Bookmarks (106)

It's been a banner year for the WNBA. Ratings are up big, the postseason has been thrilling, and the league is loaded with a fun mix of veteran and rising stars. This was also the 25th anniversary of the league and its primary broadcast rightsholder, ESPN, has enjoyed numerous opportunities to tell cool stories during live broadcasts about the history of the league. On...

There's a tremendous amount of change and innovation currently occurring within the circulatory system of live sports media: transmission. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, its a “State of the Industry” roundtable discussion on the most pressing issues facing the transmission and contribution segment of the industry today. We're joined by: Brad Cheney, VP, Field Operations and Engineering at FOX Sports; Ken Fuller,...

The NFL season kicks off this week and, nationwide, sports televisions will again be filled with the thrills of pro football. On today's episode of The SVG Podcast, we dive into the art of directing live sporting events with one of the top directors working the NFL today: ESPN Monday Night Football director Jimmy Platt. We discuss his preparation process, his career path, and...

Last Thursday, nearly six million viewers tuned it to watch a special broadcast on FOX of the MLB at Field of Dreams. The gorgeous production from the site of the famous film was delivered in 4K HDR and featured dramatic aerial shots, an emotional pregame ceremony, and an unforgettable finish to a wildly entertaining game. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we are...

Its been four months since the look of the regional sports network world dramatically changed when the Sinclair-owned FOX Sports RSNs officially rebranded to Bally Sports. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we are joined by Steve Rosenberg the President of Local Sports for Sinclair Broadcast Group to discuss that rebrand, the impact the pandemic has had on his networks, the rise of...

A week of Major League Baseball All-Star events are in the books and it was a successful series of productions from FOX Sports, ESPN, and MLB Network. The game on Tuesday was broadcast in 4K HDR for the first time, the Home Run Derby was loaded with advanced graphics, and the MLB Draft made its first appearance at All-Star Weekend. SVG's Kristian Hernandez and...

Remote production workflows are changing the face of live sports video production. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we dig into two specific examples. First, Fox Sports, VP, Field Operations and Engineering Kevin Callahan joins us to update the latest with the Fox Sports Vault, the Los Angeles-based facility that has become a core part of the sports production process at FOX. After...

The pandemic has forever changed live sports production as facilities have been forced to evolve. Broadcasters are using a mix of mobile units and flypacks onsite with centralized facilities back home. How will this impact the design and integration of production trucks and other onsite systems? On this episode of The SVG Podcast, mobile-production-facilities integrators discuss how the production compound and the trucks within...

One of the video technology industry's all-time greats announced his retirement last week. After more than 50 years of pioneering and shaping video imaging technology, Larry Thorpe is calling it a career. In this special episode of The SVG Podcast, our Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services Ken Kerschbaumer sits down with Larry to reflect on the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer's iconic career that saw...

Fans have returned to sports venues in some limited capacity across North America and that's made for an exciting transition to normal for in-arena video production professionals. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we take you for a swing around the National Hockey League to discuss the trends in game presentation across the league. SVG's Kristian Hernandez and Brandon Costa break down the...

Major League Baseball is back! On this special roundtable episode of The SVG Podcast, the Sports Video Group editorial team previews the season to come in baseball production. SVG's Ken Kerschbaumer, Jason Dachman, Brandon Costa, and Kristian Hernandez check in on what's new with workflows and technology for live baseball coverage at ESPN, FOX, and MLB Network, while also breaking down the massive redesign...

The CBS Sports graphics team has been very busy, to say the least. In addition to undertaking its second Super Bowl in three years, CBS Sports created a unique experience with the NFL Wild Card Game broadcast on Nickelodeon. On today's episode of The SVG Podcast, we are joined by JP LoMonaco, VP, On-Air Graphics and Design at CBS Sports to take a deep...

2020 led to an abundance of change across the sports video production industry. One key trend that was further accelerated by the pandemic was cloud-based production. Be it for live or postproduction, the cloud is becoming an increasingly common part of any major media company's workflow. On this episode of The SVG Podcast we are joined by a roundtable of sports content creators to...

In the world of sports television production, the technology enhancements that tend to grab the most headlines are the fun tech toys that are weaved into a live show: high-end graphics, advanced graphics, dynamic replays. From mirrorless cameras, wired-aerial cameras, and drones to 4K, 8K, and HDR, what tools and toys and adding to the broadcast and what's a fad? We chew on that...

We revisit the team side of the sports video production industry to discuss the continuously evolving challenge of using video to build an in-venue experience, while simultaneously engaging with fans at home who - largely - can’t be in attendance at live games due to COVID-19 restrictions. Joining us on The SVG Podcast is Kurt Doster, Director of Arena Video Production for the Miami...

The SVG Podcast is back and we're breaking down all of the video and television production stories surrounding Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Fl. The SVG editorial team of Ken Kerschbaumer, Jason Dachman, Kristian Hernandez, and Brandon Costa discuss the details behind the game production from CBS Sports, surround coverage by NFL Media, digital content creation from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City...

