
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
10/09/2026
Duff Foreman is an AI-generated announcer who will add color to this month's New Mexico Open...
10/09/2026
Bitmovin is rolling out Encoder Version 3, the next major release of the technology behind its VOD and Live Encoders. Version 3 is built on a premise every stre...
10/09/2026
At IBC2026, on booth 1.B47, Net Insight will showcase Open Live Media, its architecture for delivering resilient live media services across networks, partners, ...
10/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and Scripps Sports have announced a national broadcast rights agreement for the 2026-27 season, a landmark par...
10/09/2026
The Trusted Partner Network (TPN), the global content security initiative powere...
10/09/2026
The NFL is launching its most expansive creator programming yet, bringing togeth...
10/09/2026
Sportsnet is set to deliver its biggest hockey season ever with a national sched...
10/09/2026
LiveU is now a Clarus Integrated Reseller, bringing Starlink's fast, reliabl...
10/09/2026
Mimir is the cloud-native media production platform built for teams that need to move media fast across live, archive, web, social, and broadcast workflows. At ...
10/09/2026
ATSC is being honored with a 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy Award by the Nat...
10/09/2026
Audio-Technica has introduced the BP880R Contact Transducer, a specialized micro...
10/09/2026
TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA, today announced multiyear U.S. media rights agreements with ESPN and Scripps Sports/ION to bring WTGL, the new women...
10/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) in partnership with Major League Baseball and the Pit...
10/09/2026
Tennis Channel announced today its launch as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel.
Tennis Channel offers viewers a single home for Tennis Channel and Ten...
10/09/2026
Dolby has announced major updates to Dolby OptiView, its live sports platform, ahead of IBC 2026. The updates include new AI-powered intelligence to better unde...
10/09/2026
Dalet has appointed Brian Doheny as CEO. Doheny joined Dalet as President and Chief Revenue Officer in April 2026. Since joining Dalet, Doheny has led the compa...
10/09/2026
Sony, as well as its partner company Nevion, is starting IBC 2026 with a handful of announcements for attendees to see on the show floor.
Sony Announces the 4t...
10/09/2026
The six-year-old venue is expanding capabilities for NFL action, Super Bowl LXI, 2028 Summer Olympics
SoFi Stadium, as well as the surrounding area known as Ho...
10/09/2026
France launch follows UK and Germany as Nielsen expands product across EMEA
Paris, France, September 10, 2026 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measuremen...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Leading professional audio manufacturers NUGEN Audio, RTW, Steinberg and Telos Alliance have joined forces with Fraunhofer IDMT to establish a common approach t...
10/09/2026
Built Into Setplex's Zapflex Platform, AI Insider Turns Video Service Data Into Actionable Insights
Setplex today introduced AI Insider, a breakthrough new...
10/09/2026
Managed service changes dialogue without actor-specific training or facial rigging while preserving the original performance and fitting established post-produc...
10/09/2026
The ACT Entertainment tvONE and Green Hippo Pixel Academy has released its autumn course schedule, with hands-on training dates in September, October and Novemb...
10/09/2026
Orange Polska continues to Rely on Viaccess-Orca for Secure TV Services and the Next Phase of its Technology Evolution
Viaccess-Orca (VO), a global leader in T...
10/09/2026
Generate and create directly in your timeline with new AI-powered innovations in...
10/09/2026
Tedial is introducing Media Business Hub (MBH) at IBC 2026, a new business enablement platform designed to help media organizations unlock the full value of the...
10/09/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will unveil the next phase of its transformation at IBC2026 with a preview...
10/09/2026
Fabric Data and TMT Insights today announced that the two companies are combining to create Fabric Insights, uniting authoritative data, purpose-built software,...
10/09/2026
Operative, the preferred advertising and broadcast management provider for the world's leading media brands, today announced a comprehensive slate of new pr...
10/09/2026
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, has announced the launch of its latest range of handheld signal generation, analysis and monitoring ...
10/09/2026
The partnership begins with native Zixi protocol support on the Kiloview D350 and will extend to deeper product integration and joint go-to-market initiatives
...
10/09/2026
Avid and FilmLight announce strategic partnership to reimagine the color pipelin...
10/09/2026
Maxon Brings Exclusive Preview of Fall Innovations to IBC2026
Brie Clayton September 10, 2026
0 Comments
IBC attendees will get the first look at new ...
10/09/2026
Puget Systems Launches Built Different by Puget Systems, A New Podcast That Go...
10/09/2026
Three Boston Conservatory Dance Alums Honored for Their Early-Career Promise India Hobbs and Demetrius Lee received Princess Grace Awards, while Lilly David t...
10/09/2026
MonoNeon Returns to Berklee to Kick Off Signature Series The Grammy-winning bassist and alumnus performs with students and faculty from the Planet MicroJam In...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Gear up: The latest PC games and major updates are ready to play on GeForce NOW ...
10/09/2026
AI inference chipmaker d-Matrix today announced it will use NVIDIA NVLink Fusion to connect its next-generation Raptor XPUs to NVIDIA's AI infrastructure pl...
09/09/2026
Sony Electronics has announced the SEL814G, the company's first fisheye zoom G Lens for full-frame Alpha E-mount cameras. The lens will be available in Octo...
09/09/2026
Telestream has announced an expansion of its Practical AI capabilities across th...
09/09/2026
Haivision and Chyron have announced a technology partnership integrating Haivisi...
09/09/2026
Omaha Productions has released ManningCast: Heist, a short film featuring Peyton and Eli Manning attempting to break into NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's o...
09/09/2026
Imagine Communications will demonstrate the next evolution of XVR at IBC2026 (Stand 1.B73, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14).
XVR is Imagine's channel-in-a-b...
09/09/2026
swXtch.io has announced abbe, an AI-based orchestration layer for live media workflows, making its world premiere at IBC2026 (Meeting Room 5.MR13, Hall 5, Septe...