SVG SportsTech Journal — Fall 2023 by Sports Video Group

FALL 2023

SVG SPECIAL REPORT CLOUD PRODUCTION

VOLUME 17 ISSUE 2 PUBLISHED BY

ADVANCING THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, & DISTRIBUTION OF SPORTS CONTENT

LIVE FROM

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP INSIDE SVG EVENT RECAPS: SVG Venue Summit, Sports Cloud Production Forum, Sports Graphics Forum, SVG College Summit, Regional Sports Production Summit, Remote Production Forum, and More WHITE PAPERS: Blackmagic Design, Fujifilm, Riedel, Sony, and Vizrt PLUS

THE LATEST SPORTS TECHNOLOGY NEWS FROM 250+ SVG SPONSORS

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USA.CANON.COM/SPORTS

in this issue FALL 2023 Volume 17 Issue 2

upfront 6

FROM THE CHAIRMAN Welcoming the Next Generation of Sports Production Talent

COVERING THE FIELD World Cup Production Stays in Spotlight

SVGeventrecap

10 SVG VENUE SUMMIT SPORTS OTT FORUM

11 SPORTS CLOUD PRODUCTION SUMMIT SPORT GRAPHICS FORUM SVG COLLEGE SUMMIT 12

REGIONAL SPORTS PRODUCTION SUMMIT SPORTS CONTENT MANAGEMENT FORUM REMOTE PRODUCTION SUMMIT

page 10

page 11

COVER STORY

LIVE FROM THE

Starts on 2023 WOMEN’S FIFA WORLD CUP page 14

SPECIAL REPORT

CLOUD PRODUCTION Starts on page 45

white papers 52 BLACKMAGIC DESIGN | EMBRACING COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND REMOTE WORKFLOWS IN SPORTS BROADCASTING 54 FUJIFILM | THE EVOLVING NEEDS OF CINEMATIC BROADCASTING OPTICS 56 SONY | THE USE OF 5G FOR LIVE PRODUCTION – THE TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION AND EMERGING CAPABILITIES 58 RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS | PRODUCTION FLEXIBILITY – MOVE THE PIECES WITHOUT AFFECTING THE EXPERIENCE 60 VIZRT | MEETING THE EXPECTATIONS OF MODERN SPORTS FANS

SVG SPONSOR UPDATE

SVG SPONSOR INDEX

THE FINAL BUZZER The Revolution Is Now SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

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ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

WELCOMING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SPORTS PRODUCTION TALENT By Mike Davies Sports Video Group, Advisory Board Chairman

On a chilly day in Winter 1994, I graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism as a fifth-year senior. By complete and utter coincidence, I had concentrated on Broadcast Production Management, which, as it happened, had the fewest course requirements to complete. Sadly, I cannot say that I knew in my heart that I wanted to be in Sports Television, nor can I say that my GPA was anywhere near impressive. But despite my mediocre efforts at the time, graduate I did, and through some machinations that took me first to New York, then to LA, back to New York, and to LA again, I am now deep into my third decade in this business. But I remember what it was like to be one of the new guys. It was during the pandemic that I got back in touch with CU. I was not really one of those alumni who spent much time thinking about where I had gone to school, and sadly, I did not have a relationship with it. So I was more than happy to hop on the Coach Prime bandwagon and return — this time with “A” game and Big Noon Kickoff in tow. But this is not a college football story; it is about the school and the students I met at CU. I was left profoundly impressed and encouraged by the passion of the students of the College of Media Communication and Information (CMCI), the newest college on campus now only in its 9th year. Our team was able to interact with the students, give tours of both our pregame and game operations, and be around to answer questions and provide advice. The new generation — not only in Boulder, but wherever we go — is invested in their future, and I found they are deeply plugged into futures in this industry. Returning to my alma mater reminded me that, at the time, Sports Television seemed like a closed black box, with those working in it a part of a secret society, unapproachable by the new and inexperienced. I remember being wholly rudderless and contactless regarding where to start, who to talk with, or where to turn with questions. I got my first internship by sending (mailing, in fact) many resumes, to which I got a response from the East Coast Production Department at HBO Sports, which started my whole career. I think this industry is doing better with this since those days. Ultimately, are we all not responsible for being as welcoming and transparent as possible to those who demonstrate an interest in what we do? Why? Because we could have used the hospitality when we were that age. Furthermore, the kinds of people I have met this college season have been uniformly impressive. These were the kids that grew up during the pandemic. Perhaps they saw the medical and economic difficulty that abounded during that time and understood that a job — especially a line of work that one is passionate about — is something you are working very hard for. This goes double for the kinds of future employees under-represented by our business. My recommendation — no, assignment! — is to reach out and do something to be welcoming to our industry. Point them to the Sports Video Group as a source of information and a drumbeat of goings on in our industry. Look at some of our initiatives — like HBCU Bridge — and try to participate. Become a mentor in our next mentorship drive. Your past self will thank you for it. And as they say at CU — ’sko Buffs. <

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

>CHAIR

Mike Davies, Fox Sports, SVP, Technical and Field Operations

>EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Ken Aagaard, SVG Chairman Emeritus and HOF Chairman Andrea Berry, NBCUniversal –Telemundo and Latin America, EVP, Operations and Technology Eric Black, Edgio, CTO/General Manager, Media Chris Brown, WBD Sports, VP, Tech Operations Jason Cohen, CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network, VP, Remote Technical Operations Mike Connelly, Bally Sports, EVP Scott Gillies, SkyRae, President Steve Hellmuth, SVG Chairman Emeritus and NBA Entertainment, EVP, Media Operations and Technology Jeff Jacobs, NEP Group, SVP and Head of Production Patty Power, CBS Sports, EVP, Operations and Engineering Tom Sahara, SVG Chairman Emeritus Susan Stone, MLB Network, SVP, Engineering and Operations

>ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Adam Acone, NFL Network, Director, Media Operations and Planning Glenn Adamo, Ivanhoe Media and Entertainment, President Peter Angell, Sunset+Vine, CEO Craig Bernstein, NBC Sports, VP, Remote Technical Operations and Engineering Marsha Bird, NBC Olympics, VP, Olympic Operations Onnie Bose, NFL, VP of Broadcasting Dylan Boucherle, Warner Media/Turner Studios, VP, Technology Strategy and Media Workflows Kendall Burgess, Major League Baseball, VP of Operations, Local Media Tab Butler, Industry Consultant Chris Calcinari, ESPN, SVP, Production Operations, Disney Media and Entertainment Kevin Callahan, Fox Sports, VP, Field Operations Mary Ellen Carlyle, Dome Productions, SVP and GM Brad Cheney, Fox Sports, VP, Field Operations and Engineering Ken Clausen, HBO, Director of Production Joe Cohen, Industry Consultant Michael Cohen, United Soccer League, EVP and Head of Broadcasting and Media Don Colantonio, Industry Consultant Scott Davis, CBS Sports, VP of Broadcast Operations Jim DeFilippis, Industry Consultant Ed Delaney, Industry Consultant Jed Drake, Industry Consultant David Dukes, PGA Tour Entertainment, Senior Director, Technical Operations Patti Fallick, USTA, Managing Director, Broadcast Mike Francis, CBS Sports, VP, Engineering and Technology Karen Ganjamie, MLB Network, VP, Broadcast Operations and Network Origination Jerry Gepner, IABM, CEO Steve Gorsuch, Industry Consultant Ken Goss, NBC Sports, SVP of Remote Operations & Production Planning Mark Haden, NHL, Group VP, Broadcast Technology Rob Hedrick, NHRA, Tech Manager, Director of Production and Supervising Producer Ed Holmes, The Holmes Group, Principal Deb Honkus, NEP Broadcasting, Chairman of the Board George Hoover, Industry Consultant Darryl Jefferson, NBC Sports Group, VP, Postproduction and Digital Workflow Robert Jordan, CVE, 1337 Facilities, CEO; Venue Road, Founder John Kvatek, AmpThink, Integration John Leland, PSL International, LLC, Principal Glen Levine, NEP, President, U.S. Louis Libin, Broad Comm, President Jodi Markley, Industry Consultant Geoff Mason, Industry Consultant Bernadette McDonald, Industry Consultant Ken Miller, Amazon, Director, Live Content Production and Operations Rama Motwani, WWE, Director, Digital Products Grant Nodine, NHL, SVP, Technology Ken Norris, UCLA, Director of Video Operations Gary Olson, GHO Group, Managing Director Del Parks, Sinclair Broadcast Group, SVP and CTO Scott Rinehart, University of Notre Dame, Director,Broadcast Technology Larry Rogers, FirstInTV, President Mike Rokosa, Industry Consultant Scott Rothenberg, NEP, SVP, Technology and Asset Management Oscar Sanchez, CONCACAF, Director of Broadcast Operations David Schafer, MSG Networks, SVP, Operations Bruce Shapiro, Broadcast Consulting Tracey Shaw, Digital Joy, President and Co-Founder Don Sperling, New York Giants Entertainment, VP and Executive Producer Jared Stacy, Amazon, Director, Global Live Sports Production Jerry Steinberg, Industry Consultant Steve Stum, NASCAR, VP, Operations and Technical Production Patrick Sullivan, Game Creek Video, President Jason Taubman, Game Creek Video, VP Design/New Technology Tina Thornton, ESPN, SVP, Content Operations Larry Tiscornia, Industry Consultant Jacob Ullman, Fox Sports, SVP, Production and Talent Development John Ward, Amazon, Senior Manager, Technical Operations Ernie Watts, MegaWatts B/IT Tech, Founder and CEO Mike Webb, YES Network, VP, Broadcast Operations Jeff Willis, Industry Consultant Dave Zur, KSE Media Ventures, SVP, Operations & Engineering

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COVERING THE FIELD

PLATINUM SPONSORS

WORLD CUP PRODUCTION STAYS IN SPOTLIGHT By Karen Hogan Ketchum, Sports Video Group, Director of Production and Editor, SportsTech Journal

