MLB Postseason: Turner Sports Sets Up Onsite Presence for Wild Card, Will Debut Base Cam in Later Rounds A new national studio show will air at ALDS and ALCS By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Tuesday, September 29, 2020 - 11:43 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Over the past week, Turner Sports has made a massive splash in the Major League Baseball waters. Following its recent seven-year multimedia-rights extension through 2028, the broadcaster is making its onsite return to the compound at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL, for the AL Wild Card series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays. In addition, a studio show and Base Cam will be introduced during the American League Division Series (ALDS) and American League Championship Series (ALCS).
It has taken a good bit of coordination with Major League Baseball, says Chris Brown, VP, operations and technology, Turner Sports. We're looking forward to capturing every shot and every angle and producing the postseason in a way that baseball fans are used to.
At the Ballpark: Production Crews Return to a Familiar Setting The past two months have been new territory for Turner Sports production and operations teams. Over the course of the 2020 regular season, many networks have relied on RSNs to send footage to their respective production facilities. During this peculiar season, MLB on TBS relied on remote workflows in maintaining consistency on its productions, but now, through diligent work by the league, a majority of staffers will be onsite in Tampa Bay for the duration of the opening series.
Major League Baseball decided to host the Wild Card in the higher seed's hometown. In some respects, it's easy to do because waiting to figure out [where we're going] is something we face every year, Brown points out. In a world where you'd like to try to implement COVID-19 testing and things like that, it creates some logistical challenges.
To adhere to health and safety protocols, the compound will consist of multiple mobile production units to ensure necessary social distancing. For each five-game set of the ALDS, each locale will have its own dedicated trucks. In San Diego, NEP TS2 and Supershooter 8 (the company's IP-based unit launched in late 2019) will handle the production; in Los Angeles, NEP ND7 A, B, C, and D will be onsite. The ALDS compound in San Diego will remain until the conclusion of the ALCS since the penultimate series also is taking place in Petco Park.
Although this isn't the first time games have been produced in a traditional way since the resumption of sports (the team recently left the NBA bubble in Orlando after the conclusion of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday, Sept. 26), this will be the first instance when the broadcaster's MLB staffers will be onsite to produce a game since Game 4 of the 2019 NLCS.
It's going to be a massive shift, Brown says, because we're going from a [remote production] where signals were being sent back to Atlanta for us to cut a show to actually being back onsite again. We're all pretty excited to be back on the ground and produce coverage in the way that we would like.
In the Base Path: Base Cam Offers Viewers a Baserunner's POV As the main headliner of Turner's MLB postseason, Base Cam will offer a unique vantage point near the end of the postseason coverage. Inserted at the 45-degree angle of any given base, two cameras (an incoming view and an outgoing view) will enable fans to see up and down the baselines and between the base paths during different parts of the game, including double plays, tagging up after a flyball, and close plays that involve a judgment call by the umpire.
Philosophically, we're about creating as much access to the players, the game, and the field as possible, says Turner Sports EVP/Chief Content Officer Craig Barry. Over the course of the last couple of years, we were trying to be really thoughtful about technology or enhancements that would bring editorial value to the broadcast.
Before signing off on the end product, Barry and company conducted ample testing and experimenting, which included use in minor-league contests and offline use during a handful of major-league games.
We went through this [testing] process with MLB to see if the camera was stable and making sure that the picture quality was good, he adds. We'll start slow and then ramp it up for the ALCS.
For this gradual approach, each ALDS will include a Base Cam setup in two of the three possible bases. For the ALCS, with the team more comfortable from a production perspective and with more available equipment, all three bases will have access to this technology.
You try to think about all the variations that the camera will work for, says Barry, but the truth is, some other variation could bubble up as we start to use this camera. We may also capture a great play at shortstop or a diving play right near the base, so it continues to be an experiment and an innovation that we think will both add value and bring the fan closer to the field.
Additional Firepower: Super Slo-Mos, Potential Onfield RF Handheld By shifting back to how sports were conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Turner has full rein over the technologies deployed inside each stadium.
