Live From the NFL Draft: AT&T Stadium Provides Open Canvas' for Largest NFL Media Draft Production Ever The Draft airs on broadcast TV for first time, with Fox simulcasting NFL Network's coverage of Rounds 1-3 By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Thursday, April 26, 2018 - 2:58 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Each year, NFL Media rolls out an NFL Draft production that is larger than the previous one. This year, though, the league's media arm is taking it to a whole new level. With the Draft located in an NFL stadium for the first time and NFL Network's early-round coverage being simulcast on Fox (marking the Draft's first appearance on broadcast television), NFL Media has rolled out its largest Draft production to date at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.
We truly have an open canvas [at AT&T Stadium], as opposed to other locations, like Radio City [Music Hall], Chicago, and Philadelphia, which were all great but had their limitations in terms of space, says Dave Shaw, VP, production, NFL Media. We've got a lot more room to work with here both inside and outside, which makes the setup easier, and we have a much bigger set than in the past, when we were trying to fit in some tight spaces. We're in one of the largest stadiums in the league, he says, adding, Yet we still want to give it an intimate feel.
NFL Network and Fox are co-branding this year's Draft coverage on the interior set at AT&T Stadium.
The Fox Factor: Co-Branding at the Draft
Although NFL Network and Fox Sports coverage will be co-branded and the on-air talent combined (Fox Sports' Troy Aikman, Joel Klatt, and Jay Glazer are joining the coverage), NFL Media is overseeing the entire production in Arlington. Fox will take a clean feed from NFL Media and insert its own ticker and branding at the Fox Sports broadcast center in Los Angeles.
It's a great partnership so far, says Shaw. It's exciting to have another outlet to broadcast the Draft because it means [that] even more fans will get to watch the picks.
Fox will carry Days 1 and 2 in primetime but not Day 3.
More Space to Work With in the Compound and on the Set
For the second consecutive year, NFL Media has rolled out Game Creek Video's Encore (A, B, and C units) to serve NFL Network's growing Draft production. Encore is serving NFL Network's two primary sets: the interior set inside AT&T Stadium and the exterior set at the NFL Fan Experience.
NFL Network is using Game Creek Video's Encore mobile unit for the Draft this year.
The 40 40 exterior set, provided by Filmwerks, is fully enclosed and climate-controlled, but the front windows can be opened, weather permitting. Steve Mariucci, Steve Smith Sr., and Aikman will man the set on Day 1; Chris Rose, Peter Schrager, and Klatt will take over on Day 2.
The outside set, which features three hard cameras and a jib, will undergo a makeover each day: casual d cor for Good Morning Football featuring comfy chairs and a front table will be converted to a traditional desk setup for NFL Network's Draft coverage in the evening on Days 1 and 2. On Day 3, the exterior set will become the primary location (the setup inside will be disassembled), and picks will be made remotely from team facilities around the country.
NFL Network's 40 40 exterior set is provided by Filmwerks this year.
The 40 40 footprint gives us that flexibility to do those set changes, says Adam Acone, director, media operations and planning, NFL Network. We have a lot more operational space than in the past, not only for our technical equipment but [also for] VIP viewing areas and whatever production needs.
The set inside the stadium is part of the theater design created by NFL event-production partner C3 Presents. It's larger than NFL Network's interior sets in previous years, allowing the operations team to deploy a longer jib arm in addition to four pedestal cameras.
NFL Media's (from left) Adam Acone, Christine Mills, and Dave Shaw
Last year, in Philadelphia, we had a much smaller footprint because we were working in a much smaller overall space. Here, we have a lot more operational space, so that gives us more freedom and room, says Acone. The [longer jib arm] allows us to show off the scale of the stadium and the theater. You're going to have 23,000 fans in here, so we'll really use that jib to [create] relationship shots from the crowd down to our desk.
