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
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/03/2026
NBC Sports selected Imaginary Forces to create the main title sequence for the M...
02/03/2026
The NFL announces the launch of the NFL Draft Innovation Challenge, a new crowds...
02/03/2026
The World Teleport Association (WTA) has named Skyline Communications' DataMiner SatOps solution as a finalist for the 2026 Teleport Technology of the Year ...
02/03/2026
Ventum Tech announces a strategic partnership with Pixotope, a real-time graphic...
02/03/2026
Victory , a free, ad-supported sports streaming service, announces the launch of...
02/03/2026
Global powerhouse Delta Goodrem to represent Australia at this year's Eurovi...
02/03/2026
SBS brings together prominent voices to discuss rising social division and seek ...
02/03/2026
NITV Unveils Wednesday Night Sport Night
Media releases
A Midweek Hub for Blak Sport
Flagship NRL program Over The Black Dot moves to Wednesdays at 9:30pm
...
02/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates FR1-FR3 carrier aggregation, advancing 6G readiness Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have reached another pivotal ...
02/03/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., March 2, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) today announc...
02/03/2026
Harvey Norman tops New Zealand's biggest ad spenders as retail leads and telcos and beverages sure Auckland March 3, 2026 - Nielsen's New Zealand'...
02/03/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, and Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, A...
02/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, has appointed Jody Boatwright as Chief Strategy Of...
02/03/2026
Lightware, an industry leader in signal management, is reinforcing its commitment to simplifying complex AV environments with the continued evolution of its TPN...
02/03/2026
ZEISS Cinema opens its doors to an exclusive screening, filmmakers Q&A and hands-on showcase of the new ZEISS Aatma lens family on Tuesday, March 10, 6:00-9:00 ...
02/03/2026
To expand the creative potential of the compact Astera QuikBeam, DoPchoice introduces the SNAPBAG Round. The new light-shaping accessory transforms the powerfu...
02/03/2026
Douglas Dubler
On a rooftop in New York City, veteran photographer Douglas Dubler watched the sun's angle shift across the urban landscape, his internal cl...
02/03/2026
ZEISS is expanding its Otus ML lens family with the introduction of the new ZEISS Otus ML 1.4/35. This manual-focus lens is designed for photographers who live ...
02/03/2026
Matthews Studio Equipment now offers the new Dinkum Systems White FlexiMount and Phone Mount Kit, a compact, highly adaptable setup for mobile content creation...
02/03/2026
Luxembourg, February 26, 2026 - SES and Africa Mobile Network (AMN) have expande...
02/03/2026
02 03 2026 - Media release Ausfilm and Screen Australia launch joint UK market initiative
Ausfilm and Screen Australia have announced Partner with Australia (...
02/03/2026
Monday 2 March 2026
Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team
L-R: Jonno Johnson; Charlie Skelton; Celya AB; Omar Badawy; Gr inne Maguire; Laura Claxton; ...
02/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Trailer for 53 Sundays, the New Film by Cesc Gay
Entertainment
02 March 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Dis...
28/02/2026
With two features seen in Formula 1 coverage, the broadcaster aims to bring view...
28/02/2026
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addresses a crowd of approximately 1,500 L3Harris employees in Camden, Arkansas, as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour....
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Berklee Presents Mambo Mania: Eguie Castrillo and the Berklee All-Stars Big Band...
28/02/2026
Berklee Announces Two New Summer Programs in Los Angeles The Berklee Music Business Program and Electronic Music Production and Sound Design Workshop bring imme...
28/02/2026
AI-RAN is moving from lab to field, showing that a software-defined approach is ...
28/02/2026
Autonomous networks - intelligent, self-managing telecommunications operations -...
28/02/2026
Back to All News
Final Trailer for BEASTARS Final Season Part 2' Roars Tow...
28/02/2026
New way to intentionally discover molecular glues could expand drug discovery Scripps Research scientists and colleagues show how drugs that eliminate certain d...
27/02/2026
The E.W. Scripps Company names Oliver Gray as Vice President, Network Sports and...
27/02/2026
The Gotham Sports App, the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home of MSG Networks and the YES Network, is now available for purchase through Prime Video fo...
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 