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A mere seven months after Lionel Messi and a dominant Argentinian squad triumphed over defending champion France to win the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, Fox Sports was back in thick of producing another World Cup — albeit more than 7,000 miles away. After covering the Men’s tournament from every angle in Qatar, the team traveled Down Under for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, alongside teams from HBS, Telemundo, Optus, and a host of other rightsholders. Meaning that, for the second time in 2023, the FIFA World Cup dominates our SVG SportsTech Journal cover. And, like we did for Spring 2023, SVG again caught up with Fox Sports, as well as FIFA, HBS, Telemundo and — because the Women’s World Cup took place in Australia — Australian OTT provider Optus Sport. Turn to page 14 to hear what they had to say. About a month after Spain’s victory over England on August 20, part of the Fox Sports team joined SVG in Los Angeles to reflect on the production plans, remote workflows, and successes of the FIFA Women’s World Cup at SVG’s second-annual Remote Production Forum. Miss this event? Catch up on this panel, and every SVG event, on demand at SVG Play. The Remote Production Forum also featured a lively conversation on cloud production. As live sports productions embrace cloud-based production, what does that mean for your organization? Leaders from Disney Entertainment / ESPN and CBS Sports / Paramount+ joined Matrox, Sony, and Riedel Communications to explore this topic; turn to page 45 for our SVG Special Report: Cloud Production to learn more. The Remote Production Forum wasn’t the only event on the SVG calendar in the latter half of 2023. In fact, it’s been another busy year for us, jampacked with events spanning the country, from our annual SVG Venue Summit at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY, to our SVG College Summit in Atlanta, to our Regional Sports Production Summit (formerly RSN Summit) in Chicago. Turn to page 10 to read up on our recent events and be sure to click on the SVG Play icons that accompany each event to watch every panel discussion and presentation on demand. Each SVG SportsTech Journal places special focuses on — you guessed it — sports technology, and the Fall 2023 edition is no different. Turn to page 52 to read five White Papers from five industry-leading manufacturers exploring a number of topics affecting our industry, including Blackmagic Design (page 52), Fujifilm (page 54), Riedel Communications (page 56), Sony (page 58), and Vizrt (page 60). The Fall 2023 SVG SportsTech Journal wraps with the latest sports technology news from more than 250 SVG Sponsors, including quite a few sneak peaks at what you can expect from the NAB NY show, taking place this week at the Javits Center in New York City. Turn to page 62 for the SVG Sponsor Update section. Want to get in touch with a technology vendor listed here? Contact information begins on page 90. Lastly, the days may be getting shorter as 2023 draws to a close, but our industry isn’t showing any signs of slowing down — and neither are we. Be sure to mark your calendar for the SVG Summit on December 11-12 at the New York Hilton Midtown. We can’t wait to see you there! <

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

From idea

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EVENTS RECAP

SPORTS VIDEO GROUP CONFERENCES IN REVIEW REVIEW

> SVG VENUE SUMMIT BELMONT PARK, NY MARCH 13 - 14

The first professional sports venue to open up in New York since Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in 2012, UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY, has become the new standard bearer in the National Hockey League. Equipped with the latest broadcast technology, an impressive gameday atmosphere, and the passion of one of the league’s most storied fanbases, this venue parked next to famed Belmont CLICK HERE CLICK HERE Park is attracting diehard and new fans alike. At the 2023 SVG Venue Summit, TO WATCH WATCH TO game presentation professionals and important tech vendors highlighted the current trends being seen within in-venue production, explained how new workflows are allowing crews to elevate their shows, networked with well-respected individuals from the industry, and took a tour of the key areas within UBS Arena. Above, from left to right: Madison Square Garden’s Matt Coy, New York Red Bulls’ Brooke Eveler Canon’s Jamon Lomax, and New York Islanders’ Alex Leafer Below, from left to right: Diversified’s Steve Stubelt, Oak View Group’s Katee LaPoff, Sony’s Deon LeCointe, and New York Islanders’ Ryan Halkett

> SVG JAPAN SPORTS TV FORUM

JUNE 9 TOKYO

SVG held its inaugural Japan Sports TV Forum at Sony headquarters in Tokyo on Friday, partnering with Japanese broadcast magazine NewMedia and Sony on an event that brought together 85 sports-production professionals and related manufacturers for an afternoon of presentations, panel discussions, and networking.

> SVG AUSTRALIA SUMMIT

> SPORTS OTT FORUM MARCH 29 VIRTUAL

On March 29, the CLICK HERE 2023 SVG Sports OTT TO WATCH Forum took an indepth look at some of the most important and innovative work being done by sports media companies in the streaming of live sports. Attendees learned from some of the most innovative brands and vendors in the U.S. today as well as the new ideas and technology solutions that are fueling a golden age for live sports.

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

AUGUST 9 SYDNEY

CLICK HERE

Timed to TO WATCH coincide with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2023 SVG Australia Summit on Aug. 9 drew more than 230 attendees to Sydney’s Telstra Customer Insight Centre for an afternoon of networking, panel discussions, presentations, and more.

> SPORTS CLOUD PRODUCTION FORUM NEW YORK CITY MAY 10

The sports-production industry has made great strides toward live cloud-based production of sports events over the past year. With that in mind, SVG hosted its inaugural Sports Cloud Production Forum in New York City on May 10. Held at The Cutting Room, the Forum drew more than 200 members of the SVG community to discuss the current state of live cloud-based production, its place in the current sports-production landscape, and what the industry needs to do to leverage cloud-based tools and services in more-pragmatic and -beneficial ways.v CLICK HERE TO WATCH

The Virtualized Infrastructure: Agility, Scale and Cost Optimization panel featured (from left): TAG Video Systems’ Paul Briscoe, AWS’s Jason Dvorkin, Sony’s Deon LeCointe, Riedel Communications’ Greg Macchia, and Fortinet’s John McDonough.

Clockwise from upper left: Chyron’s Dan MacDonald, Mediakind’s Allen Broome, ESPN’s Dan Lannon, and Google Cloud’s Tyrone Millard

> SPORTS GRAPHICS FORUM NEW YORK CITY MAY 11

From visionary graphics packages to the rise of augmented reality/mixed reality to the continued growth in the impact of player tracking and data visualization, there are few areas in the live sports production industry that are delivering more innovation than the graphic department. To pull back the layers on these very topics, more than 225 industry professionals packed into The Cutting Room in New York City on May 11 for the annual SVG Sports Graphics Forum. Below left, from left to right: CBS Sports’ Komal Bhukhanwala, Unreal Engine’s Andy Blondin, Fox Sports’ Zac Fields, Silver Spoon’s Laura Herzing, and Ross Video’s Chris Mollomo Below right, from left to right: Pixotope’s Gideon Ferber, Chyron’s Mark Friedman, RT Software’s Steve Hart, and Vizrt’s Eduardo Mancz CLICK HERE TO WATCH

CBS Sports’ JP LoMonaco moderated a presentation about ‘Nickmas’ with CBS Sports and Nickelodeon.

> SVG COLLEGE SUMMIT ATLANTA MAY 31 - JUNE 1

The SVG College Summit brought more than 450 college-sports broadcasters, athletic-video producers, technologists, and students representing a wide variety of universities, collegiate conferences, and technology vendors at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta. Each year, the SVG College Summit serves as the annual meeting of the minds for college–videoproduction pros from across the country and, this year, continued that tradition with two days of informative panels and presentations, production-training and career-development workshops, technology exhibits and demonstrations, and plenty of networking opportunities for attendees. CLICK HERE TO WATCH

From left to right: Ross Video’s Stefan Tribble, Harvard University’s Imry Halevi, and University of Texas at Austin’s Jeff Hanel From left to right: LiveU’s Janel Moorefield and CBS Sports’ Mark Grant

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

EVENTS RECAP continued

> REGIONAL SPORTS PRODUCTION SUMMIT CHICAGO JUNE 28 – 29

The regional-sports-network side of the business is at a crossroads, and the unclear future of this sector was on everyone’s mind at the 2023 SVG Regional Sports Production Summit (RSPS). Taking place at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel on June 28-29, more than 250 attendees addressed the pertinent issues and seismic changes as well as covered the latest developments in live-production workflows, DTC streaming, sports betting, 4K and HDR technology, labor and crewing, league and team relationships, and more. CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Below, from left: Program Productions’ Jess Kowatch and NBC Sports Chicago’s Kevin Anderson Pictutred, below right: Altitude Sports’ Matt Krol shared behind-the-scenes photos from back-to-back championship parade productions. Clockwise from upper left: Program Productions’ Scott West, Kosner Media’s John Kosner, NBC Sports Regional Networks’ Jon Slobotkin, and Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s Friday Abernethy

> SPORTS CONTENT MANAGEMENT FORUM NEW YORK CITY JULY 26

SVG’s Sports Content Management Forum returned to New York City on July 26 as more than 200 attendees were treated to a full day of sessions packed with mediaasset–management (MAM) leaders from major sports broadcasters, leagues, teams, streaming outlets, and technology vendors. The event showed a light on adapting to remote and hybrid workflows, storage and archiving on-prem and in the cloud, the rise of AI and ML, best practices in metadata assignment and management, MAM and orchestration planning, and much more. CLICK HERE TO WATCH

More than 200 attendees filled the 230 Fifth Penthouse for a day of panel discussions and case studies.

From left to right: Signiant’s Matt Gaede and IPTC and The Canadian Press’ Paul Kelly

> REMOTE PRODUCTION FORUM LOS ANGELES SEPT 27

SVG’s Remote Production Forum headed west to Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 27 as more than 200 attendees were treated to a full day of sessions packed with leaders from major sports broadcasters, leagues, teams, streaming outlets, and technology vendors. The event shed light on how remote production continues to change rapidly as technologies like fiber connections, IP, and the cloud have opened up new ways for sports productions large and small to be produced. Right, above: Fox Sports’ Mike Davies moderated a panel discussion on Fox Sports’ Women’s World Cup reflections. Right, Below: More than 200 attendees took part in SVG’s second-annual Remote Production Forum, which took place at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Los Angeles.

