ESPN, ABC Set To Produce First-Ever Simulcast of NBA Draft The event returns to Barclays Center after the pandemic By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Thursday, July 29, 2021 - 12:32 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
At tonight's NBA Draft, ESPN will take a page from its NFL Draft playbook and, for the first time, simulcast its Round 1 coverage on both ESPN and ABC. Although it will be ESPN's 19th consecutive NBA Draft telecast, it will be the first that ESPN offers viewers in two parallel broadcasts.
ESPN has tapped Senior Operations Manager Steve Carter, a veteran of many NFL Draft broadcasts, to oversee the operation at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Tonight's production marks the Draft's return to Brooklyn - its home since 2013 - after the pandemic forced last year's event to be held on ESPN's Bristol, CT, campus.
It's exciting to be a part of something new with the [dual broadcasts] , says Carter, and I think it's going to be really great for the fans. Also, I think that anytime we can get back to doing our business as normal is a good thing. Getting the Draft back at Barclays is great. It's a big step towards getting back to normal, which I know we're all looking forward to.
ESPN Rolls Out Game Creek 79, Pride for Dual Broadcasts Although ESPN has provided dual broadcasts of the NFL Draft since 2018, simulcasting coverage on ESPN and ESPN2, tonight will mark the first time the NBA Draft has received the simulcast treatment. ESPN has rolled out four mobile units at Barclays, with Game Creek Video 79 (A and B units) dedicated to the ESPN broadcast and Pride (A and B) handling the ABC show.
ESPN's coverage will be hosted by Rece Davis and feature analysts Jay Bilas and Kendrick Perkins and NBA Draft analyst Mike Schmitz. Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski will provide trade reports, breaking-news updates, and team insight throughout the night. ESPN's coverage will also provide commentary and analysis by NBA Front Office Insider Bobby Marks, host Rachel Nichols, and analyst Richard Jefferson.
On ABC, SportsCenter anchor and college football/basketball host Kevin Negandhi will host the coverage alongside NBA analysts Jalen Rose and Chiney Ogwumike and NBA reporter Malika Andrews. The panel will celebrate the prospects' journeys to the biggest stage in basketball. Andrews will conduct one-on-one interviews with draftees following each team's selection (20 prospects are expected to appear in person).
The ESPN and ABC sets will be located in front of a newly designed LED stage backdrop that will serve as the canvas for the night's festivities.
In addition, Miles Brown, actor/rapper/dancer and star of ABC's black-ish, will provide backstage access throughout Round 1 as an ABC Draft correspondent.
Both telecasts will begin with high-tech animation scored with original music by rapper Benny the Butcher, embracing the rap style of the early 2000s.
50+ Cameras Deployed for ESPN, ABC Broadcasts For the simulcast coverage, ESPN has rolled out roughly 50 cameras, most of them shared between the two productions. The complement inside Barclays includes nine robos, 13 roving RF cameras (including two Steadicams, five jibs with virtual-graphics capability, and an 8K shallow-depth-of-field camera), and a three-point aerial camera system.
ESPN also plans to mike up four prospects and will have dedicated robo cameras deployed at their tables to capture behind-the-scenes content as they wait to hear their name called.
In addition to coverage inside Barclays, ESPN has deployed cameras to capture shots of the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, and the NYC skyline, including a jib atop the roof of the Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport complex, where ESPN's Seaport Studios are located.
Virtual graphics and augmented-reality elements will play a major role in tonight's broadcast, with virtual banners and placards integrated into the show throughout the night. ESPN has outfitted five of its RF jibs, three additional jibs, and the aerial camera system with virtual-tracking technology to incorporate these elements.
Additionally, new high-end custom graphics and scores of personal player features will debut during the event.
SVG's Kristian Hernandez contributed to this report.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
COW Jobs: Visual Storyteller - Emeryville, CA
Brie Clayton October 9, 2026
0 Comments
Visual Storyteller
October 7, 2026 COW Jobs: Cinematographer...
