Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

NFL Playoffs 2025: ESPN Scrambles To Get Production in Place After Wild Card Game Moves to Arizona

13/01/2025

NFL Playoffs 2025: ESPN Scrambles To Get Production in Place After Wild Card Game Moves to Arizona An operations team familiar with State Farm Stadium helped smooth the effort By Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor

Monday, January 13, 2025 - 12:49 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

On Thursday evening, the NFL decided to move tonight's Wild Card game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, to State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals. The relocation, driven by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires and concern for public and fan safety, forced ESPN to execute a last-minute audible with its broadcast and production team.

It was a scramble, says ESPN Senior Operations Manager Tommy Mitchell, but it allowed us to utilize all the standard Monday Night Football facilities and plan. He adds that it does simplify the technical plan once production personnel arrived in Glendale, AZ.

The change of location, he says, was actually a huge benefit and eased some of those logistical challenges, allowing all production resources to be diverted to Arizona days ahead of the broadcast.

State Farm Stadium has been given a new look for tonight's Wild Card game.

Mitchell, who joined the Monday Night Football operations team ahead of the 2024 season after almost two decades in college football, and his team had not expected to know the game's venue until as late as this past weekend. Knowing all that is happening [in Los Angeles] really puts things in perspective for all of us, especially the human side of things. We were planning on what additional safety measures could be implemented should the game remain at SoFi.

ESPN delayed start-time plans in Los Angeles because of the possibility that the game would be relocated. Its production trucks were held outside of California and directed to Arizona once the game's relocation became official. Contingency plans included incorporating different mobile units into the production. Still, Mitchell says, a full complement of mobile units and broadcast gear will be deployed for tonight's broadcast.

Between the main broadcast, NFL Live, Monday Night Countdown, and the ManningCast, ESPN plans to integrate not only its onsite systems and the full production truck but also REMI and REMCO resources into the overall production. We are utilizing pretty much every single way that ESPN does shows, Mitchell notes. It's all encapsulated into what we will do for the Wild Card game.

NEP Broadcasting is supplying four expando mobile units for the telecast. A production trailer will also be an onsite. About 60 cameras will be incorporated into the broadcast, including a drone, RF Steadicam, Skycam, and 23 super-slo-mo units.

One differentiated component within the broadcast will be one of the down-the-line cameras, which are normally robotic. One will be upgraded to a full super-slo-mo camera chain with an operator, according to Mitchell. Multiple pylon cameras and robotic cameras will also be deployed. About 200 production personnel will be onsite at State Farm Stadium.

As for the effect of the last-minute relocation on staffing, he notes, the vast majority of the Monday Night Football technicians are core traveling members of the crew and worked to rebook their travel itinerary.

Even so, some crew members also worked the College Football Playoff semifinal games, and their travel has been hampered by inclement weather in the Southeast. We will work around those logistics as best we can, says Mitchell, adding that the late change of plans presented a local challenge in securing some utilities and runners. However, moving to a market like Phoenix is welcomed as they have a well-rounded sports-television community.

Mitchell has previously dealt with game-location changes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he worked on ESPN's college-football coverage. Moving an event/crew of this size is not as simple as a quick phone call or email, he points out. It takes a ton of people, all focused on the same things, who have been clearly communicated to about what the plan is going to be.

After his first full season working behind the scenes on Monday Night Football, Mitchell compares the experience with his days in college football. On a Saturday in the fall, with 20 to 30 games across ESPN platforms, A lot could go right, but a lot could also go wrong. Coming from that side, I'm well-versed in my phone ringing a lot on game day, with possible broadcast issues with power, cameras, or production trucks. That was kind of what I was expecting on game days for Monday Night Football. There are too many moving pieces. It's a big show. There are going to be some things that go wrong. We have to constantly put out fires.

That hasn't proved to be the reality, though. Reflecting on the 2024 season, he says, It was about as smooth as I could have expected it to be operationally.

He credits the engineering and operations teams: They're the best at what they do. They're on this show for a reason. Generally, what that means is, they've already thought of all the things that could go wrong, and they already have backup plans in place. If something does go wrong, they fix it before I even hear about it. That is a very comfortable place to be for someone in my role.

Wild Card Broadcast Notes Play-by-play caller Joe Buck and analyst Troy Aikman will lead the main Rams-Vikings broadcast on ABC and ESPN. The pair, who have called 60-plus NFL postseason games and six Super Bowls together, will be joined by sideline reporters Lisa Salters, reporting on the Vikings, and Laura Rutledge, covering the Rams.

