Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Live From THE PLAYERS Championship: NBC Sports Expand TrackMan; JitaCam Enhances Coverage

09/03/2023

Live From THE PLAYERS Championship: NBC Sports Expand TrackMan; JitaCam Enhances Coverage A production team of 285 is onsite wielding an arsenal of 65 cameras By Ken Kerschbaumer

Thursday, March 9, 2023 - 8:31 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

It's day one of the 2023 PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, and the NBC Sports golf-production team is once again ready to cover all the action with a team of 285 for on-course coverage (working with 65 cameras), a team of 60 for Live From coverage, and some new production tweaks. Helping in the efforts is that good weather has made setup smooth and has everyone in a good place.

From left: NBC Sports execs Bridget Cugle, Allison McAllister, and Mark Caputo and Production Managers Megan Moltenbrey and Lauren Rose Maochi at the PLAYERS Championship

Everything has been great, says Allison McAllister, VP, golf operations, NBC Sports. We're lucky that we have a great team in place and a great partnership with the PGA TOUR, along with other vendors to make the PLAYERS a successful event.

The tournament tees off this morning, but the NBC team has been producing content since Monday when Golf Central Live From the PLAYERS began its coverage at 7-9 p.m. By the end of Sunday, the team will have delivered more than 40 hours of coverage.

According to Marc Caputo, director, remote technical operations, NBC Sports, Live From coverage is essentially the same as last year's, an 11-camera complement comprising a Flycam and four Telemetric cameras controlled from Stamford, CT. The Newbert flypack is once again on hand for transmission support between the course and Stamford. One change is that the Rules Official has moved into NEP Supershooter 17 unit, giving the production team space for a rain room. NEP ND1 and ND7 are at the center of NBC's coverage, with NEP XL1, Fiber 2, and ESU in supporting roles.

By the end of Sunday night, Golf Channel's Live From The PLAYERS will have delivered more than 40 hours of content to viewers.

We did add a second roving camera this year so we could do two different reporter standups simultaneously, Caputo adds. Robovision has provided the cameras at the practice range, both down range and back range, as well as the short-game area. They've been a good partner.

The FlyCam can get shots of he 16th fairway and green, the 17th tee shot and green, and players walking from 16 to 17.

Also this year, TrackMan is the PGA TOUR's official shot-tracing partner, giving the Live From team the ability to deliver tracing shots on the practice range.

As usual the par-3 Hole 17 island green - arguably the most pressure-packed par 3 in golf - will feature plenty of bells and whistles. A Flycam will run 225 yards from the stands behind the 17th green across the lake to the 16th green, and a BunkerCam from Fletcher will once again be inside the Hole 17th bunker.

One change on 17, notes Caputo, is that we will use a Robovision RoboHead for the super-slo-mo camera on Bird Island, rather than having a cameraperson there, for two reasons: EHS and for a cleaner look. The same operator will control it but will use a pan-bar hard-camera system to control a Sony HDC-4300 camera instead of using a joystick.

A JitaCam has been installed at the 18th hole to provide shot tracing of tee shots on the final hole.

Also getting a production lift is the 18th hole, whose tee shot can leave golfers either in the lake if they hit too far left or in the rough and under trees if they hit too far right. A 25-ft.-high JitaCam overlooking the 18th tee has been added to make it easier for talent and viewers to get a sense of where the shot is headed.

We're mounting the JitaCam right to the existing camera tower that has been a good initiative with the PGA TOUR, adds Caputo.

Another iconic hole - the par-5, 558-yard 11th hole - will be host to the Player Walk and Talks, when a player dons Airpods to chat with NBC's on-air talent. The 11th hole is home to some of the more interesting shot-making decisions on tour, so the conversations promise deeper insight.

Aerial coverage at the PLAYERS features both a live drone (provided by Sky Reality) and a fixed-wing airplane (Winged Vision). To give fans a closer look at the players, the broadcaster will deploy a shallow-depth-of-field camera on a Steadicam, improving the quality of shots captured as the players walk around the course.

Bridget Cugle, senior manager, remote operations, NBC Sports, has been at the center of efforts with the PGA TOUR (which has taken on many of the below-the-line responsibilities) in the compound, ensuring that everything goes smoothly. So far, all systems are in great shape. Our partnership with the PGA Tour this week has been wonderful, she says.

