World Series 2025: Sportsnet Delivers Made-in-Canada' Moment for a Nation United Behind the Toronto Blue Jays

World Series 2025: Sportsnet Delivers Made-in-Canada' Moment for a Nation United Behind the Toronto Blue JaysNational pride, technical precision mark its first World Series with a Canadian teamBy Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Monday, October 27, 2025 - 2:52 pm

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The World Series shifts to Los Angeles tonight for Game 3. For Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet, it's the next stop in what has been a unique opportunity to produce live coverage of a Canadian sports run decades in the making.

It means everything for our Blue Jays production team, who have worked since the players reported to Spring Training in February to [their making] the World Series in October, says Rob Corte, VP, production, Sportsnet. Bringing a Made-in-Canada World Series production featuring Canada's team to Canadian fans is incredibly rewarding and something we take very seriously.

Sportsnet field reporter Hazel Mae interviews Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. following a win in the American League Championship Series. (Image: Sportsnet)

Production Resources at Both SitesProducing the World Series has meant, naturally, unique logistical challenges for Sportsnet, with the World Series crossing an international border for the first time since the Toronto Blue Jays were last in the Fall Classic, in 1993. That's well before Sportsnet launched in October 1998.

At Rogers Centre this past weekend, the crew deployed 11 hard cameras, six Q-Balls, three handhelds (including one RF), an RF Megalodon shallow-depth-of-field camera, and an aerial drone capturing exterior views of downtown Toronto. Five super-slow-motion systems and six 12-channel EVS XT-VIA servers handle replay, supported by a four-channel EVS SpotBox and Chyron graphics system.

In Los Angeles, the setup includes eight hard cameras, four Q-Balls, two handhelds, and an RF Megalodon SDF camera. Sportsnet also has access to the FlyCam, interior drones, robotic cameras, and other specialty angles courtesy of FOX Sports, MLB, and stadium operations.

It's an exciting collection of resources for producer Doug Walton and director Troy Clara, the veteran duo at the heart of Sportsnet's Toronto Blue Jays coverage year-round.

Roughly 60 members of the Sportsnet crew are flying between the two cities to execute each broadcast, with tight turnarounds and long travel days baked into the schedule. With just one travel day between venues, the network's production crew has had to operate with precision.

Distance is the biggest challenge with only one day between home and away games, Corte explains. Our Remote Operations Lead Murray Corbet and crew are already in L.A. setting up our build ahead of Game 3 on Monday.

Dome Productions is supplying Sportsnet's mobile units: Titan is lead production unit In Toronto; Empire, in Los Angeles. Both trucks anchor the robust unilateral operation, giving the broadcaster full editorial and technical control over its national broadcast.

Collaboration with FOX Sports and Major League Baseball has helped streamline the process. The relationship between FOX, MLB, and Sportsnet has been fantastic, Corte adds. We're all working together on access and resources, including cameras, throughout the entire postseason.

Capturing the EmotionFor Corte, the defining element of Sportsnet's postseason success has been its crew's ability to translate raw emotion into powerful television.

Our crew rose to the occasion capturing the emotions of every big moment on the field, he points out. [Field reporter] Hazel Mae's postgame interview with first-baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Game 6 [of the ALCS] stands out. Our Megalodon camera operator Alex Frazao organically did a 720 around Vladdy as he took in the moment and the crowd. That type of moment happens only because our crew covers this team 365 days a year; the team is operating at an extremely high level.

I'm born ready and I #WANTITALL for the city Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pic.twitter.com/iuYg3wger6

- Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 20, 2025

Those instincts were equally on display when George Springer crushed a seventh-inning, series-clinching home run in the ALCS. Covering huge celebrations throughout the ALDS and ALCS has been its own highlight, Corte says. George Springer's home run is one for the books, and our crew delivered in the moment.

Augmented-Reality Graphics for Game, REMI Workflows for StudioTechnological innovation also continues to define Sportsnet's postseason coverage. At home games, the broadcaster integrates Zero Density's augmented-reality graphics to elevate its storytelling and data visualization.

Meanwhile, Blue Jays Central, Sportsnet's signature pre/postgame show, is produced via REMI workflow. The onsite panel set is produced and directed remotely from Sportsnet's Toronto control room, allowing the network to maintain a leaner footprint while keeping full creative oversight. This hybrid model has become a mainstay across Sportsnet's MLB coverage and is proving its worth on baseball's biggest stage.

A Nation WatchingThe national passion for the team has translated to record-setting audiences. Game 7 of the American League Championship Series drew an average 6 million viewers on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, peaking at 8.3 million during for the final out.

Pregame coverage on Blue Jays Central averaged 1.9 million viewers, and 2.8 million viewers stayed tuned postgame to watch Guerrero Jr. crowned series MVP and the team's clubhouse celebration. The entire ALCS averaged 4.4 million viewers, with 15.9 million Canadians tuning in at some point. Across the postseason, Sportsnet is averaging 1.4 million viewers and has reached more than 17 million Canadians.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/10/27/world-series-2025-sportsnet-del...
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