
Inside the ESPN's NBA Daily Wager Special: How ESPN Produced Its First Sports-Betting-Driven Broadcast The broadcast integrated betting data and commentary with a clean feed of the game By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 - 3:53 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Last week's Daily Wager Special broadcast of the Brooklyn Nets-Philadelphia 76ers matchup marked ESPN's largest sports-betting-focused game production to date. The April 14 alternative broadcast, which was carried on ESPN+ and ESPN2 alongside the traditional broadcast on ESPN, was a glimpse into what viewers can expect from ESPN as it looks to capitalize of the rapid growth of legalized sports betting in the U.S.
We're excited to do as much live [in-game content] as possible, says ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer, Sports Betting and Fantasy Sports, Scott Clark, who oversaw last week's production. It's obviously something that's just getting started in the market because of legalization, and we want to be ready for what's coming.
The broadcast leveraged a clean feed from the primary ESPN broadcast of the game and integrated sports-betting-focused graphics and commentary from ESPN's sports-betting studio show Daily Wager. The telecast featured a revamped scorebug/bottom-line graphic displaying betting data, and it consistently integrated Daily Wager analysts Doug Kezirian, Joe Fortenbaugh, and Tyler Fulghum from ESPN's Las Vegas studios at The LINQ.
The broadcast featured discussion about game action in relation to pregame odds (tracking closing lines for spread, total, and props), tracking live odds (spread, total), futures (NBA MVP, conference odds, NBA Finals odds), and updates from other games being played, as well as sports-betting focused pregame show and halftime show.
The Philosophy: Catering to Bettors and Non-Bettors Alike Although the Daily Wager Special marked ESPN's first alternative presentation fully driven by sports-betting content, it wasn't the first to have a betting aspect to it. In January for its MegaCast presentation of the AFC Wild Card Game, the Between the Lines alternative feed on ESPN+ featured the teams from both NFL Live and Daily Wager, providing a mix of old-school analysis, new-age analytics, and sports-betting information.
Besides in-game discussions of live odds, the Daily Wager Special presentation addressed futures like NBA MVP, conference odds, and NBA Finals odds.
With the Between the Lines experience under their belt, Clark and the Daily Wager team were looking to create for its first NBA game a broadcast that would serve not only the hardcore bettor but the casual NBA fan as well.
Since we were on linear TV, we knew we would have a varied audience in terms of their avidity for gambling, says Clark. You could have anywhere from someone who is a very avid passionate sports bettor to someone who was just flipping through channels and ended up on ESPN2. We needed to hit both those notes. We decided not to hold back in terms of sophistication and betting [analysis], but we also made sure to explain some of basic betting terms and concepts throughout [the broadcast].
The Talent: Daily Wager Analysts Call Action From Vegas That duality came into play as the production team and on-air talent began to consider how to integrate traditional play-by-play into a betting-centric broadcast.
We didn't want a strictly traditional play-by-play call like you would normally see on ESPN, says Clark. We wanted it to be more conversational, but, of course, we had to have some level of play-by-play and acknowledge what's happening on the court. So we ended up having [our announcers] conversing about the betting aspects, and then our host Doug Kezirian would cut in and just simply say, Layup by Simmons, Sixers up five'.
Kezirian, Fortenbaugh, Fulghum, and ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins also regularly appeared on-screen as the game action was taking place to give a face to the voice, says Clark.
The Production Team: At Home in Bristol In addition to featuring Daily Wager's on-air talent in the broadcast, last week's NBA presentation was also handled by the studio show's production team.
Daily Wager's home is a 6,000-sq.-ft. 4K/1080p production facility on the Vegas Strip that includes three studios and features 12 cameras, including two exterior robotic cameras. The studio is designed around REMI and does not have an accompanying control room onsite. Instead, camera/audio feeds are sent to a control room at ESPN's HQ in Bristol, CT, where the Daily Wager production team is on hand to produce the show.
Daily Wager-style slab graphics displayed periodically on the right side of ESPN's betting-focused presentation, showing key prop bets and odds during the game.
Clark and Daily Wager director Ed Curran were in constant communication with Rodney Vaughn, producer for ESPN's primary NBA broadcast, to ensure that they were aligned on commercial breaks and key moments during the game. In addition, ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer Ed Placey, one of the key leaders of the network's MegaCast productions for the College Football Playoff, worked closely with the Daily Wager team to develop the graphics and operations workflow.
Everyone on the production side is used to studio productions, so this is very new to us, says Clark. We were able to do a rehearsal game, but we really had to feel it out as the game went on. A lot of this stuff was very foreign to us, so we had to figure out how to navigate that through the game. But I think we felt really comfortable by the time the second half started.
The Graphics: Rethinking the Scorebug for Betting-Centric Data The Between the Lines MegaCast feed at the AFC Wild Card Game featured an ultra-aggressive graphi
North America Stories
25/03/2026
Live match directors Sarah Cheadle (Sky Sports), Rob Levi (TNT Sports), and Andrew Swift (BBC Sport) sit down with the Premier League's Rachel Nightingale t...
