ARLINGTON, Texas - February 2015 -- ESPN's CFP Megacast, a record-breaking simulcast of the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship across multiple ESPN networks and services, included a natural sound feed to ESPN Classic produced using a DiGiCo SD9 digital audio mixing console. The audio for ESPN Classic's telecast including performances by the Oregon and Ohio State marching bands, Aloe Blacc singing America the Beautiful, and Lady Antebellum performing The Star-Spangled Banner was drawn from more than 100 microphones positioned throughout the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and was mixed by Buckeye, Arizona-based freelance audio mixer Jason Blood of Happy Helmet Productions, Inc.
According to ESPN, its CFP Megacast of the championship game, which was played on Monday, January 12, 2015, delivered not only the highest rating in cable television history but also the largest audience, as reported by Nielsen. ESPN provided over one dozen ways to watch the title contest between No. 2 Oregon and No. 4 Ohio State, including multiple cable television outlets, radio and streaming, attracting a combined average of 34,148,000 viewers and an 18.6 US household rating.
I was basically focusing on trying to capture the essence of what it would sound like if you were watching the game inside the stadium, explains Blood, who has mixed broadcast audio for sports events such as the X Games, NASCAR, IndyCar, College Basketball and College Football for the Golf Channel, Tennis Channel, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, ESPN, ABC and other outlets. From an audio standpoint it was great, because we were just focusing on how to bring the best experience to the viewer at home.
The compact SD9 console, measuring less than 35 inches wide and 31 inches deep, was ideal for this particular situation, according to Blood. With the SD9 desk we had a smaller footprint to work with, which we needed because we were squeezed into a pretty small space, in the back of B unit next to the comms guys. But that's what's great about the SD9 the MADI streams go right in, and the AES and analog inputs are right on the back there wasn't a whole big box of other gear that we needed to find a place for. It was just a matter of running the coax, plugging it into the back of the console, and we were ready to go. We had two full days of set-up; from that standpoint, and the physical set-up and layout, the SD9 was fantastic.
Although there were more than 100 microphones located throughout Cowboy Stadium for use on the broadcast by live television production company Game Creek Video, which had six remote units on site, Blood reports that he was able to mix using a much more manageable number. The SD9 console made it convenient for us because we were able to take just a couple of MADI streams from the submix truck and some AES feeds from the game truck and we were ready to go, he says. So we were operating on a more efficient scale. Production equipment specialists VER Video Equipment Rentals supplied the SD9 console system.
Basically, I got a game effects mix from the submix truck plus some other individual mixes passing through the submix truck, he continues. I had both the Oregon and Ohio State bands, the Oregon and Ohio State student sections, a PA feed, a referee mic, over eight mics surrounding the field for the marching bands [which they covered for both pre-game and during the halftime], plus a crowd mix. We weren't necessarily dealing with an overwhelming number of independent microphones from the game but we had a lot of feeds and mixes from it, and we were able to do our own show independent from the show that game truck was doing.
Unlike a traditional broadcast, during which the commentators call the play-by-play and analyze the on-field action, he continues, It really allowed us to focus on what the marching bands sounded like, or what the student sections sounded like. It was a lot of fun to bring that atmosphere to the viewer at home, because that's not something you get unless you're sitting in the stands.
Blood comments, It was an impressive show to be on, and I've been on Super Bowls and other big events before. This was right up there with them. The number of programs that were happening simultaneously was impressive. The CFP Megacast reportedly comprised 32 separate, simultaneous transmission paths. For comparison, most game broadcasts include no more than a dozen and sometimes as few as four.
For more details on the CFP National Championship visit www.collegefootballplayoff.com.
DiGiCo Press Contacts
David Webster at DiGiCo
Tel: +44 1372 845600
Email: webby@DiGiConsoles.com
Chris Shuler at Public Address
Tel: +1 269 815 5055
Email: christophershuler@comcast.net
Images:
1) DiGiCo_CFPNC_Blood.jpg Jason Blood at the DiGiCo SD9 during the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship
2) DiGiCo_CFPNC_field.jpg
3) DiGiCo_CFPNC_logo.jpg
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...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
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...
02/03/2026
NBC Sports selected Imaginary Forces to create the main title sequence for the M...
02/03/2026
The NFL announces the launch of the NFL Draft Innovation Challenge, a new crowds...
02/03/2026
The World Teleport Association (WTA) has named Skyline Communications' DataMiner SatOps solution as a finalist for the 2026 Teleport Technology of the Year ...
02/03/2026
Ventum Tech announces a strategic partnership with Pixotope, a real-time graphic...
02/03/2026
Victory , a free, ad-supported sports streaming service, announces the launch of...
02/03/2026
Global powerhouse Delta Goodrem to represent Australia at this year's Eurovi...
02/03/2026
SBS brings together prominent voices to discuss rising social division and seek ...
