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
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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
