As Regional-Sports Market Transforms, Mobile TV Group Expands With Seven New Deals for 12 Pro Teams The pacts cover new RSNs, live streaming and OTA, remote and onsite production By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 3:16 pm
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The regional-sports media market is in the midst of a seismic shift, with RSNs forced to rethink their business models and pro teams increasingly embracing DTC streaming and over-the-air broadcast channels. While the market undergoes the transformation, its primary live-broadcast-technology-services provider - Mobile TV Group - is evolving and expanding its client base.
Scripps Sports is using MTVG's 49FLEX for Florida Panthers productions this season.
Over the past several months, MTVG has inked seven new deals to assist in live production by more than a dozen additional NBA, NHL, and MLB teams. The deals cover a mix of newly launched RSNs and DTC streaming platforms, teams bringing their broadcasts in-house for the first time, and OTA broadcasters new to the regional-sports business.
These new deals demonstrate MTVG's commitment to serve markets across the U.S. and to continue providing audiences with the highest-quality live-viewing experience, says MTVG CEO Nick Garvin. Our priority is to provide our clients with the technology, service, and expertise they need to create their award-winning live productions. As we grow, we will continue to innovate to provide the technology infrastructure that live broadcasts require today and in the future.
MTVG's new partners (and their respective teams and mobile units) are with:
Smith Entertainment Group (36HDX for Utah Hockey Club and Utah Jazz)
Scripps Sports (49FLEX for Florida Panthers, 28HDX for Vegas Golden Knights)
Chicago Sports Network (47FLEX for Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, and Chicago White Sox)
Victory Plus (44FLEX for Anaheim Ducks, 38FLEX for Dallas Stars)
MLB Local Media (all teams)
NBA (38FLEX for Dallas Mavericks)
Raycom Sports (32HDX for New Orleans Pelicans)
Under each deal, MTVG will provide technology for onsite and remote production, deploying its fleet of Flex Series mobile units and Cloud Control rooms.
We value the opportunity to work with these new partners, says Garvin. Exciting things are happening at MTVG for new and current clients, who help us drive innovation and push the industry forward. As we grow, we continue to explore, research, and develop innovations that consistently keep our clients at the top of their game, putting evolving viewer needs in the forefront.
These new deals signify continued growth for MTVG, which is responsible for more than 4,000 live events annually and the live production of more than half of all MLB, NHL, and NBA regular-season games.
The newly launched Chicago Sports Network is using 47FLEX for Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox game productions.
MTVG works closely with all its clients to meet their unique requirements, priorities, and needs, Garvin says. This includes upgrading installed hardware, like cameras and replay and audio systems, to provide the infrastructure that best fits each network.
He adds that, over the past year, MTVG has seen an increase in demand for purpose-built remote-production units giving productions a leaner mobile unit and a minimized onsite footprint. At the same time, he has also seen extremely high demand for the company's high-end Flex Series mobile units.
Both of these solutions can leverage Cloud Control, which enhances the flexibility of the production team, he explains. [With MTVG] managing construction of each mobile unit, from the technology to the installation of every single wire, customers receive the best the industry has to offer, which we pride ourselves on.
As cord-cutting has increased over the past decade, the once-thriving RSN model has begun to break down. As a result, dozens of pro sports teams are rethinking their media-rights strategy, and many have looked to MTVG for technological solutions as they navigate these uncharted waters.
MTVG can serve every RSN with uniquely dedicated infrastructure and support, thanks to our gifted team of engineers, says Garvin. Historically, the launch and successes of larger solutions like dual-feed units and Cloud Control have proved MTVG's ability to revolutionize and disrupt the live-production-technology landscape, and this has paved the way for conversations around how MTVG can create a solution that fits our clients' needs.
Combining the latest technology, researched and tested in-house at MTVG, with world-class engineers with decades of experience, he continues, MTVG helps clients reimagine what's possible during their broadcasts and navigate challenging but solvable problems.
The new MTVG private cloud, Garvin adds, is a prime example of how the company is helping reduce costs while retaining - or enhancing - production quality. Centralizing equipment, including graphics servers, allows customers 24/7 access to their graphics package and reduces shipping costs. All centralized systems are backed by redundant power, battery backup, and generators.
The live-production industry has experienced significant change and turmoil over the past 24 months, he says, and it has required innovative and resourceful thinking by all parties involved to put the viewers first and reward their trust in those who bring them their favorite teams on a nightly basis. Change is inevitable and, often, a driver of innovation, but that does not discount the struggles and sacrifices that have been made.
At MTVG, he continues, we are extremely appreciative of the trust placed in us during these times, and it has motivated us to push the boundaries of what we're capable of providing to our clients. 2025 will be an extremely pivotal
