Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

ESPN, TNT Sports Tag-Team on Emirates NBA Cup Production in Las Vegas

13/12/2024

ESPN, TNT Sports Tag-Team on Emirates NBA Cup Production in Las Vegas The broadcasters will share resources, compound space at T-Mobile Arena By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor

Friday, December 13, 2024 - 1:05 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

The long and winding trek to the Emirates NBA Cup will conclude over the next few days at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and Saturday's doubleheader will decide which two teams will battle it out for the second-annual trophy. In a March Madness-esque effort, ESPN and TNT Sports will each produce a semifinal matchup from the arena, relying on help from each other and the league's broadcast-operations department.

[These games] feel different because we're in a neutral venue and working much closer with the NBA, says Eddie Okuno, senior remote operations specialist, ESPN. We're able to do things that we wouldn't be able to do in an ordinary NBA arena.

A Different Production Beast: Ops Teams Ramp Up Tech To Match Heightened Intensity After a successful inaugural competition in 2023, the NBA Cup tourney's start a month ago demonstrated the teams' buy-in, with new jerseys, newly designed courts, and an enhanced commitment to play with heart and grit. Fans have turned up to the venues to watch in person, and viewers have tuned in to broadcasts on national and regional networks. As the tournament hits its final stage, the tension on the court will continue to ratchet up. And the championship-level game will be matched by championship-level technologies and workflows.

T-Mobile Arena will host the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals on Saturday and Championship Game on Tuesday.

It feels like we're in the playoffs despite being in the middle of the season, says Chris Brown, VP, technology and operations, Warner Bros. Discovery. This year, it has been a little bit easier after last year's tournament and with the great working relationship that we have with the league.

TNT Sports, which will broadcast the first semifinal, will deploy an impressive tech arsenal, including 10 hard cameras, six handhelds, four super-slow-motion cameras, its standard above-the-rim robotic camera at each basket, an RF Steadicam, and live coaches mics heard in real time. Another TNT Sports' standard is remote graphics production from its Techwood facility in Atlanta, an effort that began on NBA Opening Night back in October.

A full-length RailCam will run alongside the players on the court.

Airing on ESPN, the second semifinal and Tuesday night's final will be the first NBA on ESPN productions to boast five shallow-depth-of-field cameras: a Sony FR7 PTZ robo on each bench, a new Canon C80 on an RS-4 Pro gimbal, and an RF handheld with capabilities to add virtual graphics. Other tech toys include an ARRI ALEXA35 4K Live Production System camera with a Fujifilm DUVO 25-1000mm box lens, SMT Optics strategy tracker and shot-distance tracker with NBA Hawk-Eye data, and TGI Sport on-court virtual advertising.

Each broadcaster will have a dedicated configuration in the compound. TNT Sports will roll with its West Coast workhorse, NEP Supershooter 8 A and B units, as the main game truck and NEP TS2 for an onsite edition of Inside the NBA emanating from the outdoor plaza of T-Mobile Arena. ESPN will be working from NEP EN3 A and B for game coverage and Live Media Group MU-14 for onsite versions of NBA Countdown and NBA Today. The game truck will share multiple camera feeds for studio coverage, and the studio team's virtual jib camera will be integrated into the live game telecast.

Cross-Network Doubleheader: Networks Tap Shared Resources for Semifinal Round On Saturday, TNT Sports and ESPN will come together to produce two semifinal games in a single night. Although the schedule at T-Mobile Arena is a lot more favorable this year - the tech infrastructure for last year's portion in Las Vegas was constructed later than usual because of a Vegas Golden Knights game - key to the tournament's success is to reflect on last year's effort and adapt strategies for this weekend.

Along with the RailCam, a Skycam will be shared by ESPN and TNT Sports.

We tried sticking to the blueprint and made the necessary adjustments for replicating it, says Brown. The NBA made some tweaks, but we looked to leverage the lessons learned from last year.

A neutral-site production for a trophy game is reminiscent of the NBA Bubble during the COVID-shortened season in 2020. As two of the NBA's domestic rightsholders, TNT Sports and ESPN had long had a strong partnership, but that effort at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando strengthened their relationship. Four years later, that time together is reflected in Las Vegas.

The camaraderie and friendship that we have with TNT Sports is unmatched, says Okuno. When it comes to operations, we're always there to help each other out. When the NBA Cup came into our schedules last year, we took the approach of doing it together.

