Sports Video Group

Esports Production Summit: NBA 2K League’s Matt Arden on Advancing the Esports Viewing Experience

When it comes to American sports leagues leading the way in the world of esports, look no further than the NBA. Readying to enter its third season, the NBA 2K League has established itself as one of the more innovative brands from the traditional sports world to enter the esports ecosystem. At the SVG Esports Production Summit, Matt Arden, Head of Content and Media at NBA 2K League chats with our Brandon Costa about what his first year with the league was like, what enhancements did he try to the bring to the table, and what the league has up its sleeve for season 3.

Esports Production Summit: Ross Video’s Cameron Reed on Company’s Recent Gaming Endeavors

While many have begun jumping into the pool that is esports, Ross Video has been one of the few tech companies to fully embrace its potential from the start. With decisions made in the early days of the business, Ross Video is now at the heart of esports productions and has a piece of the industry at its foundation. At the SVG Esports Production Summit, our Jason Dachman caught up with the title sponsor and spoke with Cameron Reed, business development manager, esports, Ross Video, about some recent projects in the gaming space and what solutions will be on the docket within the next 12-24 months.

Esports Production Summit: Esports Stadium Arlington’s Corey Dunn on Designing Flexible Venues

As esports gains more traction and validity, construction firms are making big-time investments by building brand new venues. Although Fusion Arena of the Overwatch League is two years from being finished in Philadelphia, the most notable commitment to the sport is the $10 million, 100,000-sq.-ft. Esports Stadium Arlington. At the SVG Esports Production Summit, Corey Dunn, VP, broadcast, Esports Stadium Arlington, spent some time with our Kristian Hernandez to reflect on the first year of this new building, discuss how trends like flexibility are essential to creating an esports venue, and explain the next steps for the facility moving forward in 2020.

ESL’s Simon Eicher on Prepping for Intel World Open at 2020 Summer Olympics, Pushing Toward Mobile Gameplay

ESL’s reach across the globe is a massive one. And, after multiple ESL One events were unfurled during its 2019 calendar, the esports entity is gearing up for next year’s action at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo with the Intel World Open. At the SVG Esports Production Summit, our Chief Editor Jason Dachman spoke with Simon Eicher, executive producer/director, broadcast, esports services, ESL Gaming, about the company’s activity over the past year, the recent expansion into mobile gameplay, and what other endeavors are on the horizon in the next 12 months.

Soccer Summit Americas: Telemundo Deportes’ Ivi Alfaro Looks Back on the Network’s ‘Summer of Soccer’

On the edge of fall, Telemundo Deportes now has the chance to take a breath and reflect on their massive "Summer of Soccer." Executive Producer Ivi Alfaros poke with us about handling two tournaments at once and how this momentum can continue towards the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

NWSL on ESPN Producer Dana Rubin on the League’s Spike In Popularity

It’s an exciting time for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The U.S. Women’s National Team is fresh off winning this summer’s FIFA World Cup and there’s a spike in interest in the league that many of its players call home. At SVG’s inaugural Soccer Summit Americas last month, our Brandon Costa chatted with Dana Rubin, a producer of NWSL matches that air on ESPN to talk about how the television product is looking to capitalize on this crucial point in the league’s history.

Soccer Summit Americas: TUDN's Alexis Salinas on the Network's Rebrand, Excellence With AR Graphics

Step aside, Univision Deportes. It's now time for TUDN to step into the spotlight. With the recent merger between Univision and Televisa, the two-headed giant within the Spanish-language market is moving forward with a new rebrand and reinvigorated mission. At the SVG Soccer Summit Americas, Alexis Salinas, senior director, technical creative services, TUDN caught up with Jason Dachman to discuss the ongoing transition between the two companies and how in-studio and on-air augmented reality graphics have played an important role in their live coverage.

