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
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...
01/07/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced the appointment of Kathy Samuels ...
01/07/2026
Shade has announced Custom Objects and Automations, a platform expansion releasing June 29, 2026, that adds database and workflow automation capabilities direct...
01/07/2026
FOR-A America has announced the addition of Jaz Wray and Fernando Cruz to its U.S. sales team. Both report to Ernie Leon, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Strate...
01/07/2026
NBC Sports will air all 15 MLB games nationally on Sunday, July 5, across NBC, P...
01/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced a wireless communications upgrade for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, deploying FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems across both prod...
01/07/2026
England's performance team will use Sony's STATSports APEX GPS tracking system to monitor player physical data in real time during FIFA World Cup 2026 m...
01/07/2026
Adder Technology has announced the appointment of Neil Hillier as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Hillier succeeds Adrian Dickens, who transiti...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. has announced a strategic transaction creating two separate companies. The Production and Playout business will continue as Bitcentral, now own...
01/07/2026
DAZN has announced results from DAZN48, its creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Launched in April 2026, the program received thousands of applicatio...
01/07/2026
Sarah Rose, VP, global services, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT), will be inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at t...
01/07/2026
Gravity Media and the World Economic Forum's production team provided broadc...
01/07/2026
Insight Productions has announced the launch of Insight Storm, a 53-foot mobile broadcast unit built for esports production. The truck is built around a Ross Vi...
01/07/2026
ESPN has announced several content initiatives marking America's 250th anniversary, as part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Celebrates America pro...
01/07/2026
Eleven production kits, REMI workflows, and cloud distribution bring 40 World Cu...
01/07/2026
The conference also discussed the opportunities offered an industry that is endu...
01/07/2026
The Mountain West Conference has announced the launch of MW , a direct-to-consumer streaming platform powered by Kiswe. The platform will carry live Mountain We...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
01/07/2026
LONDON, UK, 1 JULY Jigsaw24 has appointed Alan Henry as Head of Sales for Media and Entertainment, reinforcing its continued investment in helping broadcaster...
01/07/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending secure content distribution platform protecting high-value media from disclosures, theft and unauthorised access, today announ...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. a leading provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters, as well as streaming pla...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Groundbreaking First Nations Screen Business Accelerator launched through nation...
01/07/2026
Chyron Launches the All-New Chyron Academy: A Reimagined, Hands-On Learning Expe...
01/07/2026
Amplium Captures Kawasaki Brave Thunders Game with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersiv...
01/07/2026
Boris FX Optics Expands Plugin Support to Apple Photos, Capture One, and Affinit...
01/07/2026
UKTV has today announced the appointment of Matt Berry to the newly created role of General Manager - Marketing, effective 1 July.
Matt will take on this senio...
01/07/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign featuring Deborah Meaden challenges consumers to rethink everyday bathroom wasteWednesday 1 July 2026
Fussy asks Bri...
01/07/2026
Constituency-level analysis reveals where girls miss out most on sport - and where targeted action could unlock more than £640 million in economic and health be...
01/07/2026
Wuppertal July 1, 2026
Riedel and SKAARHOJ Expand Collaboration With SimplyLive IntegrationRiedel Communications today announced an expanded collaboration wit...
01/07/2026
Apple today introduced power-packed updates to Apple Creator Studio, a groundbre...
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 
