Behind the Scenes With NBC's Sunday Night Football Operations Team Despite the lack of preseason prep, the productions are as big and impressive as ever By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Monday, September 21, 2020 - 4:41 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
When it comes to live sports productions, it simply doesn't get any bigger than NBC's Sunday Night Football. In 15 years together, NBC's SNF production and operations teams have seen just about everything. However, with no preseason games on which to prepare for the SNF slate this year, the crew found itself in Kansas City for the highly anticipated NFL Kickoff Game two weeks ago facing a challenge unlike any they had seen before. And despite an array of obstacles, the SNF team pulled it off.
Al Michaels (left) and Chris Collinsworth are socially distanced inside the NBC SNF booth.
It felt like we were sitting there with our parking brake on, says NBC Technical Manager Keith Kice, and then we had to go a hundred miles an hour instantly. That's how we started off the season.
The production team started off strong, delivering a top-flight NFL Kickoff Game at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 10 and following it up with the debut of Los Angeles's SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13 and the heart-pounding Patriots-Seahawks matchup despite smokey conditions in Seattle on Sunday, Sept. 20. With the SNF season in full swing, NBC Sports Group VP, Operations, Tim Dekime looks back at the taxing weeks leading up to Week 1.
Those two weeks prior to the kickoff game were probably the most difficult weeks that Keith and I have ever worked on, says Dekime. We had to set up an entire game production - not just a preseason-level but a full SNF-level show. Right out of the box, we had to live up to the standards that we've established over the years to make it a perfect game. It was a thrash, and it was extremely difficult, but we got through it, and we're really proud of the entire team.
Stamford Steps Up: New Workflows for Social Distancing, Remote Working NBC has relocated SNF's graphics and edit teams to its broadcast center in Stamford, CT (seen here handling NBC's Tour de France coverage this month).
To socially distance the crew, NBC added a truck, NEP Supershooter 22B, to its fleet of NEP ND1 mobile units onsite and shifted both graphics and edit teams to its broadcast center in Stamford, CT (one editor is also working remotely from his home in Daytona Beach, FL). With fewer bodies onsite, NBC moved its replay room into areas previously housing graphics and edit.
To manage this decentralized workflow, NBC added 18 JPEG 2000 circuits to its normal transmission plan. The broadcaster has increased the number of muxed paths in and out to help accommodate the edit and graphics operations and now has a total of 45 transmission paths between Stamford and the onsite production. Although NBC Sports Group is no stranger to this at-home production model, having used it for multiple Olympics and several events during the pandemic (including the NHL, NASCAR, Triple Crown horse races, and the Tour de France), SNF takes the involvement of Stamford to a new level.
We've done this before, says Kice, but not to this magnitude. It's great that we weren't the first ones to have to do this and figure the whole thing out. NHL and several of the other sports have already done [remote production] back in Stamford. That way, we already had plenty of experience to get it done right.
NEP ND1's mobile units are back for another season of Sunday Night Football.
In addition to graphics and edit, NBC has relocated rules analyst Terry McAuley to a studio in Stamford, where he is connected to the SNF announce booth. This provided NBC with the necessary space to socially distance announcers Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth. NBC also added four panels to the background LED screen to cover the foot and a half of space between Michaels and Collinsworth (also due to social distancing is the much ballyhooed Collinsworth Slide ).
In all, Dekime says, about 15 people have been relocated from onsite to Stamford, including researchers, loggers, and the replay operator who works directly with Collinsworth.
I have to be honest: it has gone very well so far, says Dekime. We've done it for three games now, and we haven't had any difficulties in handling graphics, edits, or anything else from Stamford.
SkyCam Goes 4K for SNF With no fans in the stands this season, SkyCam will have extra space to fly.
SNF once again has one of the largest camera complements of any live sports production, rolling out 40-plus cameras, largely a mix of Sony HDC-4300's and HDC-4800's.
After initially exploring the use of a C360 system attached to the SkyCam, NBC instead opted to deploy a 4K SkyCam system - the first ever to be used on an NFL production. The SkyCam system's 4K camera is integrated with a Sony record/playback server that allows the replay operator to pan, zoom, and cut out HD images from the 4K frame. Beginning last night, the SkyCam system was upgraded to a Sony HDC-P43 4K camera running at 120 fps.
For years, says Kice, we've talked with [SNF Executive Producer Fred Gaudelli] about going to a high-speed camera on the SkyCam, but it never ended up happening. So, when the opportunity presented itself to do a 4K SkyCam and he saw what he could get out of it with no limitation to the normal flight of the SkyCam, he was pretty excited. And we're really excited to have the opportunity to be the first NFL games with a 4K SkyCam.
Empty-Stadium Impact: Adjust Camera Positions in the Stadium, in the Booth The Sunday Night Football booth features large LED board and new Panasonic robo.
