NHL Playoffs 2025: With 16 Games in First Six Days, ESPN Deploys Variety of Remote-Production Models in U.S., Canada With two countries and multiple broadcasters involved, the effort requires precise planning By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Friday, April 18, 2025 - 11:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
ESPN jumps out of the gate for this year's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, with 16 first-round games over the first six days on ESPN and ESPN2 beginning on Sunday. That means plenty of planning and cooperation by ESPN's operations team - both within the company and with other broadcasters.
ESPN's NHL studio show, The Point, will air regularly as a lead-in to games throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Steve Levy, Mark Messier, and PK Subban - shown here prior to the season opener - will be among the rotating on-air talent featured. (Photo: Al Powers/ESPN Images)
Round 1 of NHL Playoffs is always a time of meticulous planning and cooperation, says Brock Wetherbee, remote productions operations specialist, ESPN. This round is a full market share - or side-by-side - for all invested broadcasters. Not only are we working across teams internally to line up execution models with dates and game series, but we're also having simultaneous collaboration calls with the other local and international rightsholders on logistics and equipment shares.
First Round Madness: All About Cooperation - Both Within and Without Depending on matchups, as many as four broadcasters may cover a single game of any seven-game series, and all parties must be aware of each other's trucks, camera positions, and production priorities.
Several dedicated REMI production-control rooms in Bristol will serve as home to ESPN's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round productions. (credit: Jaime Ramirez)
ESPN will deploy a mix of three main models during Round 1: REMCO, REMI, and EWF (enhanced world feed, which will be used for games played in Canada). ESPN's remote-production and REMI Operations teams work hand in hand to ensure that the onsite facilities are fully in sync with the REMI production teams in Bristol.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the amount of communication and planning that has helped every aspect of our production, says Jaime Ramirez, technical operations manager, REMI Operations, ESPN. Working on an almost daily basis with our onsite operations team as well as our partners in Toronto has been outstanding. I have all the confidence in the world that, when the puck drops, this team can handle whatever may be on the horizon. It is very evident that our goal is a shared goal to deliver the best product we can to our NHL fans.
ESPN will roll a mix of NEP and Game Creek Video mobile units for its NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs productions. (Credit: Danny Chi)
Given the complications of regional play across North America and the cadence of the schedule, both NEP and Game Creek Video provide a cascading supply of trucks to meet the needs of ESPN and the other broadcast partners. NEP has made available EN2 A and B, Supershooter 6 A and B, Supershooter 63, and Supershooter 62; GCV has provided 79 A and B, Victory A and B, Larkspur, Justice, and Gemini.
ESPN has made a concerted effort to level-set the look and feel across all its NHL coverage, regardless of the production model being used. Although the bells and whistles may vary, The standard first-round complement will comprise five hard cameras, five handhelds, two robos, and four to six POV cams. In addition, ESPN will be sharing feeds with/from the other broadcasters, potentially doubling the camera count once the puck drops.
It's a collaborative effort from all to share and make the coverage feel as big as possible for all the entities, says Wetherbee.
Aside from camera sharing, ESPN and local broadcasters also work closely together to reserve compound parking space for all the trucks and divide arena-supplied power connections and transmission equipment, along with other onsite resources/services.
Looking Ahead: Big Plans for Conference Finals After the first round, ESPN will enhance its shows with each subsequent round, increasing the player iso cams, robos, and specialty cameras. Super-slo-mo in-net cams, RF skate cams, SkyCam, and virtual-graphics elements will be among the highlights.
ESPN's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage will culminate iin the Conference Finals. (Photo: Al Powers/ESPN Images)
Although ESPN won't have the Stanley Cup Finals this year, its Conference Finals productions will be plenty massive, with upwards of 24 cams, seven super-slo-mos, and six POV cameras; a full audio submix suite; and upgraded microphone coverage around the ice.
Playoffs are exciting by definition, Ramirez notes. Not only is the play on ice raised, but so too is our approach and execution amongst partners.
The last-minute nature can add a bit of intrigue too, he continues. Last minute is the name of the game come playoff time. Sometimes we stage truck/equipment halfway between cities. Sometimes folks board planes and land in one city to find that team has won/lost and changed the landscape of [the production]. It's all part of the adventure and excitement that is any playoff race.
