NBC Sports Reflects Lessons Learned During Project Restart for Upcoming Premier League Fixtures The broadcaster is continuing its enhanced crowd audio, COVID-19 safety guidelines By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 - 11:50 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The U.S. has celebrated the first weekend of NFL football since February, but another kind of football also occupied the minds of Americans. Fans flocked to their television sets for a full slate of Premier League fixtures on NBC Sports, and the production crew responsible for these matches is moving forward with valuable information gathered during Project Restart.
I think it's important to recognize the success of Project Restart both on and off the pitch, says NBC Sports Coordinating Producer Pierre Moossa. As we look towards the 2020-21 season, we want to build on that success and momentum.
Soundtrack of the Game: Enhanced Audio Rolls Over to 2020-21 Campaign In June, when last year's schedule resumed, NBC Sports decided to implement enhanced audio to all games on linear television. With stands and pitches still at zero audience, the network is committed to using fake atmospheric noise for fans watching at home.
It's a continuation of the production plans and workflows [from Project Restart], notes Moossa. Our audio offerings will include added sound effects. When technically possible, we will offer the option for natural sounds on our digital platform.
Unlike the U.S., the UK has considered bringing fans back to stadiums later in the season. Some reports suggest a return as early as Oct. 1, but Brighton & Hove Albion participated in a pilot program that allowed roughly 2,500 supporters into their preseason friendly against Chelsea. With the prospect of fans onsite making natural noise, Moossa is more than excited to reflect their energy in the broadcast.
Fans are such a huge part of the fabric of the Premier League, he continues. They are the soundtrack of a football match, so we miss their involvement in the viewing experience.
Safe and Secure Facility: Stamford Crew To Maintain COVID-19 Guidelines Although health and safety protocols were a new concept for the production team to deal with after the resumption of the season, the guidelines will still be in place at the Sports Production Operations Center in Stamford, CT.
The most important lesson [that we learned] is the support from NBC's health and safety team to be able to put us in a safe working environment and to allow us to be able to do our jobs, albeit in a different way, says Moossa. When you're facing challenges, it's awesome to see the production and technical teams rise to the occasion.
For anyone who will be in the facility, extensive measures like one-way traffic and separate workspaces will still be enforced. To limit potential cross-contamination and to unclutter this enclosed area, Moossa and company will continue to rely on remote-production workflows from offsite locations.
Most of us are learning new ways of working, he adds. Ultimately, every part of this new workflow has worked out well.
Bird Is the Word: Network Shifts 175 Exclusive Matches to Peacock Launched July 15, the broadcaster's new Peacock steaming service will play a vital role in coverage of the Premier League. With Premier League Pass folded into the new platform, 175 exclusive matches and 1,500 hours of programming will be consumed this season. New to the digital outlet will be Premier League TV, a 24/7, fully dedicated channel for the most avid of fans of The Beautiful Game.
Besides the virtual channel, there will be original, topical, and timeless content, like Premier League Review and Preview, Fan Zone, and more, says Moossa. [Peacock] will also be the home to all 380 on-demand matches, as well as classic matches.
With the freedom of this new avenue for content, the production team is able to push the normal time constraints of linear television. If the subject warrants an extra minute or two, fewer commercial obligations allow more room to work with.
When the match is over, he explains, there's no time constraint for getting off the air. If necessary, Goal Zone can go over the allotted time, especially if there's breaking news or something we want to get into.
New Face, Familiar Place: Tim Howard Returns in Full-Time Broadcasting Role Coming into this season, Premier League Mornings will look a little different. With the departure of Kyle Martino, Tim Howard will join the broadcasting ranks on a full-time basis.
I got my start in television [at NBC Sports] , he says, so I share in the excitement and am delighted to be back here.
The former goalkeeper for the U.S. Men's National Team and Everton made his debut on the network in 2013 during a call of Manchester United-Chelsea. Now that he has officially hung up the boots, the production team is looking forward to spicing up the pre/postgame and halftime coverage with his playing expertise.
