MLS 2021 Preview: Fox Sports, Univision's TUDN To Deliver Matches Remotely, Deploy Miked-Up Coaches and AR Graphics; ESPN Increases Coverage on ESPN ESPN's MLS coverage will include 32 Spanish-language broadcasts By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Friday, April 16, 2021 - 12:09 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
After an abrupt halt to the MLS's 25th season, an Orlando-based bubble hosting the MLS Is Back Tournament, and resumption of play that ended in the coronation of the Columbus Crew as champions, Major League Soccer will return to the spotlight this weekend. The three main broadcasters - Fox Sports, Univision, and ESPN - will rely on remote production, technologies like miked-up coaches and AR graphics, and assistance from league and team officials to provide a safe working environment for small onsite crews.
All-In on Remote: Workflows in L.A., Miami Power MLS Productions Fox Sports and Univision will each have its own set of remote-production workflows for the season's first couple of weeks. Because the COVID-19 pandemic is still discouraging long-distance travel of a large group of people, only a small crew will be onsite for each broadcaster. For Fox Sports' Home Run Production, control rooms located at the Pico facility in Los Angeles will be the main hub of MLS efforts.
Fox Sports will use control rooms in its Los Angeles facility for Home Run Production of MLS matches.
First and foremost, says Zac Kenworthy, lead producer, Fox Soccer, Fox Sports, we're still in the mode of protecting our production staff and finding ways within our confines to push the envelope. There are very stringent COVID-19 protocols that affect the number of people we can have down by the field.
This seems to be the safest, most logical way to begin the new schedule. With continued vaccination efforts signaling the gradual end to the pandemic, the broadcaster's strategy can be adapted depending on the national number of COVID-19 cases. According to Kenworthy, if the trajectory remains positive, a large-scale onsite operation could commence for high-profile matches.
We're pushing towards the backend of the year during that final push in August, September, and October and into the playoffs, he adds. We're going to pick and choose our moments.
Univision's TUDN, the Spanish-language destination for MLS supporters in the U.S., will follow the same production model. Continuing down the remote-workflow path the broadcaster blazed six years ago, crews of 14-15 individuals will be centralized in its Miami facility to handle the season's 25 matches across multiple platforms. The crews -TDs, directors, EVS replay operators, audio technicians - will be situated not only in traditional control rooms but also in conference rooms that the network transformed into working spaces at the beginning of the pandemic.
We are going to implement the same concept of remote productions, says Miguel Angel Garcia, SVP, live events, TUDN. This works for us and also helps us a lot with identifying our team of freelancers that are going to be on location.
Unique Techniques: Real-Time Interviews, AR Promise Different Fan Experience A new season on the pitch means the return of breathtaking technologies. Augmented reality, for example, has taken the soccer world by storm in recent years. Univision has been devoted to bringing a new-age graphics package to life on all of its soccer properties, both in Liga MX in Mexico and throughout its coverage of MLS. AR, especially the broadcaster's teleportation concept, will continue to be a staple of studio programming that airs before, during, and after each contest.
Univision's Miami facility will be at the center of its remote productions for the MLS season.
[AR graphics will] be a part of our look and feel within the studio, says Garcia, and we'll continue to use teleportation a lot more. We're getting better by adding two or three cameras, [which will] be used throughout the full broadcast.
Matches on TUDN will leverage a total of 12 cameras, headlined by a Pico robotic camera with super-slow-motion capability behind the net. The combination of double-digit cameras and AR implementation is a sign of Univision's commitment to the game and to giving fans a high-quality product.
A lot of broadcasters are scaling back, says Garcia, but our plan is going to be very solid. We definitely want to maintain our consistency.
Fox Sports will roll with seven manned camera positions at each game, including an aerial camera system for the first match at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. This complement will capture the action on the pitch and also help implement an innovation that provided extra insight into tactics during the MLS Is Back Tournament: real-time interviews with miked-up coaches. For interviews normally reserved for stoppages in play, head coaches will don headsets during the course of the game to provide additional context on the team's mentality and major moments of the match. Fox will position the equipment on the other side of the pitch to present a clear shot of the participating coach.
I think [these interviews] bring a level of unpredictability and excitement to the fan at home, says Kenworthy. It'll give us a really cool look with the players in front of the coaches while we're talking to them.
Another deployment that has caught the attention of sports fans has been the Megalodon, the live mirrorless camera system that has been used on the network's NFL, MLB, NASCAR, and college-basketball properties. Coverage of Liga MX is the most recent use of the technology. Without sideline access because of COVID protocols, the Megalodon will not be featured at the beginning of the MLS season, but, if conditions improve, it'll be one
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
02/03/2026
NBC Sports selected Imaginary Forces to create the main title sequence for the M...
02/03/2026
The NFL announces the launch of the NFL Draft Innovation Challenge, a new crowds...
02/03/2026
The World Teleport Association (WTA) has named Skyline Communications' DataMiner SatOps solution as a finalist for the 2026 Teleport Technology of the Year ...
