Transition Productions Achieves 3X Viewership Surge at PHXAM with AI-Powered Vertical Livestream
At the 24th Annual PHXAM, Transition Productions partnered with Grabyo and Tagboard to show how a 16:9 broadcast feed can be transformed into a full production vertical stream in real time
Tagboard, in collaboration with Grabyo, AWS, and Transition Productions worked to deploy a groundbreaking live production workflow on theplatfrm.com at the 24th Annual Phoenix AM (PHXAM), one of skateboarding’s longest-running and most respected events.
On Sunday, March 22, Transition Productions took the lead at the 24th Annual Phoenix Am, proving that “traditional” broadcast is a thing of the past. Using Grabyo’s cloud production platform with AI-powered vertical tracking and Tagboard’s real-time interactive graphics, the team delivered a multi-platform experience from a single master feed. A breakthrough experience for the fans of one of skateboarding’s longest-running and most respected events.
We proved that a single feed is all you need to dominate both horizontal and vertical screens.
Using a single 16:9 broadcast feed from the skatepark, the production team generated a fully produced vertical (9:16) livestream, combining AI-driven reframing with live graphics and interactive overlays for distribution to TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Powered by AWS Elemental Inference, the system tracked the live action within the broadcast and adapted it in real time for vertical viewing as it unfolded.
The event is one of the first live deployments of AI-driven vertical production for extreme sports, building on earlier work with Transition Productions and Formula Drift.“PHXAM showed what this looks like in practice,” said Gareth Capon (CEO, Grabyo). By taking a single 16:9 feed and turning it into a fully produced vertical stream in real-time, Transition Productions proved that you don’t need separate workflows to dominate social. One pipeline, multiple platforms, multiple formats; it’s the new standard for live sports.”
From production constraint to technology advantage
On @theplatfrm social live streaming accounts the PHXAM vertical was not treated as a secondary output.
The live vertical feed was produced without additional cameras or parallel workflows. Instead of duplicating effort, the same pipeline powered both broadcast (TV) and vertical (mobile + social).Tracking a skater in a chaotic park is a production nightmare, unless you have the right tech. Grabyo’s AI-driven tracking. It handled the complex, fast-moving environment in real-time, proving that the “production constraint” of vertical video is officially a thing of the past.
Reaching audiences where they want to watch
If you aren’t producing for the platform, you’re losing the audience.
Transition Productions proved this at PHXAM by prioritizing a native vertical experience. By integrating Tagboard, they brought vertically optimized graphics, live comments and real-time engagement directly into the TikTok feed, turning a broadcast into a conversation.
The result? The vertical livestream on TikTok reached 3x peak concurrent viewers and total viewership as the same horizontal youtube live stream and was the highest across all simulcast PHXAM live streams, and a significant audience for an amateur sports event.
“It is incredibly important that your vertical graphics package feels unique and native to the platform, rather than just matching what you use on a traditional stream,” said Christine Chalk, Chief Product Officer at Tagboard. “By building an experience specifically for the TikTok and IG audiences, we turned the broadcast into a conversation and proved that when you prioritize the mobile viewer, they stay tuned in.”
From early testing to live deployment
The PHXAM production builds on earlier work with Transition Productions at Formula Drift and highlights the potential of the technology for sports events at all levels: variable conditions, fast-paced action and changing production demands.
“We first explored this workflow at Formula Drift, but PHXAM was where it moved from early tests into live execution,” says Kemp Curley, Executive Producer at Transition Productions. “We proved that a single feed is all you need to dominate both horizontal and vertical screens. By stripping away the complexity of parallel workflows, Transition is setting a lean, powerful standard for live sports, which is critical in remote locations that lack robust internet bandwidth.”
The approach demonstrated at PHXAM offers an alternative model:
A single production pipeline powering multiple formats
Real-time adaptation for vertical and social platforms
Integrated graphics and audience interaction
Reduced operational overhead without compromising quality
Vertical is no longer an afterthought
Embedding vertical directly into the production workflow, streaming live in 9:16, and reaching the audience where they are removes the delay between capture and distribution, maximising engagement.
“Vertical video isn’t something you create after the event,” added Gareth Capon, CEO at Grabyo. “It should be part of the live production itself. If you’re not producing for social in real time, you’re already behind.”
As AI-powered production continues to evolve, the ability to process content once and deliver it everywhere is becoming a practical reality.