2020 has been a challenging year for live sports production. Those involved in remote production services have had arguably the most challenging 10 months they have ever faced. On this special roundtable episode of The SVG Podcast, top executives from leading remote production service providers join us to discuss the current state of the business, how it is impacting their operations and future builds,...

Few individuals have left a more indelible mark on the way viewers watch esports broadcasts than Ariel Horn. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we are joined by the co-founder and co-CEO of the streaming esports network, VENN. Throughout Horn's career, he has helped take esports from niche convention halls to packed stadiums with global viewership in the billions of hours. He helped...

The Indian Premier League is the most popular sports league in India, and when you account for the fact that more than 500 million viewers regularly watch cricket matches from India globally, it may very well be the most watched sports league on the entire planet. So when the IPL decided to geographically move its 2020 season to the United Arab Emirates during the...

Following a thrilling six-game World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers are champions and FOX Sports has put a bow on perhaps the most unique MLB Postseason in the 25-year history of the network’s coverage of baseball. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, Brad Cheney, VP, field operations and engineering for Fox Sports stops in to chat with SVG’s Director of Digital Brandon Costa...

Following an offseason unlike any other, the National Football League is now a full month into its regular season and video teams from across the league have executed one-of-a-kind operations game plans to get both their in-venue and digital content operations humming. Today on the show we take a deep dive into the video operations at two NFL franchises. We are joined by Pete...

Following an offseason unlike any other, the National Football League is now a full month into its regular season and video teams from across the league have executed one-of-a-kind operations game plans to get both their in-venue and digital content operations humming. Today on the show we take a deep dive into the video operations at two NFL franchises. We are joined by Justin...

IP technologies continue to transform the nature of remote production workflows. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we take you inside one of the most notable projects in the merging of IP and remote production: the Fox Sports Vault. Fox Sports recently took a space in its Pico facility – that was previously a tape library – and has transformed it into a...

Following an offseason unlike any other, the National Football League is now a full month into its regular season and video teams from across the league have executed one-of-a-kind operations game plans to get both their in-venue and digital content operations humming. Today on the show we take a deep dive into the video operations at two NFL franchises. We are joined by Kristen...

As the sports calendar crowds up, we bring you a trifecta of guests from the world of sports television production on the latest episode of The SVG Podcast. We’re joined by NBA 2K League’s Head of Content Matt Arden, ROOT Sports Northwest Vice President and Executive Producer Jon Bradford, and ESPN Associate Director, Remote Traffic Operations Adam Whitlock. Each are going to share details...

The return of sports has brought with it a resurgence in sports betting. So what efforts are league's undertaking to tap into this new entertainment resource? We are joined on the program this week by Scott Kaufman-Ross, Senior Vice President, Head of Fantasy and Gaming with the NBA to break down the league's new alternate-viewing broadcasts called 'NBA Bet Stream.' We also discuss how...

On a very special episode of The SVG Podcast, we are joined by John Filippelli, President of Production & Programming and Executive Producer of the YES Network. "Flip" has been in the business for nearly half a century and has established a reputation as a true game-changer in the fields of production and programming. He also has a legacy for helping build projects from...

While many professional sports are returning to action in isolated bubble environments, Major League Baseball is continuing to host its games in the club's home ballparks. A wrinkle of all of this is that in-venue video teams are continuing to program a live videoboard show (with added artificial crowd noise) in these ballparks despite the fact that no fans are in attendance. So what's...

Sports is back! The NBA and NHL have joined MLB on our TVs and the PGA Championship brings with it one of the biggest productions of the year this weekend. On today’s episode of The SVG Podcast, the SVG editorial team breaks down what's going into the tremendous efforts behind the scenes with the NBA in Orlando and the NHL in Toronto/Edmonton, as well...

Major League Baseball returns on Thursday and the NBA and NHL are just around the corner. The next two weeks may among the biggest weeks in the history of live sports television production. On today’s episode of The SVG Podcast, the SVG editorial team breaks down what to expect as Major League Baseball returns to action this weekend, plus we bring you a conversation...

While sports live golf, auto racing, and even bull riding have returned with socially-distant, crowdless live events, the rubber is truly about the hit the road in the return of team sports as we enter the final weeks of July. Major League Soccer is one of the first out of the gate with the MLS Is Back Tournament beginning at the Wide World of...

As live sports slowly begins to return to action, one sporting event we know for certain won't be happening this summer is the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. That's thrown off the plans of broadcasters around the globe who rely on the Olympics as a major driver not only of viewership but of technological innovation. We’re joined on The SVG Podcast today by...

In the absence of many live sports, major sports networks have turned to filling valuable linear air time with live esports productions. That includes at ESPN where, on their family of networks, Madden Bowl 20 programming has been spotlighted over the past couple of weeks. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we go behind-the-scenes of the socially-distant production of Madden Bowl 20 with...

This year’s NFL Draft was a technological success despite going completely virtual. It also turned out to be the most watched NFL Draft ever. We’re joined on the podcast today by Dave Shaw, VP of Production for NFL Media. He shares the details of how the league sent camera and lighting kits to players, coaches, and GMs. In addition, he will break down how...

