The SVG Summit Preview: Everything You Need to Know for This Year’s Event in NYC

The SVG Summit will take place on Dec. 12-13 at the New York Hilton Hotel Midtown

The SVG Summit returns to New York City on Dec. 12-13 for two full days of industry-focused Main-Stage Panels, Deep Dives with major sports networks, informational Workshops, state-of-the-art Technology Exhibits, and, of course, plenty of time to network and catch up with old friends. Registration is now closed for The SVG Summit, but if you already have your spot here is an in-depth look at everything this year’s SVG Summit has to offer.

DAY 1 WORKSHOPS

CLICK HERE for an overview of grid of all the Day 1 Workshops.

Future of Remote Production Workshop
10:30 – 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Gramercy Suite, 2nd Floor

Cloud Tools & Services Workshop
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
Location: Murray Hill Suite, 2nd Floor

Cybersecurity Risk and Sports Production Workshop
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
Location: Nassau Suite, 2nd Floor

SPIRIT (Sports Production Inclusion Responsibility in Technology) Workshop
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
Location: Rendezvous, 3rd Floor

DTV Audio Group Production and Distribution Workshop
1:30 – 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Rendezvous, 3rd Floor

OTT, Streaming, and Digital Workshop
1:30 – 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Nassau Suite, 2nd Floor

Sports Content Management Workshop
1:30 – 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Murray Hill Suite, 2nd Floor

TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITS & OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION

Day 1 Exhibit Hours: 12:00 – 6:30 p.m. ET
Day 2 Exhibit Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: All Technology Showcases will be in the Rhinelander Gallery (2nd Floor)

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL EXHIBITOR LIST

Opening Night Networking Reception in Technology Showcase Area
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Rhinelander Gallery (2nd Floor)

DAY 2 GENERAL SESSIONS

9:00 – 9:05 a.m.: Welcoming Remarks

9:05 – 9:45 a.m.: League Perspectives
Sports leagues across the U.S. are continually improving their operations and looking to reach current fans in new ways that will also develop new fans. We’ll hear from key technology leaders about what is on their technology roadmap and separate hype from reality.
Panelists:
Dave Barry, NBA, Head of Broadcast Operations & Engineering
Patti Fallick, USTA, Managing Director, Broadcast
Grant Nodine, NHL, SVP, Technology
Steve Stum, NASCAR, VP Operations and Technical Production
Chris Vassallo, NFL, Director, Stadium Infrastructure & Football Technology

9:45 – 10:15 a.m.: SVG Deep Dive: NBC Sports
It was a busy year for the team at NBC Sports, beginning with the Super Bowl and Beijing Olympics and continuing through with PGA coverage, Sunday Night Football, and much more. Executives discuss the accomplishments, the challenges, and much more.
Panelists:
Craig Bernstein, NBC Sports, VP, Remote Technical Ops and Engineering
Darryl Jefferson, NBC Sports and Olympics, SVP, Engineering and Technology
David Mazza, NBC Sports and Olympics, SVP and CTO

10:15 – 10:30 a.m.: Dolby Case Study: The Evolution of Sports with Dolby
From 5.1 to Dolby Atmos. From digital terrestrial to streaming. Dolby has been on a journey with the industry to help elevate the experience for sports viewing in the home. You’ll hear about the past, present, and future of sports experiences in Dolby.
Presenter: Cherylene McKinney, Dolby Laboratories, Director, Commercial Partnerships

10:30 – 11:00 a.m.: Networking Break in Exhibits

11:00 – 11:30 a.m.: SVG Deep Dive: Fox Sports
Join us to learn more about how Fox Sports continues to evolve, its production efforts around the World Cup, and a sneak peek at next year’s Super Bowl production.
Panelists:
Brad Cheney, Fox Sports, VP, Field Operations and Engineering
Mike Davies, Fox Sports, SVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG Chairman
Sarita Meinking, Fox Sports, Executive Director, Field Operations
Rich Russo, Fox Sports, Director

