In NBC Sports' NHL All-Star Game Production, Player/Puck Tracking Is the Belle of the Ball

In NBC Sports' NHL All-Star Game Production, Player/Puck Tracking Is the Belle of the Ball League's tracking system from SAP, display graphics by SMT fill screens with data By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Saturday, January 26, 2019 - 4:58 pm

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More and more these days, sports television presentations are resembling their video game counterparts. Thanks to new player and puck tracking being debuted Saturday night in San Jose by the NHL, NBC Sports' production of the 2019 NHL All-Star Game may be one of the most telling examples of that trend that we've seen to date.

NBC Sports will offer a digital-exclusive streaming experience for Saturday's NHL All-Star Game. Here's a sample of what one of the graphic overlays will look like that uses tracking data from the league. (Courtesy of NBC Sports)

NBC Sports will offer two unique presentations of Saturday's game: a souped-up traditional linear production for TV and a streaming-exclusive presentation loaded with real-time data, graphics, and stats.

There's definitely a feeling of anticipation around debuting something new, says James Stuart, senior director of operations for NBC Sports Group. Seeing everything come along in demos and now come to reality tonight, its very exciting for everyone involved.

It's been a rollercoaster ride for the NHL over the past handful of years as its looked to refine and implement an accurate player and puck tracking system and it now believes it has what it wants in a chip-based system developed by SAP. NBC Sports, meanwhile, has spent more than two months building a broadcast production that will look to leverage all of this new, real-time data in the most effective way. The network tested out the system at SAP Center in San Jose back in December and even got some more practice reps in at T-Mobile Arena (home of the Golden Knights) in Vegas.

This is one of the bigger things we've ever done, says John McGuinness, senior coordinating producer for NBC Sports, in terms of meetings and sending people out to test the gear. We've invested a lot of time and money into this project because we want it to be successful.

Player and puck tracking is here! #HiTechHockey

Get to see this @SAP technology live during tomorrow night s @Honda #NHLAllStar Game at 8:00p ET on @nbc, @CBC, @Sportsnet & @TVASports! pic.twitter.com/uPD8vSSYBM

NHL (@NHL) January 25, 2019

While many of these elements will make their way onto the linear presentation, NBC Sports' Digital team is going the extra mile to really showcase the tech and data being gathered by producing a completely unique second production exclusively for digital audiences. Available on NBCSports.com and wherever the NBC Sports App is available, streaming viewers can experience the game loaded up with tracking data and enhanced graphics.

NBC Sports Digital has designed a L-shaped overlay for the screen that will include the headshots of the six players on the ice at a given time during the 3-on-3 matchups. That lower bar will spotlight tracking data ranging from live shift times, how fast the player is currently moving, the distance they have skated on this shift, and more, in addition to basic stats like goals, assists and +/-. The right side of the screen will be dedicated to overall game stats.

The display also has the flexibility to completely be removed by NBC Sports' production team or altered to spotlight a specific player. Steve Greenberg, the producer behind NBC Sports' digital experience, also noted that the presentation will play around with iso player cams and may even show chunks of the game from a high end zone cam, offering a view similar to that of the latest NHL video games.

My job tonight is to use it all, says Greenberg. We want to show everything that these chips are able to provide us. We're going to throw a lot out there. Do I think that games are going to be watched all the time with trails and circles around players? I don't know, but there's definitely things that these chips can give us that can be implemented into a game tomorrow and make a difference.

As mentioned, many of these enhancements are likely to find their way onto the linear production of the game as well and with the front bench featuring producer Matt Marvin and director Charlie (Chuck) Dammeyer both of which have a lot of experience on NBC's NASCAR product - all of these added elements are in capable hands

If anyone is suited to do this, its [them], says McGuinness. They are very used to getting this kind of stuff in. We want to be aggressive with it and we will.

#HiTechHockey pic.twitter.com/PlrOrabErt

NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 26, 2019

Not to be overlooked is an impressive camera complement being rolled out by all three of the broadcasters on site for this game: NBC Sports (U.S.), Rogers (Canada - English), and TVA Sports (Canada - French). There's a total of 48 camera feeds at NBC Sports' disposal. 29 of those cameras are NBC's, while they also have the ability to use 12 more from Rogers, two from TVA, and five from the league.

For the second consecutive year, JitaCam, a 360-degree jib, has been erected upon the base of the center hung video board at SAP Center. A RF MOVI camera will also find its way onto the ice in the hands of an operator on skates. The shots from that camera proved very useful during Friday night's Skills Competition. NBC also has its own aerial shots via a helicopter above the arena while they are borrowing net cam feeds from TVA.

Out in the compound at SAP Center, facilities have been expanded to accommodate the second-screen production. The linear production will be supported by its traditional top truck: NEP's ND6 (supported by the B unit SD28) while the streaming component get

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2019/01/26/in-nbc-sports-nhl-all-star-game...
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