Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Turner Sports Shifts Into Overdrive for NBA All-Star Game

05/03/2021

Turner Sports Shifts Into Overdrive for NBA All-Star Game Complicated by COVID, the event was reduced to one day and produced in only five weeks By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director

Friday, March 5, 2021 - 11:13 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

NBA All-Star Weekend has become a tradition for the NBA and Turner Sports, with events like All-Star Saturday Night and the skills competitions, a celebrity game, NBA Fan Fest, and, of course, the game. The 2021 edition will be much different: compressed into one day, March 7, and even moved from Indianapolis to State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The compressed weekend also involved a compressed preparation window.

That, says Turner Sports VP, Sports Production Technology, Chris Brown, was the real challenge. The notion of completing an All-Star Game event with only one survey and then five weeks to put it together meant there was only so much we can do, he says. Production needed to know how they could wrap creative around what the NBA wanted to do from a presentation standpoint.

The NBA All-Star Game compound features NEP Group production trucks at the center of the action.

Not surprisingly, the compound is scaled down from the usual NBA All-Star Weekend. NBA Entertainment will not have a presence, and the NBA will produce the world feed with the help of its HSAN (high-speed area network).

We've gone from 17 or 18 trucks down to about seven, says Brown, but, if it was a non-COVID world, we would have been able to pack the operators down to about four trucks.

During the five-week preparation period, the production and operations teams worked closely to make sure the event feels as normal as possible for fans at home.

We're still trying to create as elaborate and robust a production as we can while also trying to take a minimalist approach, says Brown. The goal was to figure out how to integrate all these productions and achieve what production wanted from a show-flow standpoint without our traditional methodology, where we had a separate truck for Saturday, a game truck, and then a studio truck.

NEP Supershooter 4 will be at the center of the activities on March 7, producing both the skills-competition events and the game itself. NEP EN2 A and B will be onsite for studio-show needs; Super B, for overflow and transmission.

All the events on Sunday will be produced with the same crew, the only exception that All-Star Saturday Night producer Jeff Randolph will slide into the chair to produce those elements (and will occupy it on Sunday for the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, which begins at 6:30 p.m. ET).

It's the same technical crew for court coverage, Brown notes. It will be a long day for them.

He adds that the court coverage will be fairly traditional and 58 cameras will be in the mix. As for new enhancements, Canon is providing shallow-depth-of-field camera systems, which have become a hot trend in the industry.

We tested them last week and definitely want to use them, says Brown. The NBA has given their approval to see what [the cameras] will bring to the show.

A Rail Cam was also considered, but even the limited number of fans in attendance makes that unfeasible.

We are going to have a Jetta Towercam, which is a telescoping camera that will be behind the bench and is robotic, says Brown. That will provide a unique perspective.

Robotic cameras will also be used in the tunnels and hallways that the players use.

In recent years, the All-Star Game has leaned into player miking. This year, up to 11 players, along with coaches and officials, will be miked. It's part of the commitment to get the viewers as close to the court as we can, Brown notes.

The core production team will also be servicing other WarnerMedia entities, including Bleacher Report, which will be in the arena during practices. TNT Overtime needs, too, will be met by the production team.

We've added a few cameras for them to go along with the studio show, says Brown. We're also helping NBA TV for pregame and postgame coverage.

Postgame interviews continue to be a production challenge in the age of COVID-19. For the All-Star Game, Bluetooth headsets and a boom mic will be deployed.

We found a good deal of success with that in the bubble, Brown explains. We potentially could fold that into some pregame interviews for the studio show.

Inside the NBA will have a big presence with a set in the corner of the arena.

It's going to be neat because of the level of interaction they're planning, says Brown. Host Ernie Johnson will let Reggie Miller and company take over for the skills events, and that will make it pretty dynamic.
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/03/05/turner-sports-shifts-into-overd...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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 Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

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...

13/03/2026

Missionized Business Jets: Fielded and Flying

Over a year ago, L3Harris delivered the first missionized Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Two ATHENA-R platforms now average 400+...

13/03/2026

GFiber and Stonepeak's Astound Broadband to Merge

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/03/2026

Harmonic Redefines the Economics of Video Playout with Ne...

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced Spectrum X Plus, the newest generation of its Spectrum X media server, offering double the channel density of previous ...