09/10/2026
Master 3-Point Lighting in After Effects With an Orbiting Light Rig
Graham Quince October 9, 2026
0 Comments
Ever wondered why your 3D renders in Afte...
09/10/2026
nxtedition will exhibit for the first time at Asias Broadcasting & Infotainment Show (A.B.I.S) in Mumbai, bringing its integrated production platform and latest...
09/10/2026
Today's AI Isn't the Answer
Andy Marken October 8, 2026
0 Comments
Let's say you're telling the truth, and this is all a dream. - Do...
09/10/2026
Ikegami to Introduce New UHK-X700VN Camera at NAB New York, Offering Advanced Cr...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Witness world firsts, new arrivals and the work that goes on behind the scenes a...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
08/10/2026
Modern venues have come a long way since the tinny, echoing audio of the mid 20t...
08/10/2026
ESPN's first Super Bowl production will stream in English and Spanish on Disney+, while the ESPN App carries the full slate of game, ManningCast, studio, an...
08/10/2026
From high-school videoboards to War Eagle Productions, the Opelika native is learning how to lead shows and capture big moments
The future of live sports produ...
08/10/2026
The Television Academy and Prime Video have announced a six-year agreement making Prime Video the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards beginning with the 20...
08/10/2026
Techex will exhibit at NAB Show New York 2026 (Booth 623, Javits Center, October...
08/10/2026
X Games has announced the appointment of Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer. Rogers previously served as COO of World Supercross and spent nearly a decade ...
08/10/2026
Fonn Group has appointed Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spielmann joins from EVS, where he held sales and business de...
08/10/2026
The flagship program will originate from major PG events with a four-camera production, live distribution across PGTV, social platforms
Perfect Game is bringin...
08/10/2026
Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. More often, it happens at the point of collision: when worlds that have run on separate tracks begin to converge. That is...
08/10/2026
For decades, the production and broadcast services business has run on a familia...
08/10/2026
Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley have published The IP Converg...
08/10/2026
The NFL has announced the return of the Big Data Bowl, the league's analytics competition, now in its ninth year and again powered by AWS. Registration is o...
08/10/2026
Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with T l diffusion d'Alg rie (TDA), Algeria's national broadcasting network operator, for continued distribution of...
08/10/2026
Disney will livestream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, alongside the game's broadcast on ESPN and ABC. All Disney subscribers in the United States wi...
08/10/2026
RHStv and Red House Streaming have announced an expansion of their partnership w...
08/10/2026
Gray Media has announced a distribution agreement with TEGNA and DAZN to simulca...
08/10/2026
SVG readers can save 10% on registration and receive a complimentary Solutions H...
08/10/2026
PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology a...
08/10/2026
Industry leaders discuss real-world cloud workflows for live game production, pl...
08/10/2026
The next-gen audio technology joins Dolby Vision as part of Apple TV's immersive F1 experience...
08/10/2026
David France, Jesse Short Bull, Mato Wayuhi, N. Bird Runningwater, Jodi Archambau, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, Amber Morning Star Byars, Holly Macarro, Nick Tils...
08/10/2026
Dynamic panning plug-ins get an upgrade
Sound Particles have just announced major updates for two of their popular dynamic panning plug-ins. Energy Panner 2...
08/10/2026
New expandable instrument boasts full DMNO engine
UDO Audio have just announced the upcoming release of a new, expandable synth that packs the power of the ...
08/10/2026
Two new subwoofers added to monitoring line-up
ADAM Audio's monitoring range has just been expanded with two new DSP-equipped subwoofers, the Sub8 PRO a...
08/10/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
08/10/2026
Calrec gives broadcasters freedom of choice at NAB Show New York We're looking forward to meeting up with you all at NAB New York on 21st-22nd October.
Cal...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will showcase its next generation of media orchestration services at NAB S...
08/10/2026
Clear-Com played a critical role in the production communications infrastructure for Rock in Rio 2026, one of the world's largest and most recognized music...
08/10/2026
Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Crea...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
ESPN, ABC Set To Produce First-Ever Simulcast of NBA Draft The event returns to Barclays Center after the pandemic By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
