Live streaming an event in Morocco: the real requirements
3 min readDirect · Événementiel · Broadcast
A recording can be rescued in the edit. A live feed cannot. That is the whole difference, and it is why live costs more than a shoot of the same length.
We ran production on a live feed from two Moroccan cities, Casablanca and Agadir, cut into a worldwide broadcast alongside Los Angeles and Paris, in front of crowds of more than thirty-five thousand people, at night. What follows comes from that.
What brings a live feed down
In order of how often it actually happens:
1. The network. Nearly always. Venue wifi, shared with an audience posting stories, collapses at the exact moment the room fills. You never run a live feed on venue wifi.
2. Power. One socket, one extension lead, someone unplugging it to charge a phone. Two separate circuits, and a UPS on the gallery.
3. Audio. The classic mistake is taking camera audio instead of the house console feed. The presenter's mic is already amplified — take the signal at source.
4. Heat. An encoder or laptop in direct sun shuts down. Under a marquee, in August, in Morocco, that is not hypothetical.
5. Coordination. Nobody knows who calls the start. A live event needs one voice counting down, and only one.
The minimum setup
Connectivity: dedicated fibre if the site has it, plus bonded cellular across multiple carriers as backup. Plan for at least double the upstream you theoretically need — a feed using 90% of available bandwidth will drop.
Cameras: two minimum. A wide that does not move and stays broadcastable at all times; a tight that takes the risks. Three to four for a conference.
Redundancy: local recording runs throughout, in parallel with the stream. If the broadcast drops, there is still a master. That recording has saved more events than any piece of equipment.
Gallery: a switcher, a return feed, and a written running order. Who cuts, when, on what cue.
Latency: decided up front. A social stream tolerates a few seconds. A feed a broadcaster has to be able to cut to on the second does not.
What to demand from a supplier
Ask these five questions. The answers tell you everything:
- "What is your network backup?" — if there isn't one, there is no live event
- "Are you recording locally during the stream?" — the answer must be yes, without hesitation
- "Where are you taking audio from?" — the console, not the camera
- "How long before the event are you on site?" — under three hours for a multicam is optimistic
- "Who calls the cuts?" — a name, not "we'll sort it out"
Drone in a live feed
A drone inside a broadcast feed adds two layers: getting the aerial signal to the gallery, and the authorisation. Night flight above a large crowd is one of the most tightly controlled scenarios in Morocco — see our article on drone permits.
It is not impossible. It is a file, and it is submitted weeks ahead.
Got an event to cover? Talk to us early — preparing a live broadcast starts with the network and the permits, not the cameras.
Frequently asked questions
- What connection does a reliable live stream need?
- Dedicated fibre where the venue has it, backed by a bonded cellular solution across several carriers. The rule: at least twice the upstream bandwidth the feed requires, and never the venue wifi. Wifi shared with guests is the single most common cause of failure.
- How many cameras does an event need?
- Two minimum, so you can cut cleanly: a safe wide and a tight. Three to four for a conference or an awards ceremony. Beyond that it is a gallery operation, not a shoot.
- What does a live broadcast cost in Morocco?
- 12,000 to 50,000 MAD depending on camera count, duration and level of redundancy. A feed destined for an external broadcaster costs more than a social stream, because the technical requirements are not the same.
- Do you need a permit to film a public event?
- In most cases yes, and two if a drone is involved: the flight authorisation and the filming approval. For a large gathering, coordination with local authorities is part of the setup, not an option.