SVG Sit-Down: CBS Sports' Kimani Morales on Pushing the Analytics Envelope With ShotQuality College-Hoops Broadcast The aim is to provide familiar concepts in more visually appealing, easier-to-understand way' By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Thursday, February 9, 2023 - 1:09 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Having launched the analytics-driven Beyond the Box Score series two years ago, CBS Sports continues to innovate on the shot-tracking front. On Tuesday, the broadcaster deployed computer vision using ShotQuality technology to provide analysis of the expected field-goal percentage of shots taken in the Dayton-VCU college basketball game.
Prior to the game, SVG sat down with CBS Sports producer Kimani Morales, who co-produced the game alongside James Peretzman, to discuss how analytics-focused storytelling differs from traditional telecasts, how far the technology has come, and where he sees this type of broadcast headed in the coming years.
.@DaytonMBB @VCU_Hoops starts NOW, with an analytics focus using @Shot_Quality technology. pic.twitter.com/oIVFKgsnRv
CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) February 8, 2023
Tell us about the ShotQuality technology being used for this broadcast. What data does it provide? How will it be integrated into the CBS broadcast?
ShotQuality uses computer-vision technology to give us player-tracking data - notably, the precise location of players on the floor. [It has] an algorithm based on tons of variables that give us the percent chance of each shot going in during the game. We'll use this ShotQuality FG Pct on individual shots throughout the telecast to help with the age-old shot-selection debate on whether a particular shot was good, okay, or terrible.
We're also very excited to feature a live ShotQuality score at certain times in the game. Based purely on the quality of shots and possessions each team has, the SQ score factors out a lot of the luck and variance to give us what the score of the game should be. If a team gets out to a big lead, the SQ score will tell us if the lead is real or if it's lucky and likely to disappear during the rest of the game. The SQ score is calculated by adding up the expected score on every possession based on shot and possession quality.
We're using ChyronHego to display the ShotQuality FG Pct on selected replays and packages. The ShotQuality data will also power a bunch of our graphics, so we'll be able to highlight not only the SQ score but things like the expected vs. actual score for each player, the average distance of shot attempts, and how closely each team is contesting shots.
https://twitter.com/CBSSportsCBB/status/1623118868695732224
How will the production operation have to adapt to using ShotQuality, from the perspective of both technical ops and front-bench production philosophy?
From a technical-ops perspective, running tests beforehand to get the ShotQuality data fully integrated into our graphics and setting up and adding the Hego to the show are the biggest adjustments. From a production-philosophy standpoint, the game is one of the biggest this season in the A-10, so we're not trying to take over the telecast or overwhelm the viewer with these concepts. We'll let the evolving storylines of the game be the guide. It may lead us to more-traditional analysis at times, or it may fit with the ShotQuality component.
How will the announcers have to adapt and think differently compared with calling a traditional college-hoops broadcast (and how will you and your director work with them to do so)?
It's an adjustment for the announcers. They have the challenge of clearly and concisely explaining the ShotQuality concept along with all the graphics and video elements that we'll potentially use. The goal is to get to the level where we are clearly conveying why this data is so useful. The way that we explain things is also important. A lot of the concepts we'll be featuring are fun conversation-starters, and we want to present it that way as opposed to a drier lecture-style. Play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy and analyst Chris Walker are experienced announcers well-suited to a unique telecast like this.
Using @Shot_Quality, @TMacPhils and @CWalkerSports break down the first-half shots. pic.twitter.com/SqZGYB7Gfu
CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) February 8, 2023
What do you believe computer-vision/data-heavy technology like this adds to the broadcast? From a production perspective, will you cater the broadcast toward more-hardcore hoops fans?
I think computer-vision/data-heavy technology can add to the telecast in a couple ways. It can help us present concepts we're already familiar with in a more visually appealing and sometimes easier-to-understand way. There is also a huge amount of new data we're being exposed to with this stuff that can spark new ideas and new ways to talk about the game.
Since coaches and players are using this data and technology, we talk to them to hear what is important and how they use it, and we try to bring that to the viewer. We realize that fans in general and younger fans specifically are more educated and want to learn more about the teams and players they follow. While we're not specifically catering the telecast to hardcore hoops fans, hopefully, it will be refreshing for the viewers who have watched VCU or Dayton a few times this year, and they can learn something they wouldn't have heard anywhere else.
ShotQuality technology displays percentage of likely success of a shot by a particular player during a game.
How excited are you to be blazing the trail for analytics-driven storytelling like this? How does it reflect CBS Sports' innovative, forward-thinking approach to sports production?
Very excited. College basketball is evolving. The way these teams,
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
SVG Sit-Down: CBS Sports' Kimani Morales on Pushing the Analytics Envelope With ShotQuality College-Hoops Broadcast The aim is to provide familiar concepts in more visually appealing, easier-to-understand way' By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
