Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The Return of the Masters: CBS Sports, Augusta National Golf Club Innovate With Drones, New Robos

02/12/2020

The Return of the Masters: CBS Sports, Augusta National Golf Club Innovate With Drones, New Robos A different season, the lack of fans in the gallery give the production a new look and sound By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director

Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - 2:54 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

When the Masters was postponed to November, there were some definite knowns. The spring azaleas would be traded in for fall colors. The lively yet respectful gallery would be replaced with silence. And COVID-19 protocols would be a big part of the plan to ensure that everyone was working as safely as possible.

When Augusta National Golf Club approached the CBS Sports production team about improving the production look and feel, Patty Power, executive VP, operations and engineering, CBS Sports, and the rest of the team were challenged to introduce production elements with new dramatic visuals that would bring back some of the missing emotion.

We would not have been successful without the support and collaboration of our partners at Augusta National, she says. We knew this was going to be a massive undertaking, with all the challenges of producing during a pandemic with the health and safety protocols and testing. But we also knew we had an opportunity, together, to create something very special with the coverage.

Our protocols were not just for all of us at CBS, she continues. They also included ESPN, the international partners, and the vendors as well. That was one of the main challenges, [along with] space for the onsite facilities and how were we going to social-distance everybody. And then on top of that, make everything work.

Mike Francis, VP, remote engineering and planning, CBS Sports, considers the Masters probably the single most challenging production even without COVID-19. But, he notes, the COVID-19 protocols required a compound with more space, not only in the production trucks but in the office trailers.

We had to interconnect more trucks, more offices, and our comms plan got more difficult, he explains. And that's before we relied more heavily on the remote efforts, which were our most aggressive to date.

As CBS has done all season for the PGA TOUR events, virtual graphics were produced in New Zealand. Says Francis, We also had a whole room of people at All Mobile Video in New York doing the vast majority of our Top Tracer technology and ball tracing as well as supplemental camera shading.

Every Shot, Every Hole, in conjunction with Augusta National, returned and also transitioned to a more remote operation. Everything went really well from a technical standpoint in terms of planning and bringing it all together, he says.

Along with the obvious challenges of dealing with COVID-19 is the challenge of an even more buttoned-up plan going into an event the size of the Masters.

We don't have the luxury of figuring out where we are going to put somebody when we get there, says Francis. Everybody needs an assigned working position ahead of time.

The compound once again had NEP SSCBS at the heart of the production of the second nine, and NEP ND7 handled split duties for the first eight holes and the featured groups. Game Creek Video's Edit 4 was onsite for Every Shot, Every Hole, and its Yogi produced the Amen Corner 4K HDR show and also was a supplemental workspace for quality control.

Game Creek Video's Chesapeake handled the 4K HDR show for holes 15 and 16, NEP EN2 produced the new 4, 5, and 6 featured holes, and NEP Supershooter 8 served as a technology truck, housing the core tracing and virtual hardware systems that were not done remotely.

Augusta National was also able to provide us more interior space in the IBC that was not being used, says Francis. Being able to utilize that space was a big help as we could spread people out and keep them in safe working environments.

As for course coverage, without patrons, there was a chance to add in some new robotic cameras, such as on a tree at the 15the hole and another at the 16th tee.

Those gave us some flexibility, Francis points out.

The absence of patrons also allowed the CBS production team to deploy two drones as well as to build a Flycam along the 16th hole. Those efforts were spurred by Augusta National's desire for some new looks in the production.

The two drones gave us continuous live drone coverage from an inside-the-course perspective, as well as the exterior of the course to get more beauty shots, says Jason Cohen, VP, remote technical operations, CBS Sports. It was a vantage point of the course that has never been seen before. And then you combine that with the beautiful scenery of the fall foliage and the way the course was groomed. It was pretty special.

The Flycam had a 4K camera and had a point-to-point run of more than 700 ft. from the 16th tee to the green.

It was capturing some unbelievable shots as players walked down the fairway, says Cohen. It's a low-risk, high-reward technology with a system that is non-obtrusive and adds tremendous value with incredibly beautiful shots of the course.

He adds that the hidden MVP of the production was the RF jib. It was able to find its way into nooks and crannies of the course and show the undulations of the greens in a way you've never really seen before. It's not a revolutionary technology, but it showed things we've never seen before. And, when you combine it with the drone and the Flycam, it lended itself to people feeling like we were covering it really differently.

Says Power, To see the course from a completely different perspective with all of the cabins and the main clubhouse was really a highlight.

The additional coverage provided by Every Shot, Every Hole also allowed some new product offerings. CBS Sports and Augusta National were able to expand featur
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/12/01/the-return-of-the-masters-cbs-s...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

09/11/2025

Dalet Unveils Agentic AI Media Workflows at IBC2025

Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...

06/10/2025

France Tlvisions Wins Prestigious 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Award in Groundbreaking Collaboration with Dalet

France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...

17/09/2025

Fox TV Stations Join Madhive's Local Live Sports Marketplace

NEW YORK Madhive has announced that the Fox Television Stations have joined its Live Sports Marketplace....