Relive SVG Events with video on demand available exclusively on SVG PLAY: svgplay.sportsvideo.org 12

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

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LIVE FROM THE

2023 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP ooking for sports production workflow innovations? Then look no further than the production efforts behind the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, held in July and August across Australia

and New Zealand. HBS and rightsholders from around the globe embraced new ways of producing coverage, including HBS and FIFA making the decision to produce all of the matches from Sydney. This special report will take you inside the efforts of HBS, FIFA, Fox Sports, Telemundo, and more.

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

FIFA’s Florin Mitu, HBS’s Stefan Wistuba Discuss Groundbreaking Workflows By Ken Kerschbaumer

he production philosophy that FIFA and HBS embraced for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand raised the bar when it comes to new concepts in remote production. It was the largest and most prestigious event on which the teams producing the live match coverage were based not at the stadiums but at a central production hub. And it was a gamechanger. IP flypack capture kits at each of the 10 stadiums transported the audio and video signals to the hub. At that hub, in Sydney, were four main galleries where production teams that historically would work in a truck in a car park go about their business of producing world-class World Cup coverage. Florin Mitu, head of broadcast production, FIFA, and Stefan Wistuba, project director, HBS, sat down with SVG Co-Executive Director Ken Kerschbaumer at the Women’s World Cup IBC in Sydney Olympic Park to discuss the new workflows, IBC operations, and much more.

HBS’s Stefan Wistuba (left) and FIFA’s Florin Mitu in the FIFA Women’s World Cup IBC

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SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP This year, FIFA and HBS have a new philosophy for production: the match production teams are working in galleries at a hub here in Sydney instead of in trucks at the stadium. How have things been going? Mitu: From a FIFA perspective, I can say we were looking forward to doing something like this setup with the remote production. Sustainability is a big factor in everything that we are doing and what we are planning going forward, and this has allowed us to see in the real world how it would work. In general, we can say it works well. It obviously involves some challenges in the planning phases and at the start of the tournament until it started working like a well-oiled mechanism. But we’re very happy so far.

It’s more sustainable, but what are the benefits you have seen with the production teams?

Mitu: My feeling is that it creates a team atmosphere that also achieves the consistency we’re so keen to have at the World Cup. Everybody is in the same building and working in different galleries, but they also stay in the same hotel so it’s easier for them to talk to each other and exchange experiences and learnings. Of course, there is the downside that they never see the cameramen, but, nevertheless, everyone has managed to adapt to the setup, which is working well. Wistuba: I agree. We took the approach that, in all areas of the event, we wanted to do things differently. Not just the live side of the production but also the non–live-content-production side, which is being done out of a hub in the UK and in a streamlined way from the IBC. In every aspect, we want to be more sustainable and challenge ourselves. We had five production teams working across 10 stadiums, so how does that all work from a centralized perspective? It worked out well, but the setup phase was demanding as we had not only to deal with the live side of rehearsals and checks but also to integrate all the other sides from FIFA, like FIFA Football Technology and Data and FIFA Infotainment. A big number of feeds had to be routed properly between the live hub, IBC, and non-live hub working in a different time zone. The first week was tough. Even with great facilities like we have here, nothing is ever plug-and-play. You work through a lot of long nights getting everything resolved. The goal is to have a remote production where the viewers don’t notice a difference from a cutting perspective or replay perspective, and that has been achieved. I also think the production teams feel good being in the remote facility. They have a comfortable environment to work in, and things have settled down, and they are in a groove. They’re not traveling; [they are] able to walk to the live hub. They’re rested and have been able to produce a lot more games individually, compared with previous tournament rotations. If they had to travel, we would need as many as 10 production teams for this event. We’re also using a lot of the local Australian and New Zealand camera operators and teams and marrying them up with the international teams, which has worked out very well in terms of quality, leaving a legacy, and reducing the carbon footprint. And a lot of those local production people have been working this way for a few years so I am sure that must have made you more

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Inside the World Cup hub, which would get busy hours prior to match kickoff comfortable with wanting to work this way. Wistuba: One hundred percent. Mitu: We employed four directors who have all done remote productions at some time, not just during the time of COVID. The only one who had not is Sebastian Von Freyberg from Germany, and he has felt very, very comfortable working remotely. Another important step we, together with HBS, had undertaken was to bring in three new directors to the FIFA World Cup setup. Jamie Oakford from the UK and Freyberg from Germany have done World Cups before, but Gemma Knight from the UK, Angus Millar from Australia, and Danny Melger from Netherlands are new to the World Cup, and we’re very comfortable with their work. It’s a very important game for FIFA to have new blood on board. Back to working remotely, the fact that they can look to Sebastian and Jamie and work with them helps their development as FIFA World Cup directors.

How are camera meetings and production-team meetings held?

Wistuba: I think it’s more than just camera meetings on the day of the match; it’s also briefing the ops, and especially the local ops that haven’t been working with international production teams. The five production teams have different ways of working, and they differ in their ways of using cameras as well. We needed to get that message across to the teams, and that required the directors to put more effort into that with phone calls, teams calls, and actual briefings with the personnel onsite at a stadium via comms. We also have set times when everybody must be on the cans, and we used little gimmicks like a return feed from a video camera in the hub so those at the venue could see the director. In the end, it’s about communication and speaking to the production team clearly so they know what you need from them. And everyone has reacted and adapted very well.

There are two types of facilities in use: two stadiums have trucks, and some just have a flypack. Do they operate differently?

Wistuba: No, there’s no difference in terms of technology: it’s just where the technology lives. The fly kits are installed in cabins that have

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SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP This flypack at Allianz Stadium in suburban Sydney was the main technical facility onsite. It was connected to a gallery at the World Cup production hub. capture kits that the cameras are connected to. In Australia, we are using two trucks, but they are used only as a capture kit. When transmitting camera signals, there is not a difference between the flypacks and trucks other than that the trucks have wheels.

Who else is at the venue on a match day? Obviously, the camera people are there, but who else? And who manages things if they go wrong?

Wistuba: First, all the people that work in the gallery are not there. And all the shaders are at the hub instead of onsite, which is quite new, even to the Australian market. Onsite, we have a senior guarantee video and audio, video and audio assistants, camera ops, floor manager, and riggers. All the technical support that you would have on a normal OB would be onsite as well. And we rely heavily on floor managers, [who] become the eyes and ears of the director. Mitu: Apart from Angus, who is local, none of the other directors have been to the venues, maybe except for those in Sydney. Wistuba: It’s definitely challenging for the directors when they work a match in Melbourne remotely one day and then a match in Hamilton the next. It’s a completely different stadium, and they need to get their head around what they can and can’t do with the cameras. That takes more time. It’s not impossible, but, in the end, you rely on your camera ops to get the best shots.

Are other aspects of the FIFA operations being done remotely as in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup? Mitu: We’re doing the infotainment remotely from the IBC with four galleries, and that is something we did at the previous World Cup in Qatar. We have the VAR at the IBC, although all feeds first go to the hub and then come to the IBC. Wistuba: And, from the IBC, the VAR camera feed goes back to the hub, where it is integrated; we have four VAR cameras that are integrated into the feed. Mitu: Speaking about our VAR coverage, at this Women’s World Cup, the match officials announce the decisions following VAR reviews. Viewers in the stadium and back home can now hear the referees announcing and explaining their decisions. We are thankful for the great cooperation we had with our colleagues from the Refereeing and Football Technology and Data teams in implementing this innovation.

There are only a handful of rightsholders onsite. Was that in line with your expectations? Mitu: Australia is very far away from a lot of other territories in the world, and it was to be expected that many broadcasters will do remote from their home countries rather than have a significant base here. Catering to the needs of those who are at their home base meant we needed to provide them with adequate content and make sure once again that the FIFA MAX server is accessible from anywhere in the world, not only at the IBC.

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What other kind of content are you providing? Mitu: We have 32 FIFA TV Team Crews embedded with the teams; there’s a lot of material being shot and produced, which is very, very useful for any rightsholders, wherever they are: for instance, exclusive interviews with the players, the head coach, and backroom staff in the build-up to each match, as well as behind-the-scenes filming and footage from any extracurricular events that the teams undertake, as well as training sessions and press conferences. On match days, each crew will be in the stadium to support the HBS coverage by providing further content, such as pre-match and post-match interviews, fan color, match iso, and post-match dressing-room filming. Wistuba: Rightsholders rely more and more on that content. On the non-live side, it’s worth mentioning the non-live hub that we have in London. It’s quite a big operation with postproduction, media management, server ingest, and management and logging taking place in the non-live hub. We used to have to bring all that equipment and personnel to the World Cup location, situated at the IBC. They produce critical near-live highlights and digital edits, while, here at the IBC, we are doing quite a lot of feature productions because those production teams need to be in touch with the teams on the ground. One big challenge has been the time-zone differences; they’re working night shifts in London to align with us. At the IBC, we have six edit suites for features production, but, instead of high-end edit suites, they are using laptops, which is a simpler approach. In addition, FIFA Studios have five traditional edit suites. The digital side is always picking up, so the value of having so many people covering the teams is that the access has been immense and creates great content. Key is getting everything coordinated and controlled so that FIFA can benefit from the unique opportunity of getting close to the teams. We have 18 digital-content creators spread across all the host cities as well, capturing content on mobile devices on match days at the stadium, and, between match days, they cover the teams.

Can you talk about planning both the Men’s World Cup in Qatar last year and this World Cup at the same time? Mitu: We were working on both at the same time, and both FIFA

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SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP All World Cup camera shaders worked side-byside in a studio in the World Cup production hub.

and HBS had dedicated teams on each as well as people working on both. We have been very fortunate to have a strong broadcast team within the FIFA subsidiary here in Australia and New Zealand who have supported tremendously the event planning and delivery. The other challenge was, it was still COVID times during the initial planning phase. Teams flying here had to quarantine before they could visit stadiums, and then they would have to quarantine again when returning to Europe. Everyone here and there had to adjust to a different way of communicating, which meant early-morning meetings for us in Europe and late-evening meetings for those here on a daily basis. Wistuba: We’ve gone from an IBC to [another] IBC, with very little time in between. It’s obviously a bit more stressful on everybody, but it’s working out. And every event builds on the previous event, so we have been able to bring things that were introduced in Qatar, like the use of the semi-automatic offside lines and shooting cine-style or integrating the connected ball graphics and dressing-room coverage. That was all new six months ago, and you can already see those things getting smoother.

