Groovy Gecko streaming specialist, with YouTube and the camera crew, produced a live mix of narrative, performance and audience engagement with LiveU LU800 on-location transmission.
Through mid-2025, musician and rapper Drake proceeded with the rollout of his new album Iceman. A major part of the project involved the second and third episodes of a series of cinematic-style short films, a blend of symbolic visuals, track launches and real-time streaming. To achieve a global live broadcast of the films, creative streaming and webcasting specialist Groovy Gecko delivered the live streams to Drake's YouTube channel.
The Groovy Gecko team coordinated with YouTube and partnered with the project’s production company Canada Canada to create a complex hybrid of narrative, performance and live audience engagement.
The production crew first needed to shoot immersive footage from different angles simultaneously. Patrick Hanlon, Online Video Solutions Specialist at Groovy Gecko said, "Drake wanted us to capture a short film live across a citywide network of locations, with cinematic looks and style. This included underground clubs and moving vehicles, all while maintaining a crisp, clear level of production quality."
Live from Milan and Manchester
Episode 3, which live streamed on 4 September, was set against a striking backdrop comprising 12 locations in Milan. Five return servers were in place for a 19-camera shoot, plus live drone feeds. Groovy Gecko used a mix of 40 LiveU multi-cam LU800 transmission field units and compact LU300 transmitters, with the LU800s serving as the primary units and the LU300s operating as backups. Connectivity at challenging locations was boosted using Peplink and Starlink units for LiveU, ensuring zero dropouts.
As an example of the quality achieved, Patrick and the team were especially pleased with the footage streamed from a car. "That shot is beautiful; we were keen to get the LiveU units on the move to see how they worked and couldn’t have been more impressed," he said.
The live stream received 1.9 million viewers on Drake's YouTube channel and over one million further on-demand views within the first five hours of streaming.
For Episode 2, the LiveU units supported 12 cameras strategically positioned around the city of Manchester, with two Steadicams used to capture dynamic tracking shots. The feeds were transmitted wirelessly over 4G and 5G to Groovy Gecko's production hub in London. The stream had over one million live views and 1.2 million additional on-demand views over the following weekend.
Ensuring Connectivity
Groovy Gecko switched between wireless and hardwired feeds depending on the site. Patrick said, "In Milan for example, we used hardwired feeds at a couple of locations. In Manchester, everything was run using the LiveU units. We had the feed from the LU300 going into the LU800 in DataBridge mode while the LU800 was transmitting the feed back to our servers."
DataBridge acts as a WiFi hotspot or Ethernet-based internet connectivity to devices – laptops, phones or tablets. DataBridge bonds multiple networks, including 4G/5G cellular, WiFi and Ethernet, boosting connectivity and creating a resilient, high-capacity internet link from remote locations.
DataBridge operates either as a dedicated hotspot unit or, as in this case, as part of LiveU’s existing units like the LU800. The service can be activated with little extra cost, using a cloud-based (multi-path) mode or on-premise gateway.
Groundwork
Patrick mentioned the importance of being flexible throughout, because the creative brief continued to change and develop until the moment the streams went live. "LiveU helped us pull everything together. They did a lot of groundwork before the Milan job, prepping and sending units from Amsterdam and Germany, which really helped set us up for success."
Matthew Stringer, Sales Director UK, LiveU described the fast-moving, high-pressure nature of this project. “We have been working with Groovy Gecko for 14 years now. This live stream event demonstrates the effectiveness of our partnership because flexibility and scalability proved essential in a production environment of this scale. The project spotlights LiveU's rapid global deployment capabilities and the company's ability to support high-profile events in any location.
As the creative brief evolved from Episode 2 to Episode 3, LiveU's infrastructure enabled the team to adapt immediately to location requirements. The mobility of the units lent the creative freedom to work anywhere, resulting in highly artistic, engaging short films that expand the potential of streaming live music content." www.liveutv.net
