Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

NAB 2019 Reflections: SportZcast's Mike Connell Envisions Vast Expansion Into New Sports Ventures

19/04/2019

NAB 2019 Reflections: SportZcast's Mike Connell Envisions Vast Expansion Into New Sports Ventures Sports gambling, college sports, increased venue deployment are targets By Kristian Hernandez, Assistant Editor

Friday, April 19, 2019 - 9:06 am

Print This Story

Story Highlights

SportZcast specializes in live-scoreboard-data decoding and distribution for professional leagues and teams across all sports. With scorebots compatible with multiple graphics packages and scoreboard models, in-venue productions are simpler and smoother. Last week in Las Vegas, Mike Connell, president, SportZcast, discussed the latest innovations displayed at the company's NAB 2019 booth and previewed the company's next plan of action.

What are the hottest products on the market for SportZcast at NAB 2019?

We have two new products. One of them, ScoreLink, allows any [venue] scoreboard a data output that is suitable for tying directly into all of the graphics systems, such as Vizrt, Ross Xpression, or ChyronHego.

The second product we are showing is ScoreHub, which is kind of the same concept: with any data from any scoreboard or any custom graphic that we're generating internally at the console, the [output] comes out as NDI or multiple NDI feeds. Doing a sporting event, [a producer] can have a lower-third bug, a statistics page, extended graphics since there are multiple feeds coming out of the [ScoreHub]. There's also [the capability] of an HDMI feed, if you have a scorer's table and want to run a video scoreboard below it.

[Also], we are offering a single-camera sports solution. It's an off-the-shelf, IP camera that's very inexpensive and looks like a typical security camera. We add our software to that camera to produce a scoreboard overlay. We also remote-control the camera from anywhere on the internet, so a [college] sports information director doesn't have to go to the baseball game [to control it]. They log in, put the scorebug in wherever they want, and stream the event live to their providers.

How is SportZcast continuing to expand in other avenues in sports?

The score network [that we have] is in over 2,800 venues with live-score data that's available for repurposing and resharing. One of the really big things coming up for us is the sports-gambling industry. No one [in the industry] can provide data faster from a video perspective than what we're doing. We call it time-zero data because we're giving [fans information] the millisecond the ball [is in play.] We're looking for partners to do that, so it will soon be available for the gambling industry.

Another [aspect] that is important to us is the switchover to college sports. We're working [on] an interface to make ScoreHub the hub between statistics, video, and scoreboard data in local and [widespread] distribution.

[Moving forward], we want to get a scorebot in every venue. We're starting to push into more of the professional stadiums, and we're providing data solutions for traditional production environments. Since the data is all cloud-based on remote-production feeds back to the studios, it's already there. It's just about getting the word out to companies like Fox, ESPN, and NBC.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2019/04/19/nab-2019-reflections-sportzcast...
See more stories from svg

North America Stories

13/01/2026

Techex Taps Tim Jackson for Senior U.S. Sales Role

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

13/01/2026

Madhavi Tadikonda Joins Scripps as Senior Director, Network Sales

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

13/01/2026

The COT Launches Live at Bay 7 at American Tobacco Campus

Nine-week performance series brings music, dance, theatre, and storytelling to downtown Durham, January - March 2026 (Durham, NC) The Chamber Orchestra of the T...

13/01/2026

Berklee Launches AIMS, an Artist-Centered Summit on Music and AI

Berklee Launches AIMS, an Artist-Centered Summit on Music and AI Hosted by the Berklee Emerging Artistic Technology Lab (BEATL), the event will focus on the i...

13/01/2026

Big Blue Marble Partners With HISPlayer For Immersive XR

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

13/01/2026

Netflix Drives Global Growth in Ad-Supported Streaming

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

13/01/2026

HBO Max Closes in on Complete European Rollout

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

13/01/2026

CES 2026 Attendance Hits 148,000

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

13/01/2026

Altafiber Asks FCC to Reconsider Nexstar Retrans Ruling

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

13/01/2026

Kiloview to Showcase Integrated AV-over-IP Ecosystem at ISE 2026

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

13/01/2026

Spectrum to Give $300,000 in College Scholarships

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

12/01/2026

Sports and Music Unite: A Look Back at the Operationally Ambitious FIFA Club World Cup Final Halftime Show

Sports and Music Unite: A Look Back at the Operationally Ambitious FIFA Club Wor...

12/01/2026

Nielsen Panel Discussion Highlights World Cup Impact for FOX, Telemundo, MetLife, and MLS

Nielsen Panel Discussion Highlights World Cup Impact for FOX, Telemundo, MetLife...

12/01/2026

FIFA President Infantino Highlights How AI Will Impact 2026 FIFA World Cup and Beyond

FIFA President Infantino Highlights How AI Will Impact 2026 FIFA World Cup and B...

12/01/2026

Baltimore Ravens' Jack Dana on Telling a Better Story With Media Management in the Cloud

Baltimore Ravens' Jack Dana on Telling a Better Story With Media Management ...

12/01/2026

FOX Sports' Brad Cheney on Spectrum Debate's Impact on the Sports-Production Industry

FOX Sports' Brad Cheney on Spectrum Debate's Impact on the Sports-Produc...

12/01/2026

Accelerating Mission Readiness in the Indo-Pacific: L3Harris' Alan Clements on Australia's Naval Transformation

Australia and New Zealand VP Alan Clements shares L3Harris' leadership insig...

