Live from Final Four: BTN Uses At-Home Studio Model to Bring Michigan Fans to Beautiful San Antonio Remote set on Riverwalk and run-and-gun social team look to transport Wolverines into the heart of the experience By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Sunday, April 1, 2018 - 3:54 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
When it comes to mega-events like the Final Four, it's common for a broadcaster to have the roll the dice. That's what BTN did when it secured its scenic location on San Antonio's iconic Riverwalk way back in January.
BTN is shooting loads of segments and interviews surrounding Michigan's presence in the Final Four from a studio set positioned on San Antonio's popular Riverwalk.
There was no guarantee that a Big Ten team would even make the Final Four, but, fortunately for the, Michigan was happy to oblige. As a result, BTN can be here throughout the weekend shooting content surrounding the games for recorded hits throughout the weekend.
Our goal is to show that you can still create a whole lot of content even if we're not right next to the Alamodome, says Mark Hulsey, SVP, Production and Executive Producer for BTN. This is one of the big advantages of a network like BTN, we can provide this extended coverage. This is what makes up so valuable. We have the time and the resources. This is who we are. We live for moments like this.
BTN has set up a simple on-site studio at its Riverwalk location and is using its at-home production model to put it all together. The three cameras on the set are being fed to an at-home control back in BTN's home offices in Chicago where the producer and director are cutting the live-to-tape segments, rolling in B-roll, and overlaying graphics.
All the required feeds, in this case, are being sent back to Chicago via satellite. Typically, when on a Big Ten campus, the network is able to leverage a fiber network. BTN rented a majority of the gear its using on site including the satellite uplink truck from Chicago-based Meinhardt Productions.
In addition, the BTN social media team is out in full force, scouring the city for Michigan fans and other exciting events with the goal of providing an experience for those Wolverines back home and around the country that couldn't be in San Antonio this weekend.
All of us here today are very lucky, says Hulsey. This is not an inexpensive venture to get down here. Our goal is to make you feel like you are here. For every Michigan alum who, for whatever the reason, isn't able to make the trip, hopefully the content we're creating here will make them feel like they did make the trip to San Antonio.
As a non-rightsholder of the event, BTN does need to be careful as there are many restrictions on where they can be, what they can shoot, and when. For example, the option of putting the remote set inside the Alamodome wasn't open to them and the network can't do live hits from the venue at any point during the live broadcast and for sizeable windows prior to and following the games on Saturday and Monday. BTN could shoot Michigan's open practice on Friday and record segments from there on the court.
With Michigan moving on to Monday's championship game, BTN will remain in San Antonio through Tuesday morning. Things won't slow down for the network anytime soon either as there are three Big Ten teams in next weekend's Frozen Four in Saint Paul, MN. There are plans for on-site coverage there, as well, beginning on Thursday.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
02/12/2025
Faculty Notes: Fall/Winter 2025 Recent accomplishments, releases, and events by Berklee faculty.
December 1, 2025
By
Editorial Staff
The cast of Kind of M...
01/12/2025
L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...
01/12/2025
Artemis II is NASA's first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The crew, from left: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Vic...
01/12/2025
IRVINE, Calif. Wooden Camera has introduced its new Accessory Collection for the Canon EOS C50. The new lineup includes a low-profile, gimbal-ready cage, expand...
01/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for its Dec. 18 Open Commission Meeting that will include a vote on a report an...
01/12/2025
In most years, a graph of annual local TV ad spending is about as predictable as an electrocardiogram of a reasonably healthy patient in a doctor's office. ...
01/12/2025
Many industries have seen big-ticket hardware turn into software. Switchers, though, demand a combination of real-time performance and sheer bandwidth that has ...
01/12/2025
GENEVA Shanghai will host the next quadrennial Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), Oct. 11-Nov. 12, 2027. This...
01/12/2025
NEW YORK Just in time for Giving Tuesday tomorrow (Dec. 2), the Broadcasters Foundation of America is seeking out donations to help television and radio industr...
01/12/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson has informed the company's board that he will retire from the video transport and media cloud technology ...
01/12/2025
01 Dec 2025
Kyivstar and Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation Select Go...
01/12/2025
The prequel to the global hit Sky Original mob crime saga, Gomorrah' is a s...
01/12/2025
Featuring Florence Welch, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea, designer Bella Freud...
01/12/2025
Back to All News
A Down to Earth, All Too Relatable Hero: Cashero' Teaser ...
01/12/2025
In the rush to deliver content to every screen, many broadcasters overlook one of the most crucial steps in the workflow: format and frame rate conversion. Get ...
01/12/2025
Fox Corporation Chief Financial Officer Steve Tomsic to Participate in Upcoming ...
01/12/2025
Arvato Systems' Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Receives BSI C5 Certification (T...
01/12/2025
Summary This short video gives you an summary of the changes in under two minutes.
--...
01/12/2025
As the festive season approaches, RT Supporting the Arts is proud to showcase a...
01/12/2025
Researchers worldwide rely on open-source technologies as the foundation of their work. To equip the community with the latest advancements in digital and physi...
01/12/2025
Festive specials of Christmas in Kilmainham presented by Marty Whelan, High Road Low Road, Callan Kicks the Year and Keys to My Life
Ring in the New Year with ...
01/12/2025
Architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace, best known to RT audiences as a long-serving judge on Home of the Year, has died at the age of 68.
In a state...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
Live from Final Four: BTN Uses At-Home Studio Model to Bring Michigan Fans to Beautiful San Antonio Remote set on Riverwalk and run-and-gun social team look to transport Wolverines into the heart of the experience By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
