
American Family Insurance T'd Up Invitational on Twitch Offers Celebrities, Simulated Golf VISTA Worldlink, Group 33 allow virtual matches be played around the country By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - 12:13 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, live sports were at a premium. To fill the void, personality-filled events like Turner Sports' The Match: Champions for Charity and The Match: Champions for Change occupied the television landscape. More recently, VISTA Worldlink and its partners are allowing golf fans of all ages to enjoy a virtualized version of the game with the American Family Insurance T'd Up Invitational on Twitch.
We originally looked to launch in April, says Rob Striar, president, marketing and managing partner, T'd Up, M Style, but, in early May, we shifted the concept from having only professional golfers involved to adding celebrity golfers that would add broader appeal, provide more banter, etc. We spoke with several broadcast partners, but, ultimately, we thought Twitch was a fantastic partner for us because of their engagement and the ability to build an audience and community.
More Than Golf: Digital Show Highlights Variety of Content A 10-person crew producing American Family Insurance T'd Up Invitational work in two separate control rooms.
Since March, the pandemic has emptied the normally full sports schedule. With minimal televised activities over the summer, the creation of T'd Up was conceived during a perfect time to capture the attention of fans who have more free time on their schedules. With the new opportunity, Group 33 and JP Sports & Entertainment, a specialist in sponsorship marketing and celebrities' charitable events and the entity driving T'd Up, are relying on their experience with golf simulators and unique events alike.
It certainly required some modifications in how we approach an event, says Pete Falcone, CEO, JP Sports & Entertainment, but [our history with simulators] helped us avoid a learning curve. It also helped us turn this project around quickly when we had to get started.
Digital gaming platforms like Twitch have seen an uptick in traffic because so many people are at home, and, with a refreshed take on the traditional game of golf, both avid and casual supporters from all demographics flocked to the product.
We're attracting an entirely different demographic, says Striar. If you're not into golf, we'll open you up to a sport that you may not have been focused on. If you are, you'll enjoy celebrities that may be some of your favorites or you may not have had exposure to previously.
While old-school competition is one reason to stick around, the show brings another wrinkle of interest: the stories that the celebrities have to tell. With participants ranging from actors Don Cheadle and Anthony Anderson to former athletes Eric Dickerson and Matt Leinart, the show covers the gamut of experiences and topics of discussion.
Talent and guests participate from offsite locations.
I think people come for the golf but stay for the conversation and are engaged by the entertainment, adds Striar. We're able to capture these unique moments from the celebrities. When we had [actor] Tom Felton on, we thought the Twitch chat got hacked because there were so many different languages in each of his huge fan bases in Portugal, Spain, and Italy. It really spoke to massive response to the show we have had.
With the postponement of film recordings, photoshoots, and other public events, the celebrities who participate in these digital live streams are searching for something to do as well. From a logistical standpoint, JP Sports & Entertainment VP Kevin Marsh is responsible for coordinating the celebrity appearances. It's an impressive juggling act to book new personalities and refresh the content for every show, but the relationships that have been made over the years have helped maintain a consistent flow of faces.
We've been working with celebrities for a while, he explains, and we know that their schedules are always TBD until the last minute. We've managed events that benefit their foundations or charities, and, now with [COVID-19] restrictions, they're unable to raise money for these causes. They're happy to [join] to do something different but also to raise some awareness for the things that they care about.
The Engine Behind the Match: Remote Production Takes Over VISTA Worldlink Facility Looking for a partner to execute the technical side of the project, JP Sports & Entertainment turned to industry veteran Michael Cohen and his expertise. Cohen, who helped produce the 2018 USL Cup and 2020 NWSL season, brought VISTA Worldlink into the picture as technical lead for these digital shows on Twitch.
A second control room is being used to ensure a steady transmission workflow.
VISTA has shown that they've been ahead of the curve in the remote-production world, he says. When you take a look at what T'd Up is, it's a show that would not have been televised years ago, but now, with the technology that's available, it was the right time for this to all come together.
With the ongoing pandemic, producing this show with maximum health and safety protocols was a high priority. Traditional productions have become difficult to do, so remote production was the most responsible approach.
[Shows] don't want a 40-person crew and additional mobile units and uplink trucks, says Cohen. The traditional way we were always thinking about producing television has yielded to this new form of technology because it allows us to bring the same product with an alternative method.
The on-screen element has become a sure-fire success, but it wouldn't b
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
27/08/2026
ESPN and Disney are launching College Football Saturdays, adding two college football games per week to Disney for U.S. subscribers as part of their existing ...
27/08/2026
Zixi will exhibit at IBC2026 (Hall 5, Stand 5.A76, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), demonstrating the Zixi Platform and the latest release of Zixi Broadcaster, ...
27/08/2026
NDI has announced that its ecosystem has surpassed 1.2 million NDI-enabled hardware nodes worldwide, spanning products from more than 200 hardware brands across...
27/08/2026
Clear-Com conducted a pre-launch field trial of FreeSpeak Cell during Carnival 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, in partnership with Brazilian systems integrator Savana C...
27/08/2026
BHV returns to IBC 2026 with an important milestone for its own SportsBox: the broadcast industry's smallest remote vision mixer and format processor has mo...
