
Live From MLB All-Star: Split-Screen Format Helps ESPN Keep Up With Fast-Paced Home Run Derby More than 30 cameras, buried mics around home plate are also deployed By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Tuesday, July 11, 2017 - 4:43 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
As the format of the annual MLB Home Run Derby has changed dramatically in recent years, so too has ESPN's coverage of the homerfest - a fact that was never more apparent than in last night's Derby telecast from Marlins Park in Miami. To keep up with the ultra-rapid hit-as-many-homers-as-possible-in-four-minutes format, ESPN deployed a split screen for the first time in its coverage and also used a two-box format for commercial breaks between rounds, allowing viewers to continue to watch the action in one box while a 30-second spot played on the other.
ESPN used a split-screen format for the bulk of its Home Run Derby coverage.
Refreshing the format and increasing the pace has driven the production philosophy, and we've had to respond, said Phil Orlins, senior coordinating producer for MLB, ESPN, on Monday prior to the Derby. Obviously, our speed needed to improve, and I think we have been able to do that. So our coverage philosophy has changed pretty dramatically.
Split-Screen Rounds and Two-Box Commercials
In the split-screen format, two-thirds of the 16 9 frame featured a right-hand box offering a traditional switched feed, with director Doug Homes calling cameras to cover the batter, flight of the ball, other players on the field, and so on. The left-side box featured a stable batter/pitcher shot (from either centerfield or the robo behind home plate).
ESPN's Phil Orlins inside the primary HR Derby control room in EN1
Obviously, this was largely driven by the fact that the pitches are coming just as the balls land or just before. And we don't want [viewers] missing a single swing, said Orlins. Last year, we simplified things by instituting side-by-side high-home [camera positions] and rotating back and forth. This year, we add the side-by-side coverage to go with the side-by-side high-home [positions]. It's a pretty dramatic evolution of the coverage, but I think it makes for a better product.
Each time, a hitter took his optional 30-second timeout, ESPN cut to a two-box format, with the left two-thirds of the screen showing the 30-second commercial spot and the right third showing a live feed of the Derby, along with a 30-second countdown clock and the player's home-run total at that point. The strategy allowed ESPN to show the first four batters' rounds in their entirety without having to break away from the telecast for a commercial, accounting for more than 30 minutes of live Derby action.
ESPN's Paul Horrell outside NEP EN1's A unit at the compound
It's going to allow us to streamline the rest of the format a little bit and really focus on the Derby itself, said Orlins. We think this is a huge benefit for the fans, as well as from a ratings standpoint.
Plenty of On-Field Firepower for the Derby
ESPN deployed more than 30 cameras for its Home Run Derby coverage, including three wireless RF cameras (one a Steadicam) provided by CP Communications, two ultra-slo-mo systems (on the first- and third-base sides), a Phantom cam at low-first, five Fletcher robos (two directly in front of home plate, high-home, mid-home, and on the left-field foul pole), four Marshall POVs, and the Goodyear Blimp for aerial shots.
On the audio side, ESPN buried four Quantum 5X in-ground mics around home plate to capture on-field audio - a tactic the network has begun using on Sunday Night Baseball.
We introduced the field mics on [Sunday Night Baseball] this year, and they have really enhanced the audio coverage, said Paul Horrell, remote operations manager, ESPN. Obviously, that only becomes more important for the Derby because you want to get that monster crack of the bat on every home run.
Statcast Takes on Bigger Role at Derby
MLB Advanced Media's Statcast has become an integral part of ESPN's Derby coverage over the past two years, and that trend continued last night.
MLBAM's Statcast system allowed ESPN to explore deep metrics following each hitter's round.
The system provided real-time home-run distances and exit velocity on every homer, allowing ESPN to display a graphic at the end of each round featuring total HRs, HR Swing Pct., Longest Distance, Average Distance, and Average Exit Velocity.
Each year, we are [relying] more and more on the Statcast operation on all the data they can provide us, said Orlins. We've gotten pretty aggressive with it, and I think that will only continue.
