Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

CBS Sports HQ Builds Three New Studios in Fort Lauderdale, Revamps Graphics for Greater Focus on Sports Betting

21/11/2020

CBS Sports HQ Builds Three New Studios in Fort Lauderdale, Revamps Graphics for Greater Focus on Sports Betting The new space will play off the original facility in Stamford, CT By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor

Friday, November 20, 2020 - 1:16 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Since launching in February 2018, CBS Sports HQ has prioritized the wants and needs of sports fans who flock to digital-oriented outlets. While the COVID-19 pandemic forced many networks to delay projects, the streaming channel cut the ribbon on three studios - one for morning and afternoon shows, one focused on fantasy programming, the third for podcasting - in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

We've been in the midst of planning for the last 18 months, says Kieren Portley, SVP/executive producer, programming and production, CBS Sports. We wanted to build out a facility that goes hand-in-hand with how we've transformed our business from a website to a multimedia destination.

Expanded Space: Diversified, Creative Dimensions Are the Core of Construction As an entity under the CBS Sports umbrella, CBS Sports HQ has indeed come a long way from its humble beginnings. With a consistent increase in media rights and other properties, the direct-to-consumer platform understood that this sudden influx would mandate physical expansion. Despite the pandemic, Portley and a pair of engineering experts - Director, Video Engineering and IT Operations, Dan LaTerra and Senior Video Engineer Keith Pryor - went to work on enlarging space atop the existing infrastructure in the channel's control room in Stamford, CT.

Anchor Chris Hassel on CBS Sports HQ's main set in the Fort Lauderdale facility

We had only one control room where we were trying to do a lot of things, says Portley. [Dan and Keith] have done an amazing job with figuring out how to distribute content and achieve what we want to from two different locations.

Having finalized an internal strategy, the team turned to third-party vendors for the construction. Diversified was called in to handle system integration of three production-control rooms. Creative Dimensions Production Designer James Yates took the lead on building the physical sets for each control room. When the dust settled, three studios came to an astounding 13,000 sq. ft. of space.

Given the nature of digital programming, CBS Sports HQ filled the control rooms with straightforward technology from a linear perspective: a Ross Video Carbonite production switcher and Inception for newsroom rundown, Dante audio workflow with Yamaha and Lectrosonics equipment, Dalet for asset management and video playout, RTS for intercom, Image Video for tally, and Grass Valley for video routing and multiviewers. The facility handles outside contributors' calling in from remote locations, via NewTek Talkshow.

We're relying on people that are using video-conferencing technology like Skype, TVU, LiveU, and BitFire Networks, Portley says. All of our writers and contributors are remote.

Betting Lines, Fantasy Advice: On-Screen Look Shifts From L-Bar to Enlarged Ticker The buildout of three studios inspired the network to rethink another aspect of production: the on-air graphics package. When CBS Sports HQ debuted 2 years ago, the layout of information relied heavily on a static L-bar format. Portley understood that, while the concept allowed a boatload of information to be updated and conveyed in quicker fashion, the L-bar occupied a lot of on-screen real estate and viewers became so accustomed to its position that they tended to look at it less often.

One of the three new control rooms is now the exclusive source for fantasy-sports programming.

The main thing that we want to deliver to our fans is data-dense, data-rich, and data-driven analysis, he says. A lot of people don't even realize [the L-bar was] there after a while, so we wanted a really pronounced ticker because we know that people read up to down and left to right.

The new design, developed by | drive | studio, still permits a steady flow of content but in a cleaner, more organized manner. In addition, segmented graphics near the bottom of the screen give viewers a better look at the new space and provide a nice home for the network's real-time sports betting. For this extensive rebrand, the digital network teamed up with longtime graphics partner SMT to integrate the new look.

We've taken over 90% of the data - whether it be fantasy [updates], power rankings, or scores - and put them in the ticker, Portley explains. We've expanded the ticker several centimeters and made it taller by over 33.5%.

The network wanted to add dynamics and movement to the package to catch the viewer's attention. Ross Video's XPression graphics powers the lower-thirds and other templates.

All of the content that we have in that right rail is contextually linked to what you're watching, he points out. If we're talking about [Arizona Cardinals quarterback] Kyler Murray and the Hail Mary touchdown that he threw against Buffalo, we can bring in a slider with data that tells the story of the play.

What Comes Next: CBS Sports HQ Focuses on Tech Advances for Content Creation The new graphics package changed from a static L-bar and to an expansive ticker at the bottom of the screen.