After deploying a standard tech arsenal during the AL Wild Card round, Turner will expand its camera fleet for ALDS and ALCS games. The Base Cam will have a prominent position, but the team will use five cameras with super-slow-motion capabilities. In addition, the production will feature the graphics and other onscreen information that MLB on TBS has become known for, including Pitchcast and Statcast integrations.
New MLB on TBS studio show will debut during the American League Division Series.
Enhancements in
North America Stories
24/04/2024
FRANKFURT, Germany Software solutions provider manifold technologies has announced that its manifold CLOUD was selected by NEP Belgium to provide a signal proce...
24/04/2024
NEW YORK Integral Ad Science has announced that it has earned Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for its sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) filtration f...
24/04/2024
LOS GATOS, Calif. Streaming media company Plex has announced a partnership with the National Football League that will add the NFL Channel, the NFLs 24/7 free l...
24/04/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him at the helm of NAB through 2029, according to NAB Joi...
24/04/2024
GENEVA, Switzerland Software-defined video network (SDVN) platform specialist GlobalM and broadcast-quality content distribution expert scoopa have formed a str...
24/04/2024
Berklee Online to Hold 2024 Berklee Onsite Music Conference May 31-June 1 The in-person conference is open to Berklee Online students and the music community ...
24/04/2024
Kargo said it has launched a new product that gives advertisers more details about the connected TV campaigns they are buying....
24/04/2024
Mundo Hispano Digital said it has launched MundoNow Connect, which is designed to use first-party audience data to help advertisers reach Latino connected-TV vi...
24/04/2024
Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who spent 10 months in a Russian prison, sits with Robin Roberts for a primetime special on ABC Wednesday, May 1. The 20/20 speci...
24/04/2024
To give its subscribers more content to pick from, DirecTV Stream is making deals to carry streaming channels from Cineverse and additional digital multicast ch...
24/04/2024
Jenny Padura has been promoted to co-anchor on the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts at WLTV Miami, known as Univision 23. She starts April 25 and will anchor with Ambros...
24/04/2024
Paris Schutz has joined WFLD Chicago, known as Fox 32, as a political reporter. He starts April 29 and will handle all political coverage for the station, repor...
24/04/2024
Plex has made a deal with the National Football League that will let users watch the NFL Channel, the league's free ad-supported streaming television (FAST)...
24/04/2024
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone sit for a chat when TMZ Presents: Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons debuts on Fox Tuesday, April 23. The pair di...
24/04/2024
Lionsgate Television said it signed a new multiyear employment agreement with executive VP, worldwide production, Gary Goodman....
24/04/2024
Miguelangel Lopez, WTMO Orlando (Florida) VP of news, has been named regional VP of news and content for WTMO, WRMD Tampa and WWDT Fort Myers, effective immedia...
23/04/2024
IN ADDITION TO FICTION AND DOCUMENTARY FEATURES, THE SELECTION INCLUDES:
PRO...
23/04/2024
LONDON IBC is now accepting nominations for its IBC2024 Innovation Awards, which honor achievements in technological innovation and social impact media & entert...
23/04/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. In response to the introduction of the Broadcast VOICES Act that seeks to encourage more diversity in the ownership of TV and radio stations, t...
23/04/2024
MIAMI, Fla. As part of a push to expand its FAST channel and streaming operations, Hemisphere Media Group has launched its free ad supported television (FAST) c...
23/04/2024
LOS ANGELES DirecTV is adding seven new channels to its rapidly expanding streaming lineup through new licensing agreements with Cineverse Corp. and Scripps Net...
23/04/2024
IBC is preparing to honour the highest achievements in technological innovation and social impact with the launch of its prestigious IBC2024 Innovation Awards, ...
23/04/2024
BREA, Calif. Bolin Technology is integrating Network Device Interface (NDI) across its product line, bringing support for the latest NDI technologies to its PTZ...