With largely empty stadiums as a backdrop this season, NBC ha
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
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...
26/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), has been tasked with administering the Sixth Presi...
26/03/2026
By Matt Klein
Hello to everyone reading this - whether you're a current YEP, HPA member, or just YEP-curious. I'm Matt Klein, one of the co-chairs of t...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
28 participating companies, from start-ups to blue-chips, lead the UK Group as part of the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland presence across all the Halls at N...
26/03/2026
Arkona Unveils BLADE//planner and Major Usability Enhancements at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
New graphical configuration tool and...
26/03/2026
Bitfocus showcases complete control at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
Continuing development drives advances in security, availa...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Nevion introduces powerful new Panel Builder to enhance VideoIPath broadcast con...
26/03/2026
2026 Oscar Nominated Films Powered by Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 25, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio used on 27 of this year's no...
26/03/2026
Leader to present full suite of advanced Test & Measurement solutions at NAB Sho...
26/03/2026
Boston Conservatory to Present New England and Collegiate Premiere of Groundbrea...
26/03/2026
Wuppertal March 26, 2026
CS live Builds Future-Ready OB Van With Riedel MediorNet and hi Control SystemRiedel Communications today announced that Czech-based ...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
Have a Wish Worth Dying For? Netflix's First Korean YA Hor...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
The Truthers, Starring Jose Coronado and St phanie Magnin, Pre...
26/03/2026
Enhancements to Harmonic's Sports Streaming Solution Introduce Server-Side Multiview, Contextual Metadata-Driven Advertising, Dynamic In-Stream Ads and Robu...
26/03/2026
Open the report
Our 2025 report brings together results from 79 business magazine titles across 22 market sectors, published by 49 media owners. Over the year,...
26/03/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
26/03/2026
RT Commercial today announced Fiat as sponsor of The Louise Duffy Show on RT Radio 1, Weekdays 3pm 4pm.
The Louise Duffy Show is the home of daytime music...
26/03/2026
That gaming backlog won't clear itself - GeForce NOW is here to help. Stream the latest titles straight from the cloud across a variety of devices.
This we...
26/03/2026
Wayne, N.J., March 26, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the latest product li...
25/03/2026
Live match directors Sarah Cheadle (Sky Sports), Rob Levi (TNT Sports), and Andrew Swift (BBC Sport) sit down with the Premier League's Rachel Nightingale t...
25/03/2026
The senior from Upstate New York is manning the mic while also interning for the athletic department's sports-information team
In the live-sports-video ind...
25/03/2026
Synamedia has announced ContentArmor Edge Watermarking, a server-side solution t...
25/03/2026
SES has announced meoSphere, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite network targeted for operation by 2030. The first phase will pair SES-developed software-defin...
25/03/2026
TVU Networks is working with Reuters on a phased migration from satellite to a c...
25/03/2026
Nielsen has announced three senior appointments. Seth Ladetsky has been named Head of Global Sports. Trevor Fellows will lead Nielsen's advertiser and agenc...
25/03/2026
Anoki and Amagi have launched In-Scene Ads powered by Anoki ContextIQ across Amagi's portfolio of in-content ad formats for Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (...
25/03/2026
Arkona Technologies will announce a series of enhancements to its BLADE//runner platform at NAB 2026 (Booth C.1808). The updates focus on usability and workflow...
25/03/2026
Daktronics has installed two tower displays and a video wall in the Lexus Club at Petco Park in San Diego ahead of the 2026 season.
Continuing to improve the ...
25/03/2026
MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems is celebrating its 50th anniversary as NAB Show 2026 approaches. The company was founded in 1976 by Vincent Jachetta, an N...
25/03/2026
IPC, a provider of integrated communication solutions, will make its NAB 2026 de...
25/03/2026
Live production categories were led by NBC, FOX, and ESPN's NFL coverage...
25/03/2026
The Atlanta Braves and Spectrum have announced a multiyear distribution agreemen...
25/03/2026
(L-R) Charlie Tyrell and Daniel Roher attend The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre ...
25/03/2026
Directed By, Spotify's documentary-style series that pulls back the curtain ...
25/03/2026
BTS is so back., This week, the global pop superstars took the stage at New York City's Pier 17 for their first U.S. performance in four years.
Part of Spo...
25/03/2026
How you listen can shape what you hear. That's the idea behind the new Spotify Listening Lounge, an acoustic space at our London headquarters purpose-built ...
25/03/2026
Tape effects taken to the extreme
The latest release from New York-based developer Iconic Instruments is said to accurately recreate the saturation and comp...
25/03/2026
Launched alongside new Vocal Phrases bundle
Sonuscore's latest release has been designed specifically for composers working on fantasy TV, film and game...
Behind the Scenes With NBC's Sunday Night Football Operations Team Despite the lack of preseason prep, the productions are as big and impressive as ever By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
