Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

NBA Returns: Turner Sports Teams With League, ESPN on Made-for-TV Season

05/08/2020

NBA Returns: Turner Sports Teams With League, ESPN on Made-for-TV Season With REMI MLB effort at home, the broadcaster opts for onsite NBA production By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director

Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - 12:41 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

As Turner Sports heads into week two of the continuation of the 2020 NBA season at Disney's Wide World of Sports (WWos) facility in Orlando, Turner Sports EVP/Chief Content Officer Craig Barry is happy with the on-air product to date.

I think it has been really solid and probably surpassed a lot of expectations as a made-for-TV event, he says. We've only done two national days, but it's only going to continue to get better.

The NBA, Turner, and ESPN have embraced the made-for-TV aspect of the production in a number of ways, he notes: It comes through with the additional camera angles. And the audio comes through really well as there is a lot going on with the ambient PA; the DJ; court mics, of which are three or four times as many as usual; and the fan noise, which is driven in real time. It's the best-case scenario under the circumstances.

A massive, 28-ft. desk allows (from left) Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley to maintain social distance.

The NBA, Turner Sports, and ESPN share a 200,000-sq.-ft. compound connected to three venues: The Arena, where the main nationally televised games are held as well as the conference finals and finals; the HP Field House, for the regular season and into the second round of playoffs; and Visa Athletic Center, which hosts games broadcast primarily by a regional sports network. More than 436 miles of fiber ties everything together.

In an unusual partnership, Barry says, the NBA and ESPN have collaborated on everything from camera locations to innovations around audio and presentation. Everybody was flexible and listened to ideas, and then extensive rehearsals helped get the production baseline audio mix to a good place.

The philosophy is to have a good baseline mix before adding the announcers, he says of the audio efforts. And then there is the opportunity to take the audio streams independently and mix them up or down.

A railcam captures NBA games from a unique angle.

Turner Sports is producing its games out of NEP Supershooter 8 at The Arena, NEP TS2 at the HP Field House, and M14 at the Visa Center. The A and B units are being deployed to allow greater social distancing, and the compound features six mobile-unit cover tents, two catering tents, two field-shop tents, and multiple cooling stations.

The tents are important because they can lower the temperature of the roof skin by 20 degrees.

Tents would not make sense over a weekend, explains Chris Brown, VP, operation and technology, Turner Sports, but we will be at WWoS for three months, and that makes efficiency of AC super-important. Those are the types of things that everyone is being thoughtful about, like having extra pallets to get things off the ground in case of a hurricane.

Turner Sports is keeping as much of the production onsite as possible, given that it is deploying REMI production for MLB coverage at the Turner Broadcasting Techwood campus in Atlanta.

Robotic cameras play a big role in NBA coverage at the Wide World of Sports in Orlando.

The trickle-down effect would have impacted capacity in the TOC and then the studio and studio operations, says Brown. With baseball, we have no choice but to do REMI, and the potential collisions on a Sunday if NBA was REMI as well got us to have production teams in Orlando with trucks.

One of the challenges in Orlando is observing COVID protocols and having dedicated personnel working in one of three zones: red, yellow, and green.

The team that would put the mics in under the court had to have a chance to meet the team doing the crowd mixes and go over things at the court before the production team would go into quarantine, says Brown. And then, while the floor A2s were in quarantine, a different group would lay the cables. Once the court is declared a green zone, [personnel dedicated to] the yellow zone [are] no longer allowed on the court. So there is a lot of knowledge-sharing going on.

The Turner Sports team is not only covering the game action but also working to make the most of the media availability of coaches and players. LTN and Make.TV have created a system where upwards of 50 robotic cameras and Zoom teleconferencing systems are used to deliver interviews to a cloud-based dashboard.

From there, says Brown, we can route them to 12 decoders, and we can take them live, send them to an EVS replay server, or [make them] available as files for postproduction and delivery via NBA.com, the NBA app, or sound bites for the studio show.

That's one of the small things we're pretty excited about, he continues. The NBA had three weeks to get it installed and configured. It was turning out content last week and adds to the storytelling.

