Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

MLB Local Media Hits Its Stride in Year 2 With Diamondbacks, Padres, Rockies Broadcasts

02/04/2024

MLB Local Media Hits Its Stride in Year 2 With Diamondbacks, Padres, Rockies Broadcasts Tech highlights include WireCam, Ump Cam, RF gimbal system, and STATS Insights graphics By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024 - 3:13 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

After taking over San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks broadcasts on the fly in the middle of last season, MLB will also be producing and distributing Colorado Rockies games this season. With last season under its belt, the league's Local Media team is looking to level-up broadcasts for all three teams with a full arsenal of production tools and technological innovations.

The key to the 2024 season has been the ability to plan, says Doug Johnson, SVP/executive producer, local media, MLB. Last year was more about getting our feet under us and ensuring these games were on the air and at a high production level. Now, with a full offseason to prepare, we were able to add things and make changes to the productions where appropriate. [We're] also continuing to build great relationships with the clubs as a partner in all of these broadcasts.

At Colorado Rockies front bench in Arizona for opening series: Producer Alison Vigil (left) and Director Erica Ferrero

Tech Touches: WireCam, Ump Cam, RF Gimbal System DEFY Wire Cam at Chase Field

MLB Local Media has partnered with DEFY Products to add a WireCam system to Petco Park in San Diego, Chase Field in Phoenix, and Coors Field in Denver. At Chase Field and Coors Field, the system runs up and down the third-base line; at Petco, it starts on the first-base line.

We experimented with the WireCam last year and quickly realized what a game-changer it was for our shows, says Johnson. With its versatility, it was like adding five cameras to the show.

MLB Local Media is also working closely with MLB SVP, Broadcasting, Ryan Zander and the broadcasting department to implement Ump Cam in some broadcasts. The Ump Cam made its local-broadcast debut last year with the Diamondbacks, and Johnson hopes to increase its deployment across all three teams' games this year.

It was a huge success, and fans loved it, he says. We are always striving to show the speed and movement of these amazing pitchers, and this look shows you both. The other thing I like is, it replicates the view most kids are used to when they play MLB videogames.

Closeup of WireCam at Chase Field

For home games, all three teams' productions will deploy an enhanced version of the wireless RF DJI Ronin gimbal camera system that debuted last season on Diamondbacks and Padres broadcasts.

We believe this package gives us the same great on-air look as last season with a more intuitive and flexible operating system, says Kendall Burgess, VP, operations, MLB Local Media. Based on the lessons we learned last year and with the engineering guidance of MTVG, we have upgraded several of our camera systems this season.

Working with facilities provider Mobile TV Group and NEP's Fletcher Sports division, Burgess and her team have also upgraded several home-park robotic and PTZ cameras for this season.

All About Access: In-Game Interviews Bring Fans Closer to the Action Like many national and regional broadcasters these days, MLB Local Media is making a concerted effort to work with all three clubs to enhance player access during the game broadcast.

Down-the-wire look of DEFY WireCam at Chase Field

MLB Local Media is working with MTVG to deploy a customized player-mic and IFB package this season. The highlight of the gear is a Q5X PlayerMic that debuted during Spring Training games and will be incorporated throughout the season for all three teams.

Fans crave these kinds of production elements, says Johnson. With increased access, you give more exposure to these great athletes through the biggest megaphone, which is the game broadcast.

For example, Johnson and company are working with the clubs to arrange in-game interviews with the starting pitcher after a good start. It just makes way more sense, he says, to celebrate that start with the pitcher during the highly rated game broadcast versus making fans wait for a postgame show to hear from him. All three of our clubs have been great to work with, and I am looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish this year.

Going Deeper With Data: STAT Insights' and Hot Corner' Graphics; Plus Umps in the Booth Besides its stats provider Sportradar, MLB has partnered with Stats Perform on its STATS Insights platform. All three clubs will have a dedicated Stats Perform statistician on a Slack channel providing deeper statistical insights to the announce booth and the truck. Instead of depending on stats provided before the game, says Johnson, we are able to expound on in-game storylines as they happen in real time.

All three teams' broadcasts also feature new specialty graphics leveraging the STATS Insights platform dubbed the Hot Corner. The graphic, which runs directly off the overall Vizrt graphics systems, slides onto the screen with a chime sound and displays deep statistics and information during the live broadcast. The direction for the Hot Corner is, it is only high-end stats and interesting information when it goes in, says Johnson. When viewers hear that chime, there is a real payoff.

