SVG Summit:CONNECT - Enhanced Crowd Sound, Next Generation Audio Are Major Topics Comms become more complex with COVID-spurred reliance on literally at-home' production By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Monday, December 21, 2020 - 11:21 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
As the SVG Summit does every December, SVG Summit:CONNECT brought the world of broadcast sports together over Zoom instead of over cocktails at the New York Hilton. But the effect was the same: a robust exchange of ideas as the industry approached the finale of a remarkable year.
Audio was very much on the table. Not surprising, since sound - or the lack of it in largely COVID-shuttered stadiums and arenas - was the silent hallmark of the early days of sports' shutdown. Then things became quite noisy, as networks and sports leagues and teams rapidly developed a slew of systems for producing enhanced crowd-sound.
The Distraction of Empty Stadiums' In fact, it was the initial silence of the stands that compelled broadcasters to address the need for some kind of encompassing sound for games on television.
It's subtle, observed Onnie Bose, VP, broadcasting, NFL. You may not think about it, but you know just the presence of that crowd makes a difference. The presence of something can be a distraction, but [its] absence can also be a distraction.
There are many kinds of philosophical and editorial points of view, he continued. [Such as,] do you want the authenticity? You have the unique opportunity to hear more from the field than ever, but we thought it was important to make sure we had that. It created, he said, a meaningful difference in how you experienced [a] game on TV. Ultimately, he concluded, artificial crowd sounds remove the distraction of empty stadiums.
Bose went on to point out that the German Bundesliga had been an early participant in what would become a massive audio undertaking throughout sports globally. Our friends at Fox [Sports] connected us with them, he added, underscoring another aspect of sports during the COVID era: the remarkable collegiality between the various networks and league offices. It was a theme that would surface often during the Summit.
Bose credited NFL Films' vast audio archive, which the league mined for highly specific content to create indigenous virtual crowds particular to each team and stadium, and NFL Films VP/Supervising Sound Mixer Vince Caputo for curating the audio files.
Panelists for the Inside the NBA Bubble With ESPN and Turner Sports session
It was a similar narrative for the NBA, whose artificial fan noise gave psychological boosts to players. During the session Inside the NBA Bubble With ESPN and Turner Sports - which featured Turner Sports VP, Operations and Technology, Chris Brown; ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer Tim Corrigan; and ESPN Senior Remote Operations Specialist Eddie Okuno - panel moderator Steve Hellmuth, EVP, media operations and technology, NBA Entertainment, noted, The players told us to turn it up. The virtual fans gave us the sense that there were fans there. The sounds come from the home teams, so it's as real as it can get.
The NBA will continue to use enhanced crowd sound when it begins its 2021 season in January, Paul Benedict, VP, broadcasting content management, NBA, confirmed for SVG. That and other crowd-noise platforms will be part of what Corrigan described as the industry's spirit of access and growth and innovation that we want to bring forward. We'll figure it out because that's what we do.
Golf had a unique experience with live sound this year: golfers wired for sound or near open microphones found that, without the masking noise of crowds around them, their occasionally expletive-laden banter might make it to air. As Mike Francis, VP, remote engineering, CBS Sports, put it to the panel during Inside PGA and The Majors 2020, Would you want to wear a microphone while you're playing golf? - a query that drew knowing laughter.
But, as with other sports, the intimate sound from the links is drawing viewers in, and most profanity can be contained with delays.
Fans clearly enjoy it and love having the access, said David Dukes, senior director, technical operations, PGA TOUR Entertainment. Most of the challenges come from the logistical standpoint. It's a very individualized decision [to wear a microphone], and, right now, it'll be used on a limited basis. We'd love to do more of it, but it's something that the players will have to get more and more used to. They're naturally nervous about putting themselves out there for that long, but it definitely gives fans some insight.
Panelist Kevin Landy, senior director, broadcasting and production, USGA, noted that the suddenly stark dialog available on the golf course is affecting production techniques.
It's technology that's changing production philosophy, he asserted. As you get that great sound from the course, you need the announcers to lay out.
Added Dukes, It's a combination of announcers and players. Some [players] are more chatty than others; some are gonna be more quiet; some are going to be more entertaining to listen to. It's that give-and-take that the announcers are going to have to read and understand who's likely to jump in where.
Tennis also had its own unique moments when it came to crowd sounds. Patti Fallick, managing director, broadcast, USTA, found that, while tennis players largely ignored artificial crowd sounds, getting a good balance of appropriate sounds was important for the broadcasts.
Everyone has very different feelings about crowd noise, and finding the right balance was a challenge, she said, adding that the community that broadcast sports comprises - including SVG as an important hub for knowledge dissemination -
Most recent headlines
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
09/05/2025
Capitol Broadcasting Company welcomed Warren Thomas as the new Vice President an...
09/05/2025
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Studio Technologies said the Harvard University athletics department has integrated Dante-enabled equipment from the vendor into its broadcast ...
09/05/2025
NEW YORK ITN, a provider of a local linear supply side platform, and Magnite, a independent sell-side advertising company, have announced that they working toge...
09/05/2025
LEEDS, U.K. Nugen Audio has launched a new speech intelligibility plug-in, DialogCheck and offered up quotes from technologists working at places like Netflix p...
09/05/2025
AJA I/O Gear: The Heart of Broadcast Solutions' VEGO Mobile Editing Solution
Brie Clayton May 8, 2025
0 Comments
When working remotely on broadcas...
09/05/2025
What do they teach in an Advanced Adobe After Effects Course?