Preparations in Techwood While the team in Orlando juggled different zones and courts, the team at Techwood was ramping up to ensure that studio infrastructure and operations were ready for Inside the NBA to return to the air. One of the most well-respected sports shows on the air, the show brings together Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley every Thursday for an entertaining and informative night of discussion and analysis.

Explains Barry, We wanted to walk before we ran so the first thing was to get the studio infrastructure up and figure out how many people we could safely have onsite, how many control rooms would we need, and to make sure we had the right amount of distance to meet safety and health guidelines. The first four shows were done with the talent remotely, but, when we knew we could get the [
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/08/04/turner-sports-teams-with-nba-es...
See more stories from svg

North America Stories

19/04/2024

Intel Lays Out 8K Production, AI Tech Plans for Paris Olympics

PARIS Intel has announced that its plans for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 will include using artificial intelligence technology powered by Intel ...

19/04/2024

Tech Advances Boost Adoption of 8K Production

LAS VEGAS Technologists working on all aspects of the 8K media production chain offered an optimistic update at the 2024 NAB Show on the state of 8K in video pr...

19/04/2024

OpenDrives New Software-Defined Platform Atlas Wins 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year Award

OpenDrives New Software-Defined Platform Atlas Wins 2024 NAB Show Product of the...

19/04/2024

Grass Valley Showcases Next-Generation T3 Series 4K/HD Digital Recording and Playback for Venues and Stadiums

Grass Valley Showcases Next-Generation T3 Series 4K/HD Digital Recording and Pla...

19/04/2024

NiTRo's M-CUBE Studio Levels Up Esports Productions with AJA Gear

NiTRo's M-CUBE Studio Levels Up Esports Productions with AJA Gear Brie Clayton April 19, 2024 0 Comments Esports' rapid rise to popularity can...

19/04/2024

Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 19

Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 19 Brie Clayton April 19, 2024 0 Comments Major update adds new DaVinci Neural Engine AI tools, new color ...

19/04/2024

Sony Considering Bid to Acquire Paramount

Sony Pictures Entertainment is reportedly in talks with Apollo Global Management to make a bid to acquire Paramount which itself is currently discussing a merge...

19/04/2024

CBS Stations Launches CBS News California Investigates' Segments

CBS Stations has launched CBS News California Investigates , with Julie Watts named regional CBS California correspondent. She will uncover and raise awarenes...

19/04/2024

MediaCo Acquires Estrella Media's Spanish-Language Network, Content Assets

MediaCo Holding, which owns radio stations WQHT (Hot 97) and WBLS in New York, said it acquired Estrella Media's Spanish-language video, audio and digital c...

19/04/2024

Season 5 of The Witcher' Will Be Final One

Netflix has ordered season five of fantasy drama The Witcher, which will be the final season. Production has recently begun on season four, and the two remainin...

19/04/2024

DirecTV Stream To Carry Eight More The CW Affiliates

DirecTV Stream said it added eight more The CW affiliates to its lineup on Thursday....

19/04/2024

CBS Orders More Elsbeth'

CBS has renewed Elsbeth for the 2024-2025 season. The drama, with Carrie Preston in the lead role, debuted February 29....

19/04/2024

With Bears on the Clock. NBCU Local Chicago Plans Extensive NFL Draft Coverage

With the Bears picking first, NBCUniversal Local's properties in Chicago plan extensive coverage of the NFL draft next week....

19/04/2024

Comcast Launches NOW

PHILADELPHIA As government subsidies for broadband services come to an end, Comcast has launched NOW, a new product portfolio of lower-cost Internet, mobile and...

19/04/2024

DirecTV Stream Adds CW Affiliates

DirecTV Stream has added more local CW stations for its streaming customers in Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Hartford-New Haven Conn., Phoenix, San ...

19/04/2024

MediaCo Acquires Estrella Media's Content and Digital Operations

NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES MediaCo Holding Inc. has announced that it has acquired all of Estrella Media's network, content, digital, and commercial operations....