This willingness to work together in the same venue has translated into sharing selected resources and equipment. TNT Sports' RF Steadicam, for example, will be used on ESPN's nightcap on Saturday. ESPN, for its part, is offering Skycam, court-length RailCam, a Sony HDC-5500 low-slash camera, and robotic PTZ cameras. The ESPN-provided cameras will be operating in 1080p/59.94 fps SDR for both semifinal games. Audio will be shared via MADI and Dante paths, along with comms between the broadcasters' onsite trucks.

Camera positions, including this one near center court, will be shared by the two broadcasters.

To free up space in the shared broadcast compound, the broadcasters will deploy a few remote workflows. Besides TNT Sports' remote graphics from Techwood, ESPN graphics, clock and score, and four EVS replay operators for game
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/12/13/espn-tnt-sports-tag-team-on-emi...
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 ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

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

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

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 ...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Zixi to Demonstrate Live Video Workflows and Satellite Replacement

Zixi will demonstrate IP-based live video workflow solutions at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2057). The industry is moving quickly toward IP-based distribution as br...

09/04/2026

Deloitte Research: Women's Elite Sports Revenues Expected to Reach at Least $3 Billion in 2026

Global women's elite sports revenues are expected to reach at least $3 billi...

09/04/2026

Monitor Engineer Gavin Tempany Mixes Kylie Minogue's Tension Tour on Solid State Logic L550 Plus

Monitor engineer Gavin Tempany mixed Kylie Minogue s Tension Tour on a Solid Sta...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America to Debut New 4K Camera and Remote Control Panel

KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5507), debu...

09/04/2026

NBC Sports Reviews Innovations and Milestones from Its 2025-26 NBA Regular Season

With the 2025-26 NBA regular season concluded and the playoffs beginning next we...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Telestream and Mimir Announce Integration for Ingest-to-Editorial Workflows

Telestream and Mimir have announced an integration connecting Telestream's V...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Bitmovin Expands Live Encoding and Observability Solutions for End-to-End Live Streaming Monitoring

Bitmovin has expanded its Live Encoding and Observability solutions to provide r...

09/04/2026

Nashville Predators and Scripps Sports Announce Multi-Year Broadcast Agreement

The Nashville Predators and Scripps Sports have announced a multi-year media rights agreement covering local preseason, regular season, and first-round playoff ...

09/04/2026

ASG Partners with Beam Dynamics for Asset Intelligence Platform

Advanced Systems Group, LLC has announced a partnership with Beam Dynamics to offer the Beam Asset and License Intelligence Platform to its clients. The platfor...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Lawo Introduces Edge One Converged Video and Audio Stagebox

Lawo has unveiled Edge One, a combined video and audio stagebox for broadcast and Pro AV workflows. The device will be on display at NAB Show (Booth C2108, Apri...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: SMPTE to Host ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) will host the SMPTE ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at the Las Vegas Conven...

09/04/2026

Atlanta Braves Upgrade Video Displays at Truist Park

The Atlanta Braves have completed upgrades to video displays in and around Truist Park ahead of the 2026 MLB season. The upgrades include the Delta Out-of-Town ...

09/04/2026

USC Installs Daktronics LED Displays Across Four Athletics Venues

The University of Southern California has contracted Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT) of Brookings, South Dakota, to manufacture and install 22 LED displays across fou...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Backlight to Showcase Iconik and Wildmoka Integration

Backlight, the media technology company behind Iconik and Wildmoka, will showcase its Creative Operations Platform at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2829, April 19-22). ...

09/04/2026

MotoAmerica Superbike to Air on VICE TV for 2026 Season

MotoAmerica and V10 Entertainment have announced a partnership to broadcast MotoAmerica Superbike racing on VICE TV for the 2026 season. Coverage begins live on...

09/04/2026

Proton Camera Innovations Appoints Tod Musgrave as US Sales and Marketing Director

Proton Camera Innovations has announced the appointment of Tod Musgrave as US Sa...

09/04/2026

Former UEFA, Orange Executive Nicolas Dal Launches OVERCAST Private-Cloud Production Service

Designed specifically for live sports broadcasting, new platform features IP-nat...

09/04/2026

NEWstalgia: How the Return of the NBA on NBC Was Driven by a Bold and Ownable' Graphics Package

Blending 1990s DNA, modern motion theory, and a distinctly colorful brand identi...

09/04/2026

SVG Sit-Down: Christy Media's Amy Vacher on What It Takes To Find the Best Person for the Job

Technical capability is essential, but long-term success often depends on how we...

09/04/2026

Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2026 by Cinpolis Unveils Official Program for Its Third Edition

15 feature films, including fiction and documentaries, along with six short film...

09/04/2026

Spotify Introduces New Video Controls for Listeners

Spotify has always been about putting listeners in the driver's seat. Today, people don't just want more ways to spend their time; they want that time t...

