
2019 NBA Summer League, Part 3: ESPN Puts Flurry of Tech to the Test A menu of alternative broadcasts mark the event in the desert By Kristian Hernandez, Assistant Editor
Friday, July 12, 2019 - 11:32 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
When the then-named Las Vegas Summer League launched in 2004, the league's elite prospects finally had a place to ball in the months leading up to the season. Since then, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas's (UNLV) Thomas & Mack Center has become the center of the professional-basketball world for 11 days in July. This year, ESPN is covering all 83 games with a reinvigorated spirit of innovation on the technological and digital fronts.
A look inside the production truck during the Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks.
We work with great partners in the NBA to have the perfect platform and opportunity to bring out new toys and technology, says Patty Mattero, senior operations manager, ESPN. We're all able to take a look into new interests and work together towards the future.
MORE FROM NBA SUMMER LEAGUE
The League Heads to the Next Technological Frontier
Data-Tracking Reaches New Heights
NBA Produces World's First 5G Smartphone Broadcast
New Vantage Points, Education, and Some Fun on the App
The network has given digital-savvy consumers a buffet of second-screen experiences on the ESPN App and ESPN3. With 10 games getting special digital broadcasts, the Summer League has become a haven for fans in the young age demographic that is constantly on the go.
Our fan base is extremely large, so [we need] to be able to touch upon technology for everybody's appetite [throughout] different generations, Mattero explains. The viewer can control the look of our games. These offerings will [further] enlarge the fan base and provide whatever choices they want [for consuming] content. While we're at the Summer League, we'll be able to [implement] them faster [in] the present and the future by testing all of these new ideas.
To begin the alternative viewing options on July 6, ESPN kicked back, vibed out, and chilled during a laidback broadcast called Group Textcast during a rematch of the 2019 NBA Finals between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors. In a unique meshing of the linear and digital broadcasts, 2KTV Host/Producer Alexis Morgan, NBC Sports Bay Area Host/Anchor Grant Liffmann, and co-host of NBC Sports Bay Area's Warriors Outsiders podcast Drew Shiller took fan questions via the NBA Summer League Twitter account and gave answers in real time. The stream provided a lighthearted and friendly take on a game, especially since Liffmann also works on the same podcast as Shiller.
Fans had a bird's-eye view of Pelicans vs. Bulls courtesy of a Spydercam.
The fun continued during the following night's Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers contest with a similar concept seen during Game 2 of last year's Finals. Naming it the PopCast, ESPN offered a wealth of digestible facts, unknown player info, and more with the help of the league itself.
The NBA broadcast team, under the direction of [NBA Entertainment Director, Broadcasting,] Paul Benedict, prepared over 600 factoids and used approximately 300 of them, says Steve Hellmuth, EVP, media operations and technology, NBA Entertainment. I thought it was really appropriate for a Summer League game because there are so many players on the court that fans might not know. These are all guys that are getting their shot [in the league], and [fans may] want to know more about them.
A trio of games has brought fans to the front row and the rafters with Courtside Experience for the Washington Wizards vs. Brooklyn Nets at 5:30 p.m. ET and with Aerial Cam for the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Chicago Bulls at 9:30 p.m. On the former telecast, cameras positioned 10 rows back from the action and others along the baselines replicated the feeling of watching the game from the best seats in the house.
Zion showing off his strength EARLY #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/dXLBYqtWum
- NBA TV (@NBATV) July 6, 2019
For the nightcap, a Spydercam presented a videogame-style of viewing from overhead. A Supracam two-point system was used last night during the Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets matchup.
The digital streams also got the commentator teams involved. During this past week's game featuring the Phoenix Suns and the Memphis Grizzlies, former Grizzlies player Brevin Knight and former Suns player Eddie Johnson were Dueling Homers, facing off in multiple in-game challenges, including predictions and trivia on the opponent's team or playing career.
The Orlando Magic's Becky Bonner gave an inside look into front-office operations on Coach's View.
With a more educational approach, ESPN charged ahead with Coach's View during Orlando Magic vs. Brooklyn Nets in accordance with Coaches Appreciation Day on July 10. Current and past coaches gave insight on the nuances of the job with live footage of instructional drills and film breakdown. Representatives from each team, including Becky Bonner, director, player development and quality control, Orlando Magic, explained what it's like to be in the front office of any of the league's 30 teams.
Action-Packed Schedule in Two Separate Venues
To fit the lengthy schedule in a somewhat short time span, ESPN balanced broadcasts in the Thomas & Max Center and the Cox Pavilion. To stay connected, the network developed a complex workflow to tap into each individual mobile truck.
NEP's EN3 is our main truck that services Thomas & Mack, and that is interconnected with NEP's M11, which is used for the primary coverage in Cox Pavilion, says Eddie Okuno, senior remote operations specialist, ESPN. EN3 mobile unit is serving our distribution point, and that's connected to the Mobile TV Group
North America Stories
12/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/03/2026
COW Jobs: Editor de V deo - Direct Response, Performance Ads - Brazil, Remote
Brie Clayton March 11, 2026
0 Comments
Editor(a) de V deo (Direct Respon...
