EURO 2020: ESPN Infuses Geography Into Tech-Heavy Bristol-based Studio Sets After COVID scuttled plans for onsite studio presence, ESPN makes most of space at home campus By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Monday, June 14, 2021 - 4:08 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
These events are not for the faint of heart.
Words drenched in truth from ESPN VP, Production, Amy Rosenfeld, a sports-television veteran who has been here before.
ESPN's studio coverage of the 2020 UEFA European Football Championships are anchored from space at the broadcaster's Bristol campus. (Photo: ESPN)
Be it World Cups, European championships, or other mammoth events, Rosenfeld and much of the crew working ESPN's coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship, which kicked off this past Friday, know what it takes to produce an event of this size, length, and global significance.
This marks the fourth straight year (following 2008, 2012, and 2016) that ESPN networks and ABC have carried the month-long competition in the U.S., presenting all 51 matches (140 combined hours of live coverage) of the UEFA European Football Championship 2020.
Although the matches themselves are produced by UEFA's host broadcasters, ESPN is supplementing the coverage in a big way despite COVID protocols that limit its ability to be onsite as much as the broadcaster would like. ESPN will have its own on-air talent and host a substantial studio presence originating from its home campus in Bristol, CT.
Anyone who has ever worked an event of this size and scope (a FIFA men's or women's World Cup or an Olympic Games, for example) knows the sheer fortitude it takes to be a part of the crew. ESPN behind-the-scenes staffers are working nearly 12-hour days during the Group Stage, arriving for their first production meeting of the day at 5 a.m. ET.
I don't think people really recognize the kind of marathon it is, says Rosenfeld. What I think is so critical is, it's one team. Regardless of what department you come from - ops, directing, a technical position, catering, whatever - it is just the Euros team. I have found over the years that, as hard as this is, when you feel like you are part of the team, everyone is really pulling together. I think that does carry you through what is the worst grind that anyone can do in television, an event like this.
A secondary set allows talent to be socially distanced in a conversational setting for between-match discussion. (Photo: ESPN)
Obviously, this event was supposed to be held a year ago but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus, in fact, is still ravaging the tournament, with certain venues hosting only a limited number of fans, some matches relocated due to full lockdowns, and multiple teams having players test positive for the virus. As a result, ESPN, which has a rich history of a strong onsite studio presence in broadcasting events like the FIFA World Cup and the Euros, has instead needed to make the most of its facilities in Bristol.
The studio is built with social distancing in mind. The primary desk is large and wide, with space for three on-air personalities. A secondary set, for more-casual conversations and analyses, features individual chairs for talent spaced apart.
Adjusting the space for safety was a challenge because the studio used was, naturally, not designed to meet distancing guidelines. According to ESPN director Steve Zawilinski, who helps oversee much of the broadcaster's studio efforts in Bristol, that meant moving traditional spots for monitors and rethinking the positioning of crossbeams that might be hidden in a typical design.
In true ESPN fashion, he says, nobody will be able to tell that this is a set that they've seen on-air before. We were able to completely retrofit it. It is gorgeous.
One of the tech highlights of this studio space is a virtual depth monitor paired with the room's largest LED screen. According to Zawilinski, the studio crew is able to create a virtual environment within the monitor, producing what looks like 3D space to the viewer. The camera assigned to it can move around the content on the LED screen.
A large LED wall on the set will dsplay 3D graphics via a virtual set monitor. (Photo: ESPN)
For example, the studio team is attempting to deliver that sense of geography lost in not being onsite, making the map of Europe a centerpiece of its graphics package. Free movement in and around that map is a key storytelling item in the multi-city event's transition from venue to venue.
Also, the technology allows on-air talent to break down plays in the format, with a field of play traversed in a 3D environment.
We said, How do we utilize this giant monitor in a way that no one has ever seen before?' says Zawilinski. We challenged our virtual team, and it's just incredible. The Creative Services team just went above and beyond. I think this is one of our advantages of [deploying] some of the technology that we have in Bristol that we wouldn't have if we were onsite.
All match telecasts are getting the full pre/postgame and halftime studio treatment across the ESPN family of networks. EURO Today airs between matches throughout the tournament; EURO Tonight, on match days after the last match of the day.
The reason this looks so great and the reason this is going to be excellent is the cumulative years of this group, says Rosenfeld. World Cups, Euros - the reason this is all successful is the bond of this group. [ESPN Senior Remote Operations Specialist Claude Phipps] was there when we had generators that were failing in Brazil and we were 48 hours to air. We had the rioting in France that went to our host set. It's this group [that is] why it looks so beautiful. We know each other; we trust each other.
ESPN's co
North America Stories
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
Coronal mass ejections caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun can have fa...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
04/12/2025
Lightware, a global specialist in AV connectivity, is looking back on a year defined by new advancements, strong collaboration and continued growth. Across the ...
04/12/2025
Riedel Communications today announced a new partnership with Haivision, a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual col...
04/12/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) and Normann Engineering today announced a major milestone in their strategic collaboration, celebrating 20 successful broadband deployme...
04/12/2025
Creative software developer Foundry today announced Mari 7.5, the latest iteration of its artist-friendly paint toolset that can handle large, detailed assets w...
04/12/2025
Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a leading provider of wireless audio solutions and RF management, was on site at Dreamforce 2025 in San Francisco providing...
04/12/2025
LTN's purpose-built IP video network brings all-movie diginet to over 100 stations and streaming platforms in just three months while eliminating satellite ...
04/12/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with ThinkAnalytics, the global leader in AI-powered data a...
04/12/2025
The HELM, a global expert in cinematic live broadcast and high-end production workflows, has signed a partnership agreement with Keslow Camera, one of North Ame...
04/12/2025
At ISE 2026, LiveU will showcase its expanded IP-video EcoSystem, enabling broadcasters, sports, production companies and pro-AV professionals to share their st...
04/12/2025
Since the beginning of commercial television, advertising has been a key part of broadcasting. Over the years, the technology for inserting ads into programs ha...
04/12/2025
MUNICH and MILAN Warner Bros. Discovery said HBO Max is expanding into Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein on Jan. 13, 2026, and ...
EURO 2020: ESPN Infuses Geography Into Tech-Heavy Bristol-based Studio Sets After COVID scuttled plans for onsite studio presence, ESPN makes most of space at home campus By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
