ESPN, DMED Break New AR Ground With Real-Time Data Visualization on Monday Night Football New real-time AR telestrator tool takes data-driven storytelling to a new level By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Monday, October 3, 2022 - 3:10 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
From the Emmy Award-winning K-Zone 3D to the 3D spray charts that revolutionized how fans watch the Home Run Derby, ESPN and Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED) have stretched the barriers of what's possible in terms of visualizing data in a live baseball broadcast. Last week, for the first time, ESPN and DMED brought this data-fueled augmented-reality technology to the gridiron on Monday Night Football.
After roughly two years of development, last Monday's Cowboys-Giants MNF game featured the launch of what could be described as a real-time, data-driven AR telestrator. It appeared for the first time on-air to showcase the precise speed of Giants running back Saquon Barkley on a breakaway 36-yard touchdown run. Just after Barkley scored, viewers saw a replay of the run with an AR pointer graphic showing his running path and his exact speed at any given second as he scampered away from Cowboys defenders toward the end zone.
DMED's real-time AR data-visualization tool debuted during the Monday Night Football broadcast Sept. 26.
We view this as a really important milestone from a technical standpoint because it is live data-driven spatial AR, says Kaki Navarre, VP, software engineering, DMED. That's a much bigger deal than any one graphic. It's technologically meaningful, and we are just scratching the surface of how this could be used to enrich the viewing experience for fans. From a technology standpoint, we have the capability to do things that have never been done before, and we couldn't be more excited.
How It Works: A Symphony of Next-Gen Tech in Action The system uses proprietary DMED software and tools to sync live player and game data from the NFL's Next Gen Stats (NGS) platform with SMT camera telemetry and live video to provide a real-time, player-specific statistical visualization. As of now, these AR replays are available on both the Skycam and All-22 angle, but other cameras could be added in the future.
Deploying Epic Games' Unreal Engine and Pixotope's AR-creation technology, the DMED team can create real-time graphics that visually showcase live data. Most notably, these segments are available to the MNF production team in two seconds or less, enabling them to be used in the broadcast as first replays.
Early in development, the technology functioned as a CG application before DMED transitioned it to a full AR ecosystem. At the end of the 2021-22 NFL season, the DMED team completed onsite tests of the technology for director Jimmy Platt and producer Phil Dean, who were instantly enthusiastic about what it could mean for this season's MNF broadcasts.
They took a look at it and got very excited, says Principal Real-Time Artist Brian Rooney, who helped to lead the project. This year, we have been invited to be on the truck full-time to roll this out and scale it up as the season goes on. This Saquon play was our first execution, and we plan to see a lot more moving forward.
Rooney and Principal Software Engineer Jeffrey Bradshaw will be the operators in the truck tonight, using a touchscreen interface on the MNF production. Prior to each play, the operators click on the players of interest - quarterback, running back, receiver - and the system creates automated AR highlights based on the player's position and Next Gen Stats data. Stats cover anything from the speed of a player on a TD run to the separation between a receiver and defensive back on a key catch to how quickly defenders rush the passer on a sack.
For every single highlight that we create, says Rooney, the goal is to have the viewer understand something that they couldn't see otherwise in 3-5 seconds. No lower-third graphic or explanation necessary; they understand what's happening right away.
Storytelling: Changing Data Visualization for Both Live and On-Demand Experience ESPN and DMED believe this technology unlocks previously impossible storytelling opportunities through real-time statistical graphics visually showcasing live data on the field.
DMED is able to track all the players and balls during a game using this interface.
There are two main ways this helps enhance storytelling, says Navarre. One is that it allows folks who may not as easily grasp advanced statistics to understand the details [because they] can see [the data] in real spatial dimensions. The other is obviously advanced stats for hardcore fans, who already understand those concepts; we can now take them a level deeper.
ESPN sees this as not only a new opportunity to enhance how fans see statistical data in the live linear game broadcast but also on its sprawling portfolio of studio shows and digital platforms.
Everything is being architected for both live and on-demand from the ground up, says Christiaan Cokas, director, software engineering, DMED. The team has done a great job getting the data embedded into the video so it can be easily scrubbed back and forth. Our team is working on a platform to let you go into that game, mark up a video, and output that for highlights.
In addition to being part of a live game [broadcast], he continues, our system can let editors and producers of other shows go into the Monday Night Football game and grab a play, mark that up, and use that as well in their packages.
Cokas adds that this technology also opens up a whole new universe of possibilities for more personalized and interactive experiences for fans.
When you have an [operator] with a touchscreen in their hands and they can just click on a player and get a uniq
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
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the First Look for Land of Sin' - Premier...
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...
ESPN, DMED Break New AR Ground With Real-Time Data Visualization on Monday Night Football New real-time AR telestrator tool takes data-driven storytelling to a new level By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
