CBS Sports Expands WNBA Tip-Off Show To Cover Half of 20-Game, Regular-Season Package

Game Creek Video Columbia and Celtic, NEP Supershooter 8 will house onsite productions all season long

As the final national broadcaster to begin coverage of the WNBA season, CBS Sports is heading to the Windy City and Sin City for a doubleheader on Saturday, May 23 featuring the Minnesota Lynx vs. Chicago Sky at 1 p.m. ET and the Los Angeles Sparks vs. Las Vegas Aces at 8 p.m. All 20 regular-season games will be broadcast on both CBS and Paramount+, and, in a new wrinkle, WNBA Tip-Off Show studio programming will have a larger presence.

Our planning for the upcoming WNBA season has been in the works for months, says Jenna McKeon, senior director, remote technical operations, CBS Sports. All of our games will feature a full complement of facilities and resources supported by our internal CBS Sports operations and production teams.

More Studio Coverage: Before, During, After the Game

One of the biggest changes to the broadcaster's production approach is expanded studio coverage that sets the table prior to tip-off, analyzes the action on the court during halftime, and breaks down the final score after the last buzzer. WNBA Tip-OffShow, CBS Sports' premiere studio show for the W, will be a more prominent fixture throughout the entire season.

We're excited to expand this show to support 10 matchups throughout the season, says McKeon. All 10 shows will be based in the CBS Broadcast Center in New York.

Seven of the 10 shows will air on CBS and Paramount+, and three digital-exclusive editions will be available on CBS Sports HQ. Jenny Dell will host, with two decorated analysts alongside: Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie and two-time WNBA Champion Renee Montgomery. For the season-opening doubleheader, WNBA Tip-OffShow will start 30 minutes before each game, at 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

On the call, play-by-play announcer Jordan Kent, analyst Isis Ice Young, and sideline reporter Tiffany Blackmon will return as WNBA on CBS lead broadcast team.

At the Venue: 12-Camera Complement, Onsite Workflow

On the technology side, CBS Sports will broadcast every game with a standard complement of 12 cameras. Among them will be three Sony HDC-5500's running at 6X super-slow-motion. A super-slow-motion Sony HDC-P50 robotic camera - provided by NEP Specialty Capture (formerly Fletcher) will be positioned above each basket, with an operated camera deployed for selected matchups,. The tech will also include an RF handheld (provided by CP Communications) for live hits with Blackmon on the sideline and, for enhanced telestration, Chyron's PAINT.

Production of all 20 games this season will be fully onsite. The broadcast compound for the core of the shows will house mobile units provided by longtime partners Game Creek Video and NEP Group. Game Creek Video Celtic will be on hand for this Saturday's matchup in Chicago, but, for the rest of the season, Game Creek Video Columbia will handle all primetime games, and NEP Supershooter 8 will be on hand for the rest.

The benefit of these mobile units is that they work regularly with us on NFL, college football, and the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, notes McKeon. We're well-equipped with our complements and workflows.

Leap Forward: Operations, Production Prep for Big Year

Executing fully onsite productions for 20 games over four months and expanding the presence of the studio show requires a coordinated effort by the operations and production teams. On the operations team are SVP, Remote Technical Operations, Jason Cohen; VP, Production Management and Operations, Krissi Florian; VP, Crewing, Sue Brown; Senior Production Manager, Remote Ops, Emily Sandor; and Manager, Remote Operations Crewing, Mike Brennan. On the production team are VP, Remote Production, Todd Keryc; Senior Producer Amy Salmanson; Producers Drew Kaliski, Deb Boulac, Kimani Morales, Bill Thayer, Jawn Morales, and Jason Ross; and Directors Cory Fishman, Jim Cornell, Alanna Campbell, and Matt Plundo.

This is poised to be our best year yet covering the WNBA, says McKeon. The growth of the league and the excitement around it absolutely echo throughout CBS Sports. We are thrilled to not only tip off another season but to do so in a way that showcases every game with top-tier production value.

After Saturday's day-night doubleheader, CBS Sports will broadcast 18 more games this season: one more in May, eight in June, four in July, four in August, and one in September.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/05/21/cbs-sports-expands-wnba-tip-off...
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