CFP National Championship 2026: ESPN's Sweeping Live Game Production Leverages Deep Specialty Camera Lineup, IP-Connected CompoundNative HDR, ST 2110, unique camera angels support the broadcasters biggest football game of the yearBy Brandon Costa, Director of Digital Monday, January 19, 2026 - 1:06 pm
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By the time the College Football Playoff National Championship Game kicks off at Hard Rock Stadium tonight, ESPN's presence in Miami will look less like a traditional big-game show and more like a fully networked broadcast campus. Nearly every element of ESPN's championship coverage - from the main game telecast to a dozen MegaCast presentations - is originating onsite, supported by a large-scale, IP-connected compound designed to operate multiple parallel productions simultaneously.
At the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, ESPN is using the famous spires at each corner of Hard Rock Stadium to add a second, much higher SkyCam to its game-camera arsenal. (Photos: Phil Ellsworth/ESPN Images)
This is pretty much made whole as full productions here, says Jim Birch, senior remote operations manager, ESPN, noting that only one MegaCast element, Field Pass With The Pat McAfee Show, is being produced via REMCO out of Bristol, CT, and includes four remote EVS replay positions. Everything here is coming from site.
That onsite commitment is reflected in the scale of the build. ESPN's compound at Hard Rock Stadium comprises roughly 30 mobile units and support trailers and houses a credentialed workforce approaching 900 people across game, MegaCast, studio, ACC Network, and technical operations.
A Championship Built on IP and HDRUnderpinning the entire operation is an IP-based infrastructure that has become central to ESPN's largest college-football efforts. Hard Rock Stadium is operating as a native-HDR production environment, with core trucks interconnected over a SMPTE ST 2110 backbone that allows game, MegaCast, and studio productions to share feeds, resources, and workflows.
We're integrating as a full-HDR compound, and a lot of the compound is connected via IP, says David Baker, tech specialist, studio, ESPN. During the regular season, with our studio show and our game trucks, we end up linking up throughout the year. By the time we got here, we were pretty well practiced with sharing feeds and linking up on that 2110 backbone, and it just scales up throughout the playoffs.
Parabolic microphones are lined up and at the ready prior to tonight's 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship.
The scaling process has been deliberate. ESPN's operations team has spent the entire postseason building toward the championship, adding complexity at each round. It's been a key focus of ESPN's executive leadership, which includes SVP, Content Operations Chris Calcinari and Executive Director John LaChance.
It scales up throughout the year to this point, Baker explains. From first round to quarterfinals to semifinals to now, you're adding more and more elements. It's something we're well-practiced in and just continue to build.
For Birch, that architectural consistency allows ESPN to transform what would once have been siloed productions into a unified ecosystem. This is the time of year where everything comes together, he notes. You have all these productions operating side by side, and the infrastructure has to support that without friction.
Second SkyCam, Wearable JockeyCam Add Dimensions to VisualsWith the foundation in place, ESPN's production team has leaned heavily into venue-specific opportunities at Hard Rock Stadium, deploying new camera placements and continuing postseason testing of emerging tools.
The most visible addition is a second SkyCam system mounted to the stadium's signature spires. According to Catherine Chalfant, manager, remote operations, ESPN, that creates a second overhead perspective positioned more than 350 ft. above the field.
The elevated platform opens the door for what ESPN is branding as High SkyCast, and a gondola running on the stadium property is being fitted with a small POV camera to generate additional beauty and atmosphere shots. We're setting up one of our POV cameras on the TVU that'll run the gondola up and down, Baker explains. Along with studio [cameras], we're throwing out some of our [Sony] FR7 PTZs and a couple of beauty cameras mounted in fixed positions - some new looks for our studio and game shows.
A technician works with a CFP game official on the outfitting of the JockeyCam camera system. The official will wear the POV device on his hat. (Photo: ESPN PR)
On the field, ESPN continues to expand its wearable and POV strategy. The JockeyCam system, which has been deployed throughout the postseason, returns for the championship following a full season of refinement.
It has been really good, Chalfant says. We were fortunate to work with the ACC in the regular season to test and refine our workflows. Because of that, we've felt really good throughout the postseason using them.
Baker notes that vendor collaboration has been key to getting the technology championship-ready. They've been able to cater and customize for our needs. What we started with at the beginning of the season and where it has evolved to is very different. They were willing to work with us and meet the demands from the conferences and officials to get it to a point where it was approved to be at the national championship.
Beyond POV, ESPN is continuing to integrate software-based innovation, including the use of Extra Motion AI tools through its EVS environment for replay and creative elements. We're using it only in very specific applications: replays, bumps, that type of flavor, Chalfant
