Live From Frozen Four: Ref Cam Stars as ESPN, NCAA Continue Innovative Partnership More than 20 cameras, 12 handheld drops offer flexibility for experiential storytelling By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Friday, April 6, 2018 - 2:35 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Some sports events are simply ripe for deep access. Consider this week's NCAA Men's Frozen Four, taking place Thursday and Saturday night at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN, near the top of that list.
ESPN is rolling out an impressive arsenal of cameras to bring unparalleled access to both the action on the ice and everything that surrounds this ice hockey championship. The most notable feature of this year's coverage is the return (and continued evolution) of Ref Cam.
Ref Cam is a single RF camera built into the helmets of two on-ice officials. This iteration of the technology shoots in native 1080 and has become a staple at high-profile hockey events for ESPN, including the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Developed by Vicareo Systems, Ref Cam was used at the Frozen Four last year, but the camera itself has become much lighter and less invasive. Its lens has also been revamped so that it more closely matches that of the other standard cameras on the show.
Ref Cam returns to provide unique on-ice visuals at this year's Frozen Four in Saint Paul, MN.
An idea like Ref Cam is the quintessential example of how the relationship between ESPN and the NCAA can move innovation forward and into the mainstream. In cases like this, ESPN will communicate with the NCAA, which will filter the idea to a sport's rules committee to make sure it checks out. Then, the task is get the sport's officials on board.
These angles help give us many of the best possible views of the action from an officiating perspective, explains Ty Halpin, associate director, playing rules administration, NCAA. Whether it's the in-net cameras or an overhead, [ESPN] is always coming up with some interesting options, and Ref Cam is certainly a great one. The ability to put [viewers] on the ice has been very popular.
Part of the agreement between ESPN and the NCAA is that none of the content acquired by Ref Cam and the accompanying lavalier microphone will be aired live. ESPN editors will cut content on the fly, and it will be viewed by an NCAA supervisor of officials, who will give approval on any footage before it hits air.
Ref Cam is the centerpiece of a production largely focused on taking viewers at home into the overall experience of the event. With 22 cameras on the show, the ice and arena are sufficiently covered, but, according to ESPN Senior Remote Operations Specialist Jack Coffey, upwards of 12 handheld drops are scattered throughout the building in such spots as student sections, family zones, the band positions, and even the concession areas. This give handheld operators the freedom to move around the building and capture the atmosphere of the event.
PICO in-net cameras shooting at 3X are positioned inside each goal.
There's bands, there's cheerleaders, there's students with their faces painted, notes Bob Fraterolie, who has directed the Frozen Four for ESPN more than a decade. That's not what an NHL game looks like. When we first started doing this years ago, executives at the network emphasized that to us. I always tell our crew, If I hear a band, I want to see a band. I make sure the camera [operators] are focused on that, because it does differentiate this event from its visuals and what you hear [from] an NHL game.
ESPN also has a Sony HDC-4300, shooting at 6X, at the main-game-camera position, and a PICO in-net camera inside each goal is running at 3X. The crew has also added a robotic rocker atop the ice at the centerline. The Grass Valley unit is rolling at 6X and accompanies robos on top of the glass right behind each net.
Although live coverage of the championship game between Notre Dame and Minnesota Duluth will air on ESPN, a special cut of the show will be available exclusively on ESPN3. The stream features natural sound with no announcers and taps into many of the uniquely placed specialty cameras. To pull this off, ESPN is using a synchronous router to push feeds from the main truck (Dome Productions' Journey) to a smaller front bench in the B unit.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Live From Frozen Four: Ref Cam Stars as ESPN, NCAA Continue Innovative Partnership More than 20 cameras, 12 handheld drops offer flexibility for experiential storytelling By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
