SVG Saturday Fax: The Week In Sports Video Production
Sports Video Group
To advance the creation, production, and distribution of sports content.
All-Stars, Majors, and more. Live sports production is staying hot as we enter the "Dog Days" of summer - and the Olympics are just around the corner.
Here's what's going on across the industry in your latest edition of the SVG Saturday Fax!
At The Open Championship, A Sign of the Times
The 152nd Open Championship has returned to Royal Troon in Scotland for the first time since 2016 and it signals a new era for the event, with NBC Sports and Sky Sports taking over as rightsholders in the U.S. and UK, respectively, and ETP taking over as host broadcaster.
There are 151 cameras deployed around the course to support the multiple broadcasters and rightsholders. Besides the world feed’s 106, there are the unilateral and dedicated cameras: NBC Sports has 17, Sky Sports has 12, Golf Channel is using 10 for Live From and at the practice area, Live at the Range for R&A is produced with eight, BBC is deploying an ENG facility, and the Featured Groups are covered by four. Thirty-eight of the cameras are RF. As for microphones, there 52 high-power on-course radio mics, about 50 low-power mics, and about 120 FX mics.
Additionally, Wirecam, provided by Aerial Camera Systems (ACS) , extends over the famed 8th hole with its “Postage Stamp” green, but it has a new gimbal: the GSS-512X stabilized gimbal with a Sony P50 camera.
This year marks the third time that EMG / Gravity Media has produced UHD HDR coverage for DirecTV’s par-3 channel. New this year is that NBC is taking a 1080p HDR feed for Live From on Peacock.
SVG is currently on-site at The Open Championship. Read more of our coverage throughout the weekend at sportsvideo.org and svgeurope.org.
ESPN Ready For Extra Competitive WNBA All-Star Game
The biggest WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) season ever has reached its midway point and - prior to a month-long Olympic break - the league and its lead broadcast parter, ESPN , have descended upon Phoenix for All-Star Weekend.
Following Friday night's Skills Challenge and the 3-Point Contest, the WNBA All-Star Game will air on Saturday night on ABC (8:00 p.m. ET), marking the second consecutive year that this event has been on network television in primetime.
With a unique matchup of WNBA Stars facing the Olympics-bound U.S. Women's Basketball Team, ESPN is preparing for a far-more competitive environment than a traditional All-Star Game might offer.
"We very much conversed about how best to document and deliver, knowing that it will be competitive, knowing we've got these really unique pairings and matchings that will just generate interest," says Sara Gaiero, Vice President, Production at ESPN who oversees all women's basketball - pro and college - for the network. "I think that will just provide some really fun elements for people. I think it's going to be very, very competitive. We'll have our normal game hat on, if you will, as opposed to more of an entertainment hat."
A Bounce Back Year For MLB All-Star
Major League Baseball (MLB) 's All-Star festivities surged back to prominence this week as the Midsummer Classic saw a spike in ratings and networks covered a flurry of events across Arlington, Texas ranging from the MLB Draft to the Futures Game, the Red Carpet, the Home Run Derby, and, of course, the All-Star Game itself.
FOX Sports brought a comprehensive effort for Tuesday night's 94th MLB All-Star Game. The 1080p HDR broadcast also featured an upconverted 4K feed for distribution to selected partners. Approximately 50 cameras were scattered for game and studio coverage; six of which were shooting in 6X. A pair of live drones from Beverly Hills Aerials returned to fly inside Globe Life Field (whose roof was closed) and two RF MōVI units split between on-field duties and roaming the stadium for venue and fan shots.
On Monday, ESPN adjusted to the Home Run Derby's new format with a refreshed graphics package and brought fans closer to the action with 4DREPLAY . ESPN also partnered with MLB NETWORK on coverage of Sunday's first round of the 2024 MLB Draft from Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth.
MLB Network was also plenty busy over the five-day stretch serving up tech resources for other broadcasters, broadcasting studio programming onsite, and producing live coverage of multiple games. MLBN found a way to streamline operations for maximum efficiency.
“We’ve taken a look at these large-scale events and have learned how to maximize our equipment,” says Jason Hedgcock , Senior Director, Remote Technical Operations, MLB Network. “There are 24 kinds of broadcasts during MLB All-Star, so we’ve figured out a course of action to put the best product out there.”
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A Tradition of Innovation at NBA Summer League Continues
The annual National Basketball Association (NBA) Summer League rolls on out in hot and steamy Las Vegas and, as is the norm at this event, broadcast technology innovation and behind the scenes testing are at the fore.
This year, NBA tech brass are testing everything from new forms of video transmission to interactive/immersive viewing experiences, and even improving the delivery of video to and the on-court communication with the NBA Replay Center in Secaucus, NJ.
“From a broadcast operations and engineering perspective, Summer League is an invaluable opportunity to try out new technologies and continue to evolve,” says Barney Carleton , Senior Director, Broadcast Planning and Strategy for the NBA. “The best piece of the Summer League for us is the fact that not everything necessarily has to make it to air. That opportunity to do offline testing is something that’s absolutely really critical to us.
ESPN Aims For Fun at First NFL FLAG Championships
The kids take the stage this weekend as ESPN partners with the National Football League (NFL) to broadcast the first NFL FLAG Championships. The event continues through Sunday from the Pro Football Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio and games will be available across the full ESPN family.
ESPN's coverage will lean heavy into fun and access. Audio will be a main focus and the network will again deploy the MindFly AI Bodycam on a couple of officials.
“It is all about the kids,” says Phil Orlins , VP, Production at ESPN. “It needs to look professional; it needs to be a nice, clean show; but it needs to be about the kids. That’s what we’re after right now.”
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