To further provide deeper insights to viewers, Padres broadcasts will offer a new twist with the addition of former MLB Umpire Mike Winters as a rules expert in the booth on selected games. With all the new and exciting changes to the game, says Johnson, it will be great to get an umpire's perspective/analysis live on the air. Based on how this goes, we will look to implement this in all our regions.

New Year, New Look: MLB Network, Local Production Teams Pitch In The overall on-air l
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/04/02/mlb-local-media-hits-its-stride...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

Compact new cforce MAX lens motor brings unrivaled speed and responsiveness to the Hi-5 ecosystem

Compact new cforce MAX lens motor brings unrivaled speed and responsiveness to t...

01/05/2026

Panavision welcomes Fritz Heinzle as Vice President of Sales

Panavision welcomes Fritz Heinzle as Vice President of Sales Brie Clayton May 1, 2026 0 Comments Heinzle will support Panavision's global growth s...

01/05/2026

NAB Hires FCC Staffer Ben Arden as SVP, Deputy General Counsel

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

ARRI Introduces Compact New cforce MAX Lens Motor

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

CPI Media Deploys QuickLink StudioCall

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

FCC Proposes to Amend Audible Crawl Rule to Preserve Accessibility

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

Republican AGs Join Nexstar/Tegna Antitrust Suit

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

Dan Johnson Elevates Precision Editing With NUGEN Audio D...

LONDON, APRIL 30, 2026 The Post Republic London's Re-recording Mixer and Dialogue Editor Dan Johnson has built a reputation for clean, emotionally resonan...

01/05/2026

Adobe Unveils Powerful New Innovations in Photoshop & Lightroom

Adobe Unveils Powerful New Innovations in Photoshop & Lightroom Deepa Subramaniam April 30, 2026 0 Comments Your most tedious creative tasks just got ea...

01/05/2026

Berklee Partners with Santander US to Establish Global Opportunity Fund

Berklee Partners with Santander US to Establish Global Opportunity Fund The $400,000 grant offers students access to experiential learning opportunities withi...

01/05/2026

Student Spotlight: Keziah Thomas

Student Spotlight: Keziah Thomas The Indian composer, who was named the 2026 student commencement speaker for Berklee College of Music, talks about how shes p...

01/05/2026

RT Secures UEFA Champions League Rights from 2027-2031

RT Sport awarded first pick free-to-air on Wednesday nights Champions League and Super Cup finals Highlights on Wednesday nights RT today (Thursday 30 Apri...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

30/04/2026

PWHL Reports Record Growth in Third Regular Season as Playoffs Begin April 30

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) concluded its third regular season on Saturday, reporting growth across attendance, viewership, digital engage...

30/04/2026

NBC Sports Launches National Sunday MLB Coverage Beginning May 3

NBC Sports will air national MLB coverage on Sundays beginning May 3, with MLB Sunday Leadoff on Peacock and NBCSN at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by the debut of th...

30/04/2026

Clear-Com Appoints Brian Grahn and Ben Turnwell to New Roles

Clear-Com has appointed Brian Grahn as Market Outreach Manager of the Americas and Ben Turnwell as Business Development Manager for EMEA live. Grahn joined Cle...

30/04/2026

ARRI Introduces cforce MAX Lens Motor for Hi-5 Lens Control System

ARRI has introduced the cforce MAX, a new lens motor for the Hi-5 lens control system. The cforce MAX is twice as fast as the cforce plus motor it replaces whil...

30/04/2026

Knuerr, Voxtronic, and IHSE to Present Integrated Control Room Solution at Airspace World

Knuerr, Voxtronic, and IHSE will jointly present an integrated control room solu...

30/04/2026

The CW Network and ESPN to Stream CW Sports Live Events on ESPN App

The CW Network and ESPN have announced an agreement to make the ESPN App the exclusive streaming home for all CW Sports live events. CW Sports will continue to ...

30/04/2026

Sennheiser Spectera Deployed on Ed Sheerans The Loop Global Stadium Tour

Ed Sheeran's The Loop' tour launched in Auckland in January 2026 before moving on to Australia, with South America and the United States to follow late...

30/04/2026

Audinate Launches Dante Preset Creator for Offline Network Configuration

Audinate has announced Dante Preset Creator, a free online tool for configuring Dante network settings before hardware is available on site. Presets created in ...