17/09/2025

Sony Electronics Partners with Newhouse School at Syracuse University

SYRACUSE, N.Y. Sony Electronics has announced that it is partnering with the Newhouse School at Syracuse University to provide state-of-the-art equipment, hands...

17/09/2025

Roku's First TV Smart Projector Now Available in the U.S.

SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku has announced that the first smart projector using its Roku TV operating system, the Aurzen Roku TV Smart Projector D1R Cube, is now avail...

16/09/2025

SVG All-Stars: Leigh Michaud, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPN

SVG All-Stars: Leigh Michaud, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPNThe UConn grad rose from ESPN's mailroom to become one of its most valuable ops leadersBy Bran...

16/09/2025

Live From IBC 2025: Friday's Latest From Halls 1-4, Outdoor Exhibits in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2025: Friday's Latest From Halls 1-4, Outdoor Exhibits in Amst...

16/09/2025

Live From IBC 2025: Saturday's Latest From Halls 5-7 in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2025: Saturday's Latest From Halls 5-7 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff Friday, September 12, 2025 - 17:00 Print This Story The SVG Europe and ...

16/09/2025

Live From IBC 2025: Sunday's Latest From Halls 8-10 in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2025: Sunday's Latest From Halls 8-10 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff Saturday, September 13, 2025 - 17:00 Print This Story The SVG Europe and...

16/09/2025

Live From IBC 2025: Monday's Latest From Halls 11-14 in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2025: Monday's Latest From Halls 11-14 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff Sunday, September 14, 2025 - 17:00 Print This Story The SVG Europe and ...

16/09/2025

Amazon Prime Video Picks Up Four Hours of Early-Round Masters Coverage in 2026

Amazon Prime Video Picks Up Four Hours of Early-Round Masters Coverage in 2026By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 10:15 a...

16/09/2025

VERSANT Inks Deal for League One Volleyball as Women's Sports Rights Slate Grows

VERSANT Inks Deal for League One Volleyball as Women's Sports Rights Slate G...

16/09/2025

ESPN VP, Corporate Communications, Katina Arnold Named SVP, Disney Advertising Communications

ESPN VP, Corporate Communications, Katina Arnold Named SVP, Disney Advertising C...

16/09/2025

IBC 2025 in Review: SVG Europe's Full Collection of Video Interviews From the Show Floor

IBC 2025 in Review: SVG Europe's Full Collection of Video Interviews From th...

16/09/2025

Celebramos 10 aos de Viva Latino en Spotify y el xito global de la msica latina

Hace una d cada, la m sica latina representaba apenas el 8% de las reproducciones globales en Spotify. Hoy, constituye m s de una cuarta parte (27%) de toda la ...

16/09/2025

Celebrating 10 Years of Spotify's Viva Latino Playlist and the Global Rise of Latin Music

A decade ago, Latin music made up just 8% of global Spotify streams. Today, it a...

16/09/2025

Spotify Welcomes Graham Norton and Select VICE Studios Content

Spotify is expanding our video lineup with a new partnership with Zoo 55, part of ITV Studios. For the first time, acclaimed content from ITV Studios is landing...

16/09/2025

One Enterprise, One Mission: Aligning the Supply Chain to the Warfighter

At DSEI 2025, James Dunne of L3Harris Maritime UK chaired a panel on aligning the supply chain to the warfighter, where leaders discussed modernising support fo...

16/09/2025

RTW chooses Calrec as technology partner

Calrec has strengthened its collaboration with audio metering expert RTW by integrating RTW's new TMxCore metering platform across its full range of Argo IP...

16/09/2025

Football and Back-to-School Dynamics Spark First Gains Since April for Traditional TV

College Football Scores Top Telecast in August with 16M+ Viewers on FOX, Followe...

16/09/2025

Index Exchange and Gracenote Team to Enhance Contextual Intelligence in Programmatic Streaming TV

Collaboration marks the first SSP integration of Gracenote IDs, enabling show-le...

16/09/2025

IBC2025 Attracts 43,858 Visitors

AMSTERDAM The organizers of IBC2025 are reporting that 43,858 visitors from more than 170 countries attended the event, which had more than 1,300 exhibitors and...

16/09/2025

Wooden Camera Releases Accessory Collection for FUJIFILMs...

Wooden Camera announces the release of its new Accessory Collection for the FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55. The highlights of this collection include vital power soluti...

16/09/2025

AntonBauer Launches Free Cloud Platform for Smarter Batte...

Anton/Bauer, a leading manufacturer of mobile power solutions for broadcast and cinematic equipment, has announced the launch of Anton/Bauer Fleet Management, a...

16/09/2025

Teradek Launches Prism Jetpack - A New Era of 5G Video Co...

Teradek, a leading provider of video transmission and live production solutions, today announced the launch of Prism Jetpack, a groundbreaking 5G video contribu...

16/09/2025

Astera Reinvents Practical Lighting with SolaBulb

Astera, the leader in wireless LED lighting solutions, announces the ultra-versatile SolaBulb. Building on the success of the Astera bulb family, SolaBulb intro...

