
With NBA and NHL Playoffs in Full Swing, Never a Dull Moment for TNT Sports Production and Ops Teams From March Madness through the Stanley Cup, the broadcaster relies on consistency By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 - 3:36 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
For TNT Sports, the spring season never lets up - and 2024 is no exception.
It all started in mid March when March Madness entered the picture to join TNT Sports' ongoing regular-season NBA and NHL productions. Then came the MLB on TBS package, the SheBelieves Cup featuring the USWNT, and the NBA Play-In Tournament. The TNT Sports production machine hit full tilt over the past weekend with the concurrent start of both the NHL Stanley Cup and NBA Playoffs. It's an insane workload but one that the production and operations teams are well-equipped to handle.
Inside TNT Sports' mobile unit for Game 2 of the Nuggets-Lakers Round 1 series in Denver
Our playoff planning for both NBA and NHL starts long before the ball is tipped or the puck is dropped, says Lee Estroff, senior director, strategic production planning, TNT Sports. When we go through the process of securing mobile units, technical enhancements, and technical crew, it is always with an eye toward the postseason. After many years of transitioning from the regular season to the full-throttle playoffs, we've learned the importance of repetition and consistency.
Like a NASCAR Pit Crew': Experienced, Battle-Tested Teams That consistency applies to mobile units, equipment levels, and technical crew - all of which are critical in developing experienced and battle-tested production teams who can quickly pivot into playoff mode, according to Estroff.
Like a NASCAR pit crew, he says, the TNT Sports staff, the vendors, and technical crew have specific functions in successfully executing the production strategy. The repetition of a six-month season with 60+ NBA and NHL regular-season games allows the entire team to fine-tune the processes needed to execute at the highest level when faced with quick turnarounds, set/shoot/strikes, late-night scenario planning, and other characteristics of the NBA and NHL Playoffs.
Full-Court Press: NBA Play-In Tournament and Playoffs TNT is offering more NBA Playoff games than any network.
This year, TNT is the exclusive home to more NBA Playoff games than any network, including First and Second Round action and the exclusive presentation of the Western Conference Finals. As part of the new TNT Sports on truTV programming lineup, truTV is also offering simulcasts of TNT's coverage and NBA BetCast alternative viewing experiences throughout the NBA Playoffs. All of TNT Sports' coverage of the 2024 NBA Playoffs will be available to stream on Max's B/R Sports Add-On. In addition, NBA TV - co-managed by TNT Sports and the NBA - will feature up to nine originally produced telecasts during the First Round.
NEP is once again providing TNT Sports' mobile units for the duration of the NBA Playoffs: besides its regular-season Supershooter 8 and Supershooter 7, Supershooter 9 and Supershooter 4. As was the case throughout the regular season, TNT Sports will deploy remote graphics and multiple EVS replay positions from its Techwood studios in Atlanta for the first and second rounds. Once the Western Conference Finals begin, however, all games and Inside the NBA remote studio shows will be full onsite productions, with all facilities and crew at the venue.
TNT's regular-season facility levels carried over into the Play-In Tournament and will continue through Round 1 and Round 2 with a robust 18 cameras: 10 hard, five handheld, and three robos. Other enhancements include above-the-rim robos, mid-court 6X slo-mo camera, coach mics, player mics, pregame layup-line player interviews, and the virtual shot clock via its partnership with Brand Brigade. Game 7s in any series will have upgraded facilities, such as additional super-slo-mos, robotics, and Steadicams.
In addition to Inside the NBA onsite, the Western Conference Finals coverage will include more high-frame-rate and shallow-depth-of-field cameras, as well as audio enhancements, drones, robotics, and a few other surprises, according to Estroff.
The TNT Sports operation team continues to perform at the highest level, he says. The passion, dedication, and commitment of this team is evident in the successful planning of complex (and ever-evolving) productions on a daily basis. In this current climate of budget tweaks and workflow changes, the tech-ops, remote-ops, and crewing teams have consistently operated at the highest level while embracing every challenge.
Power Play: NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs TNT Sports' networks and platforms will televise up to 49 games during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with expansive digital content and highlights from Bleacher Report, House of Highlights, and B/R Open Ice. All games feature a 30-minute NHL on TNT Face Off pregame show, as well as intermission and postgame shows from the studio. The coverage - live games, pre/postgame shows - will be available to stream live on Max's B/R Sports Add-On as well as via the TNT, TBS, and truTV apps and websites.
TNT Sports' regular-season mobile units, NEP ND6 and TS2, will serve as its primary facilities for Round 1 and 2. In addition, TNT will again collaborate and share mobile facilities in some markets with ESPN during the early rounds, deploying Game Creek 79, NEP Supershooter 6, and NEP Supershooter 24 mobile units.
New to TNT Sports this postseason will be World Feed MFP productions originating from selected Canadian venues. TNT Sports will work with Sportsnet to assist in producing these shows with supplemental facilities and crew.
For the NHL Conference Finals, the broadcaster will roll up NEP Super
North America Stories
17/03/2026
NASA+'s Rebecca Sirmons and Brittany Brown offer unique look at live streami...
17/03/2026
The transition to IP has fundamentally reshaped professional media infrastructures. Video, audio, and increasingly metadata now circulate as independent, precis...