02/03/2026
NITV Unveils Wednesday Night Sport Night
Media releases
A Midweek Hub for Blak Sport
Flagship NRL program Over The Black Dot moves to Wednesdays at 9:30pm
...
02/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates FR1-FR3 carrier aggregation, advancing 6G readiness Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have reached another pivotal ...
02/03/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., March 2, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) today announc...
02/03/2026
Harvey Norman tops New Zealand's biggest ad spenders as retail leads and telcos and beverages sure Auckland March 3, 2026 - Nielsen's New Zealand'...
02/03/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, and Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, A...
02/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, has appointed Jody Boatwright as Chief Strategy Of...
02/03/2026
Lightware, an industry leader in signal management, is reinforcing its commitment to simplifying complex AV environments with the continued evolution of its TPN...
02/03/2026
ZEISS Cinema opens its doors to an exclusive screening, filmmakers Q&A and hands-on showcase of the new ZEISS Aatma lens family on Tuesday, March 10, 6:00-9:00 ...
02/03/2026
To expand the creative potential of the compact Astera QuikBeam, DoPchoice introduces the SNAPBAG Round. The new light-shaping accessory transforms the powerfu...
02/03/2026
Douglas Dubler
On a rooftop in New York City, veteran photographer Douglas Dubler watched the sun's angle shift across the urban landscape, his internal cl...
02/03/2026
ZEISS is expanding its Otus ML lens family with the introduction of the new ZEISS Otus ML 1.4/35. This manual-focus lens is designed for photographers who live ...
02/03/2026
Matthews Studio Equipment now offers the new Dinkum Systems White FlexiMount and Phone Mount Kit, a compact, highly adaptable setup for mobile content creation...
02/03/2026
Luxembourg, February 26, 2026 - SES and Africa Mobile Network (AMN) have expande...
02/03/2026
02 03 2026 - Media release Ausfilm and Screen Australia launch joint UK market initiative
Ausfilm and Screen Australia have announced Partner with Australia (...
02/03/2026
Monday 2 March 2026
Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team
L-R: Jonno Johnson; Charlie Skelton; Celya AB; Omar Badawy; Gr inne Maguire; Laura Claxton; ...
02/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Trailer for 53 Sundays, the New Film by Cesc Gay
Entertainment
02 March 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Dis...
28/02/2026
With two features seen in Formula 1 coverage, the broadcaster aims to bring view...
28/02/2026
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addresses a crowd of approximately 1,500 L3Harris employees in Camden, Arkansas, as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour....
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Berklee Presents Mambo Mania: Eguie Castrillo and the Berklee All-Stars Big Band...
28/02/2026
Berklee Announces Two New Summer Programs in Los Angeles The Berklee Music Business Program and Electronic Music Production and Sound Design Workshop bring imme...
28/02/2026
AI-RAN is moving from lab to field, showing that a software-defined approach is ...
28/02/2026
Autonomous networks - intelligent, self-managing telecommunications operations -...
28/02/2026
Back to All News
Final Trailer for BEASTARS Final Season Part 2' Roars Tow...
28/02/2026
New way to intentionally discover molecular glues could expand drug discovery Scripps Research scientists and colleagues show how drugs that eliminate certain d...
27/02/2026
The E.W. Scripps Company names Oliver Gray as Vice President, Network Sports and...
27/02/2026
The Gotham Sports App, the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home of MSG Networks and the YES Network, is now available for purchase through Prime Video fo...
27/02/2026
ESPN and the Horizon League announce a new multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement, continuing a 38-year collaboration that began with the 1988 Midwes...
27/02/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, NETGEAR will highlight its new switch models and major updates to its Engage Controller software. The company's network d...
27/02/2026
Riedel Communications announces that Fondazione Teatro alla Scala has deployed a...
27/02/2026
Lyuno specializes in media localization, including translation, dubbing, subtitling, and voice-over services for a wide array of entertainment content. The comp...
27/02/2026
Chyron Weather 2.3, the latest edition of Chyron's weather visualization suite for broadcasters and meteorologists, recently launched.
The release includes...
27/02/2026
Telestream, which concentrates in media workflow technologies, announces expanded practical AI enhancements across its Vantage, Vantage Cloud, EDC, Stanza, and ...
ARLINGTON, Texas - February 2015 -- ESPN's CFP Megacast, a record-breaking simulcast of the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship across multiple ESPN networks and services, included a natural sound feed to ESPN Classic produced using a DiGiCo SD9 digital audio mixing console. The audio for ESPN Classic's telecast including performances by the Oregon and Ohio State marching bands, Aloe Blacc singing America the Beautiful, and Lady Antebellum performing The Star-Spangled Banner was drawn from more than 100 microphones positioned throughout the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and was mixed by Buckeye, Arizona-based freelance audio mixer Jason Blood of Happy Helmet Productions, Inc.