IP Production Forum: NEP's Joe Signorino Previews New IP-Capable Trucks, Growing IP Offerings

NEP has continued to be a strong player in the mobile production game with a deep fleet of trucks. Recently, the hybrid M15 truck was rolled out just in time for baseball season and in the coming months, the all-IP SS8 will be out on the road as well. With these two trucks, NEP is allowing companies to produce live events with the traditional or new approach. At the IP Production Forum, Joe Signorino, VP, systems integration, U.S. mobile units, NEP Broadcast Services joined our Jason Dachman for a conversation that goes deeper into the infrastructure of both trucks, the company's growing IP initiative, and where IP can further evolve moving forward.

Cumbre de Fútbol Americanos: Orlando Silver Analiza La Audiencia Bilingüe de Fox Deportes

Fox Deportes es una entidad que consigue la atención y pasión de los fanáticos bilingües. En los Estados Unidos y México, Liga MX y MLS son dos organizaciones deportivas que tienen una gran influencia en la comunidad hispana. Con jugadores como Carlos Vela de LAFC y Josef Martínez de Atlanta United en MLS y otros en Liga MX, la cadena necesita transmitir contento que satisface dos mercados. A la primera Cumbre de Fútbol Americanos en Miami, Orlando Silver, vicepresidente, producción, Fox Deportes participó en un entrevista con nuestro Kristian Hernández sobre su primer año en Liga MX, cómo mantienen el interés de sus seguidores y un proyecto nuevo que supone presentadores tradicionales y videojuegos competitivos.

Soccer Summit Americas: USL’s Brad Baker on How Expansion and At-Home Production are Revolutionizing the League

The United Soccer Leagues (USL) are enjoying strong growth. With more and more franchises entering the league’s ranks, the league has embarked on a comprehensive broadcast plan to air all of its matches with the help of at-home production models. At SVG’s first-ever Soccer Summit Americas, our Brandon Costa caught up with USL’s VP, Broadcasting Brad Baker to discuss the league’s rapid growth and how it’s broadcasting capabilities are bringing the league’s matches in front of more eyeballs than ever.

Live From Little League World Series: ESPN’s Joe Rainey on the Network’s Commitment to the Spectacle

Onsite in Williamsport, ESPN Senior Remote Operations Specialist Joe Rainey spoke with Associate Editor Kristian Hernandez about the Little League World Series debut for multiple technologies and the network's year commitment to the tournament.

A Tribute to Jack Whitaker

Jack Whitaker, one of sports media's all-time great announcers and a WWII veteran, passed away Sunday. Relive his iconic career through this tribute from his 2012 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame induction.

SCM Forum: Quantum's Eric Bassier Prioritizes the Adoption of New Storage Platforms

Over the years, Quantum has become one of the media industry’s leaders in the world of storage and asset management. At the Sports Content Management Forum, we spoke with Eric Bassier who represented the title sponsor.

SCM Forum: WWE's Bryan Staffaroni on Maintaining Metadata for Archival Purposes

The WWE's Bryan Staffroni has a difficult job when it comes to managing the classic matches of Bret Hart and other legends on the WWE Network. He dissected the importance of managing and maintaining the metadata that so many fans rely on

SCM Forum: St. Louis Blues' Eric Siders on Navigating the MAM Waters of a Stanley Cup Championship

The St. Louis Blues may have gone bonkers when they won their first Stanley Cup, but the job of the MAM team got harder. At the Sports Content Management Forum, the Blues' Eric Siders spoke with SVG about how they corraled the onslaught of data and how CatDV helped in the process 🎶

SVG Sports OTT Forum: DAZN’s Arbesa Kastrati Illustrates the Obstacles and Opportunities for D2C Services

At the 2019 SVG Sports OTT Forum, DAZN's Arbesa Kastrati discussed her move to the States to launch the U.S. version, the obstacles that digital-native outlets face, and what's on the content calendar for the backend of 2019.

Sports Content Management Forum: MLB Network's Tab Butler Describes the Event's Ripple Effect on the Storage Industry

At Wednesday night's SVG Sports Content Management Forum, MLB Network and Committee Chairman Tab Butler emphasized the importance of the event and how staying ahead of the curve will enable more efficient media storage workflows within any organization.