02/03/2026
Ventum Tech announces a strategic partnership with Pixotope, a real-time graphic...
02/03/2026
Victory , a free, ad-supported sports streaming service, announces the launch of...
02/03/2026
Global powerhouse Delta Goodrem to represent Australia at this year's Eurovi...
02/03/2026
SBS brings together prominent voices to discuss rising social division and seek ...
02/03/2026
NITV Unveils Wednesday Night Sport Night
Media releases
A Midweek Hub for Blak Sport
Flagship NRL program Over The Black Dot moves to Wednesdays at 9:30pm
...
02/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates FR1-FR3 carrier aggregation, advancing 6G readiness Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have reached another pivotal ...
02/03/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., March 2, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) today announc...
02/03/2026
Harvey Norman tops New Zealand's biggest ad spenders as retail leads and telcos and beverages sure Auckland March 3, 2026 - Nielsen's New Zealand'...
02/03/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, and Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, A...
02/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, has appointed Jody Boatwright as Chief Strategy Of...
02/03/2026
Lightware, an industry leader in signal management, is reinforcing its commitment to simplifying complex AV environments with the continued evolution of its TPN...
02/03/2026
ZEISS Cinema opens its doors to an exclusive screening, filmmakers Q&A and hands-on showcase of the new ZEISS Aatma lens family on Tuesday, March 10, 6:00-9:00 ...
02/03/2026
To expand the creative potential of the compact Astera QuikBeam, DoPchoice introduces the SNAPBAG Round. The new light-shaping accessory transforms the powerfu...
02/03/2026
Douglas Dubler
On a rooftop in New York City, veteran photographer Douglas Dubler watched the sun's angle shift across the urban landscape, his internal cl...
02/03/2026
ZEISS is expanding its Otus ML lens family with the introduction of the new ZEISS Otus ML 1.4/35. This manual-focus lens is designed for photographers who live ...
02/03/2026
Matthews Studio Equipment now offers the new Dinkum Systems White FlexiMount and Phone Mount Kit, a compact, highly adaptable setup for mobile content creation...
02/03/2026
Luxembourg, February 26, 2026 - SES and Africa Mobile Network (AMN) have expande...
02/03/2026
02 03 2026 - Media release Ausfilm and Screen Australia launch joint UK market initiative
Ausfilm and Screen Australia have announced Partner with Australia (...
02/03/2026
Monday 2 March 2026
Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team
L-R: Jonno Johnson; Charlie Skelton; Celya AB; Omar Badawy; Gr inne Maguire; Laura Claxton; ...
02/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Trailer for 53 Sundays, the New Film by Cesc Gay
Entertainment
02 March 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Dis...
28/02/2026
With two features seen in Formula 1 coverage, the broadcaster aims to bring view...
28/02/2026
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addresses a crowd of approximately 1,500 L3Harris employees in Camden, Arkansas, as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour....
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Berklee Presents Mambo Mania: Eguie Castrillo and the Berklee All-Stars Big Band...
28/02/2026
Berklee Announces Two New Summer Programs in Los Angeles The Berklee Music Business Program and Electronic Music Production and Sound Design Workshop bring imme...
28/02/2026
AI-RAN is moving from lab to field, showing that a software-defined approach is ...
28/02/2026
Autonomous networks - intelligent, self-managing telecommunications operations -...
28/02/2026
Back to All News
Final Trailer for BEASTARS Final Season Part 2' Roars Tow...
28/02/2026
New way to intentionally discover molecular glues could expand drug discovery Scripps Research scientists and colleagues show how drugs that eliminate certain d...
27/02/2026
The E.W. Scripps Company names Oliver Gray as Vice President, Network Sports and...
27/02/2026
The Gotham Sports App, the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home of MSG Networks and the YES Network, is now available for purchase through Prime Video fo...
27/02/2026
ESPN and the Horizon League announce a new multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement, continuing a 38-year collaboration that began with the 1988 Midwes...
27/02/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, NETGEAR will highlight its new switch models and major updates to its Engage Controller software. The company's network d...
27/02/2026
Riedel Communications announces that Fondazione Teatro alla Scala has deployed a...
27/02/2026
Lyuno specializes in media localization, including translation, dubbing, subtitling, and voice-over services for a wide array of entertainment content. The comp...
27/02/2026
Chyron Weather 2.3, the latest edition of Chyron's weather visualization suite for broadcasters and meteorologists, recently launched.
The release includes...
27/02/2026
Telestream, which concentrates in media workflow technologies, announces expanded practical AI enhancements across its Vantage, Vantage Cloud, EDC, Stanza, and ...
MLS 2021 Preview: Fox Sports, Univision's TUDN To Deliver Matches Remotely, Deploy Miked-Up Coaches and AR Graphics; ESPN Increases Coverage on ESPN ESPN's MLS coverage will include 32 Spanish-language broadcasts By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor 