25/03/2026
The senior from Upstate New York is manning the mic while also interning for the athletic department's sports-information team
In the live-sports-video ind...
25/03/2026
Synamedia has announced ContentArmor Edge Watermarking, a server-side solution t...
25/03/2026
SES has announced meoSphere, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite network targeted for operation by 2030. The first phase will pair SES-developed software-defin...
25/03/2026
TVU Networks is working with Reuters on a phased migration from satellite to a c...
25/03/2026
Nielsen has announced three senior appointments. Seth Ladetsky has been named Head of Global Sports. Trevor Fellows will lead Nielsen's advertiser and agenc...
25/03/2026
Anoki and Amagi have launched In-Scene Ads powered by Anoki ContextIQ across Amagi's portfolio of in-content ad formats for Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (...
25/03/2026
Arkona Technologies will announce a series of enhancements to its BLADE//runner platform at NAB 2026 (Booth C.1808). The updates focus on usability and workflow...
25/03/2026
Daktronics has installed two tower displays and a video wall in the Lexus Club at Petco Park in San Diego ahead of the 2026 season.
Continuing to improve the ...
25/03/2026
MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems is celebrating its 50th anniversary as NAB Show 2026 approaches. The company was founded in 1976 by Vincent Jachetta, an N...
25/03/2026
IPC, a provider of integrated communication solutions, will make its NAB 2026 de...
25/03/2026
Live production categories were led by NBC, FOX, and ESPN's NFL coverage...
25/03/2026
The Atlanta Braves and Spectrum have announced a multiyear distribution agreemen...
25/03/2026
(L-R) Charlie Tyrell and Daniel Roher attend The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris Technologies and RFTEQ Pty Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding to ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris delivers combat-ready Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery system, which deploys and retrieves Iver4 900 autonomous underwater vehicles through submarine t...
25/03/2026
The company expands leadership team under Chief Revenue Officer Amilcar Perez
S...
25/03/2026
Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony features in top 10 programmes of the month...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Providing wide view timing visibility across the entire production chain...
25/03/2026
Continuing development drives advances in security, availability, access and connectivity...
25/03/2026
Caudalie, the renowned French cosmetics brand, has unveiled a state-of-the-art 200-seat auditorium at its new headquarters in the historic Marais district of ce...
25/03/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced expanded integration with Adobe Premiere, Adobe Media Encoder (AME), and Frame.io, d...
25/03/2026
Marshall Electronics is expanding its lineup of high-performance POV cameras designed for broadcast, live production and professional AV applications with the d...
25/03/2026
OOONA, a global provider of professional management and production tools for the media localization industry, announced today that it has been awarded the TPN G...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
SipRadius, specialists in secure, low-latency media transport, will drive innovation and interoperability still further with the launch of the SipMX Alliance at...
25/03/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote contribution solutions, will showcase its award-winning StudioPro ecosystem at The 2...
25/03/2026
Alfalite, the only European manufacturer of LED screens, will once again be present at NAB Show, the leading global event for the broadcast, media and entertain...
25/03/2026
PC, a leading provider of integrated communication solutions, will make its NAB 2026 Show debut in Booth C 3341. The company will highlight the newly branded On...
25/03/2026
Open video transport network simplifies satellite transition with new partnerships and global reach as spectrum auction nears
LTN will demonstrate how its purp...
25/03/2026
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, will present the full range of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix T&M solutions at the NAB Show, which takes pl...
25/03/2026
MNC Software, a global leader in network management and operational support systems tailored to the broadcast and media industry, today announced the appointmen...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Starfish highlights flexible TS Splicer releases and new Monitoring Dashboard at...
25/03/2026
XLNTSOUND Elevates Video Production with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 24, 2026
0 Comments
Audio company upgrades workflow with Blackmagic Cine...
25/03/2026
First Time Exhibitor IPC Introduces One Link Keypanels for One Connect Intercom ...
25/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces the Start of Production for Reasonable Doubts
Entertainment
25 March 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download...
25/03/2026
Back to All News
2026 World Baseball Classic Becomes the Most-Watched Program ...
25/03/2026
NBC Sports Deploys viztrick AiDi to Stream Live Events in 9:16 Mobile-First Form...
25/03/2026
At the half-time whistle of the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 football match betwee...
24/03/2026
Utah Scientific to Showcase a Variety of Hybrid SDI/IP Innovations at the 2026 N...
24/03/2026
Mediaproxy will showcase an updated version of its LogPlayer interface at NAB Sh...
24/03/2026
C gep de Jonqui re, a public college in Qu bec, has upgraded its TV studio complex with five Calrec Brio consoles and a Dante IP network. The installation was c...
24/03/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has announced new and r...
24/03/2026
National Telecom Public Company Limited (NT) used Ateme's KYRION platform fo...
24/03/2026
Grass Valley has expanded its relationship with ImSoPROD, the TV production entity of FDJ United, with the deployment of LDX C98 compact cameras across its nati...