Latest Videos
Saturday, April 1, 2023Men's Final Four: Mountain West Conference's Jesse Kurtz on Seizing the Moment Through StorytellingSan Diego State's first trip to the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four is also the first-ever appearance in the National Semis for a school from the Mountain West Conference. To meet the moment, the team from the Mountain West Network is in Houston to cover all of the action and tell the unique stories of this Aztecs squad.
Jesse Kurtz, Executive Producer of the Mountain West Network stopped by to chat with SVG's Brandon Costa about some of his team's content highlights, what their staffing plan looks like, and what advice he would give a fellow conference rep who finds themselves in a similar position.Friday, March 31, 2023Men's Final Four: Van Wagner's Ryan Kehn, Daniel Zerunyan on Working in Houston Rodeo Control RoomVan Wagner is used to working within the existing footprint of professional and collegiate venues, but when they head to Houston, it's one of the more unique setups that includes a distance of one mile between their dedicated workspace in one building to the main PA booth in another. Returning to the Space City for the first Men's Basketball Semifinal and Championship since 2016, the crew is once again working with the production crew of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
At the 2023 Men's Final Four, Van Wagner's Vice President, Creative Services, Ryan Kehn, and Senior Producer Daniel Zerunyan discuss what it's like to work next to NRG Stadium in the control room at NRG Center, how the centerhung used for rodeo productions impacts their workflows for this weekend's productions, and how they adapted to the unexpected entries of San Diego State University and Florida Atlantic University.Friday, March 31, 2023Men's Final Four: FAU's Evan Shomo on Cherishing the Moment of This Cinderella Tournament RunOutside of the campus of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton, FL, no one expected the Owls to defeat the Penny Hardaway-led Memphis Tigers, get passed the red-hot Fairleigh Dickinson Knights after upsetting No. 1 Purdue, and upset No. 4 Tennessee and No. 3 Kansas State in back-to-back wins. With all of this momentum and history being made, the men's basketball social media and digital team are capturing what it's been like to ride this wave to the 2023 Men's Final Four.
In Houston, SVG's Brandon Costa chatted with FAU's Men's Basketball SID Evan Shomo about some of the behind-the-scenes content being captured in the postgame locker room, how the crew is adjusting to the high demand of responsibilities at an event that they aren't used to covering, and gives advice to what first-time programs should do when they get an opportunity like this.Friday, March 31, 2023Men's Final Four: UConn's Jason Reider, David Kaplan on the Value of Preparation in Content CreationWith three schools at this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four making their debuts, the University of Connecticut is the established entity in Houston this week. The Huskies are looking to claim their fifth National Championship in less than a quarter of a century.
The last time, UConn was in this position with its men's squad, however, the media landscape was quite different. At the 2023 Men's Final Four in Houston, SVG's Brandon Costa caught up with the University of Connecticut Athletics' Director of Creative Content Jason Reider and Assistant Director of Athletics, Video Services David Kaplan to discuss their content strategy, how they prepared for this run, and what advice they would give the media departments here at an event of this magnitude for the first time.Friday, March 31, 2023Men's Final Four: San Diego State University's Jason Bott on Documenting Team History in Real-TimeSan Diego State University is joining the University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University as three of this year's four programs to reach their first-ever Final Four. Never being on this stage before, the Aztecs' social media team is joining forces to put together unique digital pieces and chronicle this magical men's basketball season.
At Houston's NRG Stadium, SVG's Kristian Hernández spoke with San Diego State University's Coordinator, Multimedia Productions, Jason Bott, about the help that he's receiving from his colleagues in the Media Relations department, the content being churned out for Aztecs fans back on campus and alumni around the nation, and how this unforeseen run in the tournament combined with the opening of football's Snapdragon Stadium has turned the 2022-23 academic calendar into a banner year.Friday, March 31, 2023Men's Final Four: Miami's Tessa Mortensen on Representing the 305, Writing History With Women's TeamIf you live in South Florida, you already know that it's all about The U. The ones rocking the green and orange of the Hurricanes always believed that the University of Miami would make this deep run in March Madness and qualify for the 2023 Men's Final Four. And for those who are outside of the inner circle, the program's social media and digital platforms are not only showcasing the fun that this team is having but are also producing tongue-in-cheek messages for the doubters.
