WNBA Finals 2023: ESPN Prioritizes Productions With First-Time 1080p for the League Championship The Aces-Liberty matchup is Sara Gaiero's first as VP of production By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Friday, October 13, 2023 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
After a WNBA regular season that featured the return of Britney Griner and the formation of superteams in both conferences, the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty are battling it out for the title. With Sunday's Game 3 at Barclays Center right around the corner, ESPN's production and operations teams combine high-quality cameras, an onsite studio presence, and on-court access to players and coaches for the broadcaster's first WNBA Finals in 1080p and the first under new VP, Production, Sara Gaiero.
I'm so proud of what we've been able to do in the last four years, she says. I feel grateful and honored to be able to push and elevate this sport as well as the ways that we've been able to grow from a production standpoint.
ESPN is using a shallow-depth-of-field camera for on-court interviews during the WNBA Finals.
Powering Productions: Shallow-Depth-of-Field Cameras, New Virtual Graphics The onsite production team deploys a total 20 cameras for live coverage, most of them hard, handheld, and robotic cameras placed around the court. To capture the atmosphere of Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas and Barclays Center in Brooklyn, RF cameras grab shots of each team's home crowd during the game. Added for the finals, a Sony HDC-4800 super-slow-motion camera with a cinematic lens is for dynamic angles of the action.
ESPN's WNBA Finals animation package has a new look this season.
On the graphics front, the regular-season package has been reimagined for the WNBA Finals. A shallow-depth-of-field camera is also being paired with virtual graphic elements seen on the broadcast.
Our graphics and animation package, which we debuted at the start of the season, has gotten a full re-skin, notes Gaiero. Our brand-new look is really slick and complements the rest of our coverage well.
Virtual graphics highlight key players featured in the matchup.
Continuing its audio strategy from the regular season, ESPN is miking players and coaches for real-time sound bites throughout the broadcast. And reporter Holly Rowe is conducting on-court interviews with each team during stoppages in play.
With the partnership that we have with this league and their athletes, says Gaiero, we've had tremendous success with our live player interviews at the end of each quarter as well as our live IFB coach interviews that we've done with our announce booth. Those two elements have been a unique piece of what we've done [this year].
WNBA Countdown team (from left) LaChina Robinson, Chiney Ogwumike, and Carolyn Peck at the studio set at Michelob ULTRA Arena
Pre/Postgame Coverage: WNBA Countdown Analyzes the Games' Biggest Storylines Fans tuning in before or after the game are treated to onsite editions of studio show WNBA Countdown. Featuring host LaChina Robinson and analysts Chiney Ogwumike, Andraya Carter, and Carolyn Peck, the show harnesses the energy of each home crowd.
Last year, we were fortunate to debut WNBA Countdown during the playoffs, so we're thrilled to have them onsite with us this year, adds Gaiero. [Our talent] is delivering high-level breakdowns and analysis while also having fun since they have great chemistry.
Player graphics, like this one for Aces superstar A'ja Wilson, have been reimagined.
On the game call, Rowe is joined by the broadcast duo of play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco and analyst Rebecca Lobo. In addition to the studio show, Carter contributes with live in-game reports.
From a production perspective, both the announce team and the studio team key in on one glaring storyline: the Las Vegas Aces are vying for consecutive titles and facing one of the league's original franchises. Prior to the start of the WNBA Finals, Gaiero and her colleagues looked to gradually introduce the sport to casual fans in Game 1 and slowly integrate the team's history and what it means to both clubs as the series progresses.
Players, like Aces point guard Chelsea Gray, are being miked during ESPN's coverage of the WNBA Finals.
We'll take a tempered approach at the start to bring our viewers up to speed about each team, she says. If we get closer to New York potentially winning it, we'll create some custom elements that will focus on that. On the other side, the Aces are going for back-to-back titles for the first time since 2002, so we'll certainly lean into that achievement if it comes into play.
Brand-New Role: Gaiero Sees Opportunity To Grow Women's Basketball In 23 years at ESPN, Gaiero has been at the helm of numerous productions, but she has had her biggest impact in the advocacy for women's sports. After taking over ESPN's WNBA efforts as a coordinating producer in 2020, she spearheaded broadcast coverage of the league's Wubble championship during the COVID-plagued season in 2020. Her dedication and attention to detail led to her promotion to VP of production last month.
In her new position, Gaiero will also drive coverage of women's college basketball and especially the Women's March Madness tournament on ESPN's airwaves. With both marquee women's basketball properties under her guidance, her goal is to place the best women's basketball players in the spotlight that they deserve.
I'm extremely excited to continue using my role and platform to shepherd women's basketball into the future, she says. There's an opportunity to create synergy between the leagues, and I think that can only benefit both levels. [Moving forward,] the WNBA is going to inherit a
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
01/06/2024
Busy this week catching up from the Memorial Day holiday? Our TV Tech weekly wrap-up of all our coverage of new products, services and deployments will get you ...
01/06/2024
Young Sherlock, with Guy Ritchie directing and executive producing, is a go at Prime Video. Hero Fiennes Tiffin plays Sherlock. Prime Video calls it the origin...
01/06/2024
The Los Angeles Sparks-Indiana Fever game on Friday featuring the top two WNBA draft picks, Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink, was the most watched WNBA game on I...
01/06/2024
Lionsgate, which increased its majority stake in 3 Arts Entertainment in January, said it named Brian Weinstein co-CEO of 3 Arts....
01/06/2024
Netflix is launching four video games based on unscripted series this year. They...
01/06/2024
ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates switched from their regular programming to carry live coverage of the verdicts in the porn star hush-money trial of former Pres...
31/05/2024
A U.S. Marine fires an FIM-92 Stinger missile during a training exercise in Yuma...
