
U.S. Open Cup Final 2023: VISTA Worldlink To Wrap Season-Long Soccer Tourney With World-Feed Production at DRV PNK Stadium CBS Sports, Telemundo Deportes will supply studio show, additional live match coverage By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Tuesday, September 26, 2023 - 2:47 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Messi Mania has taken Major League Soccer (MLS) and the U.S. professional-sports scene by storm since Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami, and he can help add more hardware to the club's trophy case with Wednesday night's U.S. Open Cup Final vs. the Houston Dynamo. For the event at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL, VISTA Worldlink will head 13 miles north from its facility in Dania Beach, FL, to handle the world feed of one of its biggest onsite productions of the tournament.
With Messi, everything has gotten bigger and better, says Mike Freedman, VP/executive producer, production services, VISTA Worldlink and NEP Broadcast Services. We've been doing the U.S. Open Cup since 2019, and this is without a doubt the biggest final that we've done.
DRV PNK Stadium from the main game camera for the 2023 U.S. Open Cup Final
Boosted Camera Arsenal: Match Coverage To Include 20 Cams, Skycam, Porta-Jib Messi is attracting the technological firepower to the coverage of the final, and VISTA Worldlink worked closely with the venue to make sure the broadcast compound was ready to go for the production. Freedman worked with Inter Miami Senior Director, Broadcast and Event Presentation, Luis Dones to set up the necessary connectivity and infrastructure for all onsite broadcasters. Dones's entire team - including Senior Coordinator, Broadcast and Event Presentation, Juan Pinzon; Director, Operations and Facilities, Michael Blanton; Director, IT, Alexis Farres; and Facility Engineer Cliff Branch - has been available to assist with any need. In addition to working with Inter Miami and the staff at DRV PNK Stadium, VISTA Worldlink has to ensure that every U.S.-based entity receives everything it needs.
Despite everything that he has on his plate, Luis has been unbelievable to work with, says Freedman. From U.S. Soccer to CBS Sports and Telemundo Deportes, we want to make sure that everybody involved gets what they want. Since we're also the truck and crew provider for Apple TV's MLS Season Pass, we've been through this multiple times with tech enhancements for games that involve Lionel Messi.
A Skycam tops the 20-camera complement at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
This included production of Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati last month. The onsite effort deployed 12 cameras, but, with Messi being featured in the final, the camera complement has been escalated to more than 20, including a Skycam, a Steadicam jib, a Porta-jib, and aerial shots from the Goodyear Blimp.
We're significantly bumping up [our complement] from what we've been doing for every other U.S. Open Cup game, adds Freedman. It'll be excited to have all of these tech toys.
Home-State Advantage: Onsite Effort Benefits From Proximity to Production Facility Typically, VISTA Worldlink specializes in remote productions from its home in South Florida, but, for the U.S. Open Cup Final, the company goes big and implements a full onsite production for the competition's world feed. Since its first go, in 2019, Freedman and his team have traveled to two cities: Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the first year and Orlando's Exploria Stadium last year (the competition was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic). The 2022 U.S. Open Cup Final between Orlando City SC and Sacramento Republic FC was played in Florida, allowing VISTA Worldlink crews to drive the 217 miles or take a quick flight north. This year, the game is closer to home, permitting an even shorter commute.
We do a lot of remote productions, notes Freedman, so, anytime we get to do an onsite show, people are itching to travel and want to get on the road. We're able to tap into some of our resources within our staff and our local crews to continue the continuity we have built doing remote shows. There are certainly advantages with [this year's edition] being in our backyard.
NEP Supershooter 16 is VISTA Worldlink's home for the world-feed production of the U.S. Open Cup Final.
Working from within NEP Supershooter 16 mobile unit, Freedman is joined by Tech Manager Steven Kravitz at the heart of the day-to-day operations, Operations Producer Victor Bague, and, at the world-feed front bench, Producer Mackenzie Pearce and Director Ken Neal.