In Houston, SVG's Kristian Hernández caught up with the University of Miami's Assistant Athletic Director, Digital & Brand Strategy, Tessa Mortensen, about the crew's logistics for this weekend's matchup, the content being created throughout the single elimination tournament, and what it's been like to make program history alongside the women's basketball team, who made their first-ever appearance in the Elite Eight.Thursday, March 30, 2023How Did the Chicago Cubs Produce Their Eye-Popping Drone Video of Wrigley Field?To close out last Major League Baseball regular season, the Chicago Cubs lit up social media with the release of a stunning drone video that flew viewers through historic Wrigley Field and its surrounding neighborhood Wrigleyville on a game day.
How did they produce it? What challenges did they face? What makes these types of videos so engaging to fans? SVG's Jason Dachman speaks with
Joe Rios, Assistant Director of Broadcasting for the Chicago Cubs and Mike Welsh, Owner and CEO of Sky Candy Studios to analyze the project.
This a segment from the SVG Teams Summit which was recorded on February 7. Watch the full panel discussion - "Eye in the Sky: Showcasing Venues Through Aerial Footage" - here on SVG PLAY: https://svgplay.sportsvideo.org/videos/teams23-4-dronesThursday, March 30, 2023New York Mets' Brendan McKeon on Preparing for Citi Field's New Massive VideoboardAs a new Major League Baseball season gets underway, there are a handful of ballparks debuting new, larger, sharper videoboards. One of those is Citi Field in Queens.
At the SVG Venue Summit, our Brandon Costa caught up with Brendan McKeon, Executive Director of In-Game Operations for the New York Mets to talk about how he and his team have been prepping for a larger videoboard and to reflect on the content that lit up an exciting 2022 for the team.Wednesday, March 29, 2023Data Expedition, Inc.'s Seth Noble on Accelerating Cloud Storage for a Remote Production WorkplaceSports Video Group is delighted to welcome Data Expedition, Inc. (DEI) as a new corporate sponsor. The company is the creator of an intelligent data transport software that instantly adapts to any network path to deliver data as fast as the infrastructure can handle it. Since 2000, DEI has provided data transport solutions to companies of all sizes across nearly every continent and industry. The company's patented MTP/IP technology uses unique flow-control and error recovery algorithms to achieve high-network efficiency across all IP networks. Companies using or integrating DEI's solutions can move data at the full speed of the underlying infrastructure without human intervention and at a fraction of the cost of other solutions.
In this New SVG Sponsor Spotlight, SVG's Jason Dachman spoke with Data Expedition CEO/Founder Seth Noble to provide a brief overview of the company's solutions, including key products like Expedat, CloudDat, and SyncDat, how these services apply to the sports-production space, and how DEI becomes vital to the market as cloud storage becomes a bigger part of the equation.Tuesday, March 28, 2023Women's Final Four: LSU's Grant Kauvar on Showcasing Team's Personality Through Digital StorytellingOut of the Southeastern Conference, Louisiana State University women's basketball defeated the red-hot University of Miami to advance to the 2023 Women's Final Four in Dallas. Along the way, the program's social media and digital team has simultaneously produced eye-opening content about their players and called out the haters after their successful run to the National Semifinal.
Prior to the Women's Final Four in Dallas, LSU's Women's Basketball SID Grant Kauvar broke down the themes that drove this season's content strategy, the short-form and long-form content that captured the on-court play and off-the-court stories of their players, a handful of fun pieces that were popular on social media, how the team will cover the festivities in Texas, and what this entire year means for the program.
LSU Women's Basketball will remain active on social media throughout the rest of the weekend. To check out their content, visit their Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook pages.Monday, March 27, 2023Diversified's Steve Stubelt on Staying on the Cutting Edge of Video Technology in Venue DesignWhen building a new big ticket stadium or arena, it can be a challenge keeping yourself on the cutting edge of technology in a long construction timeline. UBS Arena in New York is a great example of how that can be done well - even with a pandemic hitting in the middle of construction.
At the 2023 SVG Venue Summit, our Brandon Costa chatted with Steve Stubelt, VP of Sales, Media & Entertainment for Diversified on how his company supported the New York Islanders throughout the building and opening of UBS Arena and how integrators are working with their clients differently in today's challenging environment.Monday, March 27, 2023M2A Media's Matt Hughes On the Emergence of Live Cloud ProductionLive production in the cloud is arguably one of the most rapidly growing trends in the sports media industry today. M2A Media is an industry leader when it comes to developing solutions and services that help broadcasters scale their workflows and get the most out of the AWS public cloud.
In the latest SVG New Sponsor Spotlight, we welcome M2A Media to the SVG family and sit down with the company's Chief Commercial Officer Matt Hughes to discuss the company's product line and how they are working hard to help me the unique challenges that broadcasters are facing in moving key operational workflows to the cloud.
