
ESPN, Turner Sports Lead 42nd Sports Emmy Awards; TNT's NBA All-Star Game, NBC's SNF Take Top Honors Key tech awards go to CBS's Super Bowl LV, ESPN's College GameDay, MLB Network Showcases Statcast 3D By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 - 10:55 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
ESPN and Turner Sports walked away with the most trophies at the 42nd Annual Sports Emmy Awards last night, with nine and seven, respectively. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented awards in 46 categories during the live-streamed virtual ceremony, including trophies to TNT's 2020 NBA All-Star Game for Outstanding Live Sports Special, NBC's Sunday Night Football for Outstanding Live Sports Series, and CBS Sports/Nickelodeon's NFC Wild Card Game for Outstanding Live Sports Series.
In the technical categories, CBS Sports' Super Bowl LV was named Outstanding Technical Team Event, ESPN's College GameDay won Outstanding Technical Team Studio, and MLB Network Showcase's Statcast 3D received the George Wensel Technical Achievement Award. Among other key live-production categories winners were NBC's Sunday Night Football for Outstanding Live Event Audio/Sound, CBS Sports/Nickelodeon's NFC Wild Card Game for Outstanding Live Graphic Design, and Riot Games/YouTube's League of Legends World Final for Outstanding Esports Coverage.
ESPN (ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes) led all network groups with nine Sports Emmys, followed by Turner Sports (TNT) with seven, Fox Sports Media Group (Fox, FS1) with five, and NFL Network with four. Three awards apiece went to CBS Sports, HBO Sports, MLB Network, and NBC Sports Group.
Here is a full list of the 2021 Sports Emmy Winners along with sizzle reels for the winner in key categories.
OUTSTANDING LIVE SPORTS SPECIAL
2020 NBA All-Star Game on TNT (TNT) The #SportsEmmys Award for Outstanding Live Sports Special goes to @NBAonTNT. pic.twitter.com/WhZOEbPuhm
Sports Emmys (@sportsemmys) June 9, 2021
OUTSTANDING LIVE SPORTS SERIES
Sunday Night Football (NBC) The #SportsEmmys Award for Outstanding Live Sports Series goes to @NBCSports @SNFonNBC. pic.twitter.com/KEqJ3Ilbx4
Sports Emmys (@sportsemmys) June 9, 2021
OUTSTANDING PLAYOFF COVERAGE
NFC Wild Card Game: Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints (Nickelodeon/CBS Sports) The #SportsEmmys Award for Outstanding Playoff Coverage goes to @cbssports @nickelodeon. pic.twitter.com/Y1vXtKnk5i
Sports Emmys (@sportsemmys) June 9, 2021
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL TEAM EVENT
Super Bowl LV: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (CBS) The #SportsEmmys Award for Outstanding Technical Team Event goes to @CBSSports @NFLonCBS. pic.twitter.com/AhnlJubVi7
Sports Emmys (@sportsemmys) June 9, 2021
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL TEAM STUDIO
College GameDay (ESPN) The #SportsEmmys Award for Outstanding Technical Team Studio goes to @ESPN @CollegeGameday. pic.twitter.com/7gFZ6NskpG
Sports Emmys (@sportsemmys) June 9, 2021
THE GEORGE WENSEL TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
MLB Network Showcase: Statcast 3D (MLB Network) The #SportsEmmys George Wensel Technical Achievement Award goes to @MLBNetwork. pic.twitter.com/CAZt7s58Iu
Sports Emmys (@sportsemmys) June 9, 2021
OUTSTANDING LIVE EVENT AUDIO/SOUND
Sunday Night Football (NBC) The #SportsEmmys Award for Outstanding Live Event Audio/Sound goes to @NBCSports. pic.twitter.com/Vuyv1DJc5x
Sports Emmys (@sportsemmys) June 9, 2021
OUTSTANDING LIVE GRAPHIC DESIGN
NFC Wild Card Game: Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints (Nickelodeon/CBS Sports) The #SportsEmmys Award for Outstanding Live Graphic Design goes to @cbssports @nickelodeon. pic.twitter.com/n3OwHOr25P
Sports Emmys (@sportsemmys) June 9, 2021
OUTSTANDING ESPORTS COVERAGE
League of Legends World Final: DAMWON vs. Suning (YouTube/Riot Games) The #SportsEmmys Award for Outstanding Esports Coverage goes to @leagueoflegends @riotgames. pic.twitter.com/lCwWRbmHrg
Sports Emmys (@sportsemmys) June 9, 2021
ADDITIONAL SPORTS EMMY WINNERS: OUTSTANDING STUDIO OR PRODUCTION DESIGN/ ART DIRECTION
NASCAR Race Hub (FS1)
OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS EVENT COVERAGE
NFL Game Day All-Access: Super Bowl LV (YouTube/NFL Films)
OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS SPECIAL
SC Presents: 2020 - Heroes, History and Hope (ESPN)
OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS SERIES
The Shop: Uninterrupted (HBO/Uninterrupted/Frehand)
OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW - WEEKLY
Inside the NBA (TNT)
OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW - DAILY
SportsCenter (ESPN)
OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW - LIMITED RUN
Inside the NBA: 2020 NBA Playoffs (TNT)
OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW IN SPANISH
SportsCenter Deportes (ESPN Deportes)
OUTSTANDING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE - EVENT COVERAGE
NBA App: Season Restart (NBA Digital)
OUTSTANDING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE - ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING
NBA on TNT Tuesday (TNT)
OUTSTANDING DIGITAL INNOVATION
NBA on TNT: AT&T 5G Holovision (TNT)
OUTSTANDING SHORT SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible (ESPN+/ESPN/ESPN Films)
OUTSTANDING LONG SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
Rising Phoenix (Netflix/HTYT Films/Passion Pictures/ Misfits Entertainment/Ventureland)
OUTSTANDING SERIALIZED SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
Outcry (Showtime/Bat Bridge Entertainment)
OUTSTANDING SPORTS NEWS/FEATURE ANTHOLOGY
Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
OUTSTANDING SPORTS JOURNALISM
Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
OUTSTANDING SHORT FEATURE
Sunday NFL Countdown: The Big Mo Show (ESPN)
OUTSTANDING LONG FEATURE
NFL 360: The Gift of Gaba (NFL Network/Ravens Productions)
OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY IN SPANISH
Greenland: Colombia (ESPN Deportes)
OUTSTANDING OPEN/TEASE
Super Bowl LV: Stand by Me (CBS)
OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY/STUDIO HOST
Ernie Johnson (TNT)
OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY/PLAY-BY-PLAY
Joe Buck (Fox/FS1/NFL Network)
OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY/STUDIO ANALYST
N
More from Sports Video Group
02/10/2026
Design reflects feedback on graphics introduced for MLB Red Sox and Pirates games
Boston Bruins games on NESN and Pittsburgh Penguins games on SportsNet Pittsb...
02/10/2026
NEP SS7/ST7 anchors Big Ten Saturday Night; nine Peacock games are produced from...
02/10/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/10/2026
GameTime Productions provided national broadcast production services for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) 2026 season, with coverage distributed ac...
02/10/2026
Audio-Technica has introduced the HP-HBM50x, a genuine replacement headband for the ATH-M50x professional studio monitor headphones. The HP-HBM50x is compatible...
02/10/2026
Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has helped audio professional Steve Schatz design and build Black Lava Studios, a 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos mixing and mastering facility i...
02/10/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Best of Show awards from TV Tech and TVB Europe at IBC2026 for solutions from its PACIFIC compression line.
TV Tech recognized the ...
02/10/2026
ESPN and TMRW Sports have announced a multi-year extension of their U.S. media rights agreement for TGL presented by SoFi. The 2027 TGL season will open Sunday,...
02/10/2026
Devlin Design Group (DDG) and Clickspring Design (CSD) have announced a strategic alliance combining their design capabilities for broadcast, media, workplace, ...
02/10/2026
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference has announced a partnership with CSMG (Collegiate Sports Management Group) making the firm the exclusive representativ...
02/10/2026
Mediaproxy will exhibit at NAB Show New York (Booth 561, Javits Center, October 21-22), demonstrating new AI capabilities in its LogServer compliance platform a...
02/10/2026
Mesh Broadcast Services has installed a Calrec Argo M console in the production area of its Eclipse 40-foot mobile unit, recently moved onto a 2025 Freightliner...
02/10/2026
Vizrt has announced that Richmond AFL has signed on to use Viz Libero Teams for coaching analysis and content creation. The platform provides 3D match analysis ...
02/10/2026
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner. Thro...