For Ken Goss, EVP, remote and studio operations, NBC Sports Group, it's great to be back at the PLAYERS with the PGA TOUR: We continue to expand our coverage technically. We are looking forward to a successful week with [PGA TOUR Entertainment VP/Executive Producer] Greg Hopfe and his technical and operational teams here.
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2023/03/09/live-from-the-players-champions...
See more stories from svg

More from Sports Video Group

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: BitFires Colin Bonzey on Growing Spark Platform for Live Cloud-Based Productions

Cloud-based production isnt going anywhere, and BitFire is doubling down by prov...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: AWSs Jason Dvorkin, Regina Rossi on Driving Innovation With Al-Based Workflows

The topic of artificial intelligence has a stranglehold on the sports-video-prod...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: T-Mobile for Business' Jason Schnellbacher on Enhancing 5G for Sports Fans, Broadcasters

5G is still a hot topic in live event production, and this workflow continues to...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Appears Ed McGivern on Fox Sports Deal, New XM Platform, and VX Software Debut

At the 2026 NAB Show, Ed McGivern, GM and President of Appear US, discusses the ...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Studio Network Solutions launches on-premise AI suite for media production workflows

Studio Network Solutions (SNS) has announced an on-premise AI suite designed for...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Suite Studios integrates file-streaming technology into Frame.io Drive

Suite Studios has integrated its file-streaming technology into the newly announced Frame.io Drive, a desktop application from Adobe company Frame.io. The colla...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Net Insight integrates InSync FrameFormer into Nimbra Edge for media processing

Net Insight has integrated InSync Technology's FrameFormer into the Nimbra E...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Fox Sports selects Appear X Platform for live production infrastructure

Fox Sports has selected Appear as a technology partner to support the next phase...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Diversified appoints Tyler Affolter as Chief Revenue Officer

Diversified has appointed Tyler Affolter as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to lead the company's commercial organisation. The appointment follows the firm'...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Layercake integrates Bitmovin into Streamcake platform for end-to-end media orchestration

Layercake has formalised the integration of Bitmovin's video streaming infra...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: International Judo Federation extends global content distribution partnership with SES

The International Judo Federation (IJF) has extended its distribution partnershi...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Glookast integrates Cinnafilm Tachyon plugin to enable GPU-accelerated video processing

Glookast has launched the Cinnafilm Tachyon plugin for its Media Producer and Me...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Cadena Tres selects Eutelsat for television signal distribution in Mexico

Eutelsat has entered into an agreement with Cadena Tres, a division of Grupo Ima...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Dolby and TV Azteca deploy Dolby Atmos for free-to-air broadcast

Dolby Laboratories and TV Azteca have partnered to introduce Dolby Atmos immersive audio to free-to-air television broadcasts. The implementation utilises the A...

21/04/2026

Verizon and FOX Entertainment leverage 5G and AI for remote production of Extracted

FOX Entertainment partnered with Verizon to overcome significant production hurd...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Osprey Video to showcase expanded IP infrastructure and orchestration at NAB Show 2026

Osprey Video has announced its technology showcase for the NAB Show 2026, highli...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Riedel introduces IP-based production updates including multiviewer, commentary control and audio connectivity solutions

Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) introduced a range of new solutions at NAB S...

21/04/2026

SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2026, Day 3: Live Reports From the Show Floor in Vegas

The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design Announces URSA Cine Immersive 100G and URSA Cine Live Encoder

Blackmagic Design has announced the URSA Cine Immersive 100G, an immersive cinem...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Clark Wire & Cables David McCarthy Showcases New Connectivity, Enclosure Solutions for Modern Broadcast Workflows at NAB Show 2026

Clark Wire & Cable is continuing its evolution from cable supplier to full-scale solutions partner for broadcast and live production. At the 2026 NAB Show, we s...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Sonys Hugo Gaggioni Highlights HDR Advances, Software-Defined Workflows

At the 2026 NAB Show, Sony is showcasing a broad slate of innovations across liv...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Fujinons Stosh Durbacz on Expanding the 4K Broadcast Lens Lineup With New Portable Zooms, 94x Box Lens

Fujifilm is sharpening its focus on core broadcast production with a new wave of...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Rock-It Sports' John Walberg on Powering Logistics, Shipping for the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup

This upcoming summer in North America is going to be a busy one. The 2026 FIFA M...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Glookast outlines product updates including Media Producer UX, connectors and Premiere Pro panel

Glookast (Booth W1661) announced a series of product updates at NAB Show 2026, c...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Matrox Video and Amagi collaborate on cloud-based broadcast workflows using ORIGIN framework

