It's a crowded production compound outside USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and it can be tough to stand out. Tennis Channel is doing just that, thanks to some sharp graphics technologies it's using for this year's US Open coverage.
Senior Coordinating Producer Ross Schneiderman (left) and SVP of Production Bob Whyley are running the show for Tennis Channel at this year's US Open.
According to Bob Whyley, SVP of production/executive producer, Tennis Channel, the addition of Viz Libero (formerly LiberoVision before Vizrt acquired the technology this year) and a second Sony Hawkeye system has changed the complexion of the Tennis Channel broadcast.
We always like to grow and do a little tweaking, says Whyley. [These tools] allow us to create all of the graphical elements you would expect, like arrows and dots where the ball lands on the court and player movement. We're really pleased with it.
Viz Libero is a computer software and analytical tool that takes a handful of sources (iso cameras) and manipulates the live images into 3D. With that, the Viz Libero operator can spin the courts and create the graphic elements fans expect.
Viz Libero operator Rainer Sonnberger adds data-driven graphic elements.
The Viz Libero operator is actually not stationed in the production truck but is in the small Tennis Channel operations trailer in the compound area typically reserved for on-site offices and meeting rooms.
As for Hawkeye, Tennis Channel and ESPN have acquired a second Sony Hawkeye system to use on their broadcasts. Although all major broadcasters share the standard Hawkeye system used to determine official rulings on whether balls land in bounds, a second Hawkeye gives Tennis Channel versatility to enhance its on-screen graphics and data offerings.
We're able to do the ball marks that are sponsored and are a big deal that we share [with ESPN and CBS], but we're also able to do our own Hawkeye, say Whyley. So if we want to do thermo-imaging to illustrate where the player has been running on the court, we can do that. We can do what we call lasers,' which track the ball trajectory. All of those little bits of statistical information that Hawkeye can give as data from all of their cameras. The great thing about the Hawkeye is that it keeps all of the information from match to match, and we cover four of the TV courts.
Shared Resources
While Tennis Channel has 30-40 of its own production personnel on hand for the US Open, ESPN and CBS provide a significant amount of the below-the-line infrastructure.
Tennis Channel has two studios at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, including this auxiliary set in the Food Plaza.
The three broadcasters share the nearly 80 cameras positioned throughout the complex's television courts: Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, Grandstand, and Courts 11, 13, and 17.
Those are shared cameras, and you're obviously using different sets of cameras depending on what court you're in, says Whyley. Then, as far as our cameras, we bring in a couple of jibs, one that we put on the plaza that gives us a lot of great shots. There's also another plaza jib that the whole compound shares. We bring a jib up to our loft for our studio-show programming. We also add an additional three cameras that we use to cut our studio and our booth.
Tennis Channel, which is regularly contracted throughout the year with F&F Productions as its mobile truck provider, is working out of its GTX-14 during the US Open.
Prematch Presence
The first seven days of the tournament marked Tennis Channel's big window, with exclusive live coverage of match play airing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET on all the courts. During that window, the network had control of the cameras. At 1 p.m., when ESPN started its window, Tennis Channel stayed more on the outer courts (Grandstand, 17, 11, and 13) until 7 p.m.
For the entirety of the tournament, Tennis Channel kicks off the day with a daily prematch show beginning at 10:30 a.m. The network has two studio sets positioned throughout the complex. The main studio set is in a loft overlooking the complex, and a supplemental set has been built in the plaza between Ashe and Armstrong.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
It's a crowded production compound outside USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and it can be tough to stand out. Tennis Channel is doing just that, thanks to some sharp graphics technologies it's using for this year's US Open coverage.