Live From MLB All-Star 2019: Fox Sports’ Brad Cheney, Francisco Contreras Run Down Latest Tech Innovations in Cleveland

At the MLB All-Star Game, Fox Sports is a kid in a candy store. With multiple DirtCams, high-speed cams, SkyCam, and the Virtual Eye, fans will be inside the game & the baseball classroom. Brad Cheney & Francisco Contreras run down the latest in Cleveland.

Live From MLB All-Star 2019: ESPN's Phil Orlins Previews High-Tech HR Derby Production

ESPN is set to showcase the abilities of baseball's best power hitters with the help of 4D Replay, Fly Cam, a cart cam covering players as from the batting cages to home plate, and a StatCast driven telecast on ESPN2 with 3D spray charts.

SVG Venue Summit: Olympia Entertainment’s Peter Skorich on the Continued Growth of Little Caesars Arena

In 2017, Little Caesars Arena opened its doors to the Detroit Red Wings & Detroit Pistons faithful. Olympia Entertainment's Peter Skorich spoke with our Brandon Costa about the progress made in two years & potential projects that can be seen in the future.

RSN Summit: AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh's Doug Johnson Dishes on New Studio Plans

AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh is a regional sports network that's never shied away from pushing the technological envelope. At the SVG RSN Summit, VP and Executive Producer Doug Johnson shared with our Director of Digital Brandon Costa plans for a potential new studio and also shared how his operations team is using at-home production workflows to operate the scorebug on Pittsburgh Pirates broadcasts from home.

RSN Summit: Kenny Miller On How Altitude Sports Is Reimagining The Pregame Show

Pregame and postgame shows have followed a similar model for many years. At Altitude Sports, they are trying to break the mold. During the Nuggets' NBA Playoff run this year, the Denver-based regional sports network took a new approach to its coverage with a Facebook Live show that has them completely rethinking how they approach a pre- or post-game shows going forward. Ken Miller, EVP and General Manager/Executive Producer at Altitude Sports and Entertainment chats with our Jason Dachman about the project and what else is up in the RSN world.

RSN Summit: NBC Sports Regional Networks' Jon Slobotkin on How the RSN Industry Is Facing Change

The business of regional sports networks is dramatically changing. From meeting changing consumer habits to seeing massive acquisitions completely reshape the sector, RSNs are meeting a wealth of challenges head on. Jon Slobotkin, SVP Content and Live Programming at NBC Sports Regional Networks and chairman of the 2019 SVG RSN Summit shares his thoughts on how his network is better serving their fans and addresses why the RSN Summit is more important for the industry than ever.

Live from Omaha, our Kristian Hernandez spoke to ESPN Remote Operations Producer Chris Swihart about the immersive technology & audio at this year's tourney that was provided by the network's MLB team.

Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer and father of aerial sports broadcasting Michael “Mickey” Alexander Wittman died on June 4, at the age of 74. During his career, he directed the iconic Goodyear Blimp in covering more than 2,500 sports events, including six Olympics, 30 World Series, 26 Super Bowls, and countless college football games. Relive his tremendous career through this tribute video from his Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame induction in 2013.

Beginning last fall, The Ivy League made a dramatic change to its media-production and -distribution strategy, opening a comprehensive agreement with ESPN to broadcast more than 1,100 live events across more than 35 sports on the new ESPN+ direct-to-consumer platform. At the SVG College Summit, our Kristian Hernandez caught up with Kevin Copp, Assistant Executive Director, Digital Content and Communications for The Ivy League, to discuss the benefits of partnering with ESPN and how the first year of the deal went.

The college sports video marketplace has dramatically changed over the past decade and technology solutions developed by Ross Video have played a key role in that growth. At the 2019 SVG College Summit, Jared Schatz, VP of Sales, for US and Canada for Ross Video shared how his company has been in the unique position of growing up alongside the college sports video industry.

At the SVG College Summit, Twitter's David Herman spoke with our Brandon Costa about what college programs can do to produce the best content for the platform and up-to-date trends that can be leveraged to remain prevalent and engaged in this fast-paced environment.

