NHL All-Star 2023: ESPN Beefs Up Coverage With Goalie Cam, Aerial Coverage With Supracam and Live Drone Relaxed atmosphere will allow the broadcaster to get closer to players on the ice By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Friday, February 3, 2023 - 3:26 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
As temperatures drop in the dead of winter, the NHL's hottest stars will fly south to Florida's FLA Live Arena for 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend. ESPN will be in the driver's seat for the two-day, show-stopping event with an impressive technological arsenal, including Goalie Cam, aerial views from an indoor Supracam system and a live drone outside the venue, and multiple augmented-reality overlays.
ESPN will deploy 55 native cameras and share resources with Sportsnet, TVA, and NHL Network.
Since this is our second year covering All-Star Weekend, we get to improve from what we learned last year by finding ways to strengthen our coverage while expanding access and creativity, says Linda Schulz, coordinating producer, ESPN. Documentation will always be priority number one, but the fact that it's an exhibition game means that fun is a close second.
Tech Additions: Goalie Cam, Flyable Devices Similar to coverage of the NFL Pro Bowl, the broadcaster is pulling out all the production stops to bring a high-quality broadcast to fans watching at home. The biggest addition, pending league approval, is integration of wearable cameras on the chest or head of players and referees. The most notable is Goalie Cam, which will be provide a view on what it's like to be between the pipes and inside the goalie's crease.
Inside the arena, a four-point, gyro-stabilized Supracam system will fly above the surface of the ice. Outside, ESPN's team will pilot a drone, which will also be joined by Goodyear's aerial coverage.
More than 15 POVs will be installed in the various nets used during the two-day showcase.
Augmented reality will be featured on both Supracam and the live drone through real-time graphics displayed virtually on the ice and on exterior surroundings. It will be configured with the help of two onsite servers to enhance the angles seen through the two flyable devices. In addition, 10 Vizrt engines will support the virtual graphics as well as handling insert graphics and player tracking during the game and studio coverage. SMT will also play a part in the graphical implementation and the statistics seen on the broadcast. Through the company's data-based graphics system, or OPTICS, both the Skills Competition and All-Star Game will benefit from this platform. For the former, Upper Deck NHL Fastest Skater will see enhanced overhead zone cameras with graphical IDs tracking live player speed and path around the ice as well as GEICO NHL Hardest Shot tapping into telestrated replays from four camera angles with puck speed and trail. For the latter, the contest will see an enhanced game camera with player tracking graphics including player IDs, disc highlights, and puck and player trails as well as Pointer for Possessor player IDs, which will identify each player who gains possession of the puck during live play.
Aside from the main attractions, the camera complement is highlighted by a Sony HDC-4800 and I-Movix ultra-high-frame-rate cameras; more than 15 POVs: several RFs mounted in the nets, six robotic systems with super-slow-motion capability, other high-frame-rate cameras in the nets, and six Q-Ball robos.
Time for Experimentation: Exhibition Format Allows Greater Access Out-of-the-box thinking and creative implementations aren't always available during the NHL regular season, but, because the two All-Star days are purely for fun, ESPN has a lot more leeway for playing around with technology. Promoting competitiveness by providing a fair playing field for both teams without obstacles or disruptions is the first priority. During All-Star Weekend, it's all about capturing unique camera angles and intimate shots of the game's biggest names. From the broadcaster's perspective, challenging the team to come up with ideas has been support by the league.
FLA Live Arena, home to the Florida Panthers, will be the center of the NHL world this weekend.
The NHL has been incredibly collaborative in the brainstorming sessions, says Schulz. As we presented requests, they've explored the feasibility and safety while increasing the access and technology of the broadcast.
Besides Goalie Cam and Supracam, the broadcast will deploy cameras at points where players or officials are on or close to the ice: two RF Skate Cams on Ronin gimbals to capture players on the ice and on the bench during the Skills Competition, five roaming RF reporter packs for flexibility around the venue, and two reporters on each bench during the All-Star Game. For specific events, such as the Hardest Shot and Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting, the crew wants to get as tight as possible, meaning that the Supracam system can get down near ice level.
The Skills Competition offers more flexibility and more-intimate engagement with the players and celebrity judges, says Jon Winders, operations specialist, ESPN. We wanted to further highlight the players' individual skills and performances with more ISO microphones, tighter flight parameters for the Supracam over the ice and invading' the scoring zone, and unique POV angles in and around the nets.
Since the Skills Competition can feel drastically different from the All-Star Game, which resembles a more traditional televised hockey game, the drastic difference between both events has forced the production team to add a pit producer. Resembling the pit producer's role during ESPN's years producing NASCAR, this pit producer will effectively communicate the different elements needed for the fast-paced nature
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Deepens Partnership with Taiwan's 62nd Golden Hors...
25/11/2025
Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, an investigative journalist from Kenya is the winner of the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2025.
The 26-year-old-sele...
25/11/2025
SVG All-Stars: Blayke Scheer, Senior Director, Creative Content, YES NetworkThe Indiana alum has turned storytelling into an artform for more than two decadesBy...
25/11/2025
Op-Ed: With FCC's C-Band Auction on the Horizon, Broadcasters Need Proven, C...
25/11/2025
Analysis: Is Baller League really the future of sport? By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:10
Print This Story
With KSI on...
25/11/2025
Platinum Whitepaper: The Growth of Broadcast in the World of Major Large Scale E...
25/11/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: SVG Women's Sports WorkshopBy Samantha Gabay
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:27 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlig...
25/11/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: CacheFly's Matt Levine on the Evolving Role of th...
25/11/2025
Peacock's EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast Levels Up on Thanksgiving With SkyCam as...
25/11/2025
Mathias Broe attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Sauna at Library Center Theatre. (Photo by Michael Hurcomb/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Fes...
25/11/2025
The best playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks bring a little extra magic to your daily routine. With new features and offerings, Spotify Premium delivers even mo...
25/11/2025
Comprehensive new research confirms what we already knew: Australian music fans love the quality, quantity, and access they have to new and local music on strea...
25/11/2025
Applicable Products
Objectives The purpose of this application note is to give a brief background on 5G (NR) wireless communication an explain the reason a SN...
25/11/2025
Nielsen will now measure both Lionsgate's FAST channel MovieSphere and Movie...
NHL All-Star 2023: ESPN Beefs Up Coverage With Goalie Cam, Aerial Coverage With Supracam and Live Drone Relaxed atmosphere will allow the broadcaster to get closer to players on the ice By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor 
