The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is a very different venue from what it was last year. A new 250- x 250-ft. retractable roof atop Arthur Ashe Stadium (the largest in tennis), a brand-new 8,100-seat Grandstand in the southwest corner of the campus, and a wholly revamped South Campus featuring 10 rebuilt field courts constitute a major facelift. With the venue enhancements came challenges and opportunities on the television-production side for ESPN, which is serving as the host broadcaster and sole domestic-rights holder of the US Open for the second consecutive year.
Click here for SVG's in-depth look at ESPN's US Open production.
The new Arthur Ashe Stadium roof debuted this year at the US Open.
We stayed in touch [with the USTA] throughout the winter and into the spring regarding the construction and [rethought] everything from camera positions to camera mounts to dropping in a whole lot more a lot more fiber, says ESPN Director of Remote Operations Terry Brady. A lot of times, you go into an existing location, and you have a lot of existing spatial and technical constraints, so this gave us an opportunity to actually plan out the space and [technical infrastructure]. That's going to make the overall viewing experience and ultimate product on the TV much better.
The Roof Factor
Although much of the buzz about the new roof concerns the constant hum inside the stadium when it is closed, ESPN's greatest challenge came on the RF side. Prior to the roof's construction, the broadcaster was able to put RF receivers on it to service RF needs both inside and outside Arthur Ashe but was forced to rethink its RF plan going into this year's tournament.
From a technical point, the RF is a challenge, explains ESPN Senior Operations Specialist Chris Strong. Ultimately, it's the shutters on the side of the building that we were concerned about because they're metal. And we've had to go higher in some aspects of the catwalk area [for the signal to] reach outside. [RF Coordinator] Dana Underhill and his team and the Gearhouse Broadcast team put an RF plan in place that is working quite well. You don't know the unknowns until you actually get the doors shut, so we prepared as best we could. Everything has worked well.
The addition of the roof also affected the Intel 360 freeD replay operation. The Intel team had to reconfigure the complex system for different lighting conditions.
The roof impacted [Intel] significantly because they now have to mimic multiple different lighting conditions: with the roof open or closed during the day and then the same at night, says Brady. Luckily, they had a jump-start on it as opposed to last year, when they came in relatively late to test the system. I think all that preparation is going to translate to a better product on the screen because they had the time to calibrate in multiple different conditions.
A Larger Version of the Grandstand
The brand-new Grandstand in the southwest corner of the campus features 8,100 seats - slightly more than its predecessor - but retains the original's charm and appeal. With a new stadium in play, ESPN worked with the USTA on its design to streamline TV-production operations.
The new Grandstand is more TV-friendly for ESPN's operation.
Ultimately, working with USTA to cable multiple new positions gave us a lot more options because they put fiber drops and power all over Grandstand where we were requesting it. It's made it so much easier, says Strong. [For example], there was a locked-off beauty shot that captures Grandstand in the foreground with Arthur Ashe in the background. Now the cable run for that is under 150 ft. because we can go right to a junction box and then bring it back to [the broadcast center]; in the past, you would have to cable halfway around the facility to find a way to get it back to the compound. Now the setup time for that is no time at all, which allows us to continue to focus on the rest of the setup.
Brady adds, Going from the old Grandstand to the new Grandstand is like night and day for us. [The old version is] a great court because the crowd is right on top of [the court], and they did a great job of mimicking that at the new Grandstand. The difference is that there's fiber all over and we're not crawling under Grandstands to [run the fiber].
Fibered Up
ESPN worked with the USTA to significantly expand the fiber infrastructure throughout the Tennis Center, especially in the South Campus, which was completely gutted and rebuilt.
Working the USTA on the whole South Campus renovation, we put in a lot more fiber to all the linear-TV courts, as well as the outer smart courts, says Strong. So they're now flexible, with us able to move around and work more efficiently on those courts as we move forward in the future.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is a very different venue from what it was last year. A new 250- x 250-ft. retractable roof atop Arthur Ashe Stadium (the largest in tennis), a brand-new 8,100-seat Grandstand in the southwest corner of the campus, and a wholly revamped South Campus featuring 10 rebuilt field courts constitute a major facelift. With the venue enhancements came challenges and opportunities on the television-production side for ESPN, which is serving as the host broadcaster and sole domestic-rights holder of the US Open for the second consecutive year.