19/04/2024

Adobe Launches New Adobe Express Mobile App with Firefly AI

SAN JOSE, Calif. Adobe has announced that the all-new Adobe Express mobile app is available to all users, bringing features powered by Adobe Firefly generative ...

19/04/2024

Netflix Adds 9.3M Subs in Q1

LOS GATOS, Calif. Netflix reported another blockbuster quarter by adding 9.33 million new subscribers in Q1, 2024 as global paid memberships hit 269.6 million, ...

19/04/2024

The Current State of the Industry and the Future Impact of AI

The Current State of the Industry and the Future Impact of AI Hillary Lewis April 18, 2024 0 Comments The Entertainment Industry: How did we get here ...

19/04/2024

After Effects Tutorial Text Blur Reveal

After Effects Tutorial Text Blur Reveal Andy Ford April 18, 2024 0 Comments Here's a way to do a quick blur reveal for your text layer. Start by...

19/04/2024

Hollyland Mars M1 Enhanced Wireless Transmitter / Receiver

Hollyland Mars M1 Enhanced Wireless Transmitter / Receiver Colin Smith April 18, 2024 0 Comments This tutorial shows the new wireless transmitter rece...

19/04/2024

Resolve Fusion: Writing Expressions with Lua

Resolve Fusion: Writing Expressions with Lua Simon Ubsdell April 18, 2024 0 Comments The answer to the very frequently-asked question: what is the pro...

19/04/2024

B+C,' Next TV' Announce Winners of Best of Show Awards at NAB Show

B+C and Next TV have announced the winners of Best of Show Awards for the 2024 NAB Show. The awards were judged by a panel of industry experts at the convention...

19/04/2024

Cate Blanchett Narrates Nature Series on Netflix

Cate Blanchett narrates the Netflix series Our Living World, which premieres April 17. The four-part series looks at the extraordinary creatures around the glob...

19/04/2024

For All Mankind' Spinoff Is in the Works at Apple TV Plus

Apple TV Plus has a spinoff of For All Mankind in the works. It is called Star City and details the cosmonauts, engineers and intelligence officers working behi...

19/04/2024

Jacquie Walker, Longtime Buffalo Anchor, Stepping Down From Desk

Jacquie Walker, longtime anchor at WIVB Buffalo, will step down from the anchor desk. She has spent over 40 years at WIVB and her last day as an anchor is May 2...

19/04/2024

Bob Hearts Abishola' To Make Syndicated Debut This Fall

Bob Hearts Abishola will premiere in broadcast syndication this fall on such station groups as Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair, Hearst Television, Tegna, E.W. Scr...

19/04/2024

Live With Kelly and Mark' Celebrates One-Year Anniversary

Live With Kelly and Mark remains TV's top entertainment talk show as Kelly Ripa and her co-host and husband Mark Consuelo celebrate their one-year anniversa...

19/04/2024

Sean McLaughlin Named VP of News at Graham Media Group

Sean McLaughlin has been named VP of news for Graham Media Group. He had been senior VP of local news at E.W. Scripps. He will will be responsible for developi...

19/04/2024

Netflix Shares First Peek at Long-Awaited One Hundred Years of Solitude'

Netflix has shared the first trailer from One Hundred Years of Solitude, a series based on the esteemed novel by Gabriel Garc a M rquez. The streamer is on boar...

19/04/2024

Impact XT's Secret Clip-Launching Talents

By Craig Anderton Impact XT can launch clips, which is great for songwriting (see the blog post Songwriting with Impact XT). But few people realize that Impact...

18/04/2024

L3Harris to Expand and Modernize Solid Rocket Motor Manufacturing in Virginia

ORANGE COUNTY, Va., April 18, 2024 - L3Harris Technologies [NYSE:LHX] has entered into an agreement with Orange County, Virginia, to fund the expansion and mode...

18/04/2024

Achieving Air Dominance by Advancing Imaging & Designating EO/IR Capabilities

L3Harris Sky Warden multi-mission aircraft, equipped with the WESCAM MX-15 and WESCAM MX-20 EO/IR sensor systems, was selected for USSOCOMs Armed Overwatch prog...

