WNBA Tip-Off 2025: ESPN Elevates Coverage Through Expanded Remote-Production Workflows Season tips off with a marquee doubleheader on ABC on Saturday By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital Friday, May 16, 2025 - 2:14 pm
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As the 2025 WNBA season begins this Saturday with a high-profile doubleheader on ABC, ESPN's commitment to the league is on full display - not just in its schedule but in the infrastructure and workflows powering each broadcast.
From a dramatic increase in REMCO deployments to deeper integration between ESPN's Bristol, CT, and Charlotte, NC, hubs, the broadcaster is scaling its remote operations to meet the growing demands of a rising property. For its Remote Operations team, this season represents more than just a technical evolution; it's a full-court press to support the WNBA's continued momentum with scalable, sophisticated workflows that can carry the load.
We need to elevate our presentation as this sport grows, says Tim Corrigan, VP, production, ESPN. It's clearly an ascending property, and the numbers it elevated to last year [indicate] that it's going to continue to grow.
REMCO Deployment More Than Double Last Season's At the center of this evolution is a significant expansion in REMCO workflows. ESPN will execute seven REMCO productions this season (up from just three last year): five Indiana Fever regular-season games, the All-Star Skills Challenge, and the WNBA All-Star Game.
We are increasing our use of REMCO productions this year after a record-breaking 2024 season, notes Jarrett Baker, senior manager, Remote Operations, ESPN.
Under the REMCO model, the producer, director, and three replay operators will be onsite, supported by four additional EVS operators working remotely from ESPN's Bristol headquarters. Graphics operators will also remain remote.
The expansion not only enhances replay capabilities but also enables consistent use of tools like Libero telestration, available on all REMCO and REMI games. Says Baker, Libero enables production to explain how each play that earns [announcer] Ryan Ruocco's signature You Bet!' call developed.
Evolving REMI Workflows: 13 Paths and Super Slo-Mo While REMCO takes on a larger role, REMI continues to anchor the bulk of ESPN's 2025 WNBA schedule. Most regular-season games will be Bristol-based REMI productions; several, though, will be routed through ESPN's Charlotte facility.
We're using 13-path REMI and REMCO models on more than two-thirds of our games this year, Baker explains. Those workflows enable us to enhance broadcasts with robotic cameras and super-slo-mo, which we just can't do with a 10-path REMI because we run out of paths.
The enhanced REMI builds allow ESPN to incorporate additional audio and video layers that previously couldn't be accommodated within the bandwidth limitations of earlier models - an important consideration as expectations around game presentation continue to rise.
ESPN's operational approach reflects not only increased technical sophistication but also expanded staffing to support a record number of broadcasts. In 2024, ESPN's REMI Operations team supported 38 REMI productions and three REMCOs; this year's workload is set to grow significantly.
Those games, says Jeff McGuire, supervisor, REMI Operations, ESPN, allowed our staff to get familiar with the faces and stories of the league. Our staff are not just operators for the WNBA; they are fans who love the sport.
The team includes Senior Operations Coordinator David Quintanilla; Operations Coordinator Ren e Greenwood; Remote Traffic Coordinator Hector Hernandez and Manager Daryl Timothy; Senior Resource Coordinator Angel Padilla and Manager Laurie Niziolek; Crewing Coordinator Kamille Boerner and Supervisor Paula Grahame; and Operations Producers Kristianna Bryant, Colleen Cannon, Dave Campolongo, Clay Dabney, Diane Dovjak, Traci Flohr, Alice Garrett, Dwayne Jones, Mike Krivens, Hauna Moore, Jim Orton, and BJ Smith.
Specifically on the REMI front, the crew comprises REMI Technical Operations Manager Marissa Bonertz and REMI WNBA Sport Lead Operators Mary Payne Dillard, Jacob Edelman, Kayla Foster, Kira Mahoney, Zach Yearwood, and Matt Wheeler.
We're intentionally increasing the number of operations producers, mobile units, and vendor packages assigned to WNBA coverage, says Baker. Some team members work one game, while others work 10 or more, but each person is key to our success.
McGuire adds that the WNBA Remote Ops team is also investing in internal education. One lead replay operator assembled a WNBA Offseason presentation to update crew members on player movement and league storylines. Another tape-review session, led by producer Ian Gruca, helped unify replay philosophy and editorial approach heading into the season.
WNBA Opening Day: Elevated Workflows, Cinematic Tools Saturday's season-opening doubleheader on ABC will spotlight not only marquee matchups - Liberty vs. Aces followed by Fever vs. Sky- but also ESPN's latest innovations in game presentation.
For the New York-Las Vegas matchup, WNBA Countdown will originate onsite from Brooklyn's Barclays Center. The show will provide live coverage of the Liberty's championship-ring ceremony. The Countdown set will be in the concourse with three studio buildups and a desk. Halftime and postgame will be covered from this position.
Meanwhile, the Chicago-Indiana broadcast will debut a stabilized wireless Ronin rig, operated by Faction Media Group. The rig provides both the cinematic aesthetic that fans have come to expect and a new storytelling element: the ability to conduct live, in-game walk-off interviews with players en route to the locker room.
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