Much More Than Just the Mothership: EN1 Serves Several Entities
ESPN increased its already sizable All-Star onsite presence for this year's edition in Miami. In addition to its primary set on the third-base line, ESPN Deportes has an on-field set of its own this year on the first-base line with Beisbol Esta Noche, as does ESPN2's Naci n ESPN (In addition, the Spanish-language feed of this year's Derby was simulcast on ESPN2 for the first time).
ESPN's studio programming onsite on Monday also included two editions of Baseball Tonight, a simulcast of MLB Network's Intentional Talk, and SportsCenter on the Road.
ESPN's primary set for the Home Run Derby pregame show
In addition, ESPN once again produced the All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game live to tape for its Monday-night broadcast.
Inside the truck compound across the street from the ballpark, NEP's EN1 fleet of mobile units (A, B, C, D, and E) served as the hub of ESPN's Home Run Derby production and onsite studio programming. The A unit produced the Derby show, and the B unit handled studio programming (just as they do when EN1 handles Monday Night Footbal
Most recent headlines
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
01/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from firing three of its board members, claiming the pre...
01/05/2025
HONG KONG Riedel Communications today said it has opened a new office in Hong Kong, enhancing its presence in the Asia-Pacific region....
01/05/2025
MUMBAI, India & BALTIMORE In a development that could advance efforts to bring NextGen TV to cellphones, FreeStream Technologies, Lava International and HMD hav...
01/05/2025
01 05 2025 - Media release Screen Australia empowers 100 distinctive Australian narratives
All The Boys Are Here writer/director Goran Stolevski and It s All...
01/05/2025
How PFX Delivered 750 VFX Shots in Just Four Months For Anthony Hopkins Thriller...
01/05/2025
Careline's New Wave Makeup Commercial Shot With URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton May 1, 2025
0 Comments
CAD Studios relies on large format, full fram...
30/04/2025
Film elements held at the Deluxe warehouse in March of 2015. Photo by Luis Silva...
30/04/2025
EA SPORTS FC 25 fans in Australia and Saudi Arabia, get ready to immerse yourselves in the beautiful game like never before. Spotify is excited to announce a n...
30/04/2025
The past year has been nothing short of a whirlwind for Tucker Wetmore. After th...
30/04/2025
Mexico's love for podcasts is no longer a trend-it's a lifestyle. With m...
30/04/2025
Slam poet Huda the Goddess wins 2025 Les Murray Award
30 April, 2025
Media releases
Australia for UNHCR and SBS are proud to announce that Huda Fadlelmawla...
30/04/2025
SBS, NITV and NIDA partner to empower the next generation of screen creatives
30 April, 2025
Media releases
SBS, National Indigenous Television (NITV) and ...
30/04/2025
By Joyce JC Cataldo
The media and entertainment industry is evolving faster than ever. Technology is shifting the way we create, distribute, and experience c...
30/04/2025
An image of Valencia, Spain, in the OneAtlas Living Library...
30/04/2025
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. WPSD-TV, the NBC affiliate in Paducah, Ky., has selected Bitcentral's Central Control playout system to upgrade the station's mast...
30/04/2025
AMSTERDAM Zero Density, a global provider of virtual studio productions and on-air graphics, has appointed Baris Zavaroglu as its new CEO. Zavaroglu succeeds Of...
30/04/2025
The Avit Group, a forward-thinking audio-visual technology company, is bringing over 50 years of combined experience in delivering audio-visual design and insta...
30/04/2025
NXTGENbps will be showcasing its latest sustainable battery power solutions at this year's Media Production & Technology Show (MPTS), appearing alongside pa...
30/04/2025
Van Dyke skates and operates on Shoresy | photo by Dave Ferguson
Toronto-based Cinematographer Brett Van Dyke (Heartland, Jann, Carter) stepped into the rink...
30/04/2025
Leading provider of media playout solutions PlayBox Neo will exhibit a vast array of significant upgrades to its range of smart media innovations at CABSAT from...