Were the IP workflows a little smoother here than in Qatar? Wistuba: We went to an existing IP facility here, and that was probably the biggest difference; in Qatar, everything needed to be set up. But it’s still challenging on the IP side and during that initial phase and the first two weeks of getting everything up and running: things like getting into the venues, getting to finally see camera signals, and getting those cameras feeds into the right gallery. It all works, but it takes time. Mitu: And let’s not forget, each director works in a different way, and their gallery setup is different. The directors go into the same galleries one after the other, so there is a lot of preconfiguring time needed. Wistuba: Once that preconfiguring is done, you have a lot more flexibility with things. But that configuring time is a lot more than just the old SDI workflow, where you connect the cable. In that environment, you just need enough manpower to connect all the cables. But, in IP, the configuring time is the daunting part: there aren’t that many specialists who can do it. You are limited to a group of people who are the brains of the operation, and it means they have long nights.

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What do you think will be the legacy of this World Cup? Is this workflow the new way forward? Will the 2026 World Cup be done remotely? Mitu: I know it’s a cliché that you have to take it one game at a time, but every World Cup has its specifics. The venues in 2026 will be spread across three countries, which is new to a World Cup setup. But are we going to do remote? There are a lot of reasons we would, but we need to thoroughly assess every facet of it and balance all the pros and cons. For now, we are investigating the telecommunications infrastructure in North America to see what it can offer and what the synergies could be between broadcast-production needs and telco capabilities. And then there is the question of what is remote. It can be remote from one central point connecting all the venues, or it could be various hubs in various places. And there are the different time zones. But our experience and the learnings from this tournament give us a lot of confidence that we know how to tackle the topic and ultimately reach the right decision. Wistuba: You have to adapt it to the right infrastructure in a country, look at all aspects of the production and then do a detailed risk planning to see what makes sense. You don’t just do remote because it is a buzzword and everybody says, “Do remote.” It needs to work for the event. We’ve done elements of remote at many World Cups in the past. Clips compilations, audio surround sound, and Match Day-1 have been done remotely, for example. Elements of remote will be there; it’s just a question of what makes sense. For now, we’re here in Australia and New Zealand with great people that are enjoying being here, which is a big portion of this. There are really, really good local people, and together with the FIFA team and our international teams, we’re enjoying this event. It’s a nice accomplishment as well. <

SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

Fox Sports’ Kevin Callahan Discusses Evolution of Jewel Event Flypack By Ken Kerschbaumer

s the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup entered the Quarterfinals Stage, it signaled the end of a long run of long days for everyone involved, with a quick day off to reflect, reset, and focus on the end of the tournament. According to Kevin Callahan, VP, field operations and engineering, Fox Sports, who spoke with SVG during the World Cup, things had gone well for the broadcaster, which had onsite match control rooms for a Women’s World Cup for the first time since 2015 in Vancouver. The team also continued to build, along with FIFA and HBS, on new workflows deployed in Qatar.

The Fox Sports IBC team was dialed-in on match coverage and much more.

“When we were in Qatar,” said Callahan, “what everybody was doing was a science experiment. I think now that science experiment is over. We’ve gone from bleeding edge to cutting edge. We’re still doing things most people aren’t doing, and we’ve taken the next steps and added features rather than just adding to the bug list.” The Fox Sports production team at the IBC played a key role in nearly every aspect of the effort, as the two match control rooms were where everything came together: the FIFA and HBS match production, graphics, commentary, and much more. “All of the matches go there, regardless of where the announcers are,” said Callahan. “Whether they are onsite or calling off-tube, it comes here for Fox Box integration and final integration with the studio programming going to and from halftime and the end of the game.” The IBC was also home to the core engineering team, the media-management team, and the remoteoperations center, where all the feeds, both inbound and outbound, were managed. The team was connected to facilities in the U.S. as well as to the studio location at Campbells Cove in Sydney. More than half the crew — all EVS operators, graphics operators, the entire feature team — worked remotely in the Vault at Fox’s Pico facility in Los Angeles. “We’re recording all of the feeds coming from FIFA and HBS, whether a watch-party feed, an additionalcontent feed, or iso feed,” said Callahan. “We want to be able to get all of the content that they are producing and show it to viewers at home.” The Women’s World Cup was the third event for which the Fox Sports Jewel Event system was deployed. First used at the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup and then at Super Bowl LVII, the system leverages IP and SMPTE ST 2110 technology in 20 racks of equipment from TAG Video Systems continued on page 28

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

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SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP Inside Fox Sports’ Studio Operations

hen it comes to World Cups, Fox Sports has a knack for landing impressive studio-location sites. For the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Opera House join the list of impressive landmarks that have served as the broadcaster’s studio backdrop. “I knew we wanted to have the Opera House as the iconic symbol that everyone watching would know,” said Rod Conti, VP, remote studio operations, Fox Sports. “We look at all the spaces that could see the Opera House: Luna Park, the Botanical Gardens, etc. But we were staying at the Pier One hotel during the first survey and walked through this patch of land [Hickson Road Reserve] with this amazing view, and we said, ‘This is the spot.’” That spot is adjacent to Campbells Cove in an area of Sydney known as The Rocks. Located near the Park Hyatt hotel, the site had a much smaller footprint than previous World Cup studio locations in Vancouver, Paris, Moscow, and Qatar. As a result, a new approach to design and operations was required. “We decided we can still have a large presence by going with a campus feel rather than a mega structure,” Conti said. “The good news is, as iconic as the Opera House is, the surrounding area is just as beautiful.” The campus housed a 4,000-sq.-ft main set with walls on the original patch of grass, back-of-house operations (3,000 sq. ft), studio desk show, and a studio for the digital team. Complementing that, a 1,500-sq.-ft outdoor pitch set, located about a three-minute walk along the harbor, had a Fox-branded football pitch connected to it. Each location was connected to a 4,000-sq.-ft technical-operations center situated beneath Harbour Bridge. “We’ve called them the main set and pitch set,” said Conti, “but we don’t really have a main set because we have been outside [on the pitch set] more than inside. It starts with the weather: if the weather is nice, we like to spend most of our time outside. The set with the walls gives a safe harbor so we could operate no matter what the weather. And, while we have two separate sets, we incorporate them both during the broadcasts.” Both locations also had great views of Sydney Harbour as well as of the Opera House. “Unlike the Eiffel Tower, the Opera House in the background fills the frame perfectly because it’s wide and short. I call it a happy blessing,” said Conti. “Our trademark is still to not shoot behind glass whenever we can so that everyone feels closer to the environment. And Sydney Harbour is amazing because it delivers three times a day. In the morning, it looks fantastic; at dusk, it is the prettiest. And, at night, we get amazing shots. But, all day long, there is

From left to right: Greg Pfeifer, Rod Conti, and Patty Fischer at Fox Sports’ main set for the Women’s World Cup 26

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something to look at: it could be the ferries, a cruise ship, or a racing sailboat. It’s really exciting.” As in Vancouver, Paris, Russia, and Qatar, the physical set embodied artistic touches that reflect the host nation’s culture and history, especially with respect to the First Nations population. “Our international sets are different from our college ones, where we think of crowds and signs in the background,” Conti explained. “Internationally, our main focus is encapsulating the beautiful landscape of the host nation.” Since the 2015 World Cup in Vancouver, Conti and his team have become expert in dealing with government bureaucracies of all shapes and sizes. The studio location in Sydney required the Fox Sports team to work closely with five government agencies. In addition, because it is a Heritage site, a lot of its areas and buildings are protected. “All the land masses are owned and operated by different groups from the city of Sydney,” he noted. “We even touch the maritime folks a little bit because our 3,000 ft. of cable from one studio to the other has a 15-ft. piece of cable across a pier they control.” The studio location was only part of the challenge. The Fox Sports team also needed to find a site for a technical-operations center, production-control room, equipment room, and more. In a bit of kismet, the team early on began working with Destination New South Wales, the lead government agency that markets Sydney and NSW and works on tourism- and business-growth initiatives. One of its key projects is Vivid Sydney, an annual lights festival that is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and poses a massive technical undertaking across Darling Harbour, Sydney Harbour, and beyond. It requires dedicated back-ofhouse areas, and, coincidentally, a key building for managing the event is located under Harbour Bridge. It was also a perfect site for the Fox Sports studio technical facilities. “They were fantastic,” Conti added, “and were on our side when we said we wanted to have Sydney represent Australia.” – KK

