Live From NFL Draft 2023: Multiple Jibs, RF Cameras, AR Graphics, and a Live Drone Power Unique Broadcasts on ESPN, ABC Sixty-plus camera, multiple shared resources with NFL Media power coverage from Downtown KC By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Thursday, April 27, 2023 - 3:24 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
When ESPN covered its first National Football League Draft in 1980, it was met with a shared reaction from television viewers and even the league itself that resembled something to the effect of Ya sure? or Do you, I guess.
Forty-four years later, fans totaling in the hundreds of thousands are expected to gather in Downtown Kansas City to take in the concert-like festivities of the 2023 NFL Draft in what will be ESPN's 44th consecutive year offering live coverage of the event.
At the 2023 NFL Draft, ESPN's coverage will be anchored from a set erected within the main theater on the steps of Kansas City's Union Station.
The Disney/ESPN family will again be producing two completely distinct live broadcasts of Draft Weekend, with ESPN providing the more NFL/football-focused perspective and ABC offering College GameDay and its more human-interest-focused approach to the occasion. With its own complement and shared resources with NFL Media, ESPN has more than 60 cameras onsite to cover the massive Draft footprint that expands from the main theater directly in front of Kansas City's Union Station out to the far reaches of the World War I Memorial, where the Red Carpet and various fan activations are in place.
It's as big as it has ever been, says Steve Carter, senior operations manager, ESPN. We look at this not so much as a sporting event but as an entertainment program. With that, sometimes you need cameras that you wouldn't need for sports to catch some of the reactions and everything going on here.
MORE: NFL Media Deploys Huge Remote Operation To Meet Demands of Largest Draft Footprint Ever
The lineup of RF and specialty cameras certainly reflects the uniqueness of the layout. There are upwards of 14 RF cameras across the campus, including in the theater and in the Green Room inside Union Station, where Draft prospects will wait to hear their name called. ESPN has erected a two-point cabled aerial camera system that extends from beyond the College GameDay set at the base of the War Memorial to inside the theater where, just off to the side of the stage, ESPN's main studio set is erected.
A two-point cabled aerial system extends from the World War I Memorial into the Draft Theater at the entry of Union Station.
The complete arsenal comprises nine robotics, a whopping six jibs, and six cameras capable of displaying virtual augmented-reality graphics.
ESPN's internal drone division is also here, with a drone that can be integrated live into the coverage while flying a dedicated flight path extending from the top of a pool deck at the Westin Kansas City at Crown Center Hotel over a wooded area toward Union Station.
A Fully Networked Operation An event like the NFL Draft is a complex one, with countless feeds not only from onsite but from points all over the country. ESPN is working with NFL Media on a shared matrix of feeds, assembled via LiveU, that includes Draft Rooms from all 32 NFL team headquarters, as well as another 21 Draft prospects who are remote from their homes.
NEP Group's EN1 and Sharpshooter 5 are onsite in Kansas City to support ESPN's production of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The production compound is in a parking lot behind Union Station and is filled with trucks servicing not just ESPN but also NFL Media and Van Wagner (which is producing the in-venue show). Seven trucks - all from NEP Group - are dedicated to ESPN, with four supporting ESPN's main show and other live shows from the site, such as NFL Life and SportsCenter. Two more are dedicated to the College GameDay show. NEP EN1 (the main Monday Night Football facility) and Supershooter 5 are deployed here.
Operations Specialist Joe Rainey is credited with designing an infrastructure that allows full feed-sharing of every set. Any studio stage onsite can be taken inside any of the trucks in the compound. According to Carter, that's with tally, monitoring, returns, etc.
For ESPN, there are plenty of feeds between Kansas City and the company's home in Bristol, CT. An IP core recently added as part of an upgrade to the broadcaster's NEP fleet of trucks is making that possible. Remote Operations Specialist Kevin Cleary is playing a critical role in managing the complex transmission network.
A Crew That Knows the Ropes Carter estimates that between 250 and 300 ESPN employees are onsite helping make the whole operation possible. VP, Production, Seth Markman leads a group headed by Senior Remote Specialist Jack Coffey.
Most of this crew has done [the NFL Draft] before, so they know what to do, they know what they are in for, and they know the process, says Carter. That speeds things along.
The ESPN side is supported by Senior Remote Operations Producer Dustin Epstein, Remote Operations Coordinator Sam Majewski, Tech Manager Terry Cook, and Remote Operations Producer BJ Smith.
Working primarily on College GameDay for ABC are Operations Manager Mark Mignini, Operations Specialist Luther Fisher, Remote Operations Producers Dean Ellington and Danny Reifert, and Remote Operations Coordinator Leah Morgenstern.
ESPN's and ABC's coverage of the 2023 NFL Draft begins Thursday starting at 8 p.m. ET and continues Friday beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday's coverage begins at noon, with ESPN's presentation simulcast on ABC. For more details on programming and on-air talent, CLICK HERE.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Live From NFL Draft 2023: Multiple Jibs, RF Cameras, AR Graphics, and a Live Drone Power Unique Broadcasts on ESPN, ABC Sixty-plus camera, multiple shared resources with NFL Media power coverage from Downtown KC By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