18/04/2024

US Space Force Extends Partnership with L3Harris to Enhance Space Domain Awareness

MELBOURNE, Fla., April 18, 2024 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has received ...

18/04/2024

2024 NAB Show Attendance Topped 61,000

LAS VEGAS The National Association of Broadcasters is reporting that more than 61,000 people attended the 2024 NAB Show, where artificial intelligence and the c...

18/04/2024

Krisha Marcano Announced as Dean of Theater for Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Krisha Marcano Announced as Dean of Theater for Boston Conservatory at Berklee The theater educator, choreographer, and performer will join Boston Conservator...

18/04/2024

Dyn Media and NEP Germany pioneer new frontier in remote...

In August 2023, Dyn Media launched as a new broadcaster in European sports, aimed at giving sports beyond football the exposure and viewership they deserve. The...

18/04/2024

Hitomi partners with ES Broadcast Hire for US rentals

Hitomi Broadcast, market leader in audio/video alignment and latency tools based in the UK, has signed a partnership deal with global broadcast rental specialis...

18/04/2024

Vislink's DragonFly V - The Company's Smallest-Ever Transmitter Debuted at NAB 2024

Vislink's DragonFly V - The Company's Smallest-Ever Transmitter Debuted ...

18/04/2024

MediaSilo to Offer Camera to Cloud with Atomos

MediaSilo to Offer Camera to Cloud with Atomos Brie Clayton April 17, 2024 0 Comments Integration between MediaSilo and Atomos Cloud Studio unlocking ...

18/04/2024

MultiDyne Updates its SilverBULLET Series to Serve More Fiber-Optic Links

MultiDyne Updates its SilverBULLET Series to Serve More Fiber-Optic Links Brie Clayton April 17, 2024 0 Comments MultiDyne Fiber Optic Solutions intro...

18/04/2024

Cinedeck Partners with Paramount to Revolutionize Content Delivery Process

Cinedeck Partners with Paramount to Revolutionize Content Delivery Process Brie Clayton April 17, 2024 0 Comments Cinedeck, a pioneer in integrated de...

18/04/2024

Unreal for video adding rocks and foliage

Unreal for video adding rocks and foliage Graham Quince April 17, 2024 0 Comments Welcome to my series on learning Unreal Engine for After Effects u...

18/04/2024

Best Budget Beginner-Friendly 4k Drone

Best Budget Beginner-Friendly 4k Drone Sean Alami April 17, 2024 0 Comments Potensic Atom 4k 3 axis Gimbal Drone, ideal drone for beginners. Some con...

18/04/2024

Race or Just Have Fun at Rocky Mount Mills for a Good Cause, Not Your Run of the Mill 5K

Rocky Mount Mills will be overflowing with runners, families and friends, all fo...

18/04/2024

Berklee's Yoon-Ji Lee Receives Guggenheim Fellowship

Berklee's Yoon-Ji Lee Receives Guggenheim Fellowship Lee, an assistant professor of composition, creates music based on unconventional and nonlinear struc...

18/04/2024

Ben Sherwood, Former ABC President, Named CEO at The Daily Beast

Ben Sherwood, former president of Disney ABC Television Group, has been named CEO and publisher at The Daily Beast. Joanna Coles, former chief content officer a...

18/04/2024

Wide Open: NVIDIA Accelerates Inference on Meta Llama 3

NVIDIA today announced optimizations across all its platforms to accelerate Meta Llama 3, the latest generation of the large language model (LLM). The open mod...

18/04/2024

Ping Pong for the Masses: Bringing an Old Sport to a Brand New Audience With World Table Tennis

Ping pong for the masses: Bringing an old sport to a brand new audience with Wor...

18/04/2024

Fanatical Fans: IMG on Bringing the World of Table Tennis to a New Global Audience for WTT

Fanatical fans: IMG on bringing the world of table tennis to a new global audien...