23/04/2024
WYOMISSING, Pa. PENN Entertainment has announced that longtime Disney and ESPN executive Aaron LaBerge has been named chief technology officer effective July 1,...
23/04/2024
In response to an FCC ruling in March proposing a $1.2 million fine against Nexstar and a ruling that Mission Broadcasting sell WPIX, Nexstar has filled a respo...
23/04/2024
Sony has announced new details about how the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is using Sony's Ci Media Cloud platform to streamline its workflows and spe...
23/04/2024
Esports' rapid rise to popularity can be attributed to many factors, from technological advancements that have enhanced the quality of modern gaming experie...
23/04/2024
OpenDrives, Inc., the global provider of software-defined media workflow solutions and data management capabilities, has been selected as a winner in the 2024 N...
23/04/2024
BCNEXXT is pleased to announce that Vpe has won the 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year Award in the Asset Management, Automation and Playout category. The offici...
23/04/2024
Gravity Media, a world leading global provider of complex live creative production and media services, today outlined the broadcast technology and television pr...
23/04/2024
Scality, a global leader in cyber-resilient storage for the AI era, today announced the appointment of Peter Brennan as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Scality...
23/04/2024
Blackmagic Design today announced ATEM 1 M/E Constellation 4K and ATEM 2 M/E Constellation 4K switchers, two new Ultra HD models of the ATEM Constellation famil...
23/04/2024
Blackmagic Design today announced Blackmagic Videohub 120x120 12G, the newest model in the Videohub 12G router family. The massive Blackmagic Videohub 120x120 1...
23/04/2024
Blackmagic Design today announced new lower prices for Blackmagic Video Assist 3G and 12G models. Customers can save US$200 on all models. These lower prices ma...
23/04/2024
Adder Technology continues to shine brightly, with its groundbreaking product, the ADDERLink INFINITY 3000 (ALIF3000), once again taking center stage. Hot on t...
23/04/2024
Pliant Technologies' CRP-C12 Compact Radio Pack is an Audio Production, Processing and Networking category winner in the 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year A...
23/04/2024
SipRadius, the specialists in live media transport and transcoding, will showcase their world-leading implementation of AV1 and JPEG-XS over transport streams a...
23/04/2024
Composer Rafael Krux has added a Prism Sound Dream ADA-128 modular conversion system to his production studio where he creates music for commercials, trailers, ...
23/04/2024
PMC proudly provides the ultimate large-scale Dolby Atmos audio system for the legendary musician Steven Wilson at the High End, Munich. He will share his exten...
23/04/2024
Particles emitting from a 3D rotating shape's edge
Graham Quince April 22, 2024
0 Comments
In Fixin' FX, people send me their problematic proj...
23/04/2024
Hollyland Technology Announces a New Line of Video Transmitters: Introducing the...
23/04/2024
Charlotte Deleste, anchor at WISC Madison, Wisconsin, is leaving the station. Her final day on the air is April 24. Deleste has spent 18 years there....
23/04/2024
Top WNBA draft choice Caitlin Clark will appear on local broadcast for 17 games next season in a deal between Tegna and the Indiana Fever....
23/04/2024
NVIDIA announced today its acceleration of Microsoft's new Phi-3 Mini open l...
23/04/2024
Soccer's Appeal to Younger Audiences: Inside the Gamification of European Fo...
23/04/2024
With NBA and NHL Playoffs in Full Swing, Never a Dull Moment for TNT Sports Prod...
23/04/2024
NAB 2024: AT&T Business's Scott Beckett Details Transmission Firepower With ...
23/04/2024
NAB 2024: Manufacturers focus on cinematic look for live productions By George Bevir
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 - 10:40
Print This Story
With live sports pro...
23/04/2024
Save the Date: SVG Sports Content Management Forum Returns to NYC on July 24 By SVG Staff
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 - 4:05 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
...
MLB Postseason: Turner Sports Sets Up Onsite Presence for Wild Card, Will Debut Base Cam in Later Rounds A new national studio show will air at ALDS and ALCS By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor 
