CBS Sports Network To Take Viewers Behind the Scenes of a Live Sports Production During College Football Game on Saturday

Marshall vs. Middle Tennessee State game streaming on Facebook Live will feature looks inside the television compound

If you’re a regular SVG-er, you know what life on the road and out in the production compound is like. The average sports fan, however? Probably not so much. On Saturday, CBS Sports Network will take viewers behind the proverbial curtain into our world of live sports production during a college football game between Marshall and Middle Tennessee State (3:30 p.m. ET), a broadcast that will stream exclusively on Facebook Live.

CBSSN is calling it “TV 101″ and will commit time throughout the game broadcast and during breaks in the action (Facebook Live broadcasts do not feature commercials) to show viewers all of the people, technology, and hard work that goes into a single production of a football game.

“I’m happy to get the chance to pull the curtain back, educate our audience, and — at the same time — give the hard working men and women their due,” says producer Bill Thayer who will sit at the front bench on Saturday alongside director Dan Reagan. “I don’t think the average viewer understands how hard or what it takes to produce a football game. Hopefully, after this game, people will get a better idea of what some of the positions involve in greater detail.”

According to Steve Karasik, VP, Remote Production for CBS Sports, it’s the format of Facebook Live that lends itself to this unique kind of broadcast.

“The format used for games streamed exclusively on Facebook allows us the opportunity to experiment with ways to produce and deliver the game to fans,” Karasik said in an official release this week announcing the telecast. “As always, our priority is telling the story of the play on the field. But with this unique format, we are excited to give viewers a rare look inside the production truck. Not only will this enhance the overall experience and keep fans engaged, but we hope to provide viewers with an understanding of the depth, preparation, and expertise that goes into producing a football game.”

Thayer told SVG that the production actually doesn’t require much more resources than a traditional game broadcast would, but that some important adjustments just need to be layered in. A couple of extra wireless cameras will bolster the overall production’s total camera count to 16 (most of which are a combination of Ikegami HDK-79EC2HDs and some Marshall POVs). For playback, CBSSN will up its relay server count to four EVS machines. Plus, there will be some added graphics work through ChyronHego and SMT technology. The production was transmitted via satellite by Arctek Satellite Productions.

Sideline reporter John Schriffen will be accompanied by a wireless camera operator, a wireless mic, and some portable lighting as he helps walk viewers in and around F&F Productions’ GTX10 production truck parked outside of Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, TN. With each break, Schriffen will spotlight the mobile facilities and, of course, the various personnel positions like replay, graphics, camera op, runner, and much more.

“I don’t think anybody that works behind the scenes does it for fame or recognition,” says Thayer. “They do it because they love their work. You have to love it to put in the time and effort that our crew does every game.”