Meanwhile, Peyton and Eli Manning will return for their 11th ManningCast of the 2024 season and their fourth Wild Card broadcast. Newly name
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/01/13/nfl-playoffs-2025-espn-scramble...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Flowstate AI's Sahil Shah on Transforming Video Content with Intelligent AI Agents

As sports media organization continue to seek out new ways to streamline their p...

01/04/2026

SVG GFX Forum 2026: Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

The SVG GFX Forum hit New York City earlier this month for a day packed with sessions focused on the creative strategy and technology behind today's cutting...

01/04/2026

From Buenos Aires to Mexico City, EQUAL Days Bring Latin America Together for Women in Audio

This year, Spotify celebrates the five-year anniversary of EQUAL, our global pro...

01/04/2026

FourFingers announce Tape Splice Pro plug-in

Analogue-style tape splicing in the digital domain In this era of digital recording and multiple layers of Undo, it seems that the fading art of tape splici...

01/04/2026

Zero G introduce Morphology Evolved

Latest release introduces new Orbita Engine Zero G's latest release marks the start of a new series of libraries, as well as introducing an all-new engi...

01/04/2026

Warm Audio introduce the WA-8TRX

Until now, one format has largely been left behind Warm Audio's extensive product range includes modern-day recreations of all manner of sought-after s...

01/04/2026

The Crow Hill Company announce Crystal Pianos

A piano with glass vessels for strings! The Crow Hill Company's recently released Gong Piano offered a refreshing new take on piano libraries, harnessin...

01/04/2026

ESSENCE RS from Aim Audio

Remote Streaming Studio Condenser Aim Audio have just revealed their latest creation, the ESSENCE RS Remote Streaming Studio Condenser, which becomes the wo...

01/04/2026

Call for NFVF funding applications to attend Film Festivals and Markets taking place from 08 - 31 May 2026

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...

01/04/2026

AgileTV powers Liwest's next-generation TV experience with the launch of next IPTV platform in Austria

Bilbao, April 1st, 2026 - AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV technolog...

01/04/2026

Green Hippo Debuts Hands on Hippotizer Media Server Train...

Green Hippo is excited to announce the launch of its new Hippotizer Media Server training courses at Pixel Academy, a purpose built AV learning hub combining ha...

01/04/2026

TAG Video Systems and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Partner...

TAG Video Systems, a global leader in IP-native broadcast monitoring, multiviewing, and quality control, today announced a collaboration with Oracle Cloud Infra...

01/04/2026

Professional Wireless Systems PWS Takes on Intercom and R...

Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a leading provider of wireless audio solutions and RF management, was on site at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, wher...

01/04/2026

AgileTV powers Liwest next generation TV experience with...

AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV technology solutions, has deployed next , the new IPTV platform of the Austrian telco LIWEST, marking the first st...

01/04/2026

LTN and Ateme partner to deliver integrated video process...

LTN, a leader in fully managed IP video transport, and Ateme, a global leader in video compression and delivery solutions, today announced a collaboration integ...

01/04/2026

Adobe Unveils Powerful New Innovations for Creative Pros in Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Unveils Powerful New Innovations for Creative Pros in Adobe Illustrator Deepa Subramaniam April 1, 2026 0 Comments I'm excited to share that...

01/04/2026

Boland Communications Introduces QD4K315HDR10 QD-OLED Series Monitors for Live Production, Film, Post, and Broadcast

Boland Communications Introduces QD4K315HDR10 QD-OLED Series Monitors for Live P...

01/04/2026

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insight: Evertz

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Judge Blocks Order Barring NPR and PBS From Funding

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Nikon to Sell Mark Roberts Motion Control

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Mediagenix Showcases Semantic Intelligence-Powered Title Management, Schedule Optimization, and Personalization at NAB 2026

Mediagenix Showcases Semantic Intelligence-Powered Title Management, Schedule Op...

01/04/2026

FCC Approves WJAX-TV License Transfer to Cox

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Scripps Sports Ink Deal for Ion to Air 2026 Teal Rising Cup

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

UK Group Companies Unveil NAB Show Plans

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Victoria Mont Brings the Multi-Hyphenate Mindset to Career Jam 2026

Victoria Mon t Brings the Multi-Hyphenate Mindset to Career Jam 2026 The Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and producer shared how versatility and self-inves...