11:30 – 11:45 a.m.: Diversified Case Study: Bringing the World Cup to Life— Making the Vision a Reality!
As they say, “teamwork makes the dream work”, or in this case, turns a vision into a reality. Hear directly from the team of key players at Diversified, Fox, EVS and TAGVS about the development and debut of Fox Sports Jewel Events Broadcast System. The first of its kind, the innovative yet flexible system delivers with rapid deployment and an intuitive user experience.
Presenters:
David Pinkel, EVS, SVP of Sales, North America
Peter Wharton, TAG V.S., Chief Strategy and Cloud Officer
Duane Yoslov, Diversified, SVP

11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: SVG Deep Dive: ESPN
ESPN production executives discuss their efforts in 2022 as well as give us a glimpse at what lies ahead in 2023. Whether it was the College Football Bowl Championship Series, the NBA and NHL Finals, or the US Open tennis and MNF the team embraced new innovations and new ways of working. ESPN production leaders reflect on 2022 and discuss the year ahead.
Panelists:
Carrie Brzezinski-Hsu, ESPN Creative Studio, VP
Dennis Cleary, ESPN, Director, Remote Production Operations
Kevin Lopes, ESPN, VP, Sports Business Development & Innovation
Ed Placey, ESPN, VP, Production

12:15 – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch

1:15 – 1:30 p.m.: EVS Case Study: Major Events Evolutions, EVS Tribute to Greg Blanton
Join EVS in celebrating the life Greg Blanton, an industry pioneer who we have lost in 2022, and some of the transformative events that he helped design and execute over the years.
Presenter: James Stellpflug, EVS, SVP, Customer Success – The Americas

1:30 – 2:00 p.m.: SVG Deep Dive: Spotlight on Women’s Sports Programming and Production
Women’s sports leagues in the U.S. and beyond continue to gain traction, especially among younger demographics. Experts discuss the growth of women’s sports programming, how it can continue to grow, and how technology changes are allowing fans and content creators to have better experiences.
Panelists:
Sara Gaiero, ESPN, Coordinating Producer
Brian Gordon, NWSL, SVP, Media and Executive Producer
Carol Stiff, Women’s Sports Network, Chair and Stiff Sports Media Consulting, President

2:00 – 2:30 p.m.: SVG Deep Dive: CBS Sports
Join us for our final deep dive with the production team at CBS Sports. We’ll go inside The Masters, March Madness, the NFL, and much more during this insightful session.
Panelists:
Jason Cohen, CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network, VP, Remote Technical Operations
Mike Francis, CBS Sports, VP, Engineering and Technology
Mark Grant, CBS Sports, TV Director
Patty Power, CBS Sports, EVP, Operations and Engineering

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.: Networking Break

2:45 – 3:15 p.m.: Devoncroft Forecast
Inflation, supply chain issues, and technology revolutions like the move to the cloud have impacted the sports production and media landscape in big ways. Josh Stinehour, Principal Analyst for Devoncroft Partners, takes to the stage to discuss the economic underpinnings of the sports media and technology industry and what to expect in 2023.
Presenter: Josh Stinehour, Devoncroft Partners, Principal Analyst

3:15 – 3:45 p.m.: State of the Industry
2022 once again offered up a number of challenges to the sports production community. And it was also highlighted by great productions, perseverance in difficult circumstances, and much more. SVG Executive Committee members take to the stage to discuss the current state of an industry undergoing an immense amount of change.
Moderator: Mike Davies, Fox Sports, SVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG Chairman
Panelists:
Michael Connelly, Bally Sports, SVP and Executive Producer
Steve Hellmuth, NBA Entertainment, EVP, Media Operations and Technology
Alessandro Reitano, Sky Deutschland Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG, SVP, Continental Production Operations; SVG Europe Chairman
Susan Stone, MLB Network, SVP, Operations and Engineering

3:45 – 4:15 p.m.: Closing Keynote: ESPN’s Jimmy Pitaro
ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro sits down with SVG’s Editorial Director Ken Kerschbaumer for a discussion about the future of the sports TV industry, ESPN’s linear and digital strategy, his thoughts on the year that was and a look ahead to 2023 and beyond.
Featuring: Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN, President