09/04/2026

New Spotify Video Controls Put Families and Parents in Charge

Our Chief Public Affairs Officer Dustee Jenkins shares how we're building a more positive experience for families on Spotify. As Spotify's Chief Public...

09/04/2026

Get Festival-Ready With These 4 Spotify Features

Festival season is upon us. From sun-soaked weekends out west to iconic stages in Chicago and New York, fans are getting ready to see their favorite artists liv...

09/04/2026

Spotify Introduz Novos Controles de Vdeo para Ouvintes

O Spotify sempre teve como foco colocar os ouvintes no controle. Hoje, as pessoas n o querem apenas mais formas de passar o tempo - elas querem que esse tempo s...

09/04/2026

Novos controles de vdeo do Spotify colocam pais e famlias no comando

Read the original note in English here. Nossa Chief Public Affairs Officer, Dustee Jenkins, compartilha como estamos construindo uma experi ncia mais positiva ...

09/04/2026

Spaces from Smokestack Sounds

New synth focuses on sci-fi scoring Following their formation and debut releases in December 2025, Smokestack Sounds - the brainchild of composer and produc...

09/04/2026

Reason Studios preview Reason 14

Latest version set for May 2026 launch Reason Studios have revealed that the latest version of their DAW software will be launching in May 2026. Currently a...

09/04/2026

Shy Audio introduce EQT-1M

New EQ aimed at mix-bus & mastering duties Shy Audio's first two releases focused on the past, delivering recreations of the budget mixers that were com...

09/04/2026

PBS' The Forsytes' Puts a Glamorous New Spin on the Beloved Family Drama as the series premieres in the US.

Based on John Galsworthy's novels known collectively as The Forsyte Saga a...

09/04/2026

The Forsytes' Renewed For Season 3 At PBS Masterpiece

The Forsytes has been renewed for a third season before the period drama has even premiered on PBS Masterpiece. The adaptation of John Galsworthy's novel, ...

09/04/2026

BBC brings Danny Robins The Witch Farm to the screen Inspired by the hit podcast of the same name, filming begins soon

IThe BBC has commissioned new drama The Witch Farm, starring Gabrielle Creevy (T...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026 Major Announcement

The next big thing To help broadcasters fully embrace dynamic hybrid workflows, Calrec will make a major announcement that unlocks even more freedom for broadca...

09/04/2026

ENCO to Showcase New aiTrack Capabilities at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/04/2026

LTN Unveils Network Enhancements in Advance of C-Band Changes

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/04/2026

FOR-A Buys Tamura Corp. Information Equipment Business

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/04/2026

Imagine Showcases Expanded Multiviewer Portfolio at 2026...

Purpose Built Monitoring From Live Production to Master Control to OTT, Across On Prem and Cloud Environments At the 2026 NAB Show (April 19-22, Las Vegas Con...

09/04/2026

Harmonic Extends Hybrid Streaming Leadership with AI and...

Purpose Built Monitoring From Live Production to Master Control to OTT, Across On Prem and Cloud Environments At the 2026 NAB Show (April 19-22, Las Vegas Con...

09/04/2026

LTN unveils network enhancements as broadcaster satellite...

New advances meet surge in demand for broadcast-grade IP migration as C-band spectrum auctions approach LTN announces major enhancements to its purpose-built g...

09/04/2026

Hitomi Broadcast Expands Sales Team with Nicola Milburn

Hitomi Broadcast has expanded its sales team with the addition of Nicola Milburn as Technical Sales Manager. In this role, Nicola will work with customers and p...

09/04/2026

Layercake and Ceeblue Announce Strategic Integration to D...

Revolutionary combined solution brings sub-second latency, resilient delivery, and workflow orchestration to global broadcasters and digital platforms Layercak...

09/04/2026

BIA Increases 2026 Local Ad Forecast to $184.5 Billion

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/04/2026

Yospace surpasses 10 billion ads stitched in a single mon...

Yospace exceeded 10 billion dynamically stitched ads in a single month, reaching 11.6 billion as ad-supported streaming surged. Driven by a packed global sports...

09/04/2026

Bitmovin Expands Live Encoding and Observability Solution...

Bitmovin has expanded its Live Encoding and Observability solutions to provide true end to end, real time insights across live streaming workflows, from encodin...

09/04/2026

Leyra Powers the Launch of Icelandic Broadcaster RUVs Str...

Leyra has announced the launch of Icelandic public broadcaster R V's streaming service on Samsung and LG Smart TVs. R V is the first public broadcaster to d...