The interior set will be manned by Rich Eisen, Mike Mayock, Daniel Jeremiah and Stanford head coach David Shaw (Day 1) or Charles Davis (Day 2). NFL insider Ian Rapoport will have his own location near the stage on Days 1 and 2.
On Red Carpet, Social Media Takes Center Stage
Game Creek Video's Pride (A and B units) is also on hand in the overflow compound outside the stadium, producing Good Morning Football each morning and NFL Network's Red Carpet Special prior to the start of the Draft on Thursday.
The Red Carpet production continues to grow each year and not just on the linear-TV side. In addition to two NFL Network positions (featuring Melissa Stark, Kay Adams, Michael Irvin, and Nate Burleson speaking to prospects), NFL Media will have a sizable social presence, including live-streaming #NFLBlitz coverage on Twitter with Marc Istook and Erin Coscarelli.
The main social activation, notes Christine Mills, director, remote operations, NFL Media, is for the prospects to spin a giant wheel with 32 team locations on it to determine their destiny. In addition, we have a #NFLBlitz location, which is new to the carpet this year.
Going Big on Cameras: TechnoCrane, JitaCam, and StradaCrane
NFL Media has deployed a massive TechnoCrane for its Draft coverage.
NFL Network's camera complement also continues to grow. The network is deploying 32 of its own cameras in Arlington
Most recent headlines
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
09/05/2025
Wooden Camera, a leading innovator in camera accessories, is proud to announce the launch of a new line of products for the Blackmagic URSA Cine Cameras. These ...
09/05/2025
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions is expanding its popular Series 5000 platform with three new 12G-SDI cards. The new cards provide ...
09/05/2025
Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, has completed a project to migrate ON TV, the major independent broadcaste...
09/05/2025
NUGEN Audio launches its new speech intelligibility plug-in, DialogCheck. A mono, stereo and multichannel dialog clarity meter, the software provides an objecti...
09/05/2025
Disguise the technology platform and solutions provider that powered MDL Beast Soundstorm 2024, Dubai Expo's Al Wasl Dome and visual displays at the Burj ...
09/05/2025
CVP has announced it will demonstrate its cutting-edge broadcast, live production and studio solutions at MPTS 2025. Taking place at Olympia London from 14th - ...
09/05/2025
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, and White Peaks Solutions, the prominent e...
09/05/2025
SportsEngine Play, the first-of-its-kind streaming service for youth sports, has agreed to a multi-year extension with AI-automated sports content leader, Pixel...
09/05/2025
Friend MTS, a leading global provider of content protection services, today announced that TOD, the premier sports and entertainment OTT subscription service fo...
09/05/2025
ZEISS announces that it is in development on a new virtual lens technology that will allow visual effects and compositing artists to apply an authentic lens loo...
09/05/2025
At the 2025 Media Production & Technology Show (MPTS), Cerberus Tech will showcase the latest major enhancement to its Livelink IP video delivery platform the...
09/05/2025
Capitol Broadcasting Company welcomed Warren Thomas as the new Vice President an...
09/05/2025
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Studio Technologies said the Harvard University athletics department has integrated Dante-enabled equipment from the vendor into its broadcast ...
09/05/2025
NEW YORK ITN, a provider of a local linear supply side platform, and Magnite, a independent sell-side advertising company, have announced that they working toge...
09/05/2025
LEEDS, U.K. Nugen Audio has launched a new speech intelligibility plug-in, DialogCheck and offered up quotes from technologists working at places like Netflix p...
09/05/2025
AJA I/O Gear: The Heart of Broadcast Solutions' VEGO Mobile Editing Solution
Brie Clayton May 8, 2025
0 Comments
When working remotely on broadcas...
09/05/2025
What do they teach in an Advanced Adobe After Effects Course?
Roland Kahlenberg May 8, 2025
0 Comments
There aren't many advanced After Effects co...
09/05/2025
Larry Jordan Sits with Trevor Morgan of OpenDrives at NAB 2025
Brie Clayton May 8, 2025
0 Comments
Trevor Morgan, COO of OpenDrives, shares how the co...