He will be able to explain to us whether or not a goalkeeper really is at fault [for a mistake], says host Rebecca Lowe. We all have our own opinions, but we've never stood between the sticks. To have that chance to find out once and for all whether conceding a goal to the near post from 20 yards out is actually a terrible error is the perspective I think viewers haven't had and you can't have unless you have a top-of-the-line former keeper in the studio.
To round out the Premier League Mornings team, Lowe and Howard will be joined by the Robbies: Robbie Mustoe and Robbie Earle. In the UK, play-by-play announcer Arlo White and analysts Lee Dixon and Graeme Le Saux will call the action from the gantry.
Week 2 of NBC Sports' coverage of the Premier League begins with Everton vs. West Bromwich
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Deepens Partnership with Taiwan's 62nd Golden Hors...
25/11/2025
Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, an investigative journalist from Kenya is the winner of the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2025.
The 26-year-old-sele...
25/11/2025
SVG All-Stars: Blayke Scheer, Senior Director, Creative Content, YES NetworkThe Indiana alum has turned storytelling into an artform for more than two decadesBy...
25/11/2025
Op-Ed: With FCC's C-Band Auction on the Horizon, Broadcasters Need Proven, C...
25/11/2025
Analysis: Is Baller League really the future of sport? By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:10
Print This Story
With KSI on...
25/11/2025
Platinum Whitepaper: The Growth of Broadcast in the World of Major Large Scale E...
25/11/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: SVG Women's Sports WorkshopBy Samantha Gabay
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:27 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlig...
25/11/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: CacheFly's Matt Levine on the Evolving Role of th...
25/11/2025
Peacock's EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast Levels Up on Thanksgiving With SkyCam as...
25/11/2025
Mathias Broe attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Sauna at Library Center Theatre. (Photo by Michael Hurcomb/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Fes...
25/11/2025
The best playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks bring a little extra magic to your daily routine. With new features and offerings, Spotify Premium delivers even mo...
25/11/2025
Comprehensive new research confirms what we already knew: Australian music fans love the quality, quantity, and access they have to new and local music on strea...
25/11/2025
Applicable Products
Objectives The purpose of this application note is to give a brief background on 5G (NR) wireless communication an explain the reason a SN...
25/11/2025
Nielsen will now measure both Lionsgate's FAST channel MovieSphere and Movie...
25/11/2025
FREMONT, Calif. Blackmagic Design said the Associated Press has completed the transition of its global video-editing platform to DaVinci Resolve Studio....
25/11/2025
Berklees Inaugural Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole Scholarship Awarded to Paris P...
25/11/2025
NEW YORK NFL and college football coverage, the MLB postseason and the new fall broadcast-TV season contributed to major gains for traditional media companies a...
25/11/2025
SAUGERTIES, N.Y. Tower Products, a manufacturer and distributor of pro video and audio equipment here, said President and CEO Jim Veltrie will retire from the c...
25/11/2025
Following last week's disclosure that it had acquired a 8.2% stake in E.W. Scripps, Sinclair has filed papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission pr...
25/11/2025
25 Nov 2025
VEON's QazCode and MeetKai Sign Agreement to Power National LLM...
25/11/2025
UKTV has acquired a high-profile slate of US dramas from Paramount Global Conten...
25/11/2025
A symphony of genius, rivalry and vengeance, boldly reimagined from Peter Shaffe...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Cinematography World
Read the article
FilmLight has finalised the prestigious 2025 FilmLight Colour Awards jury and welcomed award-winning...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Prensario
Read the article
La serie fue dirigida por Juli n de Tavira, Rodrigo Santos, y David Leche Ruiz, con direcci n de fotograf a a...
NBC Sports Reflects Lessons Learned During Project Restart for Upcoming Premier League Fixtures The broadcaster is continuing its enhanced crowd audio, COVID-19 safety guidelines By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor 
