Back to Unrivaled: TNT Sports Reconnects With Mediapro for the League's Sophomore Season

Back to Unrivaled: TNT Sports Reconnects With Mediapro for the League's Sophomore SeasonOne-day event in Philadelphia will bring two games to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Jan. 30By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor

Friday, January 16, 2026 - 11:07 am

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Women's 3-on-3 league Unrivaled, whose inaugural season garnered widespread attention from the basketball world, is taking on its second season with confidence. Mediapro is once again providing support at Sephora Arena in Miami, and TNT Sports has returned as exclusive broadcaster of the competition. With a full year of experience, both production and operations teams have a better understanding of how to present each game.

Coming into this year, everybody knew what to do and what we wanted to revisit [from 2025], says Chris Brown, VP, technology and operations, Warner Bros. Discovery. It has been exciting to be able to touch more pieces of the production and get more involved this season.

Further Commitment: Network Invests More Tech, Develops New Graphics PackageThe operations plan for Unrivaled's first season focused on agility and building a bridge between its facility in South Florida and TNT Sports' Techwood headquarters in Atlanta. The strategy allowed the broadcaster's crew in Atlanta to be linked to the action in the arena and create a seamless environment for fans watching from home. At Sephora Arena this season, TNT Sports is improving the production value on multiple fronts: adding new technologies, such as an RF Steadicam on the sidelines; increasing access to the players and coaches through numerous initiatives; and recruiting a technical crew who have a feel for the game.

A DSLR camera captures player arrivals and sending footage to the Atlanta-based studio show via the onsite mobile unit's EVS network.

Camera and replay operators are two key storytellers for our production, says Brown. We've adjusted our crew to have people that know basketball and can anticipate when to have a certain angle of a play that can help tell a better story.

Each game's 10-camera complement will be similar to last year's, including two above-the-rim POVs, a roaming RF handheld, a court-length RailCam, and an aerial drone. The complement also includes three super-slow-motion cameras at 3X speed, three Samsung Galaxy S25 smartphones, two PTZ cameras, a DSLR camera to capture player pregame outfits on arrivals, and a Marshall POV for the referee booth.

Promoting behind-the-scenes access was a priority during the first season, but the league wants to increase fans' connection with the players. This is achieved technologically by feeding player arrivals through the mobile unit's EVS network and sending the footage directly to Techwood for integration into the studio show. On the play side, it comes from the league's high-tempo style of play combined with an intimate setting. That aspect is achieved through a smaller court but also through miking the coaches to bring fans inside the huddle.

We want to be a little more aggressive [on our coaches mics] because access is something that Unrivaled wants to leverage, notes Brown.

TNT Sports developed a new graphics package for this year's Unrivaled season.

In addition to new workflows, a new graphics package was created, reflecting the color scheme of each team. Last season, a standard black-and-white scorebug in a vertical layout was used, but the creative direction has opted for a larger, horizontal scorebug on the bottom of the screen. The scorebug, along with insert graphics, boasts the colors of the two teams playing: for example, the Laces have an aqua-and-coral-infused palette.

The scorebug is the one of the important things on the screen, Brown points out, so having readability, ease of understanding, and recognition are three pieces that go into this design. I'm really pleased with how it came out.

Back and Better: Mediapro Relationship Grows With Lessons from Last Year's DebutMuch of last year's effort was dedicated to getting the new league up and running; creating a broadcast infrastructure was critical, along with developing a sense of what each side is capable of. After working a full year together, Mediapro and TNT Sports are bringing lessons from 2025 into the new season. For example, with full control over every aspect of Sephora Arena, the two companies worked to enhance the lighting above the court. A cohesive lighting design and efficient array of lights in the rafters can make a huge difference on a broadcast, so achieving a desired look was paramount.

Unrivaled is in a unique situation with the sound stage and the amount of space that they have, says Brown. We've been able to improve the lighting conditions. The pictures are a little sharper and crisper.

Mediapro Alto mobile unit is parked in the broadcast compound at the venue. A content pipeline feeds material curated in Florida and transmitted to production teams in Atlanta to be used for the pre/postgame and halftime studio show.

Last year's scorebug was more generic and is similar to scorebugs seen on the broadcaster's other basketball properties.

The studio show features host Lauren Jbara and analysts Candace Parker and Renee Montgomery. Joining the three returning talent from last season, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie will be making special appearances. At Sephora Arena, games are called by play-by-play announcer Brendan Glasheen, analysts Sarah Kustok and Leslie, and a rotating cast of reporters, including Allie LaForce, Ros Gold-Onwude, Isis Young, and Bridget Howard.

Working in tandem on game and studio coverage, both Mediapro and TNT Sports are keen on constantly working on an upward trajectory. Whether it's relying on the foundation laid in the offseason, maintaining back-and

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/01/16/back-to-unrivaled-tnt-sports-re...
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