College Football Kickoff 2025: TNT Sports Launches First Big 12 Campaign With Onsite Crews, NEP ND6, 16 Cameras

‘TNT Sports College Football Kickoff Show’ will broadcast live from Studio J in Techwood

In an addition to the college-football scene this year, TNT Sports will be the destination for a handful of Big 12 contests. Beginning with the Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors vs. Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 10:30 p.m. ET, the network will roll with onsite production crews at each stadium, a total of 16 cameras, and an Atlanta-based studio show in its inaugural season with the conference.

“It’s exciting to usher in an era of a new sports package with a new league,” says Chris Brown, VP, technology and operations, TNT Sports. “There’s a rush in the air when you’re gearing up to start the football season, and it’s cool to get that feeling again.”

Return to the Game: Team Reacclimates to Producing College Football

Although this is TNT Sports’ first season with the Big 12 Conference, this isn’t its first in college football. The broadcaster has a long history of college-football productions in the 1990s and 2000s and, more recently, produced 14 games of the Mountain West Conference in the 2024 season. Entering the new season with a new conference, the production and operations crews are referring to last year’s slate of games to bring engaging broadcasts to a new group of fans.

“[Since we have] been out of the football game for a little bit, [last year’s schedule] helped bring us up to speed on how networks are covering college football,” says Brown. “More than anything, it allowed us to look at what we wanted to bring to this product, how we can make it better, and the enhancements that can make a difference.”

Much of the prep work involved evaluating what did and didn’t work for the Mountain West games. Given the week-in/week-out nature of college football, improvements were implemented during the 2024 schedule, but now, with the offseason offering more time to decide, this weekend’s kickoff in Tucson, AZ, promises to make a good first impression for the broadcaster’s inaugural Big 12 season.

“We have the opportunity to figure out how [these workflows] factor into our overall production plan,” adds Brown. “These are the steps that we can take to build off what we did before, and I feel like that’s what we’re accomplishing.”

In addition, TNT Sports is already a significant player in the collegiate-athletics space. The broadcaster annually teams with CBS Sports on NCAA Men’s March Madness to produce games during the tournament’s bracket portion, and the two work even closer in producing the Men’s Final Four and National Championship game.

On-Air Notables: Studio Show in Techwood, Pregame Player Interviews Set the Table

TNT Sports will rely on its Techwood facility in Atlanta for studio programming. The new show, TNT Sports College Football Kickoff Show, will emanate from familiar Studio J, the home of the famous Inside the NBA. The show will get fans ready for the upcoming game, break down first-half highlights during halftime, and close out the night in the postgame. Led by host Adam Lefkoe and analysts who have left their mark on the game of football — Pro Football and College Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey, two-time All-American and two-time Pro Bowler Takeo Spikes, Super Bowl champion Victor Cruz — the studio show will link viewers to the action both at the stadium and around the conference.

“We’ll have tiebacks between the production truck and the studio to make our presentation seamless and create one complete production,” says Brown. “We’re looking to bring our viewers into the game.”

At the stadium, games will be called by play-by-play announcer J.B. Long, analyst Mike Golic Jr., and reporter Allie LaForce.

Old-School Operation: Based in NEP ND6, Production Will Be Onsite

The broadcaster is opting for onsite production of Big 12 games. After opening its Remote Operations Center, MFPs (multi-feed productions) were a critical part of TNT Sports’ production plan. Remote workflows were deployed for multiple sports properties, including the 2024 MLB postseason, the NHL regular season, and graphics for NHL postseason. Now the network is kicking it old school with onsite productions that necessitate a high-quality production truck. The crew tapped NEP ND6, a familiar truck that the broadcaster has deployed before.

In each venue — the first being Arizona Stadium on the campus of the University of Arizona — the broadcast will field 16 cameras. Included in the complement are four cameras with super-slow-motion capabilities, an RF Steadicam, and a SupraCam, which will provide an aerial vantage point.

On the graphics side, virtual 1st and 10 will be operated by SMT from its Raleigh, NC, facility. Fans will notice a new scorebug, created by TNT Sports’ internal graphics team and Ross XPression.

Sophomore Success: TNT Sports Enters Second CFB Season With High Hopes

The fall and winter months are always a busy time at TNT Sports. The Big 12 productions can be seen as a warmup for the heavy dose of NHL on TNT and its MLB postseason broadcasts. For now, the Big 12 games are a chance to show the sports-video–production industry that the broadcaster is more than capable of holding its own in the college-football space.

“For some,” says Brown, “we have to remind everyone that we know how to do this. For others, we have to prove that we can do this.”

Following the matchup in Tucson, AZ, on Saturday, Aug. 30, TNT Sports will broadcast Kent State vs. No. 23 Texas Tech at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, TX, on Saturday, Sept. 6 at noon ET and Texas State vs. No. 11 Arizona State at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, AZ, on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 10:30 p.m.