NBA Summer League Once Again Serves as Breeding Ground for Innovation for NBA, ESPN, Turner Sports Turner Sports is hosting its own series of production-tech demos in Las Vegas By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Friday, July 15, 2022 - 12:32 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The NBA, its broadcast partners, and an army of technology vendors have convened in Las Vegas this week for the annual innovation-fest that is NBA Summer League. The league, ESPN, and Turner Sports are looking to leverage the annual off-season event to demonstrate and experiment with bleeding-edge production technologies at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion.
The cooperation and participation continue to grow here at Summer League, says Barney Carlton, director, broadcast planning and strategy, NBA, across not only our broadcast group but also with our basketball-operations group, both of our media partners, our regional partners, and other [departments] around the league. This year, we have an even larger footprint and are testing out more key initiatives than ever. Summer League has really been institutionalized as the opportunity for all of us to bring vendors together and further the coverage of basketball.
Facelift for NBA Replay Center Review For in-game coverage, the league is exploring new ways to present the NBA Replay Center review process within the broadcast. During the 2020 NBA bubble season, the league introduced a court-side camera and microphone for the referees to announce the call once it had been determined by the NBA Replay Center. That has continued in the ensuing seasons, and now the league is working with ESPN and Turner Sports to determine the optimal camera, lens, and microphone for these moments.
We are experimenting with shooting the referee from an up camera, which provides a really interesting look, says Carlton. We've experimented with using the reverse camera with some of the different RSNs during the regular season and with our broadcast partners during the playoffs, but the difference here at Summer League is that we're able to incorporate the referee-operations department into the conversation.
We're working with the referee-operations group and the network partners to figure out the best way to disseminate that information once the call has been made, he continues. We are trying out several different cameras, lenses, and microphones in an effort to ensure that the information is conveyed as quickly as possible and with the best look possible. This is a fantastic opportunity where we have so many games back to back all in one location, so we're able to try out several different technologies.
NBA Summer League offers league, broadcasters, and vendors an opportunity to test out new technology.
As it does at all 29 arenas, the league is using its HSAN (High Speed Arena Network) to provide connectivity from Vegas to the NBA Replay Center in Secaucus, NJ. To support replay operations and the test being conducted in Vegas, the league's engineering team has stood up 24 outbound and six inbound transmission paths.
The NBA engineering team is also evaluating several SRT encoding solutions for backup transmission paths during Summer League, including SRT products from Evertz and MediaKind.
As the internet has become more stable as a transport mechanism, says Dave Barry, VP, broadcast operations and engineering, NBA, we're very interested in seeing how we can deploy it more for backup transmission paths.
Additional Testing: Influencer Streams, Tracking, AR Graphics, and More The NBA has been a pioneer in creation of alternative game presentations, rolling out a variety of streams on NBA League Pass and the NBA App. These include NBABet Stream, Sideline Stream, and Influencer Stream, as well as the Mobile View presentation. This year in Vegas, the NBA is looking to grow its roster of on-air talent for the Influencer Stream, which features influencers and media personalities casually calling the game while interacting with fans on social media.
The testing that we're conducting this summer isn't necessarily about the technology, notes Carlton. It's more about expanding our roster of talent and seeing what works best in terms of format. We are looking to expand alternate streaming going into the next regular season, and influencer broadcasts on NBA League Pass are a big part of that.
Player/ball-tracking and next-gen analytics, AR graphics and virtual signage, and new audio and microphone technologies are key innovation initiatives being tested offline in Vegas.
When the pandemic hit, Barry says, we took a lot of the lessons we learned at our innovation lab at Summer League and brought those into our regular-season and playoffs coverage. Now we have accelerated those experiments and innovations: you can do something at Summer League and bring it to regular-season basketball in a matter of months. We're able to innovate and bring things to market at a much quicker pace.
Turner Sports Returns for Year 2 of Testing at Summer League For the second year in a row, Turner Sports is leveraging NBA Summer League as a testing ground for production technology not only for its NBA on TNT coverage but also for its other sports properties.
Of course, we're looking at products that will enhance and improve our NBA coverage, says Lee Estroff, director, technical operations, Turner Sports, but we're also looking at technologies that will benefit our MLB, NHL, and U.S. Soccer packages, as well as Bleacher Report and some of our digital efforts. Last year [at Summer League], when we had just gotten the NHL [rights], this was a great place to test out a lot of technology for hockey [coverage]. Now, with the addition of U.S. Soccer, we'll be looking at a lot of technology that can be used as part of
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
06/05/2024
OAKVILLE, Ontario As part of Emergency Preparedness Week, Alert Ready, Canadas national public alerting system, will be distributing a test alert to Canadians i...
06/05/2024
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. Horowitz Research has released a new study on the viewing and media habits of U.S. Hispanic/Latine audiences that shows a dramatic decline in...
06/05/2024
RE:Vision Effects Autograph 2024.4 released! 50% Off Through May 9th
Brie Clayton May 6, 2024
0 Comments
New game-changing motion graphics & VFX featu...
06/05/2024
NBC has renewed Night Court for a third season. The courtroom comedy was on the network from 1984 to 1992, and NBC rebooted it in early 2023....
06/05/2024
ABC has revealed its summer schedule. The Bachelorette gets going Monday, July 8, with Jenn Tran the star in season 21. Celebrity Family Feud starts up Tuesday,...
06/05/2024
It's almost go-time for the Holly Springs Salamanders! The season opener is ...
06/05/2024
Press release - 6 May 2024 07:31
STATEMENT CONCERNING EUTELSAT GROUP'S GROUND NETWORK Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Download as PDF
Paris, 06 May 2024 ...
06/05/2024
Tyngsboro, Mass. - May 6, 2024 - Join us at InfoComm 2024 to experience the latest advancements in live production technology. From June 12-14, 2024, at the Las...
06/05/2024
To champion global movements to protect and advance equality for LGBTQ+ communities, Apple is introducing a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop, ava...
06/05/2024
Actress Matseliso Mohale has joined Muvhango'Talented actress Matseliso Mohale has joined SABC2's soapie Muvhango' as Vhangani's lover and a c...
06/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Leroy refuses to give up fighting to bury MthethoDon't miss Monday, 6 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Smoke...
06/05/2024
Intrinsic, a software and AI robotics company at Alphabet, has integrated NVIDIA AI and Isaac platform technologies to advance the complex field of autonomous r...
06/05/2024
Cybersecurity experts at the RSA Conference this week will be on the hunt for ways to secure their operations in the era of generative AI.
They'll find man...
06/05/2024
1) What is the rationale of the transaction? What is the benefit for SES shareholders?
This combination creates a stronger and more competitive multi-orbit ope...
05/05/2024
A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...
05/05/2024
Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....
05/05/2024
WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...
05/05/2024
Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...
05/05/2024
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
04/05/2024
New faces and new storylines': What to expect on Izingane ZeS'thembu...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
NBA Summer League Once Again Serves as Breeding Ground for Innovation for NBA, ESPN, Turner Sports Turner Sports is hosting its own series of production-tech demos in Las Vegas By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
