A Whole New Bull-Game: PBR Team Series Calls for New Production Technology, Storytelling Strategy The live broadcast now mirrors the in-venue production with the same on-air talent for both By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Thursday, August 18, 2022 - 2:33 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
With the launch of the PBR Team Series last month, an entirely new five-on-five bull-riding format has changed the face of the sport. And with that new format comes a brand-new look for both the broadcast and the in-venue show - complete with a new state-of-the art in-arena experience, as well as new cameras, graphics, and audio elements for the broadcast.
Photo by Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media
This has been a one-on-one sport for almost 30 years, and now it's about teams; that changes the entire story, says Robby Greene, who oversees TV and production for PBR. The camaraderie and team spirit add a whole new level to the story. To watch teammates and coaches on the back of these bucking chutes pulling for the guy out there [riding] is really special to watch. I'm excited to present that to our audience in a new and totally different way.
After debuting at the outdoor Cheyenne Frontier Days July 25-26, the PBR Team went into full swing with indoor events at arenas in Kansas City, Anaheim, and, this weekend, Nashville in an 11-event regular season that will be followed by championship weekend in Las Vegas in November. All PBR Team Series events are being broadcast on either CBS or CBS Sports Network or are streamed live on Paramount+ or PBR RidePass on Pluto TV.
Best of Both Worlds: Melding the Broadcast and In-Venue Shows From an operations standpoint, the live broadcast mirrors the in-venue show, with the same talent heard in the arena and on television (as opposed to two independent shows for PBR's primary Unleash the Beast series).
Photo by Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
Over the years, says Greene, people at our live events have told us, I wish I could hear the television commentators while I'm in-arena,' and then people watching on television at home say, I wish I could see and hear more of what is going on [in the arena].' So we're trying to give everybody the best of both worlds by combining these two distinctly different shows and making it one product.
As part of the single-show mentality, the CBS TV broadcast desk, captained by Kate Harrison, is prominently located in the middle of the bucking chutes rather than in a traditional announce booth. In addition, CBS has embedded sideline reporters Allen Bestwick and Matt West and dedicated cameras to each team's bucking chute - similar to coverage of dugouts in baseball broadcasts. All these elements will also be incorporated into the in-venue videoboard show, bringing fans in the stands and at home closer to the action than ever before.
We're definitely still learning, says Greene, but we're just so excited to be able to provide that same perspective to both the spectator that bought a ticket [at the venue] or that's watching at home. We can offer that perspective now from the entire talent team - both in-arena and television. Is it perfect? Not yet. But is it a product that we're proud of? Absolutely. And we're getting better every week.
Inside the Arena: Big-Time Videoboard, Lighting, Audio Upgrades The in-venue Team Series experience is almost unrecognizable compared with a traditional PBR event, with PBR's largest-ever main videoboard, a state-of-the-art theatrical lighting system, and a drastically enhanced sound system.
Arena opening during the second day of the PBR Team Series event at Honda Center, Anaheim, CA (Photo by Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media)
The new center-hung videoboard measures 55 ft. wide by 30 ft. tall and comprises nearly 5 million individual LEDs. In addition, 400 linear feet of reinforced-face LED signage surround the entire arena, replacing the traditional printed signage tacked to the fences that bulls would sometimes tear down.
The in-venue experience also features nearly 300 individual lighting elements: beams, strobes, spotlights, moving-head fixtures, fixed and flashing lights. This significantly boosts the drama factor inside the arena compared with previous PBR events, which relied heavily on each venue's house lighting.
On the audio side, a new sound system equipped with 56 line-array speakers and eight subwoofers delivers 512,000 W of sound amplification. PBR has also invested in state-of-the-art sound-reinforcement technology to improve sound levels and clarity everywhere in the arena. Dan Hickman, head of production, PBR, told the Wrangler Network that the system (developed by a German audio company specializing in high-end concert audio) dramatically improves sound clarity and allows his team to digitally steer sound away from the TV booth and other areas that require quiet.
Photo by Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
A total of 15 semi-trucks are required to transport all this gear from venue to venue each week, and that doesn't count the trailers and trucks carrying an average of 90 bulls and 750 tons of dirt for each three-day event.
The addition of 30 seats on a new deck above the bucking chutes put VIP guests practically on top of the action. Another 18 Dirt Suites are located in the end-zone area opposite the chutes. Greene says the in-venue show now feels more like a high-profile title fight or WWE show than a rodeo.
I think I underestimated just how big the wow factor would be at one of these PBR Team events, he says. I just sit back in awe of what has been created in the arena with these 360-degree LED videoboards, the new sound system, the new people-pen structure, and the concert stage. If you didn't think a PBR could get any better, you have to come check one of these out.
Inside the Broa
North America Stories
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
Coronal mass ejections caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun can have fa...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
04/12/2025
Lightware, a global specialist in AV connectivity, is looking back on a year defined by new advancements, strong collaboration and continued growth. Across the ...
04/12/2025
Riedel Communications today announced a new partnership with Haivision, a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual col...
04/12/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) and Normann Engineering today announced a major milestone in their strategic collaboration, celebrating 20 successful broadband deployme...
04/12/2025
Creative software developer Foundry today announced Mari 7.5, the latest iteration of its artist-friendly paint toolset that can handle large, detailed assets w...
04/12/2025
Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a leading provider of wireless audio solutions and RF management, was on site at Dreamforce 2025 in San Francisco providing...
04/12/2025
LTN's purpose-built IP video network brings all-movie diginet to over 100 stations and streaming platforms in just three months while eliminating satellite ...
04/12/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with ThinkAnalytics, the global leader in AI-powered data a...
04/12/2025
The HELM, a global expert in cinematic live broadcast and high-end production workflows, has signed a partnership agreement with Keslow Camera, one of North Ame...
04/12/2025
At ISE 2026, LiveU will showcase its expanded IP-video EcoSystem, enabling broadcasters, sports, production companies and pro-AV professionals to share their st...
04/12/2025
Since the beginning of commercial television, advertising has been a key part of broadcasting. Over the years, the technology for inserting ads into programs ha...
04/12/2025
MUNICH and MILAN Warner Bros. Discovery said HBO Max is expanding into Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein on Jan. 13, 2026, and ...
A Whole New Bull-Game: PBR Team Series Calls for New Production Technology, Storytelling Strategy The live broadcast now mirrors the in-venue production with the same on-air talent for both By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