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SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP continued from page 28 and EVS, which are pre-cabled and configured before folding down in half for shipping via air from the U.S. There were two in use in Sydney: one at the IBC at Sydney Olympic Park and one at the technical-operations center for the studio shows at Campbells Cove. “This is our third deployment of the Jewel Event system,” said Callahan. “We’ve been able to fine-tune things based on the learning experiences we have had. We’re able to use it [the way] we expected to use it, with all the features that we had hoped for when we were designing the system.” The improvements did not require new gear but rather updates from EVS, TAG Systems, Arista, and Calrec. That involved a lot of testing to minimize risks as much as possible. “When you have the words Jewel Event in the name of the system,” he added, “you, generally speaking, are going to be risk-averse, so we needed things to be tested and resilient.” Among new features was the ability to do a lot of additional monitoring, including seeing what sources are going where and making sure all the redundancies are in place for an IP-based system. “We also now have 2022-7 redundancy so there is more resiliency between Sydney and Los Angeles,” Callahan explained. “Now that we have had it set up for 30 days in a row, we’re able to take advantage of that.” The benefits of the Jewel Event system begin with setup at the IBC. According to Callahan, the team was able to cut a week from the effort. “By the time we get to the Euros next year, we will be able to cut another week. We just need to do a lot of leg work ahead of time in terms of programming to make that a reality.” Another improvement to the Jewel Event system was that the digital team, which has its own set at Campbells Cove, now tied into it. “We knew that they were going to be part of us,” he said, “and we don’t have to bolt them on or think about them as an afterthought because they’re designed into the Jewel system. The digital team can access all the same feeds so that shows like World Cup Now, which is a personality-driven show, have access to all the same content.” Also helping in connecting everyone was the use of switching gear supplied by Arista, provider of the core networking environment. “The Arista 7508 switch router is our core 2110 switch,” Callahan explained. “We are also using one of their newest items, the 710P compact series switches. It’s a nice fanless switch that we’re able to deploy in various rooms as a true edge switch. It’s deployed just about everywhere: in our match control rooms, on each of the stages, at researcher positions, and in the Vault in Pico. The 710p supports PTP, which is key for an IP broadcast environment.” Deploying tools for advanced monitoring was a big help, he added, because it eliminated the days of walking into the IBC and learning that the power supply had been out or the international circuits are down. “We have a lot of advanced alerting and monitoring between Tel-

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

Monitoring all incoming FIFA World Cup feeds was a big part of life at the IBC for Fox Sports and other rightsholders.

stra and our media-broadcast team,” he noted, “When something’s out, we can react quickly. Knock on wood, we haven’t had any on-air implications.” The Fox Sports presence at the matches varied by match. Some had two reporters with ENG teams and announcers in the commentary position; others had announcers calling off-tube. “We created an off-tube facility in a hotel in Auckland,” said Callahan, “so that, if we needed our announcers that were based in New Zealand to call a match, they could do it from the comfort of their hotel without having to fly to Sydney. We’ve also added aerials for two of the three Group Phase matches as we feel that is something our coverage needs to truly bring the spirit of the event home to the viewer in America.” With fewer rightsholders in Australia and New Zealand, not all of the previous services, such as commentary cameras, were available onsite. Said Callahan, “We’re going without a comcam and, instead, have our announcers go to the pitch if we have an ENG crew at the match.” The biggest overall change at this World Cup compared with previous editions was that the core HBS production team for each match worked from a production hub located in Sydney instead of at the venue. That meant a much smaller presence at each venue, which also meant more planning to avoid running into any issues. “As long as everyone stays within the carefully defined parameters,” Callahan pointed out, “the signals are able to move perfectly fine. But, when you try to react to something late, you don’t have the flexibility to do that easily.” The team effort from Fox Sports was great, he added, noting that those who were onsite, especially fellow North American rightsholders Telemundo and TSN Canada, shared in a positive energy with HBS, FIFA, and the other rightsholders. “The energy has been great and upbeat,” Callahan said. “It’s always good to see our colleagues from around the world. It’s communal, and everyone looks to help each other out, whether it’s exchanging footage from the Fan Festivals or working with Telemundo, who we have a great relationship with as both of us have rights to the U.S. team and the U.S. venue.” <

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SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

Telemundo Deportes Enhances 4K HDR Coverage With 5.1 Audio, Virtual Studio By Kristian Hernández

s the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup headed into a tantalizing Final between Spain and England, Telemundo Deportes neared the conclusion of a month-long stretch of native-HDR productions from its base in Telemundo Center. Besides deploying 5.1 audio as well as programming with an updated virtual studio, the broadcaster’s engineering team did an impressive job seamlessly connecting their Miami-based facility and their setup in the IBC in Australia.

From left to right: Telemundo Deportes’ Rene Rattia, Luis Schneider, Jorge Duarte, and Ricardo Novas produced the FIFA Women’s World Cup from Telemundo Center in Miami.

“Our biggest driver was to treat the IBC as an extension of Miami,” said Jorge Duarte, senior director, production engineering, Telemundo Deportes. “It’s a small yet efficient footprint, so we’ve kept the workflows as straightforward as possible since a 14-hour time difference and being halfway around the world has its own challenges that we’ve had to overcome.” After debuting HDR productions for two opening matches — New Zealand vs. Norway and Australia vs. Ireland — on July 20, Telemundo Deportes refined its new technological workflow. Prior to the start of the tournament, Duarte and his crew — Senior Engineer, Production Engineering, Rene Rattia; Manager, Production Engineering, Luis Schneider; Architect, Production Engineering, Ricardo Novas; Director, Post-Production Engineering, Joel Rulan; and Senior Network Architect Ramon Munoz — used other international and large-scale competitions to test out this production wrinkle, including the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics and the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar. The team was supported by Director, Control Room Operations, Rey Carrasquillo; Manager, Control Room Operations, George Rodriguez; and Technical Project Manager Odair Auger. Over the past month, Duarte’s staff working in Miami teamed with SVP, Content Operations, Chris Suarez-Meyers and the crew at the IBC to receive the necessary video feeds from HBS and send out the finished product. This comprised nearly 30 live game feeds as well as various signals captured around the two host nations via LiveU and sent directly to Miami. The game feeds were natively produced in the HLG HDR format and distributed as 4K PQ/HDR. In the control room, the feeds were managed by Technical Directors Red Osejo and Adrian Izquierdo, with the assistance of Manager, Technical Operations, John Moneyhun and Senior Network Operations Coordinator Yerica Areas in the Telemundo Technical Operations Center coordinating all feeds originating in Australia and New Zealand. Although the Women’s World Cup was one of the main priorities, Telemundo Cen-

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SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP ter is always producing other news, sports, and entertainment. Since all other Telemundo programming is sent out in standard 1080i SDR format, one of the biggest challenges was to retrofit the live-production infrastructure to seamlessly support the two production formats on demand. “Being able to keep our standard 1080i SDR workflows in place when we’re not doing Women’s World Cup was very important,” said Duarte. “After working overnight for eight to 10 hours and two games, we needed a reliable method of switching between HDR and SDR productions easily. That meant having the production team do it themselves in 15 minutes rather than four hours.” This 4K HDR operation raised the visual quality of Telemundo Deportes’ World Cup coverage overall. “We’ve taken notice that our downconverted 1080i SDR has also looked much better,” said Duarte. He credits NBCU Operations and Technology Director, Advanced Content Production, Chris Seeger: “We’ve relied on Chris’s expertise in live HDR production workflows to optimize our HDR and SDR production paths and conversions between those formats.” It’s a treat for supporters at each venue to hear the chants, the sound of the ball being kicked, the roar when a country scores. For fans watching from home, Telemundo Deportes captured and reproduced that live in-venue experience with 5.1 immersive sound. This aspect of the production was led by Manager, Audio Operations, Pedro Hernandez and Audio Specialists Manuel Funcia and Luis Diaz. The 5.1 surround sound was mixed at Telemundo Center and sent to all local networks and to Peacock, which is setting daily streaming records with the Women’s World Cup. Telemundo Deportes sibling NBC Sports supplied 5.1 sound and Dolby Atmos audio to viewers for multiple events. One of the most recent global events under the NBC Sports umbrella — the 2022 Beijing Winter Games — was a master class in audio production. It was so well-received and applauded by the sports-broadcasting industry that the broadcaster brought home the 2023 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Audio/Sound – Live Event. Coming off this win and another successful execution of this strategy, Telemundo Deportes tapped the expertise of NBC Sports Senior Director, Audio Engineering, Karl Malone. “We kicked [this idea] off internally,” said Duarte, “but, since we’re a big company, we try to leverage each other. We leaned on Karl quite a bit. He came down in February (with NBC Sports A1s Mike DiCrescenzo and Rick Bernier) to meet with our audio team.” Most of the games produced by Telemundo Deportes relied on offsite commentary by announce teams in Miami. It’s one of the biggest changes from the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, which was concentrated in the Qatari capital of Doha, allowing the broadcaster to rotate multiple announce teams to all eight participating stadiums. With this Women’s World Cup spanning two countries, the team adapted by adding commentary to inbound video feeds. “[In Qatar,] all audio was already mapped with game commentary,” Duarte explained. “Now it’s going in between Miami and Australia or

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The live feed of the AR studio on Telemundo Deportes New Zealand, so we had to make sure that our workflow accounted for that. In addition, our control rooms are having to handle the recording and archiving of this feed as well.” To extend the footprint of the studio set at Telemundo Center, the bulk of the on-air programming before and after the match and at halftime leveraged augmented reality in virtual Studio L. Beginning with the Tokyo Olympics, the broadcaster’s first large-scale virtual production, Director, Realtime Graphics, Fabian Albarracin; RealTime Graphics Specialist Diego Soto; and Technical Artist Osmany Gomez upgraded the set with Chyron’s PRIME VSAR platform and Unreal Engine as well as a four-camera setup. The result was dazzling, but the cost-effectiveness of the decision enhanced productions of a wide variety of productions. “Since it’s one set of hardware and one system,” Duarte noted, “we could use it for anything from news in the afternoon to other sports throughout the day. The biggest benefit is being able to go back and forth without having to switch the physical set three or four times a day.” From a creative standpoint, Albarracin and his staff constantly adjusted to the changes in the tournament. Getting the virtual studio ready requires that they put the high-quality graphics together quickly. “They’re tasked with making sure that the graphics are performing to what is expected,” added Duarte. “You can sometimes overdo a virtual set, where the rendering doesn’t look as good. So they put a lot of work into tweaking the sets.” With each subsequent FIFA World Cup, Telemundo Deportes not only gained increased viewership but also improved its production and operations. Whether the pandemic-inspired reliance on remote and cloud-based workflows or the improved communication between stateside crew and onsite staffers, broadcasts of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup were the culmination of hard work and dedication. “We learn a tremendous amount from every event as well as understand how to make our shows even better for the next one,” said Duarte. “We’re looking forward to 2026, where we can take our work being done now and grow it exponentially.” <

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SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

Telemundo Center Anchors Telemundo Deportes Production, Operations in Miami By Kristian Hernández

s the onsite team of Telemundo Deportes provided Spanish-language coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup from Australia and New Zealand, the broadcaster’s Telemundo Center in Miami supplied hours of studio programming as well as offsite commentary for games taking place on the other side of the world. Synchronizing efforts with the crew at the stadiums and in each city was a major hurdle to clear.