16/09/2025

TED2025 Relies on Clear-Com and NETGEAR to Power Producti...

As the world gathered at TED2025 to explore the provocative theme "Humanity Reimagined", Clear-Com , supported by NETGEAR networking infrastructure, delivered f...

16/09/2025

Bitfocus Wins IABM Impact Award as Pro AV Changemaker

Bitfocus' Buttons platform celebrated as a catalyst for AV and broadcast convergence Bitfocus has been named winner of the IABM Impact Award Pro AV Chan...

16/09/2025

IABM announces winners of the Inaugural IABM Impact Award...

Record entries and outstanding innovation celebrated at IBC2025 as the MediaTech community honors its leading people, projects and organizations IABM announced...

16/09/2025

SKY Perfect Modernizes Playout-to-Delivery with Harmonic

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (SJC), a leading satellite operator and pay-TV provider in Japan, has partnered with H...

16/09/2025

Telestream Congratulates Sky Group on IBC Innovation Awar...

Telestream congratulates Sky Group, which has been awarded the prestigious IBC Innovation Award for Content Distribution for its MediaMesh platform on Sunday, S...

16/09/2025

SES Partners with Cailabs to Test Next-Generation Laser Communication Technology

Leading space solutions company will use optical ground stations to deliver faster, more secure data from space Luxembourg, September 15, 2025 - SES, a leading...

16/09/2025

ENCO Introduces Raptor Cloud-Based Captioning For Live Streaming Video

NOVI, Mich. ENCO has unveiled Raptor, a cloud-based live streaming captioning encoder that injects the speed, power and reliability of real-time AI capabilities...

16/09/2025

Comcast NBCU and NBCU Local Award $2.5 Million to Nonprofits

NEW YORK Comcast NBCUniversal and NBCUniversal Local have announced that a total of $2.5 million has been awarded in 2025 to 69 nonprofit organizations servicin...

16/09/2025

Martin Euredjian Joins Atomos

AMSTERDAM Martin Euredjian has joined Atomos as director of advanced imaging and will lead innovation for advanced display technology....

16/09/2025

Calrec Unveils 48-Fader Argo M

AMSTERDAM Calrec introduced a 48-faced Argo M and showcased its largest Argo software updates at the recently concluded IBC2025....

16/09/2025

Lawo Unveils HOME Audio Shuffler App

AMSTERDAM Lawo introduced its HOME Audio Shuffler app, a replacement for a traditional baseband audio matrix within an IP-based Dynamic Media Facility, during t...

16/09/2025

77th Emmy Awards on CBS Deliver Largest Audience Since 2021

CBS is reporting that the 77TH Emmy Awards hosted by Nate Bargatze on Sunday Sept. 14 was seen by more than 7.42 million viewers on the CBS Television Network a...

16/09/2025

The AI Makers: NVIDIA Partners in UK Advance Physical and Agentic AI, Robotics, Life Sciences and More

The U.K. is driving investments in sovereign AI, using the technology to advance...

16/09/2025

Meet the Adversaries That Will Clash in 'Rulers of Fortune', a Series Premiering October 29 on Netflix

Back to All News Meet the Adversaries That Will Clash in Rulers of Fortune, a S...

16/09/2025

Would You Take 30 Million Baht from a Dead Person's Account? Everybody Loves Me When I'm Dead' Unveils Main Trailer, Key Art

Back to All News Would You Take 30 Million Baht from a Dead Persons Account? E...

16/09/2025

Netflix Unveils the Official Trailer and Poster for 'She Walks in Darkness', by Agustn Daz Yanes

Back to All News Netflix Unveils the Official Trailer and Poster for She Walks ...

16/09/2025

Comscore Unveils The Scoreboard: An Interactive Destination Surfacing Consumer Behaviors and Trends Across Multiple Platforms

Comscore Unveils The Scoreboard: An Interactive Destination Surfacing Consumer B...

15/09/2025

Get to Know This Fall's Filmmakers Through These 27 Sundance Institute-Supported Titles

Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo star in Ben Stiller&...

15/09/2025

aespa and Spotify Invite Fans to Unlock Their Inner Rich Man' With an Immersive MY VAULT Experience

Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...

15/09/2025

Spotify's Free Experience Is Even Better-Here's How to Make the Most of It

Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...

15/09/2025

Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic Brakes (BSCCB) successfully expands production capacity by 50% in Germany and Italy to meet rising demand

After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...

15/09/2025

L3Harris Receives Multi-Year Javelin Solid Rocket Motor Contract

A U.S. Marine launches a Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile during a training exercise. (Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps)...

15/09/2025

TV Tech Unveils Best of Show Winners at IBC 2025

AMSTERDAM TV Tech has named its Best of Show Awards winners for IBC2025, which wraps up today. Entrants were judged by a panel of industry experts on the criter...

15/09/2025

SES SCORE Surpasses 600,000 of Transmission Hours, Delivering 900 Hours of Major Sports Content Daily

Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...