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.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
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...
06/05/2026
Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...
06/05/2026
For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...
06/05/2026
ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing
Brie Clayton May 6, 2026
0 Comments
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...
06/05/2026
Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Narrative Entertainment has partnered with Encompass to deliver high-quality subtitling of its Great! network content using the Altitude Intelligence AI assiste...
06/05/2026
SipRadius, widely recognized for making content processing and connectivity secure and seamless, is proud to launch a dramatic new approach to AI content creati...
06/05/2026
When the broadband and media industry gathers at ANGA COM in Cologne from May 19 to 21, Big Blue Marble will be at the forefront. The international broadcast an...
06/05/2026
Cinegy GmbH, a leading developer of software-defined television technology, is proud to exhibit at MPTS for the first time. Visitors to the stand will discover ...
06/05/2026
Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award Jeanty, a composer, percussionist, and turntablist, is the fourth Berklee recipient of the prestigious award ...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
When live cycling races and international marathons stretch for miles across cities and countryside, there is no margin for RF failure in live broadcast. As Chi...
06/05/2026
Oberkochen/Germany, May 5, 2026
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a novel solution for creating physically based cinematic lens looks for visual...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
06/05/2026
The race to build the world's most powerful AI factories demands networking ...
06/05/2026
How changes to proteins can alter drug interactions for new precision therapies Scripps Research team maps how chemical modifications to proteins affect drug bi...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Three phones were hardwired for power and transmission to the truck; camera feat...
05/05/2026
The creative studio behind campaigns for the NBA, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, ...
05/05/2026
Nielsen has announced results from a co-viewing pilot program covering February&...
05/05/2026
viztrick AiDi, an on-device AI solution developed by Nippon TV, delivered global...
05/05/2026
ARRI has announced Omnibar, a battery-powered, IP65-rated multi-color LED linear...
05/05/2026
Imagine Communications has announced that France T l visions is the first broadc...
05/05/2026
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Bell Media today announced a multiyear agreement to broadcast and stream WNBA games in Canada beginni...
05/05/2026
SVG is proud to announce Warner Bros. Discovery's Techwood Studios in Atlant...
05/05/2026
With no operator required, AutoMic workflow automates talent identification on U...
05/05/2026
A crash in 2015 set the industry back, but this winter proved that drones are he...
05/05/2026
Another year, and more proof that Asia continues to shape some of the world's most exciting new sounds. This year's RADAR artists draw from deep local r...
05/05/2026
The Austin City Limits Music Fest 2026 lineup just dropped, and this year, Spoti...
05/05/2026
New drum machine book campaign incoming
Bjooks have announced that during Superbooth 2026, they will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the product...
05/05/2026
Flagship all-in-one production bundle updated
The latest version of Native Instruments' flagship virtual instrument and plug-in bundle has just been ann...
05/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host RF Testing Innovations Forum 2026, helping design engine...
05/05/2026
L3Harris provides communications, electronic warfare, sensors and mission systems that enable Virginia-class submarine crews to operate with confidence in conte...
05/05/2026
The company grew by 7.6% in net revenue and 16.3% in EBITDA, achieving a 33% inc...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
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 
