
SVG TranSPORT 2020: CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC, and Sinclair Talk Return of Live Sports, Sept. 23-24 Broadcasters will address new transmission schemes in the age of coronavirus By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 - 11:45 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
After a months-long shutdown, major sports leagues suddenly snapped back into live action over the summer with MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, WNBA, and others resuming live play for the first time since the pandemic began. At the SVG's TranSPORT Virtual Series (Sept. 23-24), top transmission leaders from CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC, and Sinclair provide an inside look inside look at how they were able to develop new tactics on the fly and create new transmission schemes to bring live sports back to the masses. CLICK HERE to register now for the panel featuring Fox Sports' Brad Cheney, NBC Sports Group's Chris Connolly, ViacomCBS's Ken Fuller, Sinclair Broadcast Group's Paul Spinelli, and ESPN's Adam Whitlock.
Whitlock will also kick off TranSPORT with an Opening Keynote detailing how ESPN has been able to deliver hundreds of live events since sports resumed despite a myriad pandemic-related challenges.
In addition to the Broadcasters Go Inside the Return of Live Sports panel on Day 1, this quintet of transmission-focused execs will return on Day 2 for the TranSPORT's annual State of the Industry panel to discuss the most pressing issues facing the industry today and how the connectivity needs for live-sports-content creators are evolving in the age of coronavirus.
Other TranSPORT sessions will include:
The Rise of IP Backhaul: How the Contribution Game Is Changing
Transmission 2020: 5G, HEVC, JPEG XS, SRT, and Beyond
Net Insight Case Study: Efficient Remote Live Sports Media Production
Video-Transport Infrastructure Tech Focus: Encoders, Decoders, and Transmission Equipment
Video-Transport Services Tech Focus: Fiber Networks, CDNs, and Satellite Services
A Live Speaker Q&A and Networking Zoom Room at the end of each day
Check out the full program below:
Day 1: September 23 Program 2:00 - 2:05 p.m.: Welcoming Remarks Presented by Telstra
Presenter: Adam Day, Telstra Broadcast Services, VP and Head of Technology and Media Sales, Americas
2:05 - 2:20 p.m.: Opening Keynote: Inside ESPN's Transmission Plan for the Return of Live Sports
After a months-long shutdown, major sports leagues suddenly snapped back into live action in July with MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, WNBA, and others resuming live play for the first time since the pandemic began. As the largest sports rightsholder in North America, ESPN was suddenly forced to deliver hundreds of live events from new venues with myriad new challenges. Get an inside look at how ESPN's remote traffic operations department was able to develop new tactics on the fly and create a new transmission scheme to bring live sports back to the masses.
Presenter: Adam Whitlock, ESPN, Associate Director, Remote Traffic Operations
2:20 - 3:00 p.m.: Broadcasters Go Inside the Return of Live Sports
Following on the heels of the Opening Keynote from ESPN, major sports broadcasters go behind the scenes on how they created new transmission schemes to bring live sports back to the masses.
Moderator: Jason Dachman, SVG, Chief Editor and TranSPORT Program Director
Panelists:
Brad Cheney, Fox Sports, VP, Field Operations and Engineering
Chris Connolly, NBC Sports Group, Senior Director, Transmission Engineering and Operations
Ken Fuller, ViacomCBS, VP, Distribution and Technology
Paul Spinelli, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, Director of Engineering
Adam Whitlock, ESPN, Associate Director, Remote Traffic Operations
3:00 - 3:15 p.m.: Net Insight Case Study: Efficient Remote Live Sports Media Production
Mobilelinks, one of Northern Europe's leading partners in the delivery of broadcast media, will share exciting experiences of different at-home production scenarios - from 100-Gbps uncompressed live feeds to remote commentary working from home.
Presenters:
Andreas Langell, Mobilelinks, CEO
Per Lindgren, Net Insight, CTO and Co-Founder
3:15 - 4:00 p.m.: The Rise of IP Backhaul: How the Contribution Game Is Changing
The use of IP networks to backhaul live sports events has skyrocketed in recent years as broadcasters look to find more efficient and flexible means for contribution. In addition, with more connectivity needed for remote/decentralized productions, public and private IP networks are playing a bigger role than ever in connecting the stadium to the broadcast center. Technology leaders discuss how IP has dramatically altered the contribution landscape in recent years - and in the wake of the pandemic - as well as how they expect the use of IP transmission to evolve in the coming years.
Moderator: Brandon Costa, SVG, Director of Digital
Panelists:
Steven Dargham, Telstra Broadcast Services, Business Development Executive - Major Events
Mo Goyal, Evertz, Senior Director, International Business Development, Live Media Production
Daniel Maloney, Matrox, Daniel Maloney
Dan Pisarski, LiveU, VP of Engineering
Marcus Schioler, Haivision, Vice President of Product Marketing
4:00 - 4:30 p.m.: Video-Transport Infrastructure Tech Focus: Encoders, Decoders, and Transmission Equipment
Live sports broadcasts simply can't exist without a solid layer of backend transmission infrastructure. Leading technology providers of encoders/decoders and other transmission gear discuss their latest offerings and how they see the market evolving in the age of coronavirus.
Moderator: Kristian Hernandez, SVG, Associate Editor and Social Media Manager
Panelists:
Brandon Baker, Sencore, Strategic Account Manager
John Dale, Media Links, Director, Chief Marketing Officer
Matthew Goldman, MediaKind, SVP of Technology
4:30 - 5:00 p.m.: Live Speaker Q&
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
28/10/2026
SDI Failsafe IP Routing: Inside the UTAH-400 Series 2 Router A pure-IP routing core has no inherent fallback. When the ST 2110 network degrades, when the PTP gr...
