NBC Sports Brings New Production Innovations to Inaugural Premier League Lacrosse Season

NBC Sports Brings New Production Innovations to Inaugural Premier League Lacrosse Season Innovations include player-to-commentator comms, shot speed tracking, Skycam, and micd players By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor

Wednesday, May 29, 2019 - 2:10 pm

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NBC Sports will deploy a host of innovative production elements for its coverage of the inaugural Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) season, including in-game player-to-commentator communication, SMT Shot Speed tracking technology, Skycam on multiple games, and mic'd-up players and coaches, and the use of players as commentators throughout the season.

The inaugural PLL season begins this Saturday, June 1, at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium, available exclusively on NBC Sports Gold's Premier Lacrosse League Pass. The PLL's opening weekend coverage at Gillette Stadium continues Saturday at 4 p.m. ET with Whipsnakes-Chaos on NBC Sports Gold, with the first live televised game airing on Sunday, June 2, at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN as Atlas LC takes on Redwoods LC.

We are constantly looking for ways to innovate our programs and create the most enjoyable viewing experience possible for fans at home, says Dan Steir, SVP, Production, NBC Sports. This is an amazing sport featuring incredible athletes and we think our production approach will showcase the sport of lacrosse in ways that will bring fans closer to the game.

This summer, the PLL will be televised live to millions of homes across the country, says PLL Co-Founder and Atlas LC midfielder, Paul Rabil. NBC's innovative broadcast and technological advancements will showcase our players and game in ways that have never been done in the history of pro sports. This weekend marks a new era for lacrosse, and we couldn't be more excited to bring the world closer to the game.

Player-to-Commentator Communication

For the first time in the sport of lacrosse, NBC Sports is implementing player-to-commentator communication for every game of the PLL season. Two players on the field, focusing on the goalie and attack positions, will be able to communicate with NBC Sports PLL broadcast team of Paul Burmeister (host), Brendan Burke (play-by-play), Ryan Boyle (analyst) and Chantel McCabe (reporter) throughout the game as the ball transitions up the field to give viewers an inside-the-game perspective. Partnering with Gubser & Schnakenberg (GSC), these communication applications will be installed via the goalie's helmet.

Shot Speed

In conjunction with SMT, there will be an array of sensors at each end of the field for each PLL game to track shot speed from a variety of angles, utilizing SMT's lacrosse intelligence engine to provide real-time speed tracking. This technology has never been used before in the sport of lacrosse.

Skycam

Typically utilized only three times per year in the sport of lacrosse - by ESPN at the NCAA Men's Semifinals and Championship game - NBC Sports will implement the use of Skycam for multiple games throughout the PLL's season. Now a standard element in NFL broadcasts, Skycam has also been implemented for NBA, NHL, NASCAR, PGA, and NCAA basketball.

Mic'd Up

Each week during the PLL season, various players and coaches across the six teams will have microphones wired to them so that fans can hear on-field commentary throughout the games.

Players as Commentators

Also new for the sport of lacrosse, NBC Sports will have a player from one of the six PLL teams not playing join host Paul Burmeister to call a portion of the game from the field. This inside look will allow fans to meet and learn more about their favorite players from across the league, while hearing insights from active players as games unfold.

PLL Carried Across NBC Sports Platforms

Comprehensive coverage of the inaugural 2019 PLL season continues throughout the summer across NBC Sports, with three games on NBC and 16 on NBCSN. All 39 of the PLL's games - including All-Star Weekend and Skills Competition - will be live streamed on NBC Sports Gold's Premier Lacrosse League Pass , with 20 games exclusively for subscribers. NBC Sports Gold is powered by Playmaker Media, NBC Sports Digital's technology service which provides end-to-end support for companies in need of best-in-class live streaming and VOD solutions.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2019/05/29/nbc-sports-brings-new-productio...
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