30/04/2025
ITV Studios is renowned for its award-winning productions, including the reality TV phenomenon I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! Produced by Lifted Ente...
30/04/2025
The UK's presence at this year's CABSAT brings together 20 innovative companies under the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland banner. From advanced infra...
30/04/2025
Lightware continues to strengthen its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives by fostering diversity, inclusion, and community engagement within...
30/04/2025
LiveU is demonstrating for the first time in the UK, its revolutionary technological breakthrough in IP-video transport, LiveU IQ (LIQ ) and bringing its expand...
30/04/2025
Stand: A40
Calrec has been putting sound in the picture for more than six decades and is still pushing the boundaries of audio broadcasting with a full range o...
30/04/2025
Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) has opened its new virtual production studio, designed and integrated by CJP Broadcast. The installation equips students wi...
30/04/2025
Independent news producer in India focuses on delivering stories
nxtedition has supplied a complete newsroom system to Collective Newsroom, based in New Delhi,...
30/04/2025
Connecting the present, building the future
FOR-A, a cutting-edge video broadcast technology company backed by more than 50 years experience, will showcase it...
30/04/2025
DAD by NTP Technology reports a successful NAB Show in Las Vegas where the company focused on upcoming expansion options in development for its Thunder | Core a...
30/04/2025
CVP and Canon UK & Ireland are proud to announce the winning projects from the third annual Stories in Motion Young Filmmakers Awards, which took place on the e...
30/04/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that beIN MEDIA GROUP ( beIN'), one of the foremost global sports and entertainment broadcasters...
30/04/2025
The Canadian Premier League (CPL) today launched a new-look website and app, offering supporters of Canada's men's domestic professional soccer league a...
30/04/2025
WASHINGTON In a wide-ranging press conference, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr had both good and bad news for broadcasters, stressing that ...
30/04/2025
TORONTO Cignal TV is relying on Quickplay's Shorts tool for its recently launched Pilipinas Live Shorts service, available to millions of users of Pilipinas...
30/04/2025
NEW YORK Steve Lanzano will retire as president and CEO of the Television Bureau of Advertising at year-end, the group said....
30/04/2025
The news production tech provider nxtedition is reporting that it supplied a complete newsroom system to Collective Newsroom, an independent news producer based...
30/04/2025
NEW YORK As part of a major push to advance the role that artificial intelligence (AI) plays in the advertising industry, the Interactive Advertising Bureau has...
30/04/2025
Uzbekistan Airways is the latest airline to choose SES's network, while Thai...
30/04/2025
Loaded Uses Blackmagic Design for shroud Subathon Live Streams
Brie Clayton April 29, 2025
0 Comments
Blackmagic Studio Cameras and Micro Studio Camer...
30/04/2025
Help shape the future of video creator tools with MIDiA
Brie Clayton April 29, 2025
0 Comments
After a successful debut in 2024, MIDiA is calling once...
30/04/2025
Tania Le n and Kelli O'Hara to be Honored at Boston Conservatory at Berklee&...
30/04/2025
Andr 3000 and Sara Bareilles to Receive Honorary Doctorates at Berklee College ...
30/04/2025
Damien Molony will head back to Jersey for a second series of Bergerac, written by Toby Whithouse alongside Ashley Sanders, Emilie Robson and Faebian Averies
D...
30/04/2025
Advancing multi-domain EW operations: Rohde & Schwarz unveils latest innovations...
30/04/2025
Rohde & Schwarz pioneers the future of automotive Ethernet using Analog Devices&...
30/04/2025
Wuppertal April 30, 2025
Riedel Communications Expands Asia-Pacific Presence with New Office in Hong KongRiedel Communications, a global leader in real-time v...
30/04/2025
Back to All News
Mad Unicorn' Trailer Reveals a Riveting Rags-to-Riches Sa...
30/04/2025
Back to All News
Get Ready to Get Wild: Netflix Announces Mating Season, a New ...
30/04/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 30, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that...