M2A Media recently announced that it will launch its latest product feature, encoder-based ad manipulation (EBAM), at the 2023 NAB Show.Friday, March 24, 2023Madison Square Garden's Matt Coy on the Power of On-Ice/Court Projection and AR Graphics In VenueYou won't find many busier venues in the country than Madison Square Garden. The "World's Most Famous Arena" is home to two big ticket tenants in the NBA's New York Knicks and the NHL's New York Rangers; not to mention to loaded calendar of other events ranging from concerts to combat sports, and much more.
At the SVG Venue Summit, our Brandon Costa caught up with Matt Coy, VP, Event Presentation at MSG to discuss how his team balances such a busy lineup of dates, what makes Knicks and Rangers shows different, and how on-ice/on-court video projection and augmented reality graphics are innovating the world of game pres.Wednesday, March 22, 2023Canon's Jamon Lomax on the Company's Long-Time Relationship With the New York IslandersCanon consistently plays a vital role on any flavor of live event production, but in the venue space, the company is known for working with teams and venues to provide the desired lenses that these clubs ask for. At UBS Arena, Canon's line of products can be seen on a ton of the broadcast cameras being used for home games of the New York Islanders.
At the SVG Venue Summit, Canon's Senior Manager, Television Broadcast & Production Sales, U.S. and Latin American Markets, Jamon Lomax, discusses the company's long-standing relationship with the Islanders, how they helped with in-venue productions back at Nassau Coliseum, how their partnership has evolved at UBS Arena. and the overall trends that are impacting technologies and workflows within this sector of the industry.Monday, March 20, 2023New York Giants' Don Sperling on Turning Back the Clock for a Pair of Legacy GamesThe New York Giants, winner of four Super Bowls and one of the oldest franchises in the National Football League, is an organization packed with illustrious history and memorable moments. Honoring that history, the Giants hosted two"Legacy Games" during the 2022 regular season: Week 4 vs. the Chicago Bears on Oct. 2 and Week 13 vs. the Washington Commanders on Dec. 4. These two showcase games featured the return of the team's iconic blue and red home jersey, the endzones and wall wraps used during Super Bowl XXI, throwback graphics and visuals seen on the old videoboard at Giants Stadium, halftime performances from legendary artists, and more.
At the SVG Venue Summit, New York Giants' VP and Executive Producer Don Sperling recounts the massive effort that went into transforming the gameday entertainment and atmosphere into what it was like in the 1980s and 1990s, how his team mixes in new and traditional forms of content to attract all generations of fans, and what can be expected next season at MetLife Stadium.Friday, March 17, 2023New York Islanders' Adam Sabh on Developing New Avenues for Augmented-Reality, On-Ice ProjectionOnce seen as a niche element to in-venue productions within the National Hockey League, on-ice projections have become a staple at all NHL arenas. As technology continues to evolve, augmented reality (AR) has given a major face lift to these activations by providing three-dimensional content.
At the 2023 SVG Venue Summit, New York Islanders' Director of Media Art & Design Adam Sabh chats about his role in bringing this venue to life, the on-ice projection workflow that entertains fans during pregame and intermission, how AR is being leveraged on other LED displays throughout UBS Arena, examples of content being shown on the playing surface, how forced perspective is creating more dynamic visuals, and what fans can expect to see during next season's home schedule.Thursday, March 16, 2023NY Islanders' Paul Jennings, Alex Leafer on Providing Impactful Content With High-Quality TechnologyEquipped with the latest broadcast technology, an impressive gameday atmosphere, and the passion of one of the league’s most storied fanbases, the opening of UBS Arena resulted in a $1.1 billion venue that boasts high-quality production technology within an IP, HDR-capable control room, numerous LED video displays, and an experience that’s uniquely their own.
At the 2023 SVG Venue Summit, New York Islanders' CTO Paul Jennings and Director of Production Alex Leafer highlight the process of obtaining and installing technologies and workflows that power in-venue shows, the multiple departments that work closely together to bring content to Isles fans everywhere, examples of pieces being created for the club's 50th anniversary season, and what the building's legacy might be as time goes on.Thursday, March 16, 2023NY Islanders' Ryan Halkett on Creating an Authentic Gameday Experience Inside, Outside of the VenueOpen to the public for the last 16 months, UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY has truly become the go-to destination for hockey and premier entertainment fans alike. Since it's opening, the production and operations teams have hit their stride to get where they are now.