The Telemundo Deportes team at the front bench for the Colombia vs. Jamaica match in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Round of 16 on Aug. 8

“The grind of the 14- to 16-hour time difference has been the biggest surprise,” said Telemundo Deportes SVP, Production, Robert Pardo, who held down the fort in the U.S. “There have been 18 different start times during the Group Stage, so we needed to make sure that we had a control room for every single game.” Since the previous FIFA Women’s World Cup in France in 2019, the women’s side of soccer has seen exponential growth on a global scale. With that event’s Final between the U.S. Women’s National Team and Netherlands reaching new ratings heights — an average live audience of 82.18 million and a total of 263.62 million unique viewers made it the most-watched FIFA Women’s World Cup match ever — Telemundo Deportes understood that it would need to elevate its effort for the event four years later. “We knew in the back of our minds that this was going to be a completely different World Cup,” said Pardo. “Not only has the quality of the game come a long way, but the production bar had been set. We had to make sure that our initial assumptions and plans were validated.” Similar to what corporate sibling NBC Sports Group endured with back-to-back Olympic Games in Summer 2021 and Winter 2022, the Telemundo Deportes produced its second World Cup in six months. To get ahead of the arduous planning that would have to be done in a short timeframe after the 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar, production and operations teams brainstormed their plan during that tournament. When Lionel Messiled Argentina lifted the trophy after their victory over France, the final steps of planning were under way by NBCU Telemundo Enterprises EVP, Sports, Eli Velazquez; SVP, Content Operations, Chris Suarez-Meyers; and Pardo. “We brought the entire team together,” said Pardo, “and made sure that the essence and spirit [shown during] the Men’s World Cup in Qatar would be reflected throughout the Women’s World Cup. This meant treating the women’s tournament with the same respect as well as having the same experts and resources.” Because the Men’s World Cup in Qatar — all 64 matches were played in the capital of

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SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP Doha — was drastically different from the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, greater strain was put on the stateside crew working in Miami. On the linear side, coverage was increased to include more live game productions and studio programming and required the use of two production-control rooms — led by Telemundo Deportes Director, Production, Sports, Adrian Costas — and a Technical Operations Center that received the live feeds from HBS and from five separate ENG teams via LiveU LU800 field units. For studio programming, viewers of Telemundo Deportes were treated to an enhanced presentation before and after matches and at halftime. After the final whistle or on non-match days, fans had recaps of the day’s action on shows like Hoy en la Copa with Miguel Gurwitz, Ana Jurka, Carlota Vizmanos, and Carlos Yustis and Zona Mixta with Veronica Rodriguez. In addition, Homenaje al Campeón aired after the Final at 8 a.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 20 to showcase the trophy ceremony and summarize the journey of the winning team. Shows produced in Miami were handled from two separate spaces. “We did a refresh of our main sports studio, Studio A, by adding another level of AR just prior to the Women’s World Cup,” said Pardo. “The centerpiece is our virtual studio, Studio L, which was first deployed for Tokyo. Our real-time graphics, lighting, and fabrication teams have turned that space into what it is now.” The commentary team of Andres Cantor, Manuel Sol, and Natalia Astrain was onsite, but, for matches not called by that team, on-air talent — Copán Álvarez, Janelly Farias, Isabella Echeverri, Jorge Calvo, Kenti Robles, Diana Rincón, Daniella López-Guajardo, Eduardo Biscayart, and Maxi Rodriguez — provided the commentary from a setup in Studio L at Telemundo Center. “We knew that it was going to be a challenge to get all of our playby-play commentators and analysts out there, especially given the logistics of two countries,” said Pardo. “With so many time zones, our approach was to bring it all to Telemundo Center and piece the shows together from here.” On the streaming front, Telemundo populated Peacock with full replays of the prior day’s matches, extended highlights of iconic moments, player profiles, and more — all produced from Miami. To meet the biggest challenge for the coverage — the extensive time difference between the U.S. and Australia/New Zealand — Pardo and the production department implemented various protocols to handle early and late kickoffs. 250 employees worked on the FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage, but, with sports coverage still being produced for other competitions, including the upcoming Premier League season, crews were divided up according to designated start/stop times. “We had a rotation of three shifts,” Pardo explained, “because, about every third day, there was a game that landed within the U.S. primetime window. Since we also have our regular sports programming going on at the same time, we have two core shifts fully staffed across the day and an extra shift for those games [at night] to provide relief for some of our crews. We were able to plot it out well in advance, and everyone knew going [into this tournament] what this was going to look like.” When Telemundo Center opened in spring 2018, the broadcaster was slowly getting its brand-new, IP-capable facility online. Shortly after its opening, the team at Telemundo Deportes had their hands full with production of the 2018 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Russia. With stadiums located hours from each other, Telemundo Center was certainly put through its paces.

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Production in virtual Studio L was powered by Chyron’s PRIME VSAR and Unreal Engine. “We held many meetings with HBS and FIFA,” said Pardo, “but, as with any major production, you’re not sure of the conditions you’re working with until you’re on the ground. Luckily, it went really well, and we knew that, for us, [having Telemundo Center] was a luxury.” Sports broadcasting has undergone immense technology changes, and, with cloud-based and remote workflows taking precedence during the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation established with Telemundo Deportes’ first large-scale endeavor in 2018 has been enhanced with new and reliable solutions. “By necessity in 2019, we were in a situation where we were doing both the Women’s World Cup and Copa América at the same time,” Pardo explained. “That was our first test with this model. In conjunction with NBC Sports and the Tokyo Olympics [in 2021], the technology has accelerated so much that it’s the new normal. On the production side, it has become very reliable and allows us to put our best talent on the most important games. As the tournament continues to wind down in the Knockout Stage, we can consolidate those efforts and bring more stories and resources to those crucial matches.” Supported by a determined and hardworking team, the trio of Velazquez, Suarez-Meyers, and Pardo are fortunate to have worked together for 25 years. For an event like the Women’s World Cup, a lot can be lost without attentive communication, but, given their longstanding relationship, each person was able to anticipate the moves of the other two. “A FIFA Women’s World Cup is a very complex project,” said Pardo, “so I’m extremely proud of my team. We do the best we can for a tentpole event like this.” <

SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP Telemundo’s Chris Suarez-Meyers on Leveraging Live Production

he presence Telemundo Deportes had in Australia and New Zealand for the FIFA Women’s World Cup focused on covering all angles of the event, following Team USA while capturing the diverse storylines throughout the host countries. For this tournament, Telemundo’s model was a departure from the large-scale studio and production operations it deployed for the 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar last December. By leveraging live-production capabilities, virtual studios, and personnel back home at Telemundo Center in Miami, the team in Australia focused on giving its viewers in the U.S. a greater understanding and broader exposure of not only Sydney but all nine host cities that make up the 2023 Women’s World Cup. “We are fanned out and have a presence in all nine cities and 10 stadiums,” said Chris Suarez-Meyers, SVP, content operations, Telemundo Deportes. “We’re about a hundred strong in both New Zealand and Australia, rotating around key matchups and national-team movements. By the final week, we’ll all converge in Sydney to cover the second Semifinal and Final. The approach puts the emphasis on five ENG crews that don’t have reporters attached to them but have hosts.” Telemundo used LiveU LU800 field units, allowing multiple cameras to be connected in the field to one backpack and sending live content directly to Miami PCRs. “Our teams are jumping around and covering matches but, at the same time, are performing their hosting duties from different cities across both countries,” explained Suarez-Meyers. “It gives us a little bit more variety in our coverage and a different background every night. But then, at the same time, on match day, they can go in there and perform the normal game-day coverage of both hosting and newsgathering. “All of our ENG crews have a B camera,” he continued. “If we’re not filming a two-camera shoot with multiple talent, we’ll point the camera in a different direction and get a scenic shot. It gives us a built-in bump shot from each of our live hits.” The run-and-gun approach and parachuting in an ENG team definitely pushed the limits, given the cadence of Group Stage, distances (and time-zone differences), Suarez-Meyers said, but the plan went off according to script. “That’s in part due to our partners at HBS and FIFA as well as the fact that both countries have hosted major international events before,” he added. “They’ve got the experience, got the expertise, and they know what it’s like to deal with visiting media. We’re getting a lot of support, which helps make the plan go smoother.” With so much of the operation being back home in Miami (where more than 250 employees are working on it), the broadcaster’s presence at the IBC was scaled back to just engineering. “We worked with BSI in Canada on the design and integration of our facility, which is focused on quality control, the routing of the multilateral–feed packages and isos back to Miami,” said Suarez-Meyers. “In addition to our fiber lines, we use cell-bonded LiveU when we’re out on the street and over IP when we’re at the stadiums and point it back to Miami.” As the tournament progressed and the match calendar wound down, the Telemundo crews were able to collaborate more, expand their color assignments, and have the opportunity to cover the excitement and the buildup to the Final. Telemundo worked with HBS on a special service providing the

