WNBA Finals 2022: ESPN Covers Cross-Country Series With Deep Storylines, Top-Line Tech Whether Las Vegas Ace or Connecticut Sun, it will be the team's first title By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Thursday, September 15, 2022 - 11:38 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The Las Vegas Aces are one win away from clinching the franchise's first WNBA title. Facing off against the Connecticut Sun, also vying for their first championship, Sin City could clinch a three-game sweep in Connecticut tonight at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. From start to finish, the network has been with the league to tell the tale of this championship series.
This is a pretty significant production, says Michael Sullivan, lead remote operations specialist, ESPN. We're at an NBA Finals-level in terms of cameras and resources. There are important stories to tell, and our company has bought in on giving us the tools to do it properly.
Seeing in AR: New Technologies Include Virtual Graphics on a Handheld Camera Looking to evolve coverage of the WNBA Finals year after year, the ESPN operations team is infusing new technologies into the production. One of the main highlights so far is virtual graphics shown through the lens of an RF M VI camera. Typically used on a stationary camera, the technique has been deployed for other major events throughout the year, including Super Bowl LVI, the Men's Final Four, and the NBA Finals. In the WNBA wrinkle, fans get a courtside view alongside the virtual graphics. To improve the viewing experience, the technology has changed throughout the course of this series.
We learned a lot from Game 1, utilized those lessons in Game 2, and decided to have it used on an RF camera [in Game 3], says Sullivan. The feedback so far has been pretty positive.
Game Creek Video Riverhawk has led the onsite production of the first two games of the 2022 WNBA Finals.
The new virtual-graphics handheld is supplemented by other cameras. As was done for the NBA Finals, the RF M VI operator is also tasked with providing cinematic shots from down on the court. Deploying either a Sony Alpha 1 or a DreamChip ATOM one, the league has allowed this camera to get on the court and walk up and down the sideline behind each bench for various shots: players walking off the floor during stoppages in play, timeouts, free throws.
We worked with Faction Media and CP Communications to come up with a unique camera and lens combination and worked with the venue to acquire the space, says Sullivan. It gives us a lot of flexibility, and, with our partnership with the WNBA, they've been forward-thinking in allowing us to try out new things.
Enhancements to the WNBA Finals complement include a robotic camera installed at each end of the scorers table. Initially tested during the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago, these robos have become the main source of isolated shots of Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon and Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller.
Each game is captured with more than 20 cameras, including six Fletcher robos below and above the rim, a reverse camera for player interviews and isos, super-slow-motion feeds via two Sony HDC-4300's, and in-game audio.
Across the Country: Ops Team Handles Logistical Challenges Led by Sullivan, the operations crew is responsible for serving logistical needs for a series whose venues are 2,705 miles apart. Sullivan and ESPN Remote Operations Manager Leigh Michaud have deployed a two-pronged approach. For the first two games in Las Vegas, Remote Operations Producer Alice Garrett focused on all venue- and location-specific details. In Uncasville, CT, Remote Operations Producer BJ Smith will assume the same role for tonight's game.
An RF M VI camera captures cinematic shots behind the team benches.
Game Creek Video provides a mobile unit at the respective compounds. At Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, the crew operates from Riverhawk, which arrived shortly after the Western Conference Semifinals in Seattle on Sept. 6 before WNBA Finals Game 1 on Sept. 11. Parked outside Mohegan Sun Arena is Justice, which has been in Connecticut since the Sun's series-tying win on Sept 6 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Each venue also has an Edit truck for additional support.
If the Sun are victorious this evening, the two crews will have different issues to deal with. With a potential Game 4 on Sunday, Sept. 18, Smith and company will have to disassemble their equipment to accommodate very different events at Mohegan Sun Arena - Daniel Tosh's Leaves and Lobster Tour on Sept. 16 and Il Volo Live in Concert on Sept. 17 - and reconstruct it on game day.
If the proceedings reach a winner-take-all Game 5 in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Sept. 20, Garrett and her crew will have to reassemble their equipment at a brand-new venue, MGM Grand Garden Arena. Assisting for efforts in both Las Vegas and Connecticut are Remote Operations Coordinators David Quintanilla and Jalen Taylor, handling gear shipments, equipment inventories, multisite credentialing, and hotel requests.
We've been planning for months about how we're going to get people back and forth and how we're going to support each site, says Michaud. We made sure to have two sets of equipment since we didn't know [before the end of the semifinals] if we were going to be in Seattle, Connecticut, Chicago, or Las Vegas.
On the remote side, ESPN is tapping into its REMCO (remote controlled) model for a handful of services. Located at its headquarters in Bristol, CT - 63 miles from tonight's contest - graphics operators are inserting the scorebug and implementing Vizrt's Viz Libero telestration from an offsite control room. Four EVS replay servers are working out of their home base. One of the broadcaster's biggest remote lifts is a REMI produc
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...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
18/08/2026
Riedel Communications has announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, ...
18/08/2026
Company launch with stereo-imaging tool
Panoramic is the debut release from Panorama Labs, a new company formed by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. C...
18/08/2026
Control software now available for older interfaces
Focusrite have just announced the launch of an update that extends Control 2 software support their Scar...
18/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Lightware announces an integration with SpectralBot that helps system integrators and AV operators troubleshoot faster using augmented reality (AR), AI-assisted...
18/08/2026
Command Frame for After Effects
Scott Black August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Free download, demonstrations, hands-on tests, and creator resources
Want to t...
18/08/2026
At Stand 14.A57, the data company will demonstrate GreenDot and IBM Aspera together, giving media and entertainment businesses real-time visibility of what thei...
WNBA Finals 2022: ESPN Covers Cross-Country Series With Deep Storylines, Top-Line Tech Whether Las Vegas Ace or Connecticut Sun, it will be the team's first title By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor 
