DAZN Brings in Panasonic AW-UE150 4K PTZ Cameras for The Pat McAfee Show

DAZN has invested in seven Panasonic AW-UE150 4K pan/tilt/zoom cameras to support production of its recently-launched daily offering, The Pat McAfee Show. With McAfee–the former Indiana Colts’ Pro Bowl punter–as headliner, the show streams live on DAZN from 10 a.m.-noon ET Monday through Friday. McAfee is also creating football-focused segments for DAZN Canada and Germany, where the streamer has NFL rights. Additionally, DAZN has begun video streaming McAfee’s podcast, which has expanded to three times each week.

DAZN has invested in seven Panasonic AW-UE150 4K pan/tilt/zoom cameras to support production of its recently-launched daily offering, “The Pat McAfee Show.”

According to DAZN’s Technical Operations Director Petro Mynch, the summer build-out for the show, working with McAfee’s existing warehouse space in Indianapolis, represented the very first ground-up field studio implementation for the company. “Pat continues to work with his longtime crew, but this is really DAZN’s first opportunity to associate our brand with football, and we wanted a high-end, future-proofed production studio,” he said. (DAZN continues to build a footprint in the U.S. with several recent rights deals for boxing and MMA programming.)

Mynch explained that five AW-UE150s are permanently installed in the Indianapolis studio, with the remaining PTZs placed in McAfee’s mobile studio. At least one show per week is produced on the road, keeping up with McAfee’s travel schedule. DAZN likewise invested in two companion AW-RP150 PTZ control surfaces (one each in the Indianapolis and mobile studios), and three Panasonic BT-LH1770 17” Panasonic monitors (two installed in Indianapolis, one in the mobile van).

“As a host, Pat is always on the move, very kinetic, so robotic cameras were a natural choice for us,” Mynch said. “We wanted our production kit to be good for at least a few years, and while we presently produce in 1080i/59.94, we have built-in 4K acquisition with the UE150. Our research identified Panasonic as a leader in the PTZ field, with the UE150 at the top of any list of remote cameras.”

“We built the studio on an extremely accelerated schedule, and Panasonic worked with us very quickly in terms of delivery and training. There is no on-site engineer, it’s literally all hands on deck with camera ops, and everyone has been impressed with the UE150’s ease of set-up and use,” he added.

Mynch went on to cite the UE150’s superb picture quality, as well as the plug-and-play abilities of the AW-RP150 remote controllers and the real-time color correction support afforded by the BT-LH1770 monitors.

“Beginning with our very quick studio build, then moving on to demanding weekly live production assignments, the UE150s and support gear have worked impressively well and dependably,” he noted.