ESPN Readies MegaCast Plans for CFP Semis, New Year’s Six Bowl Games

Command Center, SkyCast, DataCenter, and more offer unique ways to watch the biggest college football games of the year

It’s College Football Playoff time and that means one thing for those interested in live sports video production: it’s MegaCast season!

On Monday, ESPN unveiled its plans for nine individual presentations of each College Football Playoff Semifinal courtesy of the network’s annual CFP MegaCast production on New Year’s Day. All in all, nearly 40 presentations will be available across the New Year’s Six, peaking with the CFP Semifinals as the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One (No. 1 Alabama-No. 4 Notre Dame; 4 p.m. ET, ESPN) and the Allstate Sugar Bowl (No. 2 Clemson-No. 3 Ohio State; 8 p.m. ET, ESPN). In addition, the remaining New Year’s Six matchups – which inside the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bown, the Playstation Fiesta Bowl, and the Capital One Orange Bowl – will also receive expanded viewing options.

Technology is at the Forefront of CFP Semifinals MegaCast
The College Football Playoff Semifinals MegaCast kicks off with ESPN airing the traditional telecast, which features the network’s innovative technology combined with unique vantage points, providing fans with a state-of-the-art presentation. More than 50 cameras will be deployed inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La. Featured in at least one of the CFP semifinals will be:

• AllCam: Captures the entire field at all times
• Eight End Zone Pylon Cams: Cameras inside all eight pylons
• RefCam: Cameras affixed to the bill of the ref’s hat
• First and Ten: Cameras at multiple angles of the first down line

Alternate Presentations (all available on the ESPN App):

• Command Center (ESPN2): A multi-angle presentation, which includes up to four different vantage points at any one time, with statistics and real-time drive charts supplementing the game action.
• Skycast (ESPNU): The popular view from above the action and behind the offense on most plays. This unique angle has long been one of ESPN’s alternate viewing options and is readily available on multiple games every week. New this year, replays will be shown regularly throughout the presentation.
• DataCenter (ESPNEWS): A perfect catch-all viewing option, as ESPN’s main telecast will be surrounded by real-time stats, analytics, social media commentary and player information.
• All-22 (ESPN App): Watch the game the same way players and coaches study film, with a vantage point high above the field of play. The angle allows for the 22 players on the field to be seen at all times, providing the ability to distinguish how plays develop.

New Year’s Six Slated for Several Alternate Presentations
Both Command Center and Skycast will also be available on the ESPN App for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Playstation Fiesta Bowl and Capital One Orange Bowl, as ESPN provides multi-platform presentations for the New Year’s Six bowls. Additionally, the Command Center and Skycast for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will be simulcast on ESPN2 and ESPNU, respectively.

Additional New Year’s Six Matchups:

• Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
  No. 7 Florida vs. No. 6 Oklahoma
• Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
  No. 9 Georgia vs. No. 8 Cincinnati
• Playstation Fiesta Bowl
  No. 25 Oregon vs. No. 10 Iowa State
• Capital One Orange Bowl
  No. 5 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 North Carolina

NOTE: ESPN’s presentation of the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T is currently schedule for Monday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m. ET.