With five total control rooms (three in Fort Lauderdale, two in Stamford), CBS Sports HQ is sitting pretty after less than three years of operation. Heading into the future, its north star will be the ever-changing improvements in technology.

I learned this a long time ago from my days at ESPN: technology is content, says Portley. Without the technology, we can't deliver the content. Without a technological vision, we won't be able to create content. It's going to evolve and change, but technology
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/11/20/cbs-sports-hq-builds-three-stud...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

22/09/2026

New TVU Pocket Offers Broadcast Features In Phone-Sized Unit

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/09/2026

Operative Launches Unified Platform for Advertising and Broadcast Management

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/09/2026

Element Launches New TiVo-Powered Smart TVs in the U.S.

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/09/2026

NOAA Taps Tomorrow.io for Improved U.S. Weather Forecasts

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/09/2026

Gray Media Promotes Tim Maloney to GM and Director of Sales at WBKO

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/09/2026

Reports: Paramount Reaches Settlement with State AGs in Antitrust Suit

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/09/2026

New Research Lays Out Streaming Services Best Defense Against Churn

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/09/2026

Sinclair Expands The National News Desk

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/09/2026

Paramount Settles Antitrust Lawsuit over WBD Merger

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/09/2026

U.S. Broadband Industry Investment Hits $92.6 Billion

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

21/09/2026

Manifold Taps Ryhaan Williams for North America COO Post

Manifold Technologies, developer of software-defined, FPGA-accelerated infrastructure for live production, has named Ryhaan Williams as Chief Commercial Officer...

21/09/2026

SNS Wins IAMT Best Journal Article Award

Studio Network Solutions (SNS) has won Best Journal Article at the 2026 IAMT Impact Awards for What Video Editors Need When Everything Is Changing Around Them,...

21/09/2026

MLW Announces Streaming Deal with Tubi for Weekly FUSION Series

Major League Wrestling (MLW) has announced a streaming distribution agreement with Tubi for its weekly series MLW FUSION. Beginning September 17, new episodes w...

21/09/2026

Adam Smith Named Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer at Disney Entertainment

Disney Entertainment has announced that Adam Smith has been named Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer, with responsibility for Disney and Hulu including product, engi...

21/09/2026

United Airlines and DISH to Offer Live Football on Starlink-Enabled Seatback Screens

United Airlines and DISH have announced an agreement to bring live professional ...

21/09/2026

SES to Provide Satellite Distribution for JioStar Channels Across India

SES and JioStar have announced a multi-year agreement under which SES will provide satellite distribution services for JioStar's television channel portfoli...

21/09/2026

Detroit Red Wings Announce Detroit SportsNet Broadcast Details for 2026-27 Season

The Detroit Red Wings have announced details for their inaugural season on Detro...

21/09/2026

Manifold Technologies Appoints Ryhaan Williams as CCO for North America

Manifold Technologies has appointed Ryhaan Williams as Chief Commercial Officer for North America, effective October 1, 2026. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Wi...

21/09/2026

DAZN Pick Up L.A. Kings DTC Streaming Rights; ABTV Will Continue as Local TV Home

Angels Broadcast Television (ABTV), the local television home of the Los Angeles...

21/09/2026

Inside ESPNs US Open Effort: Embracing the Cloud and a New 20,000 Sq. Ft. Broadcast Center

The 2026 US Open Tennis Championships marked a year of change with respect to TV...

21/09/2026

Behind The Mic: Andrs Cantor Joins Netflixs FIFA Womens World Cup Commentary Team; Doc Rivers Joins NBC Sports NBA Coverage

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...

21/09/2026

iDrumTune from RT60

Drum-tuning app now available on Android RT60 describe their iDrumTune app as the world's most advanced, accurate and intelligent system for assisting ...

21/09/2026

SoundGhost release Orbit

Innovative multiband auto-panner introduced SoundGhost's latest plug-in takes an innovative approach to auto-panning, and divides incoming signals into ...

21/09/2026

Apple Mac Studio With M5 Max: First Impressions

We check out the M5 Max-equipped model The same, but different. The new Mac Studio models feature M5 Max and M5 Ultra silicon, dramatically improving the perf...

21/09/2026

From Graphic Novel to 30-Minute Animated Film: What I Learned Building an AI-Assisted Production Pipeline

From Graphic Novel to 30-Minute Animated Film: What I Learned Building an AI-Ass...

21/09/2026

Liam Hopkins Builds Recording Studio with Blackmagic Design

Liam Hopkins Builds Recording Studio with Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton September 20, 2026 0 Comments Video complements audio production with music v...

