
Unrivaled Revealed, Part 1: At Mediapro Facility, TNT Sports Operations Team Devises Agile Production, Tech Plan for Startup League Dedicated space, high-quality gear create a sandbox for experimentation By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Friday, January 17, 2025 - 2:01 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Unrivaled, the long-awaited professional 3-on-3 women's basketball league, officially tips off its inaugural season this evening with a doubleheader on TNT. From Mediapro's customized facility in Miami, TNT Sports will broadcast the thrice-weekly, eight-week-long schedule with the production and tech firepower of its South Florida host and thorough planning by the young organization.
The new Unrivaled 3-on3 women's hoops league will be played in Mediapro's facility in Miami.
Our role is to support these games as a broadcast partner but have our studio-content and production teams collaborate with Unrivaled's collective vision, says Chris Brown, VP, technology and operations, TNT Sports. It has been a lot of fun because, anytime you get to do something that has never been done before, it's exciting to build it from the ground up.
CLICK HERE for Part 2 of our two-part series on Unrivaled, focused on TNT Sports' studio show productions.
Doing the Homework: Unrivaled Relies on Mediapro, TNT Sports To Realize Its Vision Many things make the brand-new league noteworthy and special. From a societal perspective, Unrivaled will provide equity in a way that international leagues cannot guarantee. For example, all players will receive a six-figure salary, operate in a communal setting alongside other top players of the sport, and have a significant say in how the competition is presented to viewers. From a broadcast perspective, Unrivaled's choice to roll with the production expertise and tech capabilities of Mediapro offers the possibility of an engaging televised product polished by the battle-hardened experience of TNT Sports. Although it's the league's first year, all business decisions are being made by seasoned executives, including EVP, Broadcast and Production, Matt Miller, and Tech Director Petro Mnych.
Unrivaled definitely did their homework, says Brown. Their consultants and the individuals that they work with have ties within the NBA, so they're bringing a lot of those ideas to the table.
These ideas, rooted in innovation and the commitment to producing the best product possible, are seeping into the technology and workflows that fans will see immediately in the first game. The 12-camera complement, for example, will include two above-the-rim POVs, a roaming RF handheld, and, most notably, a court-length RailCam and aerial drone. The drone is an Unrivaled-owned device and will fly, like other drones used inside, above the playing surface during stoppages in play. The RailCam will travel along the court at ankle height to showcase the action on the floor. Off the court, access will be a priority.
Providing unprecedented access will be key to this league, says Brown. We're going to do our best to leverage elements like live microphones [on a delay] throughout the broadcast. It's going to be a crawl, walk, run approach as we sort out what this product is going to be.
A new league wouldn't be complete without a reimagined on-air look, and TNT Sports' creative department has been hard at work translating the league's color pattern and logos into an eye-catching graphics package. There are elements that are going to be new and will incorporate the look that the league has created, he says. You're also going to see some traditional TNT Sports elements displayed in a way that's easily digestible for the fans.
Nimble Environment: Miami Facility Allows Crew To Adjust Tech Infrastructure TNT Sports' crawl, walk, run mentality is commonplace in producing games of a new league, but another factor particularly makes this a viable approach: the broadcast-centric venue. The nearly 130,000 sq. ft. facility offers players all the creature comforts, but, for the production and operations team, it's a playground for experimenting with both gear and concepts. Scrimmages and rehearsals during the week enabled the broadcaster not only to time out its studio programming but also to line up desirable shots, understand how this game translates in real time, and finalize what will make it to the first broadcast and what will not.
Unrivaled's opening night will tip off tonight with two games on TNT.
We have a plan of what we think we're going to do, Brown notes, and then there's going to be what actually happens once they tip off and the season begins. We have a very short amount of time to do this, with the season being eight weeks, but this tech-friendly sandbox is going to allow us to change things quickly. For instance, we can see something on Friday and have something else in its place by Monday.
With the added wrinkle of 3-on-3 basketball, the court will be much smaller than a conventional court. This will prevent injuries and provide a tighter space for the players to show off their speed and athleticism. The scale permits use of fewer game cameras but also causes unique issues for some pieces of technology.
With the court being so small and the game being so fast, Brown explains, the question is whether the RailCam is going to able to capture gameplay. Working with Unrivaled, we'll be able to make decisions that are going to create a better viewing experience.
Content Pipeline: Mediapro Facility Links to TNT Sports' Techwood in Atlanta Because the entire 45-game regular season - plus a three-day 1-on-1 tournament with a minimum payday of $250,000 in mid February - takes place in one location, the broadcast compound will be quite light. Mediapro
North America Stories
16/07/2026
This recent graduate and Georgia native has turned an early fascination with live production into a growing passion for camera work
In the live-sports-video in...
16/07/2026
TNDV is marking the first anniversary of Aspiration 35, a mobile production truck built around ARRI Alexa 35 Live camera systems. Over its first year, the truck...
16/07/2026
ATSC has completed a major revision to its A/85 Recommended Practice: Techniques...
16/07/2026
FloSports has announced an exclusive global media partnership with CrossFit for the 2026 CrossFit Games, presented by Air National Guard, beginning July 21 in S...
16/07/2026
Sennheiser has released firmware version 1.4 for its Spectera wireless system and announced the Spectera Command Button (Cat. No. 701014). The update adds comma...
16/07/2026
ESPN and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) have announced a multi-year...
16/07/2026
Audio-Technica has announced the 20 Series Control Application, a Stream Deck plug-in for compatible Audio-Technica USB microphones. The application is compatib...
16/07/2026
The fifteenth season of The Voice - La plus belle voix on TF1 used four Solid St...
16/07/2026
Gray Media and the Atlanta Hawks have announced a broadcast partnership that wil...
16/07/2026
Season 3 of Netflix's docuseries, which dropped this week, follows Jayden Da...
16/07/2026
The Texas Rangers and Rangers Sports Network presented by Progressive (RSN) have announced BZZR as the new direct-to-consumer distributor for Rangers game broad...
16/07/2026
With England's FIFA World Cup 2026 team getting ready to fly home after losi...
16/07/2026
In a return to Royal Birkdale, the team enjoys partnering with ETP and Gravity M...
16/07/2026
Along with a new studio at Ball Arena, the Colorado-based RSN is working with XR...
16/07/2026
Austria was back at the World Cup for the first time in 28 years, and the team d...
16/07/2026
With 42 RF cameras and high-power radio mics deployed, the spectrum environment ...
16/07/2026
June brought stabilization to the television market. Poles spent an average of 3 hours and 36 minutes a day in front of their TV screens exactly the same as i...
16/07/2026
Glensound returns to IBC with a major new addition to its intelligent loudspeaker range, the Greater Divine Supernal studio monitor, alongside recent developmen...
16/07/2026
33 leading exhibitors are taking part in the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Pavilions and linked locations across IBC2026 (Amsterdam RAI, 11 14 September)...
16/07/2026
Hitomi Broadcast will introduce Spectra, a new HDR colour verification solution measured in picture, not using VPID, at IBC2026 (Hall 10, Stand A40). Expanding ...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) today announced a strategic new integration to deliver ...
16/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Immersive Flight for New Cirrus App
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Leader in Personal Aviation taps URSA Cin...
16/07/2026
XenData Announces LTO Archive Appliances with both File and S3 Object Storage In...
16/07/2026
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is coming to GeForce NOW at launch, with the playable...
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...