Following a successful career at ESPN, Scott Hecht is now senior producer for Syracuse University Athletics, readying his campus for the new ACC Network. 🍊 At the SVG College Summit, Scott shared his thoughts on the evolution of the college sports video industry with our Chief Editor Jason Dachman.

Perhaps the most impactful and innovative studio shows in the history of sports television, College GameDay was celebrated (for the second straight year) at the 2019 Sports Emmys with the Outstanding Technical Team Studio award. Moments after receiving the award, Bob Braunlich, VP, Remote Production Operations for ESPN spoke with our Brandon Costa about how the show continues to push the envelope and why its core production/ops team are the key to its success.

Inside the NBA on TNT is one of sports television's most beloved programs, but how could Turner Sports make it shine in the world of social media? VP of Social Media Morgan Dewan and her team were more than up to the task, claiming the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Social TV Experience for their work around the brand. Dewan stopped to chat with our Brandon Costa at the ceremony to discuss what risks worked out and why she feels their efforts were such a success.

For the past few years, ESPN exclusive coverage of the US Tennis Championships has been one of the more intriguing developments in the industry for those interested in the behind-the-scenes operations of a major live sporting event. At the 2019 Sports Emmys, the production got its due when it was honored as Outstanding Technical Team Remote. At the ceremony, Dennis Cleary, Director, Remote Production Operations for ESPN broke down the evolution of the US Open with our Brandon Costa, including discussing the innovative ACES system (which was a nominee for the George Wensel Technical Achievement Award).

Fox Sports was well-represented at Monday night's Sports Emmys. Our Brandon Costa caught up with one of the winners, EP David Neal, to discuss the network's linear and digital coverage of last summer's FIFA World Cup that kept U.S. fans engaged throughout the entire tournament.

NBC Sunday Night Football is the modern benchmark upon which all great sports television is graded. At the 40th-annual Sports Emmys, the series was again recognized as Outstanding Live Sports Series. Immediately following the win, Executive Producer Fred Gaudelli spoke with SVG's Brandon Costa about the brand's innovative culture and how NBC Sports never shies away from playing on the bleeding edge of sports production technology.

After an incredible showing at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Telemundo Deportes captured Sports Emmys glory in their first year on the scene. EVP of Sports Content Eli Velazquez spoke with SVG's Kristian Hernandez about what this win means to the network.

In a year crowded with massive sporting events and in a category loaded with epic productions, FOX Sports rose above the crowd to take home the biggest award of the night at the 40th-annual Sports Emmy: Outstanding Live Sports Special. Lead director Matt Gangl spoke with SVG's Brandon Costa immediately following last night's win to speak about the evolution of MLB on Fox and how the network's baseball coverage is truly a team effort.

CenturyLink is making its convention center debut at this year’s show and with it comes a series of expansions its cloud-based media and OTT services. Our Jason Dachman picks the brain of Elio Parente. Senior Director, Solutions Architecture at CenturyLink to get the latest on the company’s NAB efforts.

Dolby Vision has established itself as a true differentiator in the experience of viewing live sports, but what”s next for the technology and the company? Our Kristian Hernandez chats with Dolby’s Senior Product Marketing Manager Rob France to discuss the latest tech developments at the audio giant and what attendees can expect from them at the 2019 NAB Show.

Between Super Bowl LIII, NBA All-Star, and the Oscars, 2019 is off to a blistering start for the team at Bexel. At the 2019 NAB Show, our Jason Dachman got a few minutes with VP of Account Development Lee Estroff to download on the latest for the NEP-owned company, including where the growth of 4K stands and how its working its way onto more and more major sports productions.

In March, Eurovision Americas introduced its new president Roch Pellerin. With prior senior roles at Al Jazeera Media Network, ESPN/DISNEY, and Canal+ Group, Pellerin comes to Eurovision Americas with an awfully impressive resume. At the 2019 NAB Show, our Brandon Costa caught up with the new head of Eurovision Americas to discuss his vision for the company and what its been like adjusting to the role.