Looking Back: Another Regular Season in the Books With the puck dropping on the playoffs on Sunday, it's a perfect time for ESPN's remote and REMI Operations teams to reflect on their fourth NHL regular-season campaign. With five technical-production models - mixing REMI and onsite workflows -- in the arsenal for NHL productions, ESPN Remote Production Operations Manager Paul Horrell believes ESPN has truly hit its stride: The five technical-production models deployed throughout the season and the sheer volume of games speak to the level of efficiency, experience, and capabilities
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
January 14, 2026
We are proud to share that 25 Ontario, First Gulf's commercial project located just two minutes from our head office, has been recognized ...
27/01/2026
January 22, 2026
First Gulf is excited to share that a full-building lease has been secured at 625 Bronte Rd in Oakville, part of Bronte Station Business Park,...
27/01/2026
January 23, 2026
First Gulf continues to demonstrate its commitment to high-performance, sustainable real estate with 351 King Street East achieving BOMA BEST ...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
27/01/2026
SipRadius, specialists in secure, low latency media transport, will show the pro AV community its end-to-end solution for high quality content distribution and ...
27/01/2026
Hiltron will highlight the fruits of its 45-plus years of experience in satellite communications system integration and product development at the annual GovSat...
27/01/2026
Klvr will demonstrate how its Charger Pro solution is delivering cost reduction and performance benefits for live entertainment and pro AV markets at ISE 2026 (...
27/01/2026
Amino, a global media technology leader in enterprise video and digital signage, today announced that its Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 booth (4N700) wil...
27/01/2026
ANI, India's leading news agency and a major content provider across the Asia Pacific region, today announced a significant expansion of its long standing p...
27/01/2026
Independent analysis confirms faster encoding, lower CPU usage, and improved perceptual quality compared to CBR and CRF
VisualOn, a leader in multimedia playba...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
New agreement for uninterrupted UHF connectivity for Australian Defence Force through 2033, With Options Extending to 2041
Luxembourg, January 13, 2026 - Satel...
27/01/2026
Tuesday 27 January 2026
SNL UK creative team expands as Pauli Lovejoy, Annie Ha...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
When It Feels Real, Is It Still a Lie? The Art of Sarah' ...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
That Night premiering on Netflix March 13
Entertainment
27 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
DOWNLOAD THE KEY ART
DOWNLO...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Revealed the Future of Mexican Stories Coming in 2026
Entertainment
27 January 2026
GlobalMexico
Link copied to clipboard
Among t...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
Four New Japan Titles Announced for 2026: Viral Hit', On...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
What's Next on Netflix from Japan: Expanding the Possibili...
27/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities...
27/01/2026
RT Supporting the Arts is delighted to support a dynamic programme of cultural events taking place across Ireland this February. From visual art, film, music, ...
26/01/2026
Music videos play a huge part in how fans connect with their favorite songs, but...
26/01/2026
NAIDOC launches 2026 theme 50 Years of Deadly , marks major milestone
25 January, 2026
Media releases
The National NAIDOC Committee has today unveiled its...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Advanced Systems Group (ASG) today announced an exclusive partnership with Nu Studio, the company behind the first modular, portable studio designed for immersi...
26/01/2026
OpenDrives, the leader in high-end video data management and workflow solutions, today announced an add-on investment to its previous funding rounds, led by IAG...
26/01/2026
SmallHD today announced a major update to its award-winning PageOS software, introducing Fleet Control, Portrait Mode, expanded Camera Control features, and Dow...
26/01/2026
Whether rigging a PTZ on a truss, sliding a Blackmagic camera across a mezzanine railing, or capturing the mayhem from inside a drum, Filipic delivers visuals t...
26/01/2026
Wuppertal January 26, 2026
Riedel and Media Tailor Deliver Unified Broadcast a...
26/01/2026
26 Jan 2026
VEON Unveils the New Beeline Uzbekistan Network Operations Center, ...
NHL Playoffs 2025: With 16 Games in First Six Days, ESPN Deploys Variety of Remote-Production Models in U.S., Canada With two countries and multiple broadcasters involved, the effort requires precise planning By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. 
