OPINION
The Next Hurdle for Sports Broadcasters
As we cautiously reemerge from a year of empty stadiums, socially distanced productions, soft starts, and “bubble” mandated seasons, we can begin a review of the work we’ve completed for the past 15 months. For the world of broadcast that is focused on live sport this will be a time to review our practices and workflows of the past year and make some more permanent decisions. What new approaches are here to stay? What practices will we leave in the past? What are we excited to bring back to the fore of production?
Rethinking Staffing The idea that broadcasters must be able to smell the grass at the stadium is now under forensic analysis by the accountants. It has been a long-held belief by many that teams of play-by-play commentators, producers, 52
and other staff are needed to be in-stadium to experience – and convey – the atmosphere of an event. Pandemic-era productions have tested this convention. Credit to the professionalism of production teams over the past year who needed to work from home. They produced compelling, effective, entertaining, and professional events. The vast majority of viewers had no idea staff was working remotely. That said, for those who enjoy taking trips to such marquee events, the bad news is they may have performed their way out of a few flights going forward!
Rethinking Production Techniques These professional productions were also enabled by softwarebased solutions that empower visual
By Jonathan Roberts, Global SVP of Sports at Vizrt Group
storytelling. And, largely, these systems have shown that they hold up in remote environments. The ability to direct, live switch, and commentate on sporting events in nearreal time with robust production tools from home is now a tangible and proven capability. Further entrenching this new workflow is the beneficial cost savings and efficiencies of such practices. By making a team available remotely, you don’t just save on travel and lodging for staff members, you also make