31/05/2024
NEW YORK The global body that sets technical standards for digital advertising h...
31/05/2024
In a new analysis of what services might make up a good bundle and what services might benefit the most from bundling, Antenna has released new data that highli...
31/05/2024
Global SVOD revenues will increase by $116.6 billion by 2031, a growth rate of 13.3% per year over the next eight years, according to a new report from MIDiA Re...
31/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The FCC Media Bureau has announced that effective August 1, 2024 the Commission's TVStudy software will incorporate the most recent U.S. Ce...
31/05/2024
NBCUniversal has announced that its FAST channel TNBC will be rebranding to NBC Comedy Vault on June 1 and that the free streaming service will officially launc...
31/05/2024
PARIS Ateme has announced that the Indonesian public broadcaster TVRI is making the transition to 4K UHD OTT streaming using Ateme technologies....
31/05/2024
The proposal had received support from James Cameron, Andy Serkis, Paul Greengrass, Richard Curtis, and Jeremy Irons
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 31, 2...
31/05/2024
According to multiple reports, the new bid from Skydance offers a better deal to Paramounts Class B shareholders, who were said to be unhappy with the companys ...
31/05/2024
The awards recognise women and companies who are stand-out performers, innovators and leaders in the broadcast media technology industry
By Matthew Corrigan
...
31/05/2024
NEW YORK The global body that sets technical standards for digital advertising has expanded the reach of its measurement software development kit to include Sam...
31/05/2024
The rise of digital platforms is fundamentally changing the broadcast newsroom and its investment in technology according to Jon Roberts, director of technology...
31/05/2024
In a new analysis of what services might make up a good bundle and what services might benefit the most from bundling, Antenna has released new data that highli...
31/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Fifty state broadcasters associations, including the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, have sent a letter to Congressio...
31/05/2024
EVS has announced the appointment of Richard Katz as senior vice president of operations for the North and Latin American (NALA) region. This appointment is par...
31/05/2024
CommScope has announced that it was selected by Casa Systems, Inc. as the highest to acquire Casa's cable business assets and that the two companies have en...
31/05/2024
Robert De Niro won't be receiving the Service to America Leadership Award from the NAB Leadership Foundation after all....
31/05/2024
Viant Technology said it formed an integration with Google Cloud's BigQuery data clean rooms...
31/05/2024
The CW said it will broadcast the 2024 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop Last year, The CW aired the game when it was called Bar...
31/05/2024
Allen Media Group said it made a deal with Amazon's Fire TV Channel that will make content from several of Allen's outlet available via Fire TV and Echo...
31/05/2024
Robert De Niro, announced as the winner of the NAB's Leadership Foundation's Service to America Leadership Award on May 28, will not get the award. The ...
31/05/2024
Comcast Technology Solutions was selected by AccuWeather to create, manage and distribute linear and over-the-top video channels....
31/05/2024
Connected TV is becoming a bigger deal for consumers and advertisers, according to a new report from TVision....
31/05/2024
By Craig Anderton
Let's get right to what this sounds like. It's not quite feedback or tape reverse, it's well, listen to what it does in this blue...
31/05/2024
31 May 2024
VEON discloses April YTD trading update at its AGM Amsterdam, 31 May 2024 07:00 CEST -
VEON April YTD 2024 Highlights
Total revenue of USD 1,278 ...
31/05/2024
31 May 2024
VEON Announces Its New Board, Names Founder Augie Fabela as Chairman Amsterdam, 31 May 2024, 16.00 CET: VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam...
31/05/2024
May 31st, 2024
TRIBECA FESTIVAL AND OPEN AI ANNOUNCE SORA SHORTS'
Five Commissioned Short Films Created Using Sora Debut at 2024 Tribeca Festival
New ...
31/05/2024
In-Venue Technology Wrap-Up: How 4K, IP, and More are Changing the Game Pres Gam...
31/05/2024
UEFA Champions League Final 2024: The host broadcast facts and figures for Real ...
31/05/2024
UEFA Europa Conference League Final 2024: Bringing the broadcast to global TV sc...
31/05/2024
Willow Offers Free 2024 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Preview via DirecTV, Verizon, ...
31/05/2024
Women's College World Series: ESPN Brings Live Drone, Two-Point Cabled, and ...
31/05/2024
SVG College Summit Brings Video-Production Industry Together in Atlanta in the M...
31/05/2024
UEFA Champions League Final 2024: CBS Sports' UCL Today Studio Show Is Pitch...
31/05/2024
Back to All News
Master of the House' Unveils a Scandalous Tale of Power and Greed on July 18
Entertainment
31 May 2024
GlobalThailand
Link copied to ...
31/05/2024
Back to All News
JEEtu Bhaiya is Back: Kota Factory' Season 3 Arrives on Netflix June 20
Entertainment
31 May 2024
GlobalIndia
Link copied to clipboar...
31/05/2024
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
With around 9,000 employees, Ground Transportation Systems is a global leader in Rail Signaling and Train Control Systems, Telec...
31/05/2024
RT 2FM is the home of music this summer, entertaining listeners across the day and night, with the best music, chat and interviews providing the soundtrack to ...
31/05/2024
After the 2008 financial crisis and increased risk-management regulations that f...
31/05/2024
RT Supporting the Arts: What's On this June
Watch our promo: RT Supporting the Arts | What's on YouTube
This June, RT is delighted to support Lim...
30/05/2024
When to Upgrade Software or Firmware This post is from our blog and news archive. The information may be out of date. Please contact us for further information ...
WNBA Finals 2023: ESPN Prioritizes Productions With First-Time 1080p for the League Championship The Aces-Liberty matchup is Sara Gaiero's first as VP of production By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor 
