ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows for Championship Week Expanded technical builds, camera plans power top-flight productions for SEC, ACC, Big 12, and American title games By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Friday, December 5, 2025 - 3:00 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
For ESPN, the month of December is a marathon of high-stakes football compressed into a sprint.
This weekend, seven conference championships will flood four networks - including marquee SEC, ACC, Big 12, and American matchups on ABC - and lead directly into the rapid holiday cadence of bowl season. It's, undoubtedly, the network's most operationally complex stretch of the year.
ESPN has loaded up on production resources for marquee college football conference championship games this weekend, including at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. (Photo: Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images)
December is really the apex of our college football calendar, says Catherine Chalfant, Manager, Remote Operations for ESPN. It's incredibly demanding from a production and operations perspective but it's also where we hit our stride. Our crews are prepared for the volume, the pace, and the high stakes. This is the moment our teams are ready for: delivering the biggest shows on the biggest stages, night after night.
A Unified Yet Flexible Production Model ESPN's approach to Championship Week blends full onsite productions, REMI operations based out of Bristol and the Wide World of Sports, and support from packagers who help the network scale its bandwidth.
We have a mixture of full production, REMI's out of Bristol and WWOS, and packagers, says Jim Birch, ESPN's Senior Manager, Remote Operations. It allows us to scale appropriately depending on the venue and the event. The model allows ESPN to adapt to the varying technical realities of each site while keeping the overall production philosophy consistent.
The SEC and ACC Championships, however, operate at a different tier. These are ESPN's marquee titles of the weekend, and the network expands its regular-season workflows to match the stakes.
The SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta receives one of ESPN's most ambitious builds of the year. A Sony 5500V camera paired with Fujinon's UA125x long-lens system sits on a stacker cart to capture dramatic field-level isolation shots. A Sony 4800 handheld outfitted with the Duvo 24-300 lens is positioned inside the stadium's roof to deliver elevated, cinematic overhead views.
PylonCams will be deployed at all major conference championship games this weekend. (Photo: Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images)
The broadcast incorporates additional SSMO cameras, goal-post robotics, pylon angles, and deeper camera and communications integration with accompanying studio shows such as College GameDay and alternate broadcasts like Field Pass.
From top to bottom, it's a larger crew, expanded equipment, and more integration with our studio partners, says Birch. We take our routine production footprint and amplify it.
The ACC Championship in Charlotte mirrors that elevated approach. ESPN deploys six SSMO cameras, expands its field-level coverage, increases replay capacity, and integrates two RefCams worn by officials that are provided by JockeyCam/POVORA.
The RefCam we've used a few times during the regular season, Birch says. It gives fans a truly immersive look at what's happening on the field.
The ACC broadcast also incorporates AR SkyCam graphics and receives remote-based graphics support through Viz Libero (based in Bristol). The SEC Championship gets its Libero support from site.
The ACC Network studio show ACC Huddle is fully integrated into the production, and its alternate broadcast, Field Pass, connects directly to the game broadcast.
Technology, Storytelling, and Viewer Experience For ESPN's crews, the emphasis throughout the month is on enhancing both clarity and emotion. Isolation shots, overhead perspectives, replay variety, referee-mounted cameras, and increased audio capture all contribute to ESPN's evolving visual language.
These tools reflect ESPN's continued push for cinematic visuals and more intimate storytelling, Birch says. We want fans to feel the speed, physicality, and emotion in new ways.
Chalfant adds that the technology ultimately serves a broader creative purpose. In her words, December is a time of celebration, and these games should feel as such.
We hope fans come away with a deeper sense of connection to the teams, personalities, and stakes, she says. Enhanced coverage helps viewers feel closer to the field and the passion that defines college football.
To meet that scale of Championship Week and bowl season requires an extensive network of vendor partners who support ESPN across hundreds of college football broadcasts each year. Companies such as True Grip and Chapman, who support camera-cart solutions; SkyCam, which provides aerial coverage; JayBird Jibs, which outfits the SDF Ronin systems; Fully Armed Productions, which supplies jib carts; BSI and Bexel, who provide pylon camera technology; Fletcher, responsible for robotics; and CP Communications and BSI, who support RF systems.
Coordination at Scale: Keeping Everything on Track Executing this stretch successfully requires months of planning, refined workflows, and an operations team capable of managing extreme complexity.
We're fortunate to have an Operations team with years of experience working on college football, says Chalfant.
That operations group includes Operations Supervisor Eric Kimmel; Senior Operations Producer Bob Simon; Specialists Terry Cook and Mitch Workman; and Coordinators Charlie Skoog, Tatianna Montalvo, Aaron Thompson, and Renee Greenwood.
Each o
North America Stories
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13 with guest ...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
Coronal mass ejections caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun can have fa...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
04/12/2025
Lightware, a global specialist in AV connectivity, is looking back on a year defined by new advancements, strong collaboration and continued growth. Across the ...
04/12/2025
Riedel Communications today announced a new partnership with Haivision, a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual col...
04/12/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) and Normann Engineering today announced a major milestone in their strategic collaboration, celebrating 20 successful broadband deployme...
04/12/2025
Creative software developer Foundry today announced Mari 7.5, the latest iteration of its artist-friendly paint toolset that can handle large, detailed assets w...
04/12/2025
Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a leading provider of wireless audio solutions and RF management, was on site at Dreamforce 2025 in San Francisco providing...
04/12/2025
LTN's purpose-built IP video network brings all-movie diginet to over 100 stations and streaming platforms in just three months while eliminating satellite ...
04/12/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with ThinkAnalytics, the global leader in AI-powered data a...
04/12/2025
The HELM, a global expert in cinematic live broadcast and high-end production workflows, has signed a partnership agreement with Keslow Camera, one of North Ame...
04/12/2025
At ISE 2026, LiveU will showcase its expanded IP-video EcoSystem, enabling broadcasters, sports, production companies and pro-AV professionals to share their st...
04/12/2025
Since the beginning of commercial television, advertising has been a key part of broadcasting. Over the years, the technology for inserting ads into programs ha...
04/12/2025
MUNICH and MILAN Warner Bros. Discovery said HBO Max is expanding into Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein on Jan. 13, 2026, and ...
04/12/2025
SAN FRANCISCO AudioShake has launched its first streaming-capable software development kits (SDKs) designed specifically for real-time music detection and copyr...
04/12/2025
NASHVILLE The mobile and REMI production company TNDV has announced that it headed south into Mexico to live-produce the three-day 2025 Zane Grey Championship P...
04/12/2025
BURBANK, Calif. Hollywood Professionals Association Executive Director Phil Kubel has stepped down from the organization to pursue new opportunities, the group ...
04/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission said it has closed 2,048 inactive proceedings, the largest number of dormant dockets ever terminated in a singl...
04/12/2025
A new tech blog from Netflix highlights the importance of the AV1 open video codec, which now powers about 30% of the platform's streaming and discusses a v...
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows for Championship Week Expanded technical builds, camera plans power top-flight productions for SEC, ACC, Big 12, and American title games By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