At the 2023 SVG Venue Summit, New York Islanders' SVP, Event Presentation and Content Experiences, Ryan Halkett, explains the immense growth that has occurred over the first two seasons in their new home and how this venue can transform the way fans interact with content and extend the concept of the overall fan experience moving forward.Wednesday, March 15, 2023SVG Rewind: Inside Texas A&M's Behind-the-Scenes Baseball BroadcastWhen it comes to producing live college baseball, one of the elite programs in the country resides in College Station, Texas. The award-winning team at Texas A&M Athletics and 12th Man Productions recently offered its fans a peek behind-the-scenes at all that goes into a live baseball show - with a crew largely made up of A&M students.
In this episode of SVG Rewind, we look back at this fun, unique production with 12th Man Productions' Assistant Athletics Director Buddy Kimberlin
and Director of Broadcasts Justin Argo to break down why they wanted to put together a show like this, what needed to be put in place to make it happen, and what advice they would offer another collegiate athletic department looking to do something similar.Friday, March 10, 2023Big East Tournament: Fox Sports' Sarita Meinking, Doug Fuchs on Maintaining Tech Innovation at MSGSince 2013, the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden has been watched by millions of fans on the airwaves of Fox Sports. Every year, the broadcaster is continuously pushing the envelope when it comes to production workflows. For instance, they augmented last year's coverage with a full-court Rail Cam and this year's edition with a live drone that's flying inside of the venue.
At the World's Most Famous Arena, Fox Sports' Executive Director, Field Operations, Sarita Meinking, and Manager, Field Operations, Doug Fuchs, discusses the process that went into securing the device that's flying over the heads of fans at MSG, how the operations team side stepped the possible obstacle of a New York Knicks game by setting up their infrastructure at a nearby fire station, and what it takes to constantly come up with new ideas to implement.Thursday, March 9, 2023Qvest's TIm Day on Guiding Broadcasters Into Their Digital FuturesAs the sports production industry continues to shed traditional broadcast mechanisms and evolves in a digital world, they are also in need of the expertise to undergo those evolutions efficiently and responsibly.
Qvest is an industry leader in guiding clients through developments ranging from automation, to the Internet of Things, cloud services, artificial intelligence, and media asset management.
On this edition of the SVG New Sponsor Spotlight, Qvest's SVP, Broadcast Transformation Tim Day stops by to chat with SVG's Ken Kerschbaumer about the company's latest solutions and services and how they are bringing value to the live sports production business today.Thursday, March 2, 2023ASTRODESIGN's USA CEO Terry Harada on the Latest Developments in 8KGreater image resolution remains the universal goal in the world of live sports broadcast. When it comes to technological developments in 8K, few have had a greater impact on the industry than ASTRODESIGN. In fact, the company worked with NHL in Japan to debut the first 8K camera a decade ago.
In this SVG New Sponsor Spotlight, Terry Harada, ASTRODESIGN's USA CEO chats with SVG's Chief Editor Jason Dachman about the latest work being done in image quality for broadcast and how he sees the industry continuing to adopt 8K.Tuesday, February 28, 2023WJHW’s Charles Adkinson on the Convergence of IP, Adapting to Increased Control Room ComplexityThe Sports Video Group is delighted to welcome Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams (WJHW) as a new mobile/integrator sponsor. As one of the leading companies involved in venue-based systems integration and control room design, WJHW has played pivotal roles in some of the biggest stadiums released in the past five years, including Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium and Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium in the National Football League, Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium, Columbus’ Lower.com Stadium, and Minnesota’s Allianz Field in Major League Soccer, and more.
In this New Sponsor Spotlight, SVG’s Kristian Hernández speaks with WJHW’s Associate Principal Charles Adkinson about recent venue-based or team-based projects in sports, how system integration and venue design has shifted over the past year, what he’s seeing in regard to supply-chain, how his company is shepherding the continued transition to IP-based workflows and hybrid production environments, and how this sector of the industry will change in the future.Monday, February 27, 2023Osprey Video's Scott Whitcomb is Excited For Video Capture in a Cloud-based Production FutureFrom video capture cards to encoders/decoders, and other key workflow essentials, Osprey Video has been a leader in video processing for more than two decades. In today's age of more increasingly decentralized productions, their solutions are adapting to meet those unique needs.
In this edition of SVG New Sponsor Spotlight, Scott Whitcomb, Osprey Video's Chief Revenue Officer stops in to chat about the latest in the company's product line and what live video trends his team are keeping an eye on today.Friday, February 24, 2023Magnifi's Meghna Krishna on Powering Automated Sports Highlights Through AIMagnifi, the flagship enterprise solution offered by VideoVerse, aims to connect fans with real time, relevant, and customized video content. The company's proprietary AI models extract highlights and key moments from enterprise video content to auto-produce social ready clips.