09/05/2025
Berklee Popular Music Institute Announces UK Festival Debut and Tour Dates For the first time, BPMI will bring Berklee-affiliated artists and students to the ...
09/05/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
In the season finale of The Late Late Show, ...
09/05/2025
My Eurovision Party 2025 - join in on the fun with RT Kids!
Eurovision launche...
08/05/2025
A sinister fairy infiltrates a desperate family in Kenneth Dagatan's In My Mother's Skin, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photo co...
08/05/2025
As expected, continued weak demand from key sales markets and declining economic...
08/05/2025
A new three-part series is coming to BBC iPlayer and BBC One
(Image: The Christie Archive Trust)
The BBC has announced Agatha Christie's Endless Night, a...
08/05/2025
For skyward-bound operators, training focuses on the unique aspects of flying ISR missions, including the management of onboard surveillance equipment and the e...
08/05/2025
The cable industry has told the Federal Communications Commission it supports the National Association of Broadcasters' proposal to allow broadcasters to us...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Consumer Technology Association has continued its opposition to mandates requiring that NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 tuners be included in new TV sets, sa...
08/05/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real time visualization, has named Paul Maroni as Vice Pres...
08/05/2025
This year's UK Pavilion in hall 5, once again managed by Tradefair, will provide visitors with the unique opportunity to discuss and be involved in cutting ...
08/05/2025
Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its latest energy-efficient transmitters and 5G Broadcast technologies, designed to support network operators and content provider...
08/05/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group has tapped Bill Nardi as vice president of station operations, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day broadcast operations ...
08/05/2025
SEATTLE LumaTouch is partnering with CNN Academy to improve mobile storytelling techniques and support training across all of CNN Academy's training simulat...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Society of Broadcast Engineers has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission that support a proposal by the National Association ...
08/05/2025
Senior adviser to the United States Agency for Global Media Kari Lake has announced that One America News Network (OAN) will provide newsfeed services for fre...
08/05/2025
EdMon Expands as AI-Driven Post Production Workflows Gains Traction in Sweden an...
08/05/2025
Using Luma Mattes in Adobe Premiere Pro
Graham Quince May 7, 2025
0 Comments
This very quick tutorial shows you how to take an RGB clip and apply its ...
08/05/2025
OpenDrives Unveils Free Your Data' Initiative with New Astraeus Cloud-Nativ...
08/05/2025
Student Spotlight: Grigori Balasanyan The Armenian composer, who was named Boston Conservatory at Berklees 2025 student commencement speaker, talks about his ...
08/05/2025
08 May 2025
VEON Shareholders Re-elect Board at 2025 AGM, Founder Augie Fabela ...
08/05/2025
Comedy and entertainment channel U&Dave bring back their #1 ranked programme of ...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Unveils New Premieres Spanning Film and Music
Slick Rick's Victory with Idris Elba a...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Announces Lineup for Inaugural Storytelling Summit
11-Day Industry Event Launches with Tal...
08/05/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Vizrt's Nicholas Jameson on AI in Workflows, Pushing Boundarie...
08/05/2025
Creating Alternative Brand Experiences: Live Sports in the Age of Fortnite, Meta...
08/05/2025
PGA TOUR's David Piccolo: Advanced Graphics and Virtual Production Tools are...
08/05/2025
Tech Focus: Advancing Immersion in Sports Broadcasting with AR and Virtual Produ...
08/05/2025
Expect even more chaos this July with Harriet Webb leading the returning cast, p...
08/05/2025
Back to All News
Now in Production: Comedy Action Film Husbands in Action'...
Live From the NFL Draft: AT&T Stadium Provides Open Canvas' for Largest NFL Media Draft Production Ever The Draft airs on broadcast TV for first time, with Fox simulcasting NFL Network's coverage of Rounds 1-3 By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
