XFL Kickoff: ESPN Is All About Inside Access on the Field, in the Locker Room The XFL package also marks the debut of NEP's new Supershooter 9 mobile unit By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Friday, February 7, 2020 - 2:09 pm
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A new era of pro football kicks off this weekend when the XFL opens its inaugural season with a quartet of games on ABC, ESPN, and Fox. The XFL is looking to differentiate its on-air product from more-traditional NFL and college-football broadcasts in three ways: a faster pace, more big plays, and plenty of inside access for viewers. With that in mind, the league has granted ESPN, which will combine with ABC to carry a 22-game slate this season, unprecedented access both on the field and behind the scenes.
ESPN and the XFL will bring a whole new feel to football coverage this weekend
ESPN's XFL productions will feature RF cameras on the field and more-liberal use of the Skycam during the huddle; access inside locker rooms during halftime; live audio from coaches, players, and officials during the game; in-game interviews with coaches and players on the sidelines; and more.
I think what's going to make this product unique is the audio access and the access that our cameras will have to make [viewers] feel like they are truly part of each play, says ESPN Operations Manager Dick Mullen. We're not reinventing [football coverage], but we are excited about these little tweaks that are going to make the game more intimate, with more access to players and coaches, make it quicker with less dead time between plays, and give people an inside look that they're just not going to see elsewhere.
New Trucks for a New League: NEP's Supershooter 9, MTVG's 46FLEX
ESPN will have the luxury of working out of two brand-new mobile units for this XFL season: NEP's Supershooter 9, which is making its maiden voyage this weekend (check sportsvideo.org for a full story on the new truck), and Mobile TV Group's 46FLEX, which debuted for the NFL on Fox last season and is making its first appearance for ESPN. Both trucks are IP-based, with Supershooter 9 (working ESPN's Saturday games) featuring a Lawo/Arista IP router and 46FLEX (working ESPN's Sunday game) based on an Evertz EXE IP router.
NEP's new IP-based Supershooter 9 is making its maiden voyage with the start of the XFL season.
One of the main factors in deciding which trucks we were going to go with was the fact that both trucks are IP-based trucks, says ESPN Remote Operations Specialist Brian Ristine. That allows us to take a brand-new product in the XFL and bring it into the most current and cutting-edge technology. You have the opportunity for growth with IP, and you break the proverbial barrier that you had with traditional baseband infrastructures. It allows you to remain flexible, and it leaves a large potential for expansion in the future.
All of ESPN productions (as well as Fox Sport) will be in 1080p, and both the Saturday and Sunday games will have nearly identical equipment levels.
Internally at ESPN, says Ristine, we've been trying to migrate as many of our properties to 1080p as possible, and, since this is a fresh start for the XFL, we made the effort to bring it to 1080p right from the beginning. We also are treating both games with the same equipment and facilities levels, rather than as an A and B game. The only major difference between the two games is going to be the production teams.
Camera Coverage: RF Handhelds, Skycam Go Inside the Game
In terms of the camera complement, ESPN will deploy traditional positions for game coverage, including three mid-level game cameras, a low- and high-end zone, a cat camera, a cabled handheld, and a Skycam wired aerial system. However, the coverage will stray from the traditional football-coverage philosophy with a pair of wireless RF cameras (provided by CP Communications) that will have unlimited access to the field of play, the sidelines, and the locker rooms.
The RF cameras are going to be very heavily relied on, says ESPN Associate Operations Manager Leigh Michaud. We are going to be able to go right onto the field of play, into the coach's box, into the locker rooms, and be able to do interviews with players and coaches during the game. I think that a lot of our most unique looks are going to come from those handheld cameras.
ESPN had two full test games to serve as a rehearsal for live XFL broadcasts in Houston last month.
ESPN will also have unmanned cameras in the coach's booth and in the officials' replay booth.
ESPN will deploy a Skycam just as it does for Monday Night Football and its top college football games. However, the XFL is expected to grant the camera much more freedom to traverse the field before and after the play compared with the NFL and college.
In terms of the Skycam, some of the things that are verboten with almost any other football league will be welcomed in the XFL, says Mullen. Traditionally, on an NFL or college football game, the Skycam can't get too close to a huddle or to a player. But, with the XFL, we expect to see the Skycam getting down low and hanging right over the top of that huddle to get a better look at what's going on in there.
ESPN's creative-services team has also built a brand-new graphics package for the ABC/ESPN coverage, and longtime partner SMT will provide the 1st-and-Ten Line virtual-graphic system, which will be available on Cameras 1, 2, 3, and 4 (it will not be available on the Skycam).
Audio Coverage: Coach Comms, Player Mics, and Inside the Replay Booth
In addition to more freedom for the cameras, ESPN will have access to plenty of behind-the-scenes audio from coaches and players for its broadcasts.
What's really exciting about XFL is the access they're allowing us to
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XFL Kickoff: ESPN Is All About Inside Access on the Field, in the Locker Room The XFL package also marks the debut of NEP's new Supershooter 9 mobile unit By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