In this New SVG Sponsor Spotlight, SVG's Jason Dachman chats with Magnif's Group Chief Revenue Officer Meghna Krishna about the technology that's reimagining the highlight reel process. Sports broadcasters, leagues and clubs are empowered with editing tools that capture key moments - from important plays and in-game scenarios - to tracking specific players, fan interactions, and brand sponsor mentions.Tuesday, February 21, 2023Fortinet's John Jacobs on Cybersecurity in a Live Sports Production WorldAs the delivery of more advanced and enhanced viewer experiences become a growing part of the live sports production industry, its also increasingly important to secure that content in a highly digital world.
Hense, cybersecurity is an increasingly pressing issues for major leagues and broadcasters. For that reason, SVG is pleased to welcome aboard one of its newest sponsors: Fortinet.
In this edition of the SVG New Sponsor Spotlight series, John Jacobs, Field CISCO for Technology and Media at Fortinet stops by to speak with SVG's Brandon Costa about how a company as multinational and multi-industry as his is bringing powerful tools for protection to live sports production and distribution.Friday, February 17, 2023Tim McCarver: A TributeTim McCarver, an All-Star catcher, World Series champion, and famed television analyst died on February 16 at the age of 81.
Over the course of 60 years in baseball, McCarver won two World Series, called more World Series games for television than any on-air talent in history, and left an indelible mark on the game he loved. McCarver's death was announced by the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
McCarver spent three decades as baseball’s premier television analyst, the only MLB analyst to have worked for all four major broadcast networks. He also served as an analyst for 28 consecutive MLB postseasons, including 23 World Series and 20 All-Star Games. During his career, he became known for prescient insights into the game and was a role model for ex-players looking to fold into a broadcast telecast.
McCarver was also a Class of 2016 inductee into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. This tribute video is from that induction ceremony.Saturday, February 11, 2023Super Bowl LVII: Fox Sports' Rod Conti Outlines the Two-Pronged Studio Approach in ArizonaNot far removed from the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup in Qatar, Fox Sports' Remote Studio Operations team was tasked with not only pulling off that massive undertaking on the Corniche but also planning their onsite presence for Super Bowl LVII. The finished product features a two-pronged approach: a large outdoor structure on The Great Lawn that features a replica demo field and ample space for televised programming and another studio in the corner of one end zone for Sunday's pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage.
VP, Remote Studio Operations, Rod Conti breaks down the unique details of the outdoor studio space, the indoor elements of their retractable and collapsible field set, how these activations compare to the one executed in December in Doha, the assistance of Filmwerks to erect both footprints, and his fellow colleagues that were essential to this project.Friday, February 10, 2023Super Bowl LVII: Philadelphia Eagles' Eric Long Pumps Philly Mentality Into Playoff Voice on SocialIf you've ever walked down the streets of the City of Brotherly Love or had the chance to interact with the die-hard fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, there's only one phrase that could adequately summarize your experience: "It's a Philly Thing." As the beloved Birds fly on the road to the promised land that is Super Bowl LVII, the team's production team is rallying fans together in the hopes of bringing another trophy down Broad Street.
In this video interview, Vice President, Content and Production, Eric Long, breaks down how their creative philosophy is tapping into the city's passionate spirit for this club, the various forms of content that are populating their social media channels, how developing a relationship based on trust is allowing their personalities to come to the forefront of these videos, highlights the hard-working team that he surrounds himself with, and the prospect of winning a second ring after the franchise's first-ever championship in 2018.Thursday, February 9, 2023Super Bowl LVII: Kansas City Chiefs' Rob Alberino Details Team's Digital Content StrategyAfter five consecutive trips to the AFC Championship Game, two Super Bowl appearances in four years, and one victory in Super Bowl LIV, the Kansas City Chiefs are one win away from a bonafide dynasty in the National Football League. Along the way, 65 Toss Power Trap Productions — the organization's creative media and production department — has kept the energy of their fanbase alive throughout their run to Glendale, AZ.
In this video interview, Vice President, Content and Production, Rob Alberino, explains the club's overall digital and social media content strategy, provides examples of content that has entertained fans all postseason long, previews projects that are still in the works leading up to Sunday afternoon, runs down the list of technologies being used by his team, and, as a former long-time employee of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1997 to 2010, discusses his personal thoughts about the upcoming showdown.Tuesday, February 7, 2023FOX Sports Director Rich Russo Previews Calling the Shots at Super Bowl LVIIThis Sunday will mark the fifth Super Bowl at the front bench for FOX Sports lead director Rich Russo.