Matrox Video and Amagi announced a collaboration to integrate the Matrox ORIGIN ...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Riedel SimplyLive supports expanded centralised VAR system for Argentina football league

Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) announced that the Asociaci n del F tbol Arg...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Ikegami introduces VFE-P07D OLED viewfinder with integrated LCD monitor

Ikegami (Booth C3819) announced the VFE-P07D monocular OLED viewfinder at NAB Sh...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: IABM rebrands as IAMT and launches AI discovery platform and global alliance

International Association of MediaTech (IAMT), formerly known as IABM, announced...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Harmonic supports DIRECTV DTH platform upgrade with VOS Media Software

Harmonic (Booth W2831) announced that DIRECTV is updating its US direct-to-home (DTH) video platform using Harmonic's VOS Media Software. The deployment is...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Wasabi Technologies acquires Seagate Lyve Cloud business

Wasabi Technologies announced that it has acquired the Lyve Cloud business from Seagate Technology. As part of the agreement, Seagate received equity in Wasabi ...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: EVS introduces Choreon robotics orchestration platform for unified production control

EVS (Booth N1841) has launched Choreon, a robotics controller for media producti...

20/04/2026

SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2026, Day 2: Live Reports From the Show Floor in Vegas

The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Skyline Communications launches DataMiner packages on Grass Valley AMPP App Store

Skyline Communications announced the availability of its DataMiner xOps platform...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: SNS launches Outpost, Trio and AI Suite for connected post-production workflows

Studio Network Solutions (Booth N1129) introduced a set of new products at NAB S...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Dell Technologies and NVIDIA present AI data platform for media workflows

Dell Technologies is showcasing its Dell AI Data Platform with NVIDIA at NAB Sho...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design Announces Fairlight Live Software Audio Mixer

Blackmagic Design has announced Fairlight Live, a software-based live audio mixer with SMPTE 2110 support and spatial audio mixing. A public beta is available n...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Imagine Comms Jimbo Haneklau Talks Prismon, Hybrid IP/SDI Workflows, and Cloud Playout

At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Imagine Communications VP of Sales, Sports an...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: LiveUs Phillip Broaddus on LU900Q Launch, Nexus Cloud Platform, and REMI Growth

At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, LiveU Senior Director of Sales, Sports Philli...

19/04/2026

NAB Show 2026 Is Here! Follow All of our Live Coverage!

Blackmagic Design has announced the ATEM 4 M/E Constellation IP and ATEM 4 M/E Constellation IP Plus, two SMPTE 2110-native live production switchers. The ATEM ...

19/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Grass Valley CEO Jon Wilson on AMPPs Explosive Growth, Hybrid Workflows, and Whats New at the Show

Grass Valley is finding the right balance between its hardware heritage with an ...

19/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Oracles Kip Schauer on Why OCI Is Doubling Down on Media, Sports, and Broadcast

Oracle's strategy rests on the foundational strengths of Oracle Cloud Infras...

19/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Program Productions Jess Kowatch on Whats New with ProCrewz and the Impact of AI on Crewing

Program Productions, the live sports production industry's leading crewer, i...

19/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Aggrekos Joe Scionti on Powering the Super Bowl, PGA Championship, and the Road to the FIFA World Cup

At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, SVG sat down with Joe Scionti, Account Manage...

19/04/2026

NAB 2026: Evertz to highlight evertz.io XChange for live event management and market switching

Evertz (Booth N817) is set to present new services within its evertz.io platform...

19/04/2026

NAB 2026: Evertz to showcase IPMX-certified NUCLEUS and MMA platforms for AV and ST 2110 integration

Evertz (Booth N817) will showcase its IPMX-certified NUCLEUS platform alongside ...

19/04/2026

NAB 2026: Evertz to showcase ENX media core for hybrid SDI and IP facilities

Evertz (Booth N817) is set to showcase ENX at NAB 2026, a media core platform designed to support hybrid SDI and IP infrastructures in production facilities and...

19/04/2026

NAB 2026: Evertz introduces Studer VistaVUE Touch for broadcast control

Evertz (Booth N817) will introduce Studer VistaVUE Touch at NAB 2026, a control surface designed to integrate audio, video and control workflows within a custom...

19/04/2026

NAB 2026: Evertz highlights X-CALIBER high-density encoding platform for media transport

Evertz (Booth N817) will highlight X-CALIBER at NAB 2026, an encoding and decodi...