Meeting Challenges: Relationship With CBS Sports, Telemundo Deportes Proves Essential Although a must-watch U.S. Open Cup Final comes with hefty responsibilities on both the production and the operations sides, handling the world feed is always made easier by working with reliable broadcasters. With CBS Sports and Telemundo Deportes distributing the match to viewers in the U.S., Freedman's relationship with both broadcasters' crews has been vital.
It has been amazing with everyone getting along and seeing how they can help, he says. Between site surveys and weekly conference calls, everybody wants to put out the best possible product, and it has been an awesome project to work on.
The CBS Sports team is led by Coordinating Producer Jonathan Segal and Producer Mike Nastri. At Telemundo Deportes, Freedman has worked with SVP, Content Operations, Chris Suarez-Meyers and Director, Production, Sports, Adrian Costas. Outside the U.S., 40 broadcasters will be showing the match in more than 100 countries.
Seeking More Messi Magic: CBS Sports Adds Star Cam' Second Screen to Studio Show As Messi takes center stage in the highly anticipated final, English-language viewers will get a catered viewing experie
North America Stories
04/07/2025
By Lucy Spicer
Editor's note: We are deeply saddened by the passing of Robe...
04/07/2025
Introducing CVP Auctions: Trusted Tech, At Auction-Only Prices
Brie Clayton July 4, 2025
0 Comments
A New Destination for Film and Broadcast Gear at U...
04/07/2025
Unveiling China's Ecological Wonders with URSA Mini Pro 12K
Brie Clayton July 4, 2025
0 Comments
Nature Documentaries Freeze Epic Momentsin Extrem...
04/07/2025
Create Any Planet in After Effects
Graham Quince July 4, 2025
0 Comments
The Advanced 3D renderer in After Effects makes it really easy to import 3D o...
04/07/2025
Custom Gradient Colorize for Resolve Fusion
Simon Ubsdell July 4, 2025
0 Comments
Digging into the theory of the gradient colorize process to build ou...
04/07/2025
Watching live sports on TV these days is a delicate balance for broadcasters how much information is too much?...
04/07/2025
WASHINGTON As Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr works to achieve his goal of a very busy, productive summer at the FCC, the agency has rele...
04/07/2025
Other World Computing Launches OWC Guardian USB-C Hardware-Encrypted Portable SS...
04/07/2025
CANAL Brings MotoGP to Vision Pro with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton July 3, 2025
0 Comments
Experience MotoGP like never before as CA...
03/07/2025
To achieve a true level of decisive overmatch, communication systems must be as ...
03/07/2025
The Broadcasters Foundation of America has named Ray Hopkins, president of U.S. distribution at Paramount Global, to its board of directors....
03/07/2025
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. In his first major policy speech, Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr outlined his Build America Agenda for the agency'...
03/07/2025
As the industry is making a major push to transition to NextGen TV and develop new businesses that will fund the next generation of broadcasting, TV Tech's ...
03/07/2025
Despite enabling its subscribers to watch films and TV shows in the highest possible resolution, Netflix has revealed it is taking things old school with the in...
03/07/2025
WASHINGTON In response to news that Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump, Democrats and other administra...
03/07/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications today launched RefSuite for professional sports workflows....
03/07/2025
WEITERSTADT, Germany LYNX Technik, a provider of modular signal processing solutions, has announced that founder and longtime CEO Winfried Deckelmann is steppin...
03/07/2025
WASHINGTON Representatives from six trade groups representing tech, pay TV, broadband, LPTV and other sectors recently met with Federal Communications Commissio...
03/07/2025
PLYMOUTH, Wis. Dan Whealy has acquired Heartland Video Systems and will be its new owner and president, the systems integrator said....
03/07/2025
Acclaimed filmmaker, educator, and industry veteran Jay Holben has released his most ambitious work to date: The Director's Guide to Everything a sweeping...
03/07/2025
For Los Angeles-based photographer Scout Pruski, documenting the annual Dyke Day LA is a way to honor and give back to the city's legacy queer community and...