Prior to the Big Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Russo chatted with SVG's co-Executive Director, Editorial Services Ken Kerschbaumer. What's it like calling the shots for the biggest show on television? How does he prepare the broadcast? What was his job at the first Super Bowl he ever worked back in 1987? What's on his bucket list of events to direct?Tuesday, February 7, 2023Comprimato's Jiří Matela on Powering JPEG2000 Video Compression with GPU'sIn a crowded market of video encoders, Comprimato stands out through its innovative leveraging of GPU’s for JPEG2000 video compression. The Sports Video Group is excited to welcome Comprimato aboard as a new corporate sponsor.
In this SVG New Sponsor Spoitlight, Comprimato's CEO and co-founder Jiří Matela joins us to outline the company's software-based solutions for professional live video encoding, transcoding, and J2K processing, as well as to share some of the new work the company has been involved in.Friday, January 27, 2023AFC Championship Game Preview with CBS Sports' VP, Remote Technical Operations Jason CohenIt's an AFC Championship Game rematch for CBS Sports as the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs meet for a spot in Super Bowl LVII (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS).
The CBS Sports production and operations teams are in Kansas City for the fifth consecutive year for this game and are bringing with them more than 80 cameras. The production plans include Trolley Cam, Sky Cam, a live drone, fixed wing aerials, Pylon Cams, 15 super slow-mo cameras, the Sports Emmy Award-winning “RomoVision,” and so much more.
In advance of Sunday's show, Jason Cohen, VP, Remote Technical Operations for CBS Sports spoke with SVG to offer an exclusive look at the work going into this Sunday's big show. What should viewers expect? What was it like producing last week's Divisional Round game in snowy Buffalo? How has Trolly Cam emerged as a signature camera angle for CBS in the Playoffs?
This conversation was recorded on Thursday, January 26 in advance of the AFC Championship Game. NOTE: Since the recording, Jason has updated that the Fujinon HZK25-1000mm lens has been moved to a Sony 4800 shooting at 8X.Thursday, January 19, 2023A Look Back at NWSL Draft 2023 with SVP/Executive Producer, Broadcast and Media Brian GordonWith the first overall pick, a high school phenom was selected by her hometown squad; a record 12 trades occurred; and a four-hour live REMI production covered it all. NWSL Draft 2023 saw the league partner with CBS Sports to produce four hours of live coverage from the live event in Philadelphia. But what does it take to produce a live draft for television?
On this episode of SVG Rewind, we take a look back at the live production of NWSL Draft 2023 with the league's SVP/Executive Producer, Broadcast and Media Brian Gordon. He reflects on some of the show's key moments, pulls back the curtain on the REMI operational plans, and offers a peak on other projects that his team is working on in advance of the league's return to action in March.Thursday, January 19, 2023Arkona Technologies’ Erling Hedkvist on the Power of the AT300, Increased U.S. Sales PresenceThe Sports Video Group is excited to welcome Arkona Technologies as a new corporate sponsor. Founded in 2011, Arkona is a technology provider for the most advanced and premium live broadcast productions in the world. Headquartered in Germany, the company offers IP core infrastructure solutions for audio/video routing, compression, processing and visualization with open standards support and an API 1st approach. On the business side, Arkona has named Joe LoGrasso to lead the company’s sales and marketing in the United States.
In this New Sponsor Spotlight, SVG’s Kristian Hernández speaks with Arkona Technologies’ Sales & Business Development Manager Erling Hedkvist about the services that the company offers the industry, the release of their new AT300 Dual 100GE edge compute processor, the feedback they’ve received about the product, how the appointment of LoGrasso accelerates their efforts in the U.S., and what’s to come throughout the rest of 2023.Wednesday, January 18, 20237 Point Audio's Jeff Ball on the Convergence of Live Performances at Sporting EventsThe Sports Video Group is delighted to welcome 7 Point Audio as a new corporate sponsor. 7 Point Audio is the latest solution for Sports and Live Events DJs and Music Directors to control responsive music selections to keep fans and attendees engaged to what is happening in the moment. This software allows the user to import music from the computer and organize it, edit it, tag it, add it to a playlist, play it back, report what was played, all while maintaining audio quality tuned for this event space using built-in tool, such as EQs and Compressors to balance audio levels.
In this New SVG Sponsor Spotlight, 7 Point Audio President Jeff Ball dives deep into how the company is assisting the convergence of entertainment within sports, how the tools used by DJs at a sporting venue differ from the tools used during a regular gig, how the concept of live performances at games has evolved over time, how music genres are spread out across the various sports leagues, and their plans to push into high school athletics.Tuesday, January 3, 2023SVG Summit 2022: Bringing the World Cup to Life - A Diversified Case StudyAs they say, “teamwork makes the dream work”, or in this case, turns a vision into a reality.
