What is a Maritime Operations Centre

A Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) is charged with receiving and responding to contact received from vessels within a pre-defined area of water. It operates 24 x 7 day a week, 365 days a year. A MOC provides meteorological information, navigational warnings and ionospheric predictions. But it also acts as the first point of call for emergency communication received via internationally designated call and reply distress frequencies.

How are submarine cables protected?

Surveillance technology triggers an alert when vessel activity risks damaging an underwater cable. Where potential risks are identified, MOC operators work directly with vessels and maritime authorities to help prevent damage before it occurs.

Who is Starboard Maritime Intelligence?

Founded in 2019, Starboard Maritime Intelligence delivers AI-powered maritime intelligence that enables governments and critical infrastructure operators, to detect risks, prevent threats, and safeguard the systems that connect nations and economies. Its cloud-based technology fuses satellite, sensor, and contextual data to provide real-time visibility of activity at sea.

Media Release

Fibre or satellite: Which is best for live event linking?

By

Matt Patterson,

30 August 2026

High-stakes live broadcasts demand ultra-low latency, resilient infrastructure, and zero room for signal failure. Kordia provides broadcast-grade live linking via high-capacity fibre networks and Satellite News Gathering (SNG) vans, ensuring seamless, multi-platform transmission for sports, national cultural celebrations, and enterprise events.

Whether it’s a massive sporting fixture with global audiences or a cultural event of national significance, there are some events where reliable, broadcast-grade connectivity is non-negotiable.

For these critical events, low latency and resilience are key considerations. A delay of even a few minutes between an event occurring and the footage reaching its destination can create risks, for example, in sports betting. With that in mind, the first decision to make in live linking is whether fibre or satellite is the best fit for your event.

Fibre or satellite: complementary, not competing

Both fibre and satellite deliver exceptional performance and resilience. Each event is unique, and whether you go with fibre or satellite (or a mix of both) depends on your event’s specific requirements.

Fibre is the preferred option where infrastructure allows – for example, at major stadiums and venues that have access to fibre connections. It offers reliability and low latency that make it well suited to high-stakes live events. By providing geographically diverse pathways – ensuring more than one physical content delivery pathway – fibre also offers greater resilience. If one cable is damaged or disrupted, the other continues to carry the live feed without interruption.

Kordia has a wealth of experience linking live event content via fibre connections from a venue, including high-profile sports fixtures featuring international sports teams. Kordia used the fibre infrastructure at Eden Park for the Auckland FC vs Tottenham Hotspur and Auckland FC Women’s Invitational XI vs Chelsea Women matches in 2026. Footage was sent to TVNZ for broadcast on TV as well as on the TVNZ+ platform. The content was also streamed live to overseas viewers on SPURSPLAY, Tottenham’s on-demand video platform, and the Chelsea FC website.

Satellite is a popular option for many live events as it also delivers low latency and dependable performance. It serves two distinct roles in Kordia’s live linking offering:

As the primary delivery method when fibre infrastructure is not available, for example in remote locations.
As a disaster recovery option where fibre is the primary channel.

For events in remote or outdoor locations – such as golf tournaments and cultural events like Matariki – satellite is the only viable option, providing the flexibility needed to cover events that fibre cannot reach. For the 2024 Matariki celebrations at Wanaka, Kordia deployed two Satellite News Gathering (SNG) vans which broadcast the footage from two sources – fixed cameras and a drone. The footage was sent to TVNZ, Warner Brothers Discovery, Sky, and Whakaata Māori, and also streamed to Stuff, Matariki.net, iwi radio, and Radio New Zealand.

There are other considerations too, such as cost (fibre is generally more cost-effective) and lead time (satellite capacity generally needs to be booked well in advance).

More than just sports

While sporting events are most commonly associated with live linking, the technology has a wide range of use cases.

Some of New Zealand’s biggest cultural events, such as the Te Matatini kapa haka competition and ANZAC Day commemorations, have relied on live linking to reach audiences nationwide. Large companies also use Kordia’s live linking to broadcast high-quality footage of its AGMs.

Kordia can also offer its Freeview TV channel, Channel 200, as a delivery platform for live linking clients, essentially giving customers their own broadcast TV channel for the duration of their event.

In all of these use cases, there is one thing in common: reliable performance and broadcast-grade footage, delivered by a trusted team backed by decades of experience.

Live linking checklist

So, do you opt for fibre or satellite live linking for your event? Each event is different – below are some questions to consider as you explore your options:

Where is your event being held? Is fibre connection available?
Which locations are you broadcasting to?
What is your lead time for the event?
What is your budget?
Are there other important considerations that need to be factored in?

Get in touch with the experts

Over the years, Kordia’s specialist team has worked alongside broadcasters and production partners to provide seamless live linking and content distribution services. When every second counts and even minor delays can have consequences, our seasoned team keeps your content moving.

We’ve helped bring almost every major sporting event in New Zealand to television audiences over the last two decades.

From sports to concerts, festivals, cultural celebrations, and corporate events, Kordia can support a wide range of live productions. Our team will recommend the best solution based on your event location, production requirements, budget and available infrastructure.

Get in touch with us today to talk about how we can deliver your event to audiences across New Zealand or anywhere in the world. Learn more about Live event linking by Kordia.

FAQ

What is live event linking and why is broadcast-grade connectivity necessary?

Live event linking is the secure transmission of real-time audio and video feeds from an event location back to broadcasters, streaming platforms, or overseas partners. Broadcast-grade connectivity ensures ultra-low latency, zero frame loss, and uninterrupted high-definition transmission that is critical for high-stakes environments like sports betting, live events, and major cultural moments.

Can Kordia combine fibre and satellite for the same event?

Yes. Fibre and satellite are complementary. Many high-profile broadcasts use high-capacity fibre as the primary delivery path while deploying satellite as a dedicated, geographically independent disaster recovery option to guarantee uninterrupted redundancy.

What platforms can Kordia distribute live event feeds to?

Kordia delivers live feeds globally across traditional linear television channels (such as TVNZ, Sky, and Warner Bros. Discovery), international streaming networks, digital news sites, and local media. Clients can also leverage Kordia’s Channel 200 on Freeview to temporarily broadcast events directly to New Zealand households.

About the Author

Matt Patterson is Head of Sales – Specialist Solutions at Kordia, a technology and critical infrastructure company. He's focused on delivering seamless content delivery and connectivity solutions across media, maritime and adjacent markets, getting content to air wherever it needs to go.