NBC Sports Engages PLL Fans With Player-to-Analyst Comms, Social-Media Integration, Onscreen Betting Lines PLL is first outdoor pro lacrosse league to leverage legalized gambling By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor Wednesday, July 29, 2020 - 11:52 am
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On Saturday, July 25, the Premier Lacrosse League began its two-week Championship Series at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, UT. The fans are watching from home, but NBC Sports is bringing them down to the field level with back-and-forth communications between commentators and players, coverage via untethered aerial drone, interactivity on multiple social-media platforms, sports-betting lines, and more - all complicated by processes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is an onsite crew that is following protocols of NBC Universal and the PLL, says Dan Steir, SVP, production/senior coordinating producer, NBC Sports. We have five above-the-line production staffers, and our partner, Tupelo Honey, is handling the below-the-line personnel for the event.
At-Home Connection: Player Talk, Untethered Drone Coverage Bring Fans Closer High above the field, an aerial drone is capturing footage for the league's social media channels as well as pre-recorded broadcast material from a different vantage point.
For an organization that's only in its second season, the PLL is far from a sophomore slump in this 2020 campaign. While some fans are still finding allegiance to their respective teams, the league is making a concerted effort to connect with those watching from home.
From the outset, the most notable feature being deployed is talent's conversations with players during the game. Starting in the league's inaugural season last year via a relationship with comms provider Gubser & Schnakenberg, fans are able to hear instant reactions to and real-time analysis of some of the game's pivotal moments.
Last year, an attack would score, and our announcer was talking to him 10 seconds later on the field, says Steir. We're looking to expand on that. We'll have three players wired for every game, and we'll be able to talk to them.
In addition to these conversations with play-by-play commentator Paul Burmeister, analyst Ryan Boyle, and sideline reporter Todd Harris, other players and coaches are miked to provide soundbites throughout the telecast. For even more in-game insights, Harris is conducting midgame sideline interviews with players after shifts are completed.
New Episode // S3E17 feat Matt Gaudet
On today's episode
Championship Series Weekend 1 recap
Chirping MasterClass with Matt Gaudet
PLL Midweek Preview
Listen on Apple: https://t.co/NQ688CckMa
Listen on Spotify: https://t.co/IkWUG08gwr pic.twitter.com/H87pMI6zTS
- The Crease Dive (@thecreasedive) July 28, 2020
The standard camera complement for each game is headed by an untethered drone in the sky. Without fans in the stands, the drone is able to fly above the field of play as well as high above the stadium to provide scenic aerial shots and stunning replays on the broadcast and on the league's social media channels.
Besides the drone and several hard cameras with super-slow-motion capture, another manned device, one that is not standard for lacrosse, is receiving a more important and amplified this year in Utah. We're utilizing a handheld Steadicam that will get the viewer much closer to the action, Steir explains. We used it for selected games in 2019, but we'll have it for the entire tournament this year.
Who wants more drone highlights? pic.twitter.com/swZFWfNT6w
- Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) July 27, 2020
Further Participation: Social Media, Betting Lines Improve Spectator Interactivity If an inside look into how the game is played isn't enough, NBC Sports and the league are giving fans other opportunities to engage with these telecasts. Instead of virtual fans (the league sold 400 of 500 cardboard cutouts two days before the start of the tournament), NBC Sports is leveraging Tagboard, a company specializing in on-air graphics that can seamlessly use real-time video, to allow fans to be a part of the broadcasts.
Driving the graphics are videos submitted on social media through Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. For high-profile fans, like New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, the broadcast is dedicating a small box on the left- or right-hand side of the screen and overlaying the action.
Fans at home will be entertained with another production wrinkle, which was added just two weeks ago after the league signed a deal to make DraftKings the official sports-betting partner of the PLL Championship Series, which is the first outdoor professional lacrosse league to leverage legalized gambling.
The PLL has embraced the incorporation of sports gambling, says Steir. During the broadcast, we'll give viewers the money line, but, as the game goes on, we'll revisit it based on the storyline. As the tournament goes on, we're likely to present the over/under and spreads as well.
Small-Size Tech: Goalpost Mics, Locker-Room POVs Highlight Game Sights and Sounds Along with communication with miked players, NBC Sports is also interviewing players on the sideline during the game.
Along with the bevy of technology used to engage fans and make them a focal point of each broadcast, other small technological tidbits are being deployed. With limited field access, NBC Sports is doing what it can to highlight the action from every possible angle.
From an overall audio standpoint, the broadcaster is pumping in a certain amount of fake crowd noise while the stands are empty. To add an extra layer of auricular flavor, a handful of microphones are planted around and on the playing surface to spotlight the natural sounds of the