At the SVG Summit, key players at Diversified, EVS, TAG Video Systems and FOX Sports discussed the development and debut of Fox Sports Jewel Events Broadcast System. The first-of-its-kind, innovative-yet-flexible system delivers with rapid deployment and an intuitive user experience.
Presenters on stage included:
David Pinkel, EVS, SVP of Sales, North America
Peter Wharton, TAG V.S., Chief Strategy and Cloud Officer
Duane Yoslov, Diversified, SVP
Moderator:
Kristian Hernández, SVG, Senior EditorTuesday, January 3, 2023SVG Summit 2022: Major Events Evolutions and A Tribute to Greg Blanton - An EVS Case StudyAt the 2022 SVG Summit, EVS celebrates the life Greg Blanton, an industry pioneer lost in 2022.
James Stellpflug, SVP, Customer Success – The Americas for EVS shared some of the transformative events that Blanton helped design and execute over the years.Tuesday, January 3, 2023SVG Summit 2022: The Evolution of Sports with Dolby - A Dolby Case StudyFrom 5.1 to Dolby Atmos. From digital terrestrial to streaming. Dolby has been on a journey with the sports television industry to help elevate the experience for sports viewing in the home.
In this case study presentation from the 2022 SVG Summit, Dolby Laboratories' Director, Commercial Partnerships Cherylene McKinney offers a breakdown of the past, present, and future of sports experiences in Dolby.Wednesday, December 28, 2022Inside the AR-Fueled ‘Nickmas’ NFL Broadcast: Behind the Scenes With CBS Sports and NickelodeonSince launching with the NFL Wild Card Game in 2021, Nickelodeon’s NFL game coverage has evolved from a madcap slime-filled experiment to a multi-Emmy Award-winning must-see annual celebration of the sport.
Although Sunday’s Broncos-Rams Christmas Day blowout didn’t provide much in terms of gridiron drama, CBS Sports and Nickelodeon’s “Nickmas” broadcast provided plenty of AR-fueled visuals aimed at drawing in the next generation of NFL fans.
After the game, Nickelodeon Executive Producer, NFL Slimetime, Shawn Robbins, who served as coordinating producer of the game, and Nickelodeon VP, Animation/Motion Graphics, Kurt Hartman sat down with SVG to discuss the third chapter in the annual tradition and how they were able to take this year’s broadcast to the next level — in terms of both technology and storytelling.Tuesday, December 27, 2022Manolo Romero: A TributeManolo Romero, who was CEO or general director for the host broadcast operations on 10 Olympics beginning in 1992 and was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer earlier this month, passed away on Dec. 24 at the age of 81.
As each Olympics production grew in technical complexity as well as helping popularize formats like HDTV or stereo (or even color TV) on a global scale, Romero played a part in turning promise into reality.
Romero’s career was defined by ensuring the host-broadcast feed met the needs of a global sports-distribution and -production community that sometimes has very different capabilities but always has a wide range of budgets. Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) was able to sit in the middle and create a rising tide that lifted the quality of Olympics coverage for sports fans everywhere.
Relive his iconic career through this tribute video from his Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame induction on December 13, 2022.Thursday, December 22, 2022LTN's Colin Moran on Scalable Versioning of Content in SportsIn a big year for LTN, the company has placed a focus on the scalable versioning of content in all media segments, particularly live sports.
At the 2022 SVG Summit, LTN's VP of Production Products Colin Moran explains how the company is meeting its clients where they are and offers a peek at some of the company's plans for 2023.Tuesday, December 20, 2022ESPN's Sara Gaiero on the Elevated Popularity of the WNBASince their "Wubble" season in 2020, the WNBA has become a league on the rise in the American sports landscape. An increase in ratings, a talent pool that seems to get better and better each season, and behind-the-scenes innovation that brings fans closer to the action, the WNBA shows no signs of stopping as we head into the new year.
At the 2022 SVG Summit, ESPN Coordinating Producer Sara Gaiero shares the highlights of the most recent WNBA season, how ratings have elevated when games are televised on ABC, the production elements that have improved storytelling of the league, and major things to look forward to in the 2023 campaign.Tuesday, December 20, 2022Pixotope's Marcus Brodersen on Monday Night Football's AR Spot, Adoption of Virtualized ProductionOver recent years, Pixotope has helped usher in an era that has seen live sports productions leverage augmented reality for engaging virtual elements. The company is immersed in developing their own technology, including Pixotope Fly, but also playing a part in recent projects including The Famous Group's activation during Monday Night Football on Oct. 24 and SRX Racing.