13/03/2026

Historic Ewing Covenant Church Revitalizes Worship Experi...

When Ewing Covenant Church made the decision to return to its original, historic building, affectionately called 1867 Sanctuary for weekly worship, the congre...

13/03/2026

Marshall Electronics Launches CV574 WP its First 4K All I...

Marshall Electronics introduces its first all-IP 4K POV camera, the CV574-WP, at NAB 2026 (Booth C8339). The CV574-WP supports NDI |HX, providing ultra-efficien...

13/03/2026

Net Insight launches Nimbra 520 - Predictable Live Media...

At NAB Show 2026, Net Insight introduces Nimbra 520, a high-density media processing node designed to simplify live contribution and distribution across both ma...

13/03/2026

Abandon Editorial Signs With Michal Dimitri for West Coast Representation

Abandon Editorial Signs With Micha l Dimitri for West Coast Representation Brie Clayton March 12, 2026 0 Comments Abandon Editorial is excited to part...

13/03/2026

Documentary The Bulldogs Shot and Edited with Blackmagic Design

Documentary The Bulldogs Shot and Edited with Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton March 12, 2026 0 Comments Editorial tools helped shape film in real time,...

13/03/2026

AE Captions as Fast as CapCut - No Plugins

AE Captions as Fast as CapCut - No Plugins Graham Quince March 12, 2026 0 Comments Stop wasting hours clicking through nested compositions and manuall...

13/03/2026

New Music USA and Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice Announce 2026 Next Jazz Legacy Cohort

New Music USA and Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice Announce 2026 Nex...

13/03/2026

RT announces Rick O'Shea as new presenter on RT Radio 1's Arena

RT has announced today that Rick O'Shea is the new presenter of Arena RT Radio 1's flagship weeknight arts and culture programme. Rick has been pres...

13/03/2026

Lights! Camera! Action! The 98th Oscars set to air live as RT backs the Irish nominees

Lights! Camera! Action! The 98th Oscars set to air live as RT backs the Irish n...

12/03/2026

Milano Cortina 2026: Yospace helps ad-funded rights-holders claim advertising gold

Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 11th March, 2026 - Yospace, the trusted leader in Dyna...

12/03/2026

Utah Scientific Expands Technology Partner Program With Integrations From Audinate, Bitfocus, and Skaarhoj

Utah Scientific Expands Technology Partner Program With Integrations From Audina...

12/03/2026

Techex Hires Matt McKee as Senior Director, Sales, Americas

Techex, a global expert in live video solutions over IP and cloud, announces the appointment of Matt McKee as Senior Director, Sales, Americas, further strength...

12/03/2026

KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America Welcomes Mondae Hott as Regional Sales Manager, Northeast

KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America has appointed Mondae Hott as Regional Sales Manag...

12/03/2026

Interra Systems Focuses on Streaming-First QC, Monitoring, and Responsible AI Workflows at 2026 NAB Show

At the 2026 NAB Show, Interra Systems will showcase its latest advancements in a...

12/03/2026

15th National Games of China Features Expansive Unified Broadcast Network

The 15th National Games of China concluded after a two-week celebration of athletic excellence and regional collaboration. Held from Nov. 9-21 across Guangdong,...

12/03/2026

SVG in Indy: Butler University Students Get Live-Sports Experience via On-Campus Studio, Production Truck

Live-production academic program Butler Sports Live produced a total of 40 fall-...

12/03/2026

Lawo Delivers Fully IPBased Video Infrastructure for University of Nebraska's HuskerVision

The University of Nebraska's HuskerVision has completed the second phase of ...

12/03/2026

University of Illinois Upgrades Game-Day Production with New Hybrid IP Control Room

Grass Valley and integration partner Tab M Solutions have completed Phase 1 of a...

12/03/2026

CBS Sports Turns to University of Cincinnati's Control Room and Staff for Two Big 12 Men's Basketball Broadcasts

The broadcaster expands its campus-production model as the university handles tw...

12/03/2026

Disney+ to Stream Men's and Women's NCAA March Madness Across Europe, South Africa

Disney has announced the addition of March Madness - the NCAA Division I Men...