27/08/2026
TOGETHXR and Snapchat have announced the second cohort of their Snap the Gap content creator program, welcoming nine athletes as Snap Stars. The program provide...
27/08/2026
MediaKind has announced that CNBC UK has selected Beam to modernize its contribution and distribution infrastructure for live broadcast operations. The deployme...
27/08/2026
Monitor engineer Chris Dwight has deployed Sennheiser's Spectera wideband bi...
27/08/2026
Telestream has announced an expansion of its UP cloud-native platform, adding capabilities for orchestrating Telestream services, third-party technologies, and ...
27/08/2026
Swerve TV has signed a multi-year partnership with GLORY Kickboxing, bringing live GLORY events and library programming to Swerve Combat, Swerve TV's free a...
27/08/2026
Dalet has announced a new integrated content experience with Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Dalet Flex, designed to bring AFP's editorial metadata into the p...
27/08/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate an integrated live production environment at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), combining K-Frame, Maverik X, ...
27/08/2026
The National Women's Soccer League and Roku have announced an expanded partnership, with the Roku Sports Channel becoming the exclusive streaming home of ei...
27/08/2026
FuboTV has announced the launch of ACC Network Extra (ACCNX) and SEC Network (SECN ) on the Fubo streaming service at no additional cost to subscribers with En...
27/08/2026
Sports marketers have entered the experiential age. Today, sports teams, leagues, and venues are increasingly using immersive interactions and real world events...
27/08/2026
MultiDyne will introduce the MDoG-8800 at IBC2026 (Stand 11.C12, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), extending its openGear portfolio with a high-density fiber tra...
27/08/2026
The Joint Task Force on the Dynamic Media Facility (JT-DMF), an initiative of AMWA and the EBU, will host a series of informal Ask Me Anything sessions during...
27/08/2026
Homestream, a mobile app that automatically syncs a team's local radio broad...
27/08/2026
A packager for TNT Sports, Kwokman Productions is on hand for the unique event w...
27/08/2026
After more than 3,000 games, five members of YES Network's original staff re...
27/08/2026
Physical modelling orchestral instrument announced
Following their recent cryptic hints, Dreamtonics have officially revealed the latest addition to their s...
27/08/2026
M5 Ultra-equipped Studio most powerful Mac to date
Apple have just announced a design refresh which they say makes the Mac mini fiercer and more versatil...
27/08/2026
Sampler receivers major upgrades
Bitwig's latest DAW update brings some major changes to the Sampler device, kitting it out with new slicing options, tw...
27/08/2026
Designed specifically for hard-hitting modern bass
Designed specifically for bass-heavy electronic music, the latest plug-in from Arturia aims to offer an a...
27/08/2026
Advertisers gain granular CTV targeting and turnkey reporting across eligible in...
27/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/08/2026
Profuz Digital makes a mark by launching a powerful upgrade to its Profuz LAPIS digital media management platform this IBC in Amsterdam at Stand 8.A88. The late...
27/08/2026
DHD.audio has chosen IBC 2026 as the launch venue for what it defines as one of the most radical advances in the companys 30 year history.
Every broadcast trad...
27/08/2026
Direct connectivity between planning, production and graphics for creativity and streamlined workflows...
27/08/2026
New Photoshop innovations bring you more choice and control at every stage of yo...
27/08/2026
First Two Seasons of Vertical Series Vultures Shot on Blackmagic Design Cameras
Brie Clayton August 27, 2026
0 Comments
Director and DoP of Vultures ...
27/08/2026
For years, the media and entertainment industry has hesitated to use AI-voiced dubbing due to concern for audience experience. New data from 3Play Media, a glob...
27/08/2026
Starfish Technologies has announced the forthcoming V9 release of its Advantage AD workstation, adding support for voice synthesis services and giving Audio Des...
27/08/2026
Lightware's UBEX is a powerful AV-over-IP product well suited for rental and staging workflows where systems must be fast to deploy, easy to repurpose, and ...
27/08/2026
Lightware has expanded the scalability of its 10G TPN AV-over-IP platform with the introduction of the new TPN-MMU-X100 Matrix Management Unit, enabling systems...
27/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/08/2026
PlayBox Neo Stand 7.C29 IBC2026 - 11 14 September
Well-established global specialists in media playout, automation, and streaming solutions, PlayBox Neo ...
27/08/2026
Rise Academy, the broadcast and media skills charity dedicated to delivering practical media technology learning experiences, careers resources and work experie...
27/08/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, will showcase the latest evolution of its ...
27/08/2026
Screen Australia opens applications for Global Fellowships Program 27 August 2026
Applications are now open for the Screen Australia Global Fellowships progra...
27/08/2026
Thursday 27 August 2026
Sir Grayson Perry and Rebecca Lucy Taylor (aka Self Est...
27/08/2026
Wuppertal August 27, 2026
Riedel Evolves Leadership and Global Go-to-Market OrganizationRiedel Communications is strengthening its leadership and global go-to...
27/08/2026
More Sasquatch, more fun: Today, the sneakiest crossover of the summer lands exc...