12/01/2026

Paramount Sues Warner Bros. Discovery, Launches Proxy Fight

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

12/01/2026

Berklee International Folk Festival Celebrates 40 Years

Berklee International Folk Festival Celebrates 40 Years Featuring Grammy-winning alumna Arooj Aftab, the milestone concert and weeklong festival marks four de...

12/01/2026

Global Investment in Media Content to Hit $255B in 2026

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

12/01/2026

Andreas Eriksson to Helm Net Insight as CEO

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

12/01/2026

WWE By the Numbers: Celebrating One Year on Netflix

Back to All News WWE By the Numbers: Celebrating One Year on Netflix From left to right: Rey Mysterio, Intercontinental Champion John Cena and Sheamus celebr...

10/01/2026

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Cherien Dabis, the Filmmaker Behind All That's Left of You ( )

By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...

10/01/2026

ESPN Reports Near-Record Viewing for Start of NBA Season

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

10/01/2026

Connection and Youth Defined: 'The Ramparts of Ice' Brings a Heartwarming Story of Friendship to Netflix this April

Back to All News Connection and Youth Defined: The Ramparts of Ice Brings a Hea...

09/01/2026

Rock-It Sports' Deron Brown & Laura Rowlands on Launching a New Brand, Supplying Logistical Needs for Events in 2026

Rock-It Sports' Deron Brown & Laura Rowlands on Launching a New Brand, Suppl...

09/01/2026

Warner Bros. Discovery's Chris Brown on the Broadcaster's First French Open, Advancing Remote Workflows at Techwood Facility

Warner Bros. Discovery's Chris Brown on the Broadcaster's First French O...

09/01/2026

NFL Playoffs 2026: CBS Sports Travels to Jacksonville With Packed Arsenal of Production Capabilities

NFL Playoffs 2026: CBS Sports Travels to Jacksonville With Packed Arsenal of Pro...

09/01/2026

NFL Playoffs 2026: NBC Sports Is Set To Roll Out New Scorebar, Insert Graphics This Weekend

NFL Playoffs 2026: NBC Sports Is Set To Roll Out New Scorebar, Insert Graphics T...

09/01/2026

NFL Playoffs 2026: Prime Video Production Team Caps Historic Season With Iconic Bears-Packers Primetime Matchup in Chicago

NFL Playoffs 2026: Prime Video Production Team Caps Historic Season With Iconic ...

09/01/2026

NFL Playoffs 2026: FOX Sports Kicks Off Postseason Slate With Two-Game Wild Card Coverage

NFL Playoffs 2026: FOX Sports Kicks Off Postseason Slate With Two-Game Wild Card...

09/01/2026

NFL Playoffs 2026: ESPN's Run Brings Monday Night Football' Flagship Operation Into January

NFL Playoffs 2026: ESPN's Run Brings Monday Night Football' Flagship Op...

09/01/2026

Carr: FCC Looking for Ways to Empower' Local Broadcasters

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

09/01/2026

Panasonic to Introduce Projection, LED and Workflow Offerings at ISE 2026

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

09/01/2026

SMPTE Announces 2026 Leadership

SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, today introduced the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning...

09/01/2026

Globecast Appoints Chris Pulis as Group Chief Technology...

Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, today announced the appointment of Chris Pulis as Group Chief Technology...

09/01/2026

Hollywood Professional Association Announces Updates to B...

The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today announced several updates to its board of directors. As part of HPA s annual governance cycle, new leadership...

09/01/2026

SDVI APPOINTS SIMON ELDRIDGE AS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

SDVI, the leading platform provider for cloud-native media supply chains, today announced that Simon Eldridge has been appointed chief operating officer. In thi...

09/01/2026

Cobalt Digital Returns to ISE with Comprehensive Lineup o...

Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufacturer of award-winning ST 2110 and SDI signal processing products, and a founding partner in the openGear initi...

09/01/2026

iWedia Strengthens Leadership in ATSC 3-0 with Market-Pro...

iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, announces that its market-proven ATSC 3.0 software stack is powering the broadcast functionality of ...

09/01/2026

Amino and Xibo Partner to Deliver Next Generation 4K Digi...

Amino, a global leader in enterprise video and digital signage technology, today announced a strategic partnership with Xibo, a leading global digital signage s...

09/01/2026

FIFA Strikes Content Deal with TikTok for 2026 World Cup

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

09/01/2026

HPA Elects New Officers, Board Members for 2026

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

09/01/2026

NFL's 2025-26 Regular Season Is Second-Most-Watched Ever

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

09/01/2026

FCC Sets Tentative Agenda for Jan. 29 Open Meeting

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

09/01/2026

Carr: FCC Looking for Ways to 'Empower' Local Broadcasters

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

09/01/2026

NVIDIA Unveils Multi-Agent Intelligent Warehouse and Catalog Enrichment AI Blueprints to Power the Retail Pipeline

Every that was easy shopping moment is made possible by teams working to hit s...

08/01/2026

At CFP Semifinals, ESPN Again Flexes Its Operational Muscle With 20+ MegaCast Viewing Options

At CFP Semifinals, ESPN Again Flexes Its Operational Muscle With 20+ MegaCast Vi...

08/01/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Sophie Fowler, University of Oregon

SVG Students To Watch: Sophie Fowler, University of OregonThe Portland product has honed her skills as a producer, director, and TD at Quack VideoBy Brandon Cos...