02/10/2026
Clear-Com has announced that the Audiovisual Training Centre in d , Poland, has installed an Arcadia Central Station as the communications hub for its broadca...
02/10/2026
A major figure in international football, three-time French champion and three-time Ligue 1 top scorer, Sonny Anderson will chair the SPORTEL Awards 2026 Jury. ...
02/10/2026
California-based Bantaray Mobile Sports Production has built its mobile producti...
02/10/2026
Overtime has announced a new strategic investment led by Eldridge Capital Management. Eldridge has investments across sports and media including the Los Angeles...
02/10/2026
The Milwaukee Bucks have launched Bucks , a direct-to-consumer streaming service that expands access to Bucks games during the 2026-27 season for fans statewide...
01/10/2026
Big Blue Marble has announced the addition of live multiview channels to its Clo...
01/10/2026
The company CEO sees AI as a tool in speeding and enhancing product development
...
01/10/2026
Production, tech, crewing, and logistics teams draw on experience of a busy inau...
30/09/2026
Drawn to the many moving pieces of a live broadcast, this Los Angeles native is building a path in production management and technical operations...
30/09/2026
TNT Sports goes big for its season opener in Philadelphia, and REMI workflows at Techwood will again anchor much of regular-season production...
30/09/2026
Qvest has appointed Katlyn Alexander as CEO of Qvest in North America, effective August 16, 2026. Alexander, who previously served as COO of Qvest US, succeeds ...
30/09/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has wrapped its 2026 season, with leaguewide attendance surpassing 1.4 million for the fifth consecutiv...
30/09/2026
Veritone has announced a multi-year content licensing agreement with ATP Media, the broadcast production and distribution arm of the ATP Tour, making ATP's ...
30/09/2026
Netflix has announced it will become the exclusive home for WWE programming in Japan beginning October 1, 2026. The lineup includes Raw, SmackDown, NXT, Premium...
30/09/2026
SES and Sky have announced a new multi-year agreement for direct-to-home satellite services across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, running into the ...
30/09/2026
Big Blue Marble has announced the addition of live multiview channels to its Clo...
30/09/2026
The NHRA has announced multi-year media rights agreements with FOX Sports, The C...
30/09/2026
FOX 5 Atlanta (WAGA-TV) will carry Nashville Predators games during the 2026-27 season as part of Scripps Sports' regional broadcast network for the team. G...
30/09/2026
AI was a big buzz on the IBC show floor but there weren't a ton of companies...
30/09/2026
The PGA TOUR has announced the appointment ofRyan Holcomb as Senior Vice President and Head of Original Content, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Holcomb wi...
30/09/2026
The sound will be more immersive, with improved design and more mikes on the ice and the players
The National Hockey League's season opener on Tuesday nigh...
30/09/2026
TNT Sports is dropping the puck on the 2026-27 NHL season in a big way in Philad...
30/09/2026
The International Swimming League (ISL) today announced the appointment of Gravity Media, global leader in live production and content and media services and fa...
29/09/2026
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner, with plans to standardize infrastructure across its venue network on Cisco solutions...
29/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) won three honors at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
Program awards went to Bucs BP in the Sports Program Live category (produced ...
29/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced home openers for all 12 teams for the 2026-27 season, along with a broadcast partnership with CBC under...
29/09/2026
Manifold technologies has been recognized as a contributor to the Media eXchange...
29/09/2026
FuboTV has announced My Local Sports, allowing subscribers in select markets to add their local regional sports network (RSN) as an add-on to a Fubo Sports subs...
29/09/2026
Asian News International (ANI), a wire agency and video news provider based in India, has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP Media Operating System and Framelight...
29/09/2026
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has deployed Ikegami UHK-X600 cameras as part of an upgrade to IP-based production infrastructure. The deployment ...
29/09/2026
REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions ...
29/09/2026
Three years in, the facility is supporting more centralized race production, com...
29/09/2026
NBC, Peacock, and NBSN are carrying all four Wild Card series with a production ...
28/09/2026
The NHL has announced Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner beginning with the 2026-27 season. The partnership will provide the league and its...
28/09/2026
MultiDyne will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (October 5-7, Dubai Exhibition Centre), showcasing an expanded technology portfolio following its June 2026 acquisition of...
28/09/2026
ARRI and HONOR have announced the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, a flagship smartphone carrying ARRI branding on the device and packaging as the first product-level expr...