USL's Transformational' 2018 Campaign To Be Capped With ESPN2 Broadcast of USL Cup At-home production model is deployed for more than 500 matches for ESPN By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 - 1:00 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
It has been a banner year for the United Soccer League (USL). With league-wide attendance up 14% over last year across its 33 clubs and more than 500 matches distributed across ESPN , USL is poised for a compelling final on Thursday night that, for the first time in league history, will air on ESPN2 (8 p.m. ET).
USL Cup, with defending champion Louisville FC pitted against soccer legend Didier Drogba and Phoenix Rising FC, will serve as a fitting exclamation point to a campaign that has seen the USL dramatically increase its live-video-production efforts through an innovative and aggressive approach to at-home (or REMI) production.
Using a centralized facility in Fort Lauderdale, FL, built by league technology partner Vista Worldlink, USL was able to produce a whopping 515 matches for live viewing and was one of the first sports brands to launch alongside the ESPN streaming service when it became available in April.
For USL VP, Broadcasting, Brad Baker, the scale and (perhaps most important) the consistency of live match programming that the league churned out throughout the year has been a big driver of the league's increased success.
What's cool about this is the ability to do the REMI show is, it has built the dedication and the following and the understanding of the league and our players, says Baker, who oversees USL Productions and plays a key role in the league's broadcast standards and partnerships. Three or four years ago, if [USL Cup] was a one-off event on ESPN2, you'd get some interested soccer people and a few stragglers. But, because every game has been available to every fan via ESPN , you have a dedicated audience that is knowledgeable about the players and the product.
With the centralized facility connected to many of the league's venues across the country, USL is able to save on staff travel and streamline its production staffs by deploying only camera operators and a couple of support personnel onsite. That has made it possible for matches that normally would not have the resources for live coverage to be made available to a national streaming audience via ESPN .
It's REMI production on a level that, as far as we know, no one in the world is doing consistently, says Baker. There's no blueprint to work from. We're designing it as we go. You are definitely going to encounter some challenges. In an age of IFBs and Internet and hybrid transmission, you have to overcome those along the way. But I give all of the credit in the world to Vista for creating an infrastructure that is extraordinarily robust and solid. I give all of the credit in the world to ESPN .
Thursday's match will be an onsite production with facilities still provided by Vista Worldlink. Gear includes a total of 11 cameras to capture the action and eight replay sources.
The league welcomes an improvement in the venue. Louisville FC - which typically plays its matches at Louisville Slugger Field, a Minor League Baseball stadium - will instead host USL Cup at University of Louisville's Lynn Stadium, a soccer-specific facility that will offer significantly better camera positions than are typically available for a Louisville FC regular-season match.
The venue also holds a capacity of 5,300 for soccer, and, for Louisville FC, which averaged more than 7,800 in 2018, Thursday's match is certain to be a packed house.
This culminates a year that transformed USL , says Michael Cohen, executive producer of Thursday's USL Cup broadcast and a pioneer in U.S. soccer production. The league has moved from being able to produce some digital games to having all games televised in some fashion. We've built an audience leading up to this show, an audience that has brought this league into their living room or their computer or their phone every week.
Cohen will sit at the front bench of Thursday's broadcast as USL Cup director for the fourth consecutive year, alongside producer Dana Rubin, who returns to produce her second USL Cup. The match will be called by play-by-play man Michael Watts and analyst Devin Kerr (both with deep USL ties), along with sideline reporter and halftime-show host Julie Stewart Binks.
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
06/05/2024
RE:Vision Effects Autograph 2024.4 released! 50% Off Through May 9th
Brie Clayton May 6, 2024
0 Comments
New game-changing motion graphics & VFX featu...
06/05/2024
NBC has renewed Night Court for a third season. The courtroom comedy was on the network from 1984 to 1992, and NBC rebooted it in early 2023....
06/05/2024
ABC has revealed its summer schedule. The Bachelorette gets going Monday, July 8, with Jenn Tran the star in season 21. Celebrity Family Feud starts up Tuesday,...
06/05/2024
It's almost go-time for the Holly Springs Salamanders! The season opener is ...
06/05/2024
1) What is the rationale of the transaction? What is the benefit for SES shareholders?
This combination creates a stronger and more competitive multi-orbit ope...
05/05/2024
A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...
05/05/2024
Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....
05/05/2024
WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...
05/05/2024
Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...
05/05/2024
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
USL's Transformational' 2018 Campaign To Be Capped With ESPN2 Broadcast of USL Cup At-home production model is deployed for more than 500 matches for ESPN By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