This year's production of the NFL Draft is exceptionally unique. In this roundtable discussion, SVG Co-Executive Director, Editorial Ken Kerschbaumer, Chief Editor Jason Dachman, Associate Editor Kristian Hernandez, and Director of Digital Brandon Costa break down the technological effort being undertaken by the NFL, ESPN, and Disney's DTCI group to pull off the socially-distant show. This episode of The SVG Podcast is supported by...

The coronavirus-fueled shutdown of sports labors on. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we talk the latest in the sports video production business with the SVG U.S. Editorial Team before taking a look at social video in this time of pause in sports with Melissa Lawton, Live Sports Production Strategy at Facebook and Dev Sethi, Head of Sports at Instagram. We’ll break down...

In a special episode of The SVG Podcast, the SVG editorial team sits down to discuss the impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on the sports video production industry. SVG Executive Director, Editorial Ken Kerschbaumer, Chief Editor Jason Dachman, Associate Editor Kristian Hernandez, and Director of Digital Brandon Costa break down the substantial business implications and looks at how American sports networks, leagues, and...

A segment of the sports video business that is growing increasingly more exciting and interesting is graphics. At Super Bowl LIV, for example, Fox Sports had viewers buzzing with a flashing new insert graphics package and score bug, while the NFL wowed audiences with its NFL 100 pregame ceremony that featured nearly seven minutes of augmented reality graphics. However, some of the most impactful...

A persistent trend in the sports video operations business today is the challenge of finding and training the next generation of broadcast IT technologists, particularly engineers. This is especially true of finding women in those roles. The same can be said of the broadcast industry in Europe. That was the focus of a panel discussion at the latest Networking Event hosted by SVG Europe...

The move to IP is one of the greatest challenges the sports video industry has ever faced and every organization that has made the move from SDI to IP has some battle scars that are still healing. We’ll take a close-up look at a few real-world scenarios, how the problems were solved, and what steps can be taken to avoid a similar fate. We’re...

It's Super Bowl Week and if forecasters are correct, Super Bowl LIV promises to be the most gambled on Super Bowl in history. According to analysts at PlayUSA.com, this year's big game is expected to haul in approximately $400 million dollars in total legal bets. But the Super Bowl is just the tip of the iceberg. If 2019 was a year of states, leagues,...

On this special Digital Extra episode of The SVG Podcast, we’re joined by Jason Justman, distinguished engineer for Sinclair Broadcast Group. Owners of all of the Fox regional sports networks, the new Cubs network, Marquee Sports Network, and Tennis Channel, Sinclair is a major player in the sports video industry. How are Jason and his team building streaming platforms and systems to accommodate all...

This weekend, the NFL’s conference championship games will be held, meaning Super Bowl LIV is just a matter of weeks away. This year’s game is in Miami and Fox Sports has the honor of broadcasting the game. The network has already made some headlines, pledging to make this Super Bowl the first one available to the public to UHD and High Dynamic Range. We...

SVG's Brandon Costa and Kristian Hernandez are on-site in New Orleans to take in all of the video happenings surrounding the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Brandon and Kristian have met with video pros from ESPN, the SEC Network, the ACC Network, Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment, and the video teams from LSU and Clemson. They report back with their highlights from...

DAZN was one of American sports media's breakout properties in 2019, going from a relative unknown to become a home for major boxing events. They are also positioning themselves to be a major player in the sports rights market when many of the biggest properties start coming up for bid in the next couple of years. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we...

On December 17 in New York City, the 2019 class of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame will be inducted, and among the prestigious group of 10 individuals entering the Hall is former ESPN anchor Bob Ley. Our guest on The SVG Podcast, Ley was the longest-serving on-air talent at ESPN at the time of his retirement earlier this year. Ley has been behind the...

Esports has become a pretty popular topic on The SVG Podcast as of late and on this episode of the show we give you a look inside one of the top brands in the industry, ESL Gaming. To talk about ESL and his view of the future of the esports industry, we are joined by Simon Eicher, Executive Producer and Director of Broadcast, Esports...

On a special Digital Extra episode of The SVG Podcast, we break down the potential of 5G in live sports video production. 5G. There’s a world of opportunity in 5G world and - as it pertains to live sports video production - the tools that can be enabled by 5G are awfully enticing. On this episode of the show, we are joined by Steve...

On a special Digital Extra episode of The SVG Podcast, we bring you a roundtable discussion with four industry experts on the unique challenges in delivering live streaming video content. More eyeballs are shifting from linear TV to streaming outlets but the expectations of the quality of that video remains the same. What makes it so difficult to meet those expectations and what progress...

We broach a very important topic on this episode of The SVG Podcast: diversity in sports production. Progress has been made in front of the camera in this regard, but when it comes to behind the scenes, its been slower to progress. We have a special roundtable conversation for you to address this issue on the show today. We’re joined by Bob Clarke, the...