03/07/2025
Modular, Travel-Ready Solution Matthews Studio Equipment launches the new Chimera V-Flat Panel Frame Kit, the lightweight and modular, ultra-durable alternativ...
03/07/2025
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the release of Dalet Flex 2025.6 LTS (long-term support), introdu...
03/07/2025
Lightware's LARA Wizard makes it quicker and easier than ever to set up audio-visual (AV) room automation and control configurations, ensuring anyone, from ...
03/07/2025
Alfalite, the only European manufacturer of LED screens, has obtained both the NCAGE Code (NATO Commercial and Government Entity) and TAA (Trade Agreements Act)...
03/07/2025
nxtedition is implementing a new solution for WIN Network, based in its headquarters in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The nxtedition integrated platfo...
03/07/2025
ORS Group and Insys Video Technologies today announce the launch of a new joint brand identity: Big Blue Marble. The move reflects the evolution of a long-stand...
03/07/2025
Evergent, a global leader in customer lifecycle management and monetization solutions for subscription-based businesses, today announced the successful results ...
03/07/2025
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions today announces an executive leadership transition, effective July 1, 2025. Markus Motzko has been...
03/07/2025
Chaos Releases V-Ray for Blender
Brie Clayton July 2, 2025
0 Comments
Production-Proven Renderer V-Ray Arrives Natively in Blender for the First Time;...
03/07/2025
Calvin University Adds Blackmagic Replay to Broadcasts and Streams
Brie Clayton July 2, 2025
0 Comments
Replay workflow joins 14 Blackmagic Design cam...
03/07/2025
Berklee's Gospel Performance Program Welcomes Jonathan Nelson as the Herb Al...
03/07/2025
Back to All News
Get Ready for Even More Action! Netflix Has Confirmed the Thir...
03/07/2025
Back to All News
Get ready for even more action! Netflix has confirmed the thir...
03/07/2025
In today's fragmented media landscape, advertisers expect more than just reach - they want seamless cross-platform campaigns that deliver measurable results...
03/07/2025
The forecast this month is showing a 100% chance of epic gaming. Catch the scorching lineup of 20 titles coming to the cloud, which gamers can play whether indo...
02/07/2025
Hege Wik and Odin appear in FOLKTALES by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institut...
02/07/2025
(Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Patty Consolazio
This one's for any person who's ever felt put down, left out, marginaliz...
02/07/2025
NEW YORK Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump, ending a long-running legal saga that could clear the way...
02/07/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved the transfer of licenses for five TV stations from Sinclair to Rincon Broadcasting, which announce...
02/07/2025
As the media industry faces an uncertain business climate and rapidly changing consumer habits, TV Tech's most popular stories from the first six months of ...
02/07/2025
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. New data shows that U.S. homes now own an average of two smart TVs, with Samsung and LG dominating the market but Roku and FireTV continue to g...
02/07/2025
LOS ANGELES Funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management have acquired FilmRise, an independent digital streaming content distributor, and merged it with Shout! ...
02/07/2025
WASHINGTON The Advanced Television Systems Committee named Luiz Fausto vice president of standards development, succeeding ATSC vice president Jerry Whitaker, w...
02/07/2025
Boston Conservatory and the Sphinx Organization Join Forces to Make Classical Ed...
02/07/2025
NEW AMSTERDAM CREATOR DAVID SCHULNER JOINS CREATIVE TEAM OF NEW FOX DRAMA SERIE...
02/07/2025
Progressive realism: Aurora on taking up the broadcast reins for World RX alongs...
02/07/2025
Great speed: New host broadcaster Aurora on getting the World RX 2025 season pro...
02/07/2025
Seat of its pants: Aurora boxes clever and looks ahead for the FIA as new host b...
02/07/2025
UEFA Women's Euro 2025: EBU, BBC Sport and Sunset Vine talk coverage plans, ...