supports programmatic advertising on live sports CTV inventory through a collaboration with Viant Technology and its contextual intelligence platform IRIS.TV. Scene-level contextual segments — such as game start and end times, score changes, and key moments — are automatically generated and activated within Viant’s AI-powered demand-side platform.

Harmonic's server-side in-stream advertising capabilities are now live with a leading U.S. regional sports network. Already deployed for live NBA and NHL games, the system dynamically triggers ads based on real-time game events, including on new multiview channels, ensuring monetization of high-action moments without interrupting the viewing experience.

To safeguard premium sports content, Harmonic integrates scalable forensic watermarking through NAGRA NexGuard and Irdeto's TraceMark™, providing real-time traceability to combat piracy with minimal impact on latency or user experience. The solution allows rights holders to quickly identify and shut down illegal streams, protecting the value of live sports content.

Harmonic said these combined enhancements position its sports streaming platform to meet the growing demand for immersive, interactive live experiences while maximizing revenue and security for rights holders.

The company will demonstrate its updated live sports streaming solution at NAB 2026 in Las Vegas, booth W2831.

www.harmonicinc.com