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

Chris Suarez-Meyers in Telemundo’s area at the World Cup IBC

broadcaster IP access at pitch-side standup positions and at the commentary tribune. “This allowed us to create a unilateral comcam, which typically isn’t seen at the Women’s World Cup,” said SuarezMeyers. “It has changed the dynamic of our coverage because, instead of having just a 10-minute window in a fully equipped position, we can now have three hours in a partially equipped position. There’s no pressure, and no one’s over your shoulder because the next broadcaster has to come in.” The result was some really cool moments with the announce team featuring a lot of former players who have connections to players competing in the tournament. “Players celebrating on the pitch post-match have run over and photobombed our position because they know the talent and they’re so happy that they want to celebrate on camera,” he said. “It has been really nice because the players are hanging around on the pitch or they’re in the stands taking pictures with the fans and hugging their families. It’s a very different vibe than at Men’s World Cup.” Everyone involved with this World Cup overcame the challenge of pulling off two World Cups in less than a year. Finding the time to do surveys, make sure HBS and FIFA deadlines are met, and do walkthroughs and negotiations meant a lot of working in parallel on both the 2022 and the 2023 World Cups. “Shortly after the holidays,” said Suarez-Meyers, “we were in full Women’s World Cup mode, and, while we are a smaller operation, we multitask and wear many hats. And I think that’s what makes us really good at what we do. There was never any panic or concern that we weren’t going to be able to hit our milestones.” There were also some lessons from Qatar that helped in ANZ, especially with respect to how to operate outside of the venues. “We learned how to have greater patience with our crews, even though we’re pushing some limits in terms of how we operate,” Suarez-Meyers explained. “A lot of the workflows have carried over, and we proved concepts in Qatar and applied them here. Qatar was also a real-world test of our facility back home, Telemundo Center, and how we managed that operation together with our regular day-to-day requirements to help news and entertainment stay on course. For them, it’s business as usual; we’re just an added overlay. By stress-testing the building during Qatar, we were better prepared for this one.” – KK

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SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

Optus Mobilizes in Big Way To Serve Australian Fans By Ken Kerschbaumer

ptus Sport, the Australian OTT football-centric service, was the only place for Australian football fans to capture every FIFA Women’s World Cup match (Channel 7 broadcasted 15 matches) and the service, launched in 2016 when it acquired the rights to the English Premier League, put a lot of production resources and effort into making sure subscribers not only didn’t miss a second of match coverage but also got plenty of wraparound coverage. Josh Hanson, associate director, projects, creative, and content technology, Optus Sport, recalled that, when Optus landed the rights to EPL in 2015, there was no infrastructure at all to launch the service the following season: the team literally had to go out and buy laptops to create content with. It was a complete startup. That wasn’t the case this summer: about 200 people worked for Optus on the Women’s World Cup. “We have around 100 people across field operations, the studio crews, and our stadium operations as well as our social and digital teams who are amplifying the tournament across our channels,” he said. “And then we have over 100 Optus staff from different teams working on the tournament here at our headquarters.” Optus coverage began at 8 a.m. with Daily Kick Off, covering all the football news from around the world and a preview of what lay ahead. “We have more World Cup content than we can handle,” said Hanson, “but we’re also combining our The Optus studio for Daily other football rights into the show, plus reporting on the latest news from around the globe. That show Kick Off was extra busy during runs for an hour each morning, and, generally, we will go to air about half an hour before the first match the Women’s World Cup. each day. For some matches, we have started with an hour pre-match, and we try to roll the coverage postAt the desk: (from left) Niav match as long as we can.” Owens, Tanya Oxtoby, Chloe All matches, apart from the Australia National Team matches and the Final, were hosted from the Optus Logarzo, and Thomas Sorensen facility in Macquarie Park, about 20 minutes north of Sydney and 15 minutes from the IBC, where Optus had a small presence. In addition, five talent and production teams — each comprising talent, a camera operator, and a producer — traveled around Australia and New Zealand and were onsite for matches. “We also have a presentation platform in the stadiums, where we will have four presenters, and we have sideline positions using LiveU,” said Hanson. “We also have a community team going to the fan festivals, community gatherings, pubs, and clubs and just being amongst the fans and capturing that energy. The field operations are extensive.” Helping improve those field operations were Ethernet lines, which HBS provided both at the presentation platform and pitchside. “We like to go live on multiple platforms,” noted Hanson. “If we’ve got a reporter who goes live into the broadcast, we might pop up five minutes after that and stream them onto

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SVG LIVE FROM FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TikTok or YouTube or Twitter. It works well for us. We were excited when FIFA and HBS told us we would have the ability to have the Ethernet drops at the stadiums, because it allows us to tell more stories and that’s what we want to do. We’re looking forward to the Euros 24, where, hopefully, those facilities are also available.” The Optus Sport social team was in full swing, tapping into the FIFA Max server as well as the FIFA social-media interface. The FIFA Max offered the team access to footage of team arrivals, departures, training, and other events that can be hard to cover. Content was created 18 hours a day every day, including rest days. That’s a change from past tournaments, when the team would take a break. But, with social demands and the tournament being on home soil, there was a ton of demand for content whether it was a rest day or not. At the center of the content creation was a team of 25 Adobe Premier editors creating content for social media, the studio programs, and more. If a goal was scored, the team could spring into action and publish it out to the social channel that they are responsible for. “If a goal happens,” Hanson noted, “it’s frantic in here because someone will grab it and publish it to TikTok and then someone else will publish it to Twitter. And someone in craft editing will edit it for the studio coverage. But everybody is focused on the same thing at the same time, and they cross-communicate. The coolest thing is, the social guys can clip up something and pump it into the studio and the guys who are working on studio support can clip up something and publish it into the project for the social team. It’s a small operation, but it’s very efficient.” Another key deliverable was the condensed formats for games and highlights packages, which came in three-, nine-, and 24-minute versions. A 45-minute version wrapped some pre-/post-match coverage around the 24-minute version. “We introduced the 45-minute version for UEFA a few years ago, and it just took off,” said Hanson. “We’ll have two concurrent editors making those four formats, with one editor taking a short format and a long format each, and then both work on separate timelines. When something happens, the source moment gets dragged into both timelines, and they adjust it. For this tournament, we’re also using WSC Sport for Google Web stories and as a supporting content-creation tool for quick compiles.” To keep track of things, the Optus Sport production team relied on Ross Inception in the cloud as its rundown tool. AWS Elemental was used for file ingest, grabbing transport streams as they come in and writing it to the server, and the Adobe editors can access it in near real time. The centerpiece of Optus Sport football coverage throughout the tournament was Daily Kick Off, which was produced from the Optus Sport offices. It featured a casual couch set, LED displays, and a Piero touchscreen monitor, which was brought in for the Women’s World Cup. Prerecorded augmented-reality graphics have also been incorporated into the show, and Hanson says viewers had a positive reaction. “We love to evolve our coverage during a long tournament,” he added. “We had prepared AR statistic-based graphics ahead of each match in postproduction, and that has worked well for us and adds AR into our pre-match without needing the full workflow.” One thing that was unique was that the studio in the heart of the office had a wraparound floor-to-ceiling window. The entire team working on Optus Sport could see the studio and see what was happening throughout the day.

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An outdoor mini pitch gave Optus announcers Amy Duggan (left) and Amy Harrison a second location for Daily Kick Off. “It provides a real sense of connection and focus,” said Hanson. “It’s very different for the talent who are used to sitting in an enclosed studio. They can sit at the hosting desk and see the data-analytics team getting excited about something. It provides this interesting sense of connection to the broader operation, which has been great.” Gravity Media, Optus’s technical-facilities and -services provider, supplied the equipment for all live productions. The Gravity relationship provides managed services around the globe, said Hanson. “If we need to host something in the UK, we can pick up a Gravity studio. That has helped us scale our coverage model. It allows our team to concentrate on the storytelling, the producing, and the editing and graphics. Gravity concentrates on the studio operators and the heavy, technical side of things. That’s working really well for us.” Daily Kick Off also had an outdoor mini pitch built on a patio inside the Optus campus, providing a different look to show segments and allowing presenters and guests try football skills and challenges. A LiveU 800 over Optus 5G passed four camera signals and audio into the control room upstairs. The growth of the women’s game in Australia was not lost on anyone, and that was one reason that, over recent seasons, Optus has deployed a marketing strategy linking women’s football with men’s football. Called “One Love,” it is designed to raise awareness that a football fan of a club like Chelsea or Manchester City has not only a men’s team to root for but a sister club as well. The One Love campaign from Optus ties men’s and women’s football together on social-media platforms and beyond. “The whole strategy was designed to put women’s and men’s football on the same level,” said Hanson, “and basically just call it football and not talk about gender at all. We want to challenge the mindset of our mostly male audience, and we’ve seen a year-on-year uplift on our Women’s Super League rights.” <

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SPECIAL REPORT

CLOUD PRODUCTION O n Sept. 27, the Sports Video Group held its second-annual Remote Production Summit at the Luxe Hotel in Los Angeles. The focus was on new ways of working remotely and the role of cloud, IP, and other technologies. One of the panels tackled a very simple question: Will the cloud change everything?

Panelists were Dave DeBuhr, Account Manager, Professional Networked Solutions Division, Sony Electronics;

Michael Kidd, Director of Architecture, Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology; Angus Mackay, Product Marketing Manager, Matrox; Costa Nikols, Global VP of Sales Enablement, Riedel Communications; and Corey Smith, Senior Director, Digital, Software Engineering, CBS Sports and Paramount+.

Below is an edited transcript of that session (to watch the entire session on SVG PLAY, CLICK HERE) of the panel which featured a number of industry leaders from both the sports production side and technology vendors.

Michael Kidd, Director of Architecture, Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology

SVG: Michael, what does the cloud mean for ESPN live production? Kidd: That’s way too big a question. I’m going to narrow that way down. We’re just going to talk about remote production a little bit and we’re looking to be able to enable remote production to have more capability, more flexibility, more agility, and more capacity than we’ve ever had before. Our strategy is looking at the cloud as a part of that solution, whether it’s live switching in the cloud or adding cloud aspects of it to a more traditional production. Those pieces are going to help us figure out how we do what all of these events at a quality level that we’ve come to know and expect. SVG: Michael, at ESPN you have thousands of some of these events going on. How does the cloud make economic sense? Kidd: I think most of the people in this room have some idea that the notion of remote production means cost savings somewhere, whether we’re not sending people to the place or we’re not renting as much gear or we’re capitalizing some of that. You can only build so much capability to do remote production concurrently. If you build a room or two you will come to the day where you want to do your third or your fourth production that day and you need a control room from somewhere. And that’s where this occasional use/not every day gives you the get out of jail free card to be able to say, yes, we can do this. SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

SVG SPECIAL REPORT CLOUD PRODUCTION Smith: Last Thursday, we had our UEFA soccer — I think it was week two now — but we had 16 different soccer matches happening within a 12-hour period of time. You couldn’t build that kind of capacity in a control room situation in a facility because it would be way too much money and because it’s occasional use, half the space is going to go dark most of the year. McKay: We have a customer who in January will go to air with our new framework and so they will be receiving camera signals and switching and applying graphics and then putting it to air in a fully cloud-based system. We feel that the industry expected this to take two to five years. Kidd: It absolutely works today. That said, the people that you have that know how to make television may not yet know how to make television in the cloud. There are a lot of extra skills. There’s a lot of skilling up. You may not have a DevOps guy yet but you’re going to want a DevOps guy. The technology is all there, but there is a little bit of a paradigm shift in terms of the skillset you need to make it work.