12/03/2026

Apple TV Further Integrating iPhones into Friday Night Baseball' Camera Lineup This Season

Apple TV's Friday Night Baseball MLB doubleheader series returns for its f...

12/03/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Jack Rinaldi, University of Notre Dame

The senior from New Jersey is making his mark in South Bend, both on the mic and behind it...

12/03/2026

Ross Video's Kevin Dresser on Powering Graphics for Major Sporting Events Throughout a Busy February

After a relatively quiet January, the month of February was jammed packed with l...

12/03/2026

X Games Launches New Era With First League Draft at Cosm L.A.

Long-time production partner Echo Entertainment is producing the broadcast, while Cosm played a vital role in the collaboration...

12/03/2026

Film Festival Watch: 24 Sundance Institute-Supported Films to Catch at the SXSW Film Festival

By Jessica Herndon We love kicking off each year by introducing the world to po...

12/03/2026

Didn't Die Brings Improv to the Zombie Apocalypse

Samrat Chakrabarti, George Basil, Kiran Deol, Katie McCuen and Vishal Vijayakumar attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Didn't Die at the Lib...

12/03/2026

Mon Laferte Leads All-Women Spotify Session as EQUAL Celebrations Kick Off in Latin America

In Latin America, women are shaping music and defining its future. To kick off t...

12/03/2026

Mon Laferte lidera la edicin EQUAL de Spotify Sessions, mientras comienzan las celebraciones de EQUAL en Latinoamrica

En Am rica Latina, las mujeres est n moldeando la m sica y definiendo su futuro....

12/03/2026

As Spotify Turns 20, the Most Global and Diverse Music Industry in History Has Taken Shape

Let's turn back the clock 20 years: The music landscape was a world away fro...

12/03/2026

Bad Bunny Brings the Sounds of Puerto Rico to Tokyo for Spotify's Billions Club Live

Bad Bunny is no stranger to Spotify's Billions Club. In fact, he has a whopp...

12/03/2026

At the London Book Fair, Spotify Shares Our Vision for the Future of Reading

Spotify was at the London Book Fair this week, joining conversations across the publishing industry about how people can make reading part of their daily lives....

12/03/2026

Ohlhorst Digital & Tokyo Dawn Labs launch Ancora

Mastering tool improves mono compatibility Tokyo Dawn Labs' Ohlhorst Digital range is a series of mastering-focused plug-ins developed by Jan Ohlhorst, ...

12/03/2026

Lewitt partner with Elgato

Wave FX processor integrated into four products Lewitt have teamed up with Elgato to create a new processor for the company's Wave Next product range, i...

12/03/2026

Mix Notes iOS App by David Thomas

Free tool for annotating audio files Mix Notes is a new, free iOS App that provides users with a simple way to annotate their audio files. It's been cre...

12/03/2026

Duck 2 from Devious Machines

Side-chain ducking tool gets an upgrade Devious Machines' popular side-chaining and envelope-shaping tool has just been kitted out with an improved enve...

12/03/2026

MPG Awards 2026: Shortlist announced

Ceremony to take place on 16 April 2026 The MPG (Music Producers Guild) have revealed the full shortlist for this year's MPG Awards, which will be takin...

12/03/2026

Overloud introduce Gem Comp160

Emulates three classic dbx 160 variants The latest arrival to Overloud's Gem Series plug-in range faithfully recreates not one, but three versions of th...

12/03/2026

Grainferno from Baby Audio

New granular soft synth announced Said to be their most advanced software synthesizer to date, Baby Audio's latest release has been built on a new granu...

12/03/2026

Bitwig Studio 6 launches

Latest version now live! Edit 11 March 2026 - Bitwig Studio 6 is now live, and available for all to download! The latest version of Bitwig's DAW softwa...

12/03/2026

Stereo Miking: The Sound On Sound Guide

Latest free eBook now available! Designed for recording engineers, audio-technology students and technically minded musicians, our latest free eBook deliver...

12/03/2026

AFL and NITV partner to launch new First Nations led program Inside the Huddle'

AFL and NITV partner to launch new First Nations led program Inside the Huddle&...

12/03/2026

Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity expands SITLine network encryptor portfolio - more bandwidth, higher port density, future-proof architecture

Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity expands SITLine network encryptor portfolio - more...