12/03/2026
Avatar: Fire and Ash Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 11, 2026
0 Comments
Colorist delivers premium cinematic color across 2D, 3D...
12/03/2026
Boston Conservatory to Timoth e Chalamet: We Care About Ballet and Opera Boston Conservatory at Berklee students and faculty respond to the actors recent comm...
12/03/2026
GeForce NOW is bringing the game to the Game Developers Conference (GDC), running this week in San Francisco. While developers build the future of gaming, GeFor...
11/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/03/2026
Matrox Video will showcase its vision for the future of live production at NAB 2026 in Las Vegas, April 19-22, highlighting how broadcasters and media organizat...
11/03/2026
Geneva-based technology company, GlobalM SA, is presenting its GMX Distributed Video Gateway, a software-defined IP media transport platform designed to replace...
11/03/2026
Backlight (booth #N2829), the company behind Iconik and Wildmoka, which power video workflows for large media and entertainment organizations, has released the ...
11/03/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, presents its latest StudioEdge models at The NAB Show ...
11/03/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced the expansion of Telestream Cloud Services with the introduction of UP, a new cloud-...
11/03/2026
Operative, the preferred advertising management provider for the world's leading media brands, today announced the launch of AOS for digital media, an AI-po...
11/03/2026
Calrec will be located in Central Hall, on Booth C6907
Choice without compromise
The broadcast industry is going through a rapid evolution that s signalling a...
11/03/2026
The new service is hosted and operated entirely in the Netherlands, combining data sovereignty, resilience, scalability, and predictable costs without relying...
11/03/2026
Ease Live, an Evertz company and leader in interactive graphical overlays, today announced the successful deployment of its platform on Red Bull TV for Premier ...
11/03/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, is advancing its Semantic Intelligence cap...
11/03/2026
Emergent, a leading provider of AI-enhanced media production solutions, today announced the official launch of Fusion, a powerful, no-code application builder d...
11/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/03/2026
Utah Scientific today announced the expansion of its Technology Partner Program with the addition of Audinate, Bitfocus, and Skaarhoj, three industry leaders wh...
11/03/2026
DigitalGlue, creator of the creative.space on-premise managed storage platform, today revealed plans to launch creative.space Intelligence (CSI) at NAB 2026 (Bo...
11/03/2026
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, gaming, and more, has annou...
11/03/2026
Composer and Re-recording Mixer Michael Phillips Keeley has built his career around immersive storytelling. Working from his Dolby Atmos-equipped studio, Sound ...
11/03/2026
Leading video software provider Synamedia today announced that YES, the pay-TV subsidiary of the telco Bezeq (TASE: BEZQ), has selected Synamedia Iris to delive...
11/03/2026
As media companies face increasing cost pressures and operational complexity, at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Viaccess-Orca (VO), a global leader in OTT / TV...
11/03/2026
Digital Alert Systems, a global leader in emergency communications solutions for media providers, today announced the release of Version 6 software for its DASD...
11/03/2026
Foundry releases Nuke 17.0
Brie Clayton March 1, 2026
0 Comments
Native Gaussian Splat support, new 3D system based on USD, expanded machine learning ca...
11/03/2026
Preserving UNESCO World Heritage with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton March 1, 2026
0 Comments
The Explorers turned to France's cultural landmark...
11/03/2026
I Clicked This By Accident And It Made After Effects SO Much Faster
Graham Quince March 1, 2026
0 Comments
Discover how Region of Interest in Adobe A...
11/03/2026
Cine Gear Connect Brings a Focused All-Day Experience to Industry City, NY
Brie Clayton March 4, 2026
0 Comments
Registration is now open for Cine Gea...
11/03/2026
La Vor gine Edited and Finished with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 4, 2026
0 Comments
One of Colombia's most ambitious projects goes g...
11/03/2026
SoundMarket Launches 18,000 Tracks of Real Music by Award-Winning Composers for...
11/03/2026
Capta Center Supports NOVO19 Remote Production with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 5, 2026
0 Comments
The facility provides production and playo...
11/03/2026
DigitalGlue Ends the Post-Production Tax: creative.space Intelligence (CSI) Unif...
11/03/2026
Kochi Sun Sun Uses Blackmagic Replay for High School Volleyball Finals
Brie Clayton March 9, 2026
0 Comments
Versatile Blackmagic Replay system proves...
11/03/2026
Richard Bona Joins Berklee for Signature Series Concert The Grammy-winning Cameroonian bassist and vocalist collaborates with students and faculty in a progra...
11/03/2026
Launched today, NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Super is a 120 billion parameter open model with 12 billion active parameters designed to run complex agentic AI systems at sc...
11/03/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded nearly $5 million by NIH to investigate cancer growth Researchers will investigate how a common dietary nutrient may control...
10/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...