30/04/2026

Yahoo Sports Appoints Jarrod Schwarz as General Manager

Yahoo Sports has announced the appointment of Jarrod Schwarz as General Manager of Yahoo Sports. Schwarz will oversee product, design, and technology; revenue a...

30/04/2026

Nielsen: U.S. Viewers Spent 79.8 Billion Minutes Watching Soccer in 2025

Nielsen has released a new report, Get Ready with Media Intelligence: 2026 FIFA World Cup Edition, examining U.S. soccer viewership trends, fan engagement, and ...

30/04/2026

USA Lacrosse Names SportsEngine Preferred Youth Sports Management Platform Partner

USA Lacrosse and SportsEngine have announced an expanded partnership, naming Spo...

30/04/2026

Telos Alliance To Appear at MPTS 2026 Across Multiple Partner Booths

Telos Alliance will participate in the 2026 Media Production and Technology Show (MPTS), taking place May 13-14 at Olympia London. Rather than exhibiting from a...

30/04/2026

DAZN Bolsters U.S. Ambitions With ViewLift Acquisition, Targets Evolving Regional Sports Landscape

The global streamer buys the U.S. DTC platform solutions provider for a reported...

30/04/2026

Tigo Sports Upgrades Video Infrastructure with Ateme Technology

Tigo Sports, Paraguay's leading sports broadcaster, has upgraded its video infrastructure with Ateme solutions for live encoding, multiplexing, and signal c...

30/04/2026

World Rugby and IMG Announce Long-Term Media Rights Partnership

World Rugby and IMG have announced a long-term media rights partnership focused on growing rugby in the United States ahead of the Men's and Women's Rug...

30/04/2026

NWSL & Overtime Re-Up Gen-Z Focused Content Partnership

For the second year in a row, Overtime and the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) are teaming up through a renewed content partnership to bring fans even...

30/04/2026

ESPN Executive Vice President David Roberts Set To Retire

The 22-year ESPN vet's responsibilities will reportedly be taken over by SVP Mike Foss...

30/04/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 13: Anaheim Ducks' Scott Fausneaucht - Skating with the Ducks of Orange County

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

30/04/2026

Prime Video Announces Multiyear Agreement with Duke Mens Basketball

Amazon and Duke University have announced a multiyear agreement for Prime Video to present exclusive coverage of three Duke Blue Devils men's basketball neu...

30/04/2026

Ratings Roundup: NBA Playoffs Return to NBC Sports up 38%; UFL Viewership up Midway Through Regular Season

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...

30/04/2026

Introducing Verified by Spotify, a Signal of Authenticity and Trust for the Artists Behind the Music

Music is evolving, and so are the ways you discover and connect with artists. In...

30/04/2026

First-Ever Stockholm Music Week Celebrates the Industry's Present and Future

Between April 22-29, the first inaugural Stockholm Music Week brought together thought leaders and partners across industries including music, tech, government,...

30/04/2026

API launch the Vision+ console

Iconic large-format console upgraded API's iconic Vision console has just been treated to an overhaul that aims to meet the demands of today's profe...

30/04/2026

Lewitt introduce the LCT 440 Pure stereo pair

Comes complete with miking accessories The LCT 440 Pure has proven to be a popular member of Lewitt's mic line-up, offering impressive technical perform...

30/04/2026

SynthFest UK 2026 Announced

24 October 2026 at The Octagon, Sheffield Now in its eighth year, SynthFest UK is the largest event of its kind in the UK, bringing together the top keyboar...

30/04/2026

SBS & NITV LEAD NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK 2026 WITH LANDMARK GULPILIL DOCUMENTARY

SBS & NITV LEAD NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK 2026 WITH LANDMARK GULPILIL DOCUMEN...

30/04/2026

Rohde & Schwarz equips new Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport with security scanners

Rohde & Schwarz equips new Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport with security scanner...

30/04/2026

Jennifer Ehle and Alex Hassell join the cast of ITV's propulsive lunar thriller First Woman

Jennifer Ehle (Contagion, Zero Dark Thirty) and Alex Hassell (Rivals, Wasteman, ...

30/04/2026

L3Harris Technologies Reports Strong First Quarter 2026 Results

MELBOURNE, Fla., April 30, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) reports first quarter 2026 results. Highlights Orders of $7.8 billion; book-to-bill of 1....

30/04/2026

Golf Craft Interview: A1s Florian Brown and James Deason

Behind the Broadcast: The Sound of Elite Golf Golf is gaining popularity; the 2025 Ryder Cup achieved record-breaking viewing figures in the UK specifically, wi...