Roland Kahlenberg May 8, 2025
0 Comments
There aren't many advanced After Effects co...
09/05/2025
Larry Jordan Sits with Trevor Morgan of OpenDrives at NAB 2025
Brie Clayton May 8, 2025
0 Comments
Trevor Morgan, COO of OpenDrives, shares how the co...
09/05/2025
Berklee Popular Music Institute Announces UK Festival Debut and Tour Dates For the first time, BPMI will bring Berklee-affiliated artists and students to the ...
08/05/2025
A sinister fairy infiltrates a desperate family in Kenneth Dagatan's In My Mother's Skin, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photo co...
08/05/2025
As expected, continued weak demand from key sales markets and declining economic...
08/05/2025
A new three-part series is coming to BBC iPlayer and BBC One
(Image: The Christie Archive Trust)
The BBC has announced Agatha Christie's Endless Night, a...
08/05/2025
For skyward-bound operators, training focuses on the unique aspects of flying ISR missions, including the management of onboard surveillance equipment and the e...
08/05/2025
The cable industry has told the Federal Communications Commission it supports the National Association of Broadcasters' proposal to allow broadcasters to us...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Consumer Technology Association has continued its opposition to mandates requiring that NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 tuners be included in new TV sets, sa...
08/05/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real time visualization, has named Paul Maroni as Vice Pres...
08/05/2025
This year's UK Pavilion in hall 5, once again managed by Tradefair, will provide visitors with the unique opportunity to discuss and be involved in cutting ...
08/05/2025
Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its latest energy-efficient transmitters and 5G Broadcast technologies, designed to support network operators and content provider...
08/05/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group has tapped Bill Nardi as vice president of station operations, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day broadcast operations ...
08/05/2025
SEATTLE LumaTouch is partnering with CNN Academy to improve mobile storytelling techniques and support training across all of CNN Academy's training simulat...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Society of Broadcast Engineers has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission that support a proposal by the National Association ...
08/05/2025
Senior adviser to the United States Agency for Global Media Kari Lake has announced that One America News Network (OAN) will provide newsfeed services for fre...
08/05/2025
EdMon Expands as AI-Driven Post Production Workflows Gains Traction in Sweden an...
08/05/2025
Using Luma Mattes in Adobe Premiere Pro
Graham Quince May 7, 2025
0 Comments
This very quick tutorial shows you how to take an RGB clip and apply its ...
08/05/2025
OpenDrives Unveils Free Your Data' Initiative with New Astraeus Cloud-Nativ...
08/05/2025
Student Spotlight: Grigori Balasanyan The Armenian composer, who was named Boston Conservatory at Berklees 2025 student commencement speaker, talks about his ...
08/05/2025
08 May 2025
VEON Shareholders Re-elect Board at 2025 AGM, Founder Augie Fabela ...
08/05/2025
Comedy and entertainment channel U&Dave bring back their #1 ranked programme of ...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Unveils New Premieres Spanning Film and Music
Slick Rick's Victory with Idris Elba a...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Announces Lineup for Inaugural Storytelling Summit
11-Day Industry Event Launches with Tal...
08/05/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Vizrt's Nicholas Jameson on AI in Workflows, Pushing Boundarie...
08/05/2025
Creating Alternative Brand Experiences: Live Sports in the Age of Fortnite, Meta...
08/05/2025
PGA TOUR's David Piccolo: Advanced Graphics and Virtual Production Tools are...
08/05/2025
Tech Focus: Advancing Immersion in Sports Broadcasting with AR and Virtual Produ...
08/05/2025
Expect even more chaos this July with Harriet Webb leading the returning cast, p...
08/05/2025
Back to All News
Now in Production: Comedy Action Film Husbands in Action'...
08/05/2025
TenneT relies on Arvato Systems for market communication
Energy industry: Impressive market communication know-how and system integration expertise
G tersloh...
08/05/2025
When Taiki Hamamoto, 22, came across a Hanafuda deck at his local game shop, he was intrigued. He had grown up playing the traditional Japanese card game with f...
08/05/2025
The Liveline is now open , said Joe Duffy earlier today, as he previewed this af...
08/05/2025
RT , in association with the BBC, Screen Ireland and Cineflix Rights has reveale...
08/05/2025
Artificial intelligence is helping identify and treat diseases faster with better results for humankind. Natural disasters like wildfires are next.
Fires in th...
08/05/2025
Calling all wiseguys - 2K's acclaimed Mafia franchise is available to stream...
08/05/2025
As AI use cases continue to expand - from document summarization to custom software agents - developers and enthusiasts are seeking faster, more flexible ways t...
07/05/2025
Discovering music should feel effortless and fun. That's why Spotify continu...
07/05/2025
SBS and NITV mark National Reconciliation Week with compelling premieres recogni...
07/05/2025
SBS commences search for a new Western Sydney production hub location
7 May, 2025
Media releases
SBS has today launched a Request for Expressions of Intere...
07/05/2025
Warsaw, Poland - April 28, 2025 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, has released its latest March All Screens Video Landscap...
07/05/2025
LONDON Movie fans hoping to save money by waiting until their favorite new films appear on streaming services will have to wait a bit longer now, according to a...
07/05/2025
MECCA, Saudi Arabia Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA) has selected Grass Valley to provide a major technology upgrade of its broadcast facility here....
SVG Summit:CONNECT - Enhanced Crowd Sound, Next Generation Audio Are Major Topics Comms become more complex with COVID-spurred reliance on literally at-home' production By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