21/09/2026

Indigenous screen organisations from Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia launch new international co-production initiative

Indigenous screen organisations from Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia ...

21/09/2026

Why Deploying Physical AI at Scale Demands Safety at Every Layer

Physical AI is moving rapidly from research to large-scale deployment. By 2035, ABI Research projects an installed base of 49 million level 3-5 autonomous vehic...

21/09/2026

From Enablement to Execution, Egypt's AI Ecosystem Reaches Production Scale

Today, Egypt's AI builders gathered in the Grand Egyptian Museum for a reception that highlighted the nation's rapidly growing AI ecosystem - spanning A...

21/09/2026

NVIDIA Launches DSX Ready to Qualify Power and Cooling Products for AI Factories

Every AI factory needs power and cooling that fit its computing architecture. As AI infrastructure expands, power, cooling, water, site and grid constraints are...

21/09/2026

RT celebrates Irish Sign Language Awareness Week 2026

RT celebrates Irish Sign Language Awareness Week 2026 Special programmes across RT television, radio and online, plus special initiatives #ISL #IDSL #IWDP26...

21/09/2026

AI Security Is an Engineering Problem - How to Solve It at Every Layer of the Agent Stack

AI security is an engineering problem. That means defined security requirements,...

21/09/2026

5 Companies Using NVIDIA AI for Clean Energy

Clean energy isn't hard to come by, but the pace of large-scale adoption has historically been slow due to bottlenecks - including out-of-date infrastructur...

20/09/2026

Casio Sessions returns for 2026

Piano-playing singer-songwriter competition returns for fourth year Casio have officially revealed the list of 16 finalists who have earned their place in t...

20/09/2026

COW Jobs: Video Editor, Motion Designer - Remote, PT, 6 Months

COW Jobs: Video Editor, Motion Designer - Remote, PT, 6 Months Brie Clayton September 20, 2026 0 Comments Video Editor + Motion Designer (Remote | PT ...

19/09/2026

ART Pro Audio reveal the RPC Series

Three new rackmount power conditioners introduced Yorkville Sound have announce the upcoming launch of three new RPC rackmount power conditioners from ART P...

19/09/2026

Colorfront Elevates Workflow Versatility at IBC 2026

September 15, 2026 AMSTERDAM, SEPTEMBER 2026 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the Academy and Emmy Award-winning developer of high-performance cinema mastering, ...

19/09/2026

Two High Profile Professional Sports Franchises Renew cre...

Two High-Profile Professional Sports Franchises Renew creative.space Contracts with DigitalGlue NFL team and Major League Soccer Club cite ease of use, secure ...

19/09/2026

Limited Edition Audio releases VoxSplit Pro for overlapping dialogue separation and cleanup on macOS

Limited Edition Audio releases VoxSplit Pro for overlapping dialogue separation ...

18/09/2026

IBC 2026 Tech Moves Beyond the Gloss and Into the Rack

IBC 2026 Tech Moves Beyond the Gloss and Into the Rack If you spent any time in the halls of the RAI this year, you noticed a clear shift in conversation. The c...

18/09/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 31: Seattle Mariners Tim Walsh - Creative Content in the Emerald City

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

18/09/2026

Qvest Appoints Jens Miedek as SVP Sales, Media and Entertainment

Qvest has appointed Jens Miedek as Senior Vice President Sales, Media and Entertainment. Before joining Qvest, Miedek spent 16 years at Riedel Communications an...

18/09/2026

Fonn Group Acquires everviz, Relaunches as Teikna Graphics Platform

Fonn Group has acquired full ownership of everviz, a cloud-native platform for interactive charts, maps, and data-driven graphics, and will rebrand it as Teikna...

18/09/2026

OWC Acquires OpenDrives to Expand Enterprise Storage Portfolio

Other World Computing (OWC) has announced the acquisition of OpenDrives, a provider of software-defined video and rich media storage management solutions. The a...

18/09/2026

Kaltura and Verimatrix Partner on Content Security for OTT and Cloud TV

Kaltura and Verimatrix have announced a partnership integrating Verimatrix's Digital Rights Management and security capabilities into Kaltura's Cloud TV...

18/09/2026

Movicom's Robycam Aerial Cable System Deployed at World Nomad Games

The sixth edition of the World Nomad Games combined traditional sports, large-scale cultural performances, and some decidedly modern broadcast technology. Held ...

18/09/2026

DAZN and Super League Basketball Extend Partnership for 2026-27 Season

DAZN and Super League Basketball (SLB) have extended their partnership for the 2026-27 season. Every Championship, Cup, and Play-Off fixture will be available l...