28/10/2026
MLB Network is nearly all-day media day coverage across MLB Now, MLB Central, ML...
28/10/2026
Voyage Audio and Shure microphones are in the forefront of the sector's transition to digital
Microphones may have come late to the digital table, but they...
28/10/2026
Having long resisted the transition, broadcast audio's most fundamental element is finally entering the digital era
About 25 years ago, a microphone manufa...
28/10/2026
The Wireless Microphone Spectrum Alliance (WMSA), formed in 2025 to raise awareness with government entities about wireless microphone operations, has held meet...
28/10/2026
Telos Aliiance was at the recently held IBC in Amsterdam once again representing its brands which include Axia Audio, Omnia Audio, Telos Systems, 25-Seven Syste...
28/10/2026
SPORTEL Monaco 2026 wrapped up three days of high-level business, international ...
28/10/2026
By Ramona Flume
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festiva...
28/10/2026
By Jessica Herndon
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Fest...
28/10/2026
Co-Presented by Letterboxd
BOULDER, Colorado, October 21, 2026 - The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the Legacy program for the 2027 Sundance Film...
28/10/2026
Two full-range, flat-response amps revealed
Moog's latest announcement may come as a bit of a surprise to many, as rather than introducing a new synth, ...
28/10/2026
Annual event returns for 12th year in Bristol, UK
Returning for its 12th year, the annual Audio Developer Conference is set to take place between 9-11 Novem...
28/10/2026
Automation updates, Dim Solo mode, multiple Marker Tracks, MIDI 2.0 support & much more
The latest version of Fender's DAW software has just arrived, de...
28/10/2026
Combines tuning & harmony generation
Klevgrand's latest release offers a simplified take on Altitude, the pitch-correction and harmony-generation plug-i...
28/10/2026
Digital Originals backs the next wave of Australian screen talent
28 October, 2026
Media releases
SBS, National Indigenous Television (NITV) and Screen Aus...
28/10/2026
Behind every jinx is a story: Comedian Ting Lim takes a light-hearted look at su...
28/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/10/2026
Sift Clips Now Searches Frame.io Footage
Brie Clayton October 28, 2026
0 Comments
Frame.io search has now been added to Sift Clips. This new feature l...
28/10/2026
Choco Film Adopts DaVinci Resolve Studio and Blackmagic Cloud for Its Editing Wo...
28/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/10/2026
Rise AV has announced the 23 women selected for its 2026 Elevate programme, bringing together professionals from 20 organisations across the UK, Ireland, German...
28/10/2026
MTV Oy, Finland's largest commercial broadcaster, has long been recognized for its ability to deliver fast, reliable and engaging content across news, curre...
28/10/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-The shifty hepatitis C virus (HCV) has a knack for outmaneuvering t...
28/10/2026
Digital Originals backs the next wave of Australian screen talent 28 October 2026
2026 Digital Originals cohort. Photo credit: Teniola Komolafe.
SBS, National...
28/10/2026
COW Jobs: Managing Video Editor - Remote
Brie Clayton October 27, 2026
0 Comments
Managing Video Editor
October 27, 2026COW Jobs: Production......
28/10/2026
COW Jobs: Production Manager
Brie Clayton October 27, 2026
0 Comments
Production Manager
October 27, 2026COW Jobs: Managing Video Editor -......
28/10/2026
Wednesday 28 October 2026
Claire Goodlass joins Sky as Commissioning Editor, Documentaries
Sky has appointed Claire Goodlass as Commissioning Editor, Document...
28/10/2026
Proximic by Comscore Expands Integration Across Magnites CTV Ecosystem First real-time contextual integration across Magnite SpringServe connects audience int...
28/10/2026
NVIDIA RTX Spark powers thin and light laptops built for everything that developers, creators and gamers do.
RTX Spark laptops are now available from ASUS, Del...
28/10/2026
RT is developing its next Statement of Strategy and wants to hear the views of people across Ireland the audience we serve. RT New Direction remains RT '...
27/10/2026
Satellite, bonded cellular, and IP- and cloud-based solutions. Those are three o...
27/10/2026
Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with Qatar Media Corporation (QMC), Qatar...
27/10/2026
PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH will show the PROTON FLEXY at SATIS 2026 (Booth A13-B12), after the camera won a Best in Market award in the ProAV category at IB...
27/10/2026
ATSC, the Broadcast Standards Association, has reported results from a laboratory validation and live demonstration in Brazil of interference cancellation and s...
27/10/2026
The PGA Tour announced Monday that Brian Gordon has joined PGA Tour Studios as executive producer and head of live content. He began with the Tour on Oct. 26 an...
27/10/2026
The NBA has announced agreements to establish a framework for NBA-related predic...
27/10/2026
Apple Music, the NFL and Roc Nation have announced that JAY-Z will perform at the Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sun...
27/10/2026
DIRECTV and DAZN have signed a multi-year distribution agreement for local telec...
27/10/2026
The NHL has announced NHL Monday Night Hockey, a new initiative that will bring 11 live NHL games to fans across Europe in local primetime windows on Monday nig...
27/10/2026
Telef nica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA) has deployed Grass Valley AMPP for Movi...
27/10/2026
SES and CANAL have extended their partnership through 2040 with a multi-year agreement covering satellite capacity across Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.
Un...
27/10/2026
Gravity Media deployed a flypack production system and RF cameras for Red Bull R...
27/10/2026
Appear has announced that NSC TV, a TV Globo affiliate in Brazil, has selected t...
27/10/2026
MLB's Ryan Zander discusses the league's work to integrate the ABS Chall...
27/10/2026
Pictured: Filmmaker Vero Kompalic (Photo by Gia Rigoli)
By Vero Kompalic
This is the last picture I ever took in Venezuela.
I had seen the girl in the row ah...