At the 2022 SVG Summit, Pixotope CEO Marcus Brodersen explains the work that went behind the execution at Gillette Stadium, how they're educating and finding the next generation of live event operators, and how the industry has evolved to adopt this new workflow.Tuesday, December 20, 2022TVU Networks' Jared Timmins on Augmenting Work in the Cloud, Enhancing OrchestrationAs part of virtual and real-world productions alike, TVU Networks is continuously building upon their solutions portfolio. Whether its participating in international soccer events or assisting in the improvement of operability in the cloud, the company isn't satisfied with average work.
At the 2022 SVG Summit, TVU Networks' SVP, Solutions Jared Timmins breaks down the company's technological innovations over the past year, recent events where their products were leveraged, and what's to be expected in 2023.Tuesday, December 20, 2022JW Player's Brian Rifkin on Constructing a Comprehensive Video Platform for Sports ClientsThe Sports Video Group is happy to welcome JW Player as a new corporate sponsor. For more than ten years, the company has been first to market with key video innovations to keep their clients prepared for an ever-evolving industry. Headquartered in New York, JW Player has a global footprint of over 1 billion unique users and provides media professionals with powerful and flexible technology to deliver video, grow their audience, and monetize with ads.
In this New SVG Sponsor Spotlight, JW Player's Co-Founder and SVP, Strategic Partnerships, Brian Rifkin provides an overview of the company's offerings, highlights the clients in sports that they're working with, and what they're looking forward to in the coming year.Sunday, December 18, 2022Unreal Engine's Bernt Johannessen on the Continued Popularity of Real-time AR in the Sports MarketTaking over the live-sports-production community by storm, Epic Games' Unreal Engine has pushed augmented-reality into the limelight. Seen during high-profile sporting events like the Super Bowl, MLB All-Star Game, and others, this real-time solution has forever altered the way graphics are created.
At the 2022 SVG Summit, Unreal Engine’s Industry Manager Bernt Johannessen explains the fervor for applying AR graphics in live sports settings, real-world case studies where their product has elevated the quality of productions, and new products that are still to come in 2023.Sunday, December 18, 2022NFL's Chris Vassallo on the Emergence of International Games, Growth of In-Venue Hawk-Eye SystemAlways witnessing year-over-year growth, the National Football League soldiered on in 2022 with five additional games overseas (three in London, one in Munich, and one in Mexico City), the first Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, further enhancements in technology, and more. These successes, plus momentum heading into the upcoming postseason, is setting up the NFL nicely for Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
At the 2022 SVG Summit, NFL's Director, Stadium Infrastructure & Football Technology Chris Vassallo discusses the continued growth of the international schedule, the advancements made in the league's Hawk-Eye system, and exciting technological developments down the line in 2023.Sunday, December 18, 2022NEP's Casper Choffat on the Acceleration of Software-Based Solutions, What's to Come in 2023NEP Group, one of the busier companies within the sports-video-production industry, had a lot to report on in 2022. Whether it was developing new technologies or offering mobile units for the biggest productions on the sports calendar, there's plenty to look forward to over the next 365 days.
At the 2022 SVG Summit, NEP Group's Senior Vice President of Global Product Casper Choffat breaks down their impact on software-centric services, the tech highlights from the past year, and exciting progress expected in 2023.Friday, December 16, 2022Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ Chris Brown on Producing Golf Under the Lights for ‘The Match’Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ produced the seventh edition of The Match last weekend with a big twist – the latest TNT broadcast took place under the lights at night. In the end Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas came out on top against Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in the 12-hole competition on Dec. 10 from Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, and WBD Sports’ production and operations teams delivered a first-of-its-kind primetime golf broadcast.
NEP’s EN2 (A and B units) and BSI RF5 mobile units were on-site for the production, while NEP’s Bexel and Fletcher also provided support. WBD Sports deployed more than 30 cameras throughout the course (a mix of Sony HDC-2500’s and HDC-4300’s along with a Sony P1 SteadiCam) with a mix of Canon and Fuji lenses. In addition all four golfers were mic’ed up throughout the 12-hole round, providing viewers with the all-access coverage that has become a staple of The Match. Musco Sports Lighting also played a major role in the production to ensure viewers could see all the night-time action.
SVG sat down with Chris Brown, VP, Tech Operations, WBD Sports, to discuss how his team pulled off such a unique production, the key considerations when shooting golf at night, and how The Match production ops have evolved since the premier edition in 2018.