01/04/2026

Rite of Spring - Save on Ivory 3 German D and American Concert D

A New Season of Expression: Save 30% On Ivory 3There are moments in music when everything changes-when new ideas break through and redefine what's possible....

01/04/2026

Binghamton University Strengthens StudentRun Productions With Riedel's SimplyLive RiMotion R12

Wuppertal April 1, 2026 Binghamton University Strengthens Student Run Producti...

01/04/2026

A Demon Falls for a Human in 'Long Vacation': Netflix Greenlights New Romance Series from Director of 'Crash Landing on You'

Back to All News A Demon Falls for a Human in Long Vacation: Netflix Greenlight...

01/04/2026

All WWE Is Now Live Only on Netflix in Italy

Back to All News All WWE Is Now Live Only on Netflix in Italy Entertainment 01 April 2026 GlobalItaly Link copied to clipboard ALL WWE IS NOW LIVE ON NET...

01/04/2026

TDF Expands Broadcast Channel Lineup with Harmonic

Harmonic's Media Processing Solutions Maximize Bandwidth Efficiency for Terrestrial Broadcast Delivery SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 1, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: ...

01/04/2026

RT and Virgin Media Television kick off comprehensive freetoair coverage of the 2026 Women's Six Nations Championship

Rugby fans won't miss a moment of the action this spring, with full Women...

01/04/2026

Bluey as Gaeilge starts on RT KIDSjr on Easter Monday

T Bluey ag teacht go RT ! Beginning on Monday 6 April 2026, Bluey will be available as Gaeilge on RT KIDSjr and RT Player. Children will be able to connect w...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

31/03/2026

MeyerPro Delivers LED Production for Microsoft Ignite 2025

MeyerPro delivered the LED production for the Microsoft Ignite 2025 keynote at Chase Center in San Francisco, using more than 2,700 ROE Visual panels across mul...

31/03/2026

MC-IF Expands Membership to Include Smaller Technology Companies to Drive VVC Adoption

The Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) is expanding membership outreach in 2026...

31/03/2026

ViewLift and MyOutdoorTV Launch Conversational AI Search

ViewLift and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) have announced the launch of ViewLift Conversational AI Search on the MyOutdoorTV platform. The feature enables natural language...

31/03/2026

Atlanta Braves and Gray Media to Simulcast 25 Regular Season Games on Over-the-Air Television

The Atlanta Braves and Gray Media have announced a multi-year agreement to simul...

31/03/2026

Gravity Media to Deliver Broadcast Coverage of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival

Gravity Media has delivered broadcast services for TAB Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill Gardens on March 21 and will now cover The Star Championships at Royal Ran...

31/03/2026

Mileto Tecnologia Selects Synamedia Go for OTT Expansion

Synamedia has announced that Mileto Tecnologia, a Brazilian pay-TV operator, has selected the Synamedia Go platform for its OTT expansion. Mileto is also deploy...

31/03/2026

NAB 2026: KMH Integration to Present AV Casting Philosophy

KMH Integration will attend NAB Show in Las Vegas with a focus on what the company calls AV Casting - an approach built on the idea that professional AV and bro...

31/03/2026

Prime Video to Air First and Second Rounds of 2026 Masters Tournament

Prime Video will carry live coverage of the first and second rounds of the 2026 Masters Tournament, beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 9 and Friday, A...

31/03/2026

NHL, ESPN, TNT Sports and Sportsnet Launch Joint Marketing Campaign for 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The NHL and its U.S. and Canadian broadcast partners have announced a collaborat...

31/03/2026

Daktronics to Install New Video Display and Show Control System at Wake Forest's Allegacy Stadium

Daktronics has partnered with Wake Forest to manufacture and install a new end z...

31/03/2026

NFL Announces Las Vegas to Host Super Bowl LXIII in 2029

The National Football League has announced that Las Vegas will host Super Bowl LXIII in 2029 at Allegiant Stadium. The announcement was made at the NFL Annual M...

31/03/2026

NFL Partners with TMRW Sports to Launch Professional Flag Football League

The NFL has announced a partnership with TMRW Sports to develop and operate a professional flag football league for women and men. The league will launch with i...

31/03/2026

Zac Brown Band and Blake Shelton Deploy Sennheiser Spectera at Las Vegas Residencies

Sennheiser's Spectera wideband bidirectional wireless system was used by bot...