17/03/2026
Live sports streaming can push every element in your video delivery chain to its limit, exposing every potential weakness in seconds. When the Super Bowl, the O...
17/03/2026
Texas Athletics sought to modernize its media production, enhance fan experience...
17/03/2026
Ikegami USA will demonstrate the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast...
17/03/2026
TNA Wrestling and iHeartMedia announces a new multi-platform collaboration that will integrate iHeartMedia across TNA's premium live events, weekly televisi...
17/03/2026
The goal was to transform Hard Rock Stadium into a global leader in sports and e...
17/03/2026
Spectrum has announced the launch of its new Multiview feature in the Spectrum TV App, giving customers the ability to watch up to four NCAA men's or women&...
17/03/2026
Genius Sports deal also covers data technology, AI, fan engagement, and performance analysis....
17/03/2026
Net Insight is supporting the rollout of a new state-wide centralized operation with Rede Massa, which is an SBT affiliate, the Brazilian regional television ne...
17/03/2026
Featuring audio from practice sessions, qualifying races, and Grand Prix races, the film represents Apple's sports-media ambitions
At Sunday night's Ac...
17/03/2026
Live broadcast has always been one of the most demanding environments in media a...
17/03/2026
DirecTV is introducing several new viewing features, including a multi-screen March Madness Mix channel and an updated Sports Central mobile app hub, ahead of...
17/03/2026
Deltatre has announced a multi-year partnership with ATP Media, the media arm of the ATP Tour, covering broadcast graphics, data, and production across the 2026...
17/03/2026
The Detroit Pistons have announced a third consecutive season partnering with Sc...
17/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/03/2026
3D streaming infrastructure provider Miris today announced the launch of a public beta for its new 3D asset streaming platform. Miris is building the infrastruc...
17/03/2026
As media organizations face mounting pressure to produce more content, faster, while maximizing value and operational efficiency, Tedial, a leading provider of ...
17/03/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics, augmented and virtual production, is launching the newest version of its platform, Brainstorm Suite 7,...
17/03/2026
Limecraft today announces the release of Limecraft 2026.2, the second platform update in its 2026 release cycle. Limecraft is an AI-powered production platform ...
17/03/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading system integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast and media industry, showcased its latest broadcast and V...
17/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/03/2026
QuickLink's Latest StudioEdge Models to Make North American Debut at NAB 202
Brie Clayton March 16, 2026
0 Comments
The Multi-platform Remote Gues...
17/03/2026
Frankenstein Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 16, 2026
0 Comments
Sonnenfeld enhances the controlled interplay between warm and c...
17/03/2026
New Voyavox from Link Electronics with Real-Time Speech-to-Text Captioning to be...
17/03/2026
Berklee City Music Stewards META Fellowship Supporting Massachusetts Music Educa...
17/03/2026
Back to All News
Fantasy Action Series Agent from Above' Puts Contemporary...
17/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Presents the Trailer for the Final Season of Turn of the Tide
Entertainment
17 March 2026
GlobalSpainPortugal
Link copied to clipb...
17/03/2026
The features on social media apps like Snapchat evolve nearly as fast as what...
17/03/2026
The paradigm of consumer computing has revolved around the concept of a personal...
16/03/2026
DAZN will allow fans in select international territories to watch the NCAA men...
16/03/2026
IDM and The Skate Board Association (SBA) have announced a partnership with Coop...
16/03/2026
Solid State Logic (SSL) will debut the Net I/O ST 2110 Bridge at NAB 2026 (booth C6907), a standalone unit that converts between ST 2110 and Dante audio formats...
16/03/2026
Marshall Electronics (Booth C8339) is introducing its first all-IP 4K POV camera, the CV574-WP, at NAB 2026. The camera carries an IP67 weatherproof rating for ...
16/03/2026
Sony Electronics' Camera Verify (beta), a feature of its Camera Authenticity Solution which enables news organizations to share content authenticity informa...
16/03/2026
FloSports has announced a partnership with Storied Sports, a content and IP studio founded by former espnW and The Players' Tribune executives, to develop s...
16/03/2026
Montreux Jazz Festival has announced a multi-year collaboration with Gravity Media, who will become the Festival's Audio Visual Production Provider followin...
16/03/2026
USSI Global, a provider of customized network, broadcast and digital signage systems and services, has announced Ralph Annunziata joined the company on Jan. 5 a...
16/03/2026
Boland Communications (booth C3519) will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas, ...
16/03/2026
Built in partnership with Diversified, the system
As the sports broadcast indus...
16/03/2026
Global FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) viewership grew 21% year-over-year ...
16/03/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
16/03/2026
A still from Mr. Nobody Against Putin by David Borestein and Pavel Talankin, a...
16/03/2026
Dr. Robert H. Goddard and a liquid oxygen-gasoline rocket in the frame from which it was fired on March 16, 1926, at Auburn, Massachusetts. Credit: NASA....
16/03/2026
Precision-guided munitions shown in production illustrate one of many operational systems benefiting from modernized M-Code GPS, supporting assured positioning,...
16/03/2026
NEW YORK - March 16, 2026 - A E Global Media and Nielsen today announced a new,...
16/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...