SVG All-Stars: David Koppett, Executive Producer, Live Sports and Studio, NESN and SportsNet PittsburghThe Bay Area RSN veteran is making his mark across live sports in Pittsburgh and BostonBy Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
As the pace of change in sports production shows no signs of slowing, a new class of innovators and decision-makers is shaping the industry's future. Now in its second season, our SVG All-Stars series spotlights the rising leaders driving that transformation, offering a look at their career paths, leadership philosophies, creative and technological contributions, and vision for what comes next. Each conversation introduces you to the people redefining the workflows, culture, and possibilities of live sports production.
Few executives in regional sports television can match the depth and breadth of David Koppett's career. Now serving as executive producer, live sports and studio, at NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh, Koppett oversees game, studio, and podcast production across two of the nation's premier RSNs, managing live coverage for the Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
An Emmy Award-winning producer with more than three decades in the business, Koppett has deep professional ties to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he helped define the modern regional-sports model. He got his start in 1989 as an associate producer with the San Francisco Giants on the fledgling GiantsVision cable network - an experiment that allowed fans to buy games directly in a pay-per-view model and would eventually evolve into NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California. From there, he spent nearly three decades producing and overseeing thousands of live telecasts for such teams as the Giants, Golden State Warriors, Oakland A's, San Jose Sharks, Sacramento Kings, and San Jose Earthquakes. Later, as VP, content and production strategy, Pac-12 Networks, he managed studio programming around the conference's marquee football and basketball properties and led talent development across more than 850 live events annually.
Koppett with a Pittsburgh institution: Jalapeno Hannah, one of the stars of the Great Pittsburgh Pierogy Race, which takes place at each Pittsburgh Pirates game (Photos: NESN, Sportsnet Pittsburgh)
Today, at NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh, Koppett brings that same creative energy and operational precision to a new, East Coast chapter. His philosophy remains simple: If we have fun making it, people will have fun watching it.
In this edition of SVG All-Stars, Koppett reflects on the evolution of regional sports networks, the rise of direct-to-consumer streaming, and why versatility and passion remain essential to thriving in sports television.
What are the key responsibilities of your current role?
I oversee game, studio, and podcast production at New England Sports Network and SportsNet Pittsburgh, focusing on the four major-league teams for whom we hold live telecast rights: the Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
What is one key industry trend that you believe is having a major impact on your organization right now?
Certainly, the shift toward remote production and the technologies that empower it occupy a great deal of our day-to-day attention. But, for me, the most significant trend impacting our company is the accelerating growth of our DTC livestreaming product, delivering Red Sox and Bruins games through the NESN 360 app and Pirates and Penguins games through the SNP 360 app. These platforms are reaching a scale of audience that is truly impactful. Insatiable fan interest, changing viewer habits, connectivity, and product quality are finally meeting in a place that can sustain a viable and valuable segment of our business.
Koppett worked his first Spring Training in 1990.
What is one core philosophy you try to live by when managing your team/operation?
If we have fun making it, people will have fun watching it!
What is your favorite event(s) you've ever worked?
A difficult question to answer, as there are so many, and that's the best thing about our jobs: you never know what today's game might bring. The Giants' final game at Candlestick Park in 1999 and first by McCovey Cove in 2000 come to mind. They meant so much more to the city than any normal game, and I was able to share them with my dad, who was present as a writer. For an executive, nothing gives greater pride than to watch our announcers and production teams flawlessly execute once-in-a-lifetime moments, as ours did during perfect games by Dallas Braden in 2010 and Matt Cain in 2012. Boston and Pittsburgh have their own storied histories of unforgettable moments, and I can't wait to experience the next generation of those with our teams.
After producing the Coaching Corps Game Changer Awards in 2016, Koppett posed with the championship trophies won by Bay Area teams.
How did you get started in sports production? What was your first real job in the business?
I was lucky enough to be home from my freshman year of college when my hometown baseball team was launching a cable network and willing to employ just about anyone. Starting on the ground floor allowed me to participate in and learn about every aspect of production, and that internship later turned into my first full-time job. We didn't know what we didn't know when we started, but that tiny GiantsVision channel (25 games the first year!) eventually evolved into the pair of NBC Sports RSNs that are still rightsholders for seven Northern California major-league teams and where I enjoyably spent much of my career.
Koppett with the crew from Pac-12 Networks following the final episode of Pac-12 After Dark in 2023
What's one piec
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
15/06/2026
Detach from Direct-Attached: How Remote Editing with EVO Keeps Creative Teams Mo...
14/06/2026
Library captures 1960s R&B/pop drum sound
Following on from their recent wave of plug-in effects, Iconic Instruments have just launched an all-new virtual d...
14/06/2026
HBO Comedy Rooster Shot with URSA Cine 17K 65
Brie Clayton June 14, 2026
0 Comments
Large format brings viewers intimately close to characters.
Black...
13/06/2026
Latest expansion pack includes 252 presets
Devious Machines have recently introduced another expansion for their powerful multi-effects plug-in, Infiltrator...
13/06/2026
Create custom DAW/plug-in controllers using prompts
MetaGrid have recently introduced an all-new AI Builder function to their touchscreen-based control surf...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production, Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it has given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what o...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
SVG All-Stars: David Koppett, Executive Producer, Live Sports and Studio, NESN and SportsNet PittsburghThe Bay Area RSN veteran is making his mark across live sports in Pittsburgh and BostonBy Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