Corey Smith, Senior Director, Digital, Software Engineering, CBS Sports and Paramount+

From left to right: Sony Electronics’ Dave DeBuhr, Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology’s Michael Kidd, Matrox Video’s Angus Mackay, Riedel Communications’ Costa Nikols, and CBS Sports & Paramount+’s Corey Smith

SVG: Corey, can you discuss the launch of the Golazo Network? Smith: Sure. I’m proud to be able to run a technology team that focuses on core television technology that is based in cloud and in April we launched our first digital linear network. This digital linear network is a 100% cloud-based: master control operations, packaging, playout, asset management, clipping captions, distribution is all in the cloud. We have three different live desk shows every single day that originate out of Stamford, CT, and those shows are basically contributing to the live productions, which are in the cloud. The operators are completely remote. My engineering staff is completely remote. I work out of my house in Orange County, CA, my DevOps guy is in Seattle, my technical PM that actually runs a lot of the day-to-day operations for Golazo Networks is in Austin, TX. So, our operators, engineering staff, and basically the employees of all the things cloud for CBS sports are in a completely distributed model. The cloud for us is also a way for us not just to do cool and unique things like the Golazo Network, which is a first of a kind soccer network here in the U.S., but it gives us the ability to expand not only our ground-based operations but also our facility-based operations because we’re not going to build more control rooms. We’re going to migrate a lot of those workloads to the cloud because that’s where it financially makes sense. We’ll take the workloads that are kind of the common denominator of things, MCR type operations, clipping, editing, cloud-based craft edit, that kind of thing. We’re moving a lot of that stuff to cloud, but we’re there to support our existing professional sports broadcast engineering crews that go out to all of our NFL games, NCAA games, PGA, and more as they move to hybrid operations. SVG: Following up, there is a lot of talk around cloud and “spinning up and spinning down” a service. And it sounds very simple. What kind of preparation did it require? Smith: We spent about four months building infrastructure, and we were able to launch shortly around the fifth month. But a lot of it was stacking storage. It was stacking the boxes in the environment for playout and asset management, et cetera, and then tuning out, making it all work. Cloud routing was a major compo-

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SVG SPECIAL REPORT CLOUD PRODUCTION nent of this. We’re SRT at our core, so anything coming in from ground is typically going to be a backhaul from our facilities. But once it’s in our core, it’s really all SRT routing in and out of the components, both for last recording for caption pass through, distribution. We had to build a facility in the cloud that mimicked what we have in say Fort Lauderdale, a broadcast center in New York or even Stamford, CT. So, we had to sit down and figure out what we needed: storage, asset management, captions, and the ability to switch the feeds and do live transport. We worked with a number of our partners to craft and build our infrastructure in cloud, which includes routing, obviously storage for live content, live sub-C clipping of content, play out, live captions are in cloud 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Then we took those workloads and actually built those services in cloud and in a way that was scalable. We actually run our AWS environment in five regions around the world. Our backups are in Dublin, Ireland, and Oregon. Our primary [compute] is in Virginia. We also have operations in Frankfurt and Sao Paulo, Brazil, to support our sports teams down in Latin America. As for the spinning up and down of workloads, that is really our packaging systems for the soccer matches, the NFL games, the NCAA games that you actually see on say Paramount+. That’s all packaged in our cloud master control environments, and they feed that content to Golazo Network as an affiliate. So again, the traditional philosophy of how television works in a facility is very much alive and well in our cloud-based environment as well. We have to adhere to the same principles anyways to make it all work. SVG: Angus, what is Matrox’s take? Mackay: Everything everyone is talking about is exactly what we’re seeing and it’s really interesting. So, there’s

Angus Mackay, Product Marketing Manager, Matrox

the lift and shift and there is we’re going to package or template. We’ll create a recipe for each type of programming that we want to do, and maybe we can just say copy paste, copy paste, copy paste, kind. Where we’re approaching things is creating a system and when we talk about the lack of compatibility between different vendors in the cloud it is usually because they’re still speaking video rather than maybe data or IP. How do we get those streams and keep them in sync and do switching and all this kind of stuff? From our standpoint we want to create a framework, which is IT native. And then because we’re an OEM supplier we can give technology to integrators, broadcasters or to anybody. And that offers a really interesting opportunity to create best-of-breed products, and then possibly some media services that might come along and compliment that if you need a special little additional function. Using a completely IT native architecture, we can build this cloud thinking into the system. And we can approach it a couple of different ways. First, a performance level where it provides more processing to meet the on-air needs. Or you could set a hard limit and then we’re going to ask you to work within that depending on the cost structure that you want to put in place. We want to create a framework and a technology system that is going to enable all of this to happen much more easily and much more flexibly.

SVG: Dave, can you share the Sony and Nevion perspective? DeBuhr: Sony and Nevion have spent an enormous amount of time and resources developing automation and orchestration systems to be able to try and simplify and automate those processes because these are complex systems. A lot of the development back in Japan is surrounding AI for automation. Auto clipping, auto replay, auto highlights, stuff like that. We want to use the power of AI to offload some of what’s required once a production does start. The other thing that we really harp on is the importance of all the vendors playing nice together and using open standards and not being locked into a particular vendor’s license modeling. That will ease the transition into the cloud and give the best chance of all these different devices working together as they try and plan a production. What about the debate of public vs. private cloud and defining what exactly those terms mean? DeBuhr: I see the public cloud as being an AWS Elemental where you can run resources and run software loaded on there for your application. I look at the private cloud more as data centers. We’ve got a big customer that’s an esports producer and they’ve got some big data centers and with high-speed networks connecting them together they run software both on the public cloud and in their own infrastructure. But that’s all managed by them locally. They’ve got their own data centers, their own infrastructure. They own the hardware. They own the processes.

Kidd: Public cloud is pretty easy to define. There’s a rate card, but you have no idea what it’s going to cost you. And private cloud is sort of the opposite. You have no idea how much that costs to run by the hour, but you know how much money you spent building it. But having that general compute, having that networking where you can string things together dynamically and have a system be one thing one day something else is the flexibility that, to me, defines cloud.

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SVG SPECIAL REPORT CLOUD PRODUCTION Nikols: I agree with that. You have your options of having your own private cloud on-prem or in a co-location

facility, and you can certainly manage the costs versus the public cloud which is a black art to figure out exactly what it’ll end up costing. But what’s the difference between public and private? With AWS they offer a lot more security than an onprem private cloud. They are providing a level of infrastructure and security and maintenance and patching onto the platform which you’re not paying for. You’re also not paying for power, you’re not paying for real estate, you’re not paying for HVAC. How often am I going to be operating the equipment? Am I hours a week or is it 24/7? If you’re looking at balancing out that magic mix of a $45,000 Capex investment, how long will you run it for and how long is the depreciation cycle? If you’re using the standard depreciation cycle of five years, you need to be running less than 22 hours a week in order for the cloud to make sense. If it’s more than 22 hours a week you have to look at some of the other factors involved in the decision, and that’s the flexibility and the ease that the cloud brings me. So, it is really a complex decision, and the best thing that I can say is sit down with your vendors, sit down with your engineers, figure out the workflows that you need, and then try to map as much as you can upfront to figure out the benefits.

Smith: And you never know what the actual costs are going to be at the end of the day until you actually have

it running. Open public cloud is really expanding your data center footprint without having the headache of the Capex side. And the way we’ve developed our cloud infrastructure we’re not tied directly to specific native components within the cloud providers. We’re actually trying to bridge the gap between being fully dependent on a vendor and being agnostic to that vendor. As to the gaps mentioned earlier, we can all probably agree that at different times of the day each cloud provider has their own different gaps, whether it’s networking, compute availability, or GPU availability. And I think one of the strongest use cases around the GPU stuff is like, let’s diversify away from the existing cloud vendor for GPU. Let’s get more diversification on some of that. Maybe even the hardware vendors themselves could offer services up in say, an AWS environment where they’re actually racking and hacking hardware in, but they’re now virtualizing that as a SaaS based service and offering it as part of the marketplace service rollout. I don’t have to invest in the hardware, but again, I can buy a service that runs on that hardware without having to fork over the expense of buying, powering, racking it, et cetera, et cetera.

McKay: What is cloud? Does that just mean someone else’s computer? Does it mean software defined? Are we Dave DeBuhr, Account Manager, Professional Networked Solutions Division, Sony Electronics;

talking about someone else’s computer elsewhere or are we talking about software defined or maybe just the internet? I think the term can mean different things to different people. And really the value in all of this is the IT architecture that power as you move away from that lift and shift and instead make something inherently IT capable. And then you solve that problem of compatibility, you solve the problem of the best of breed product, not having the future that you’re looking for. You hire a developer and have that person create the missing link. You can have best of breed products from your traditional vendors but then you have the flexibility of hiring your devops team or an external integrator or your nephew in the basement and say, create me this special little piece of code that I need to glue this altogether. I think that’s really where we’re headed. Consider, we’re saying infrastructure of a service, so let’s have our infrastructure as a service and then be able to put point products on top, make it all speak together, have it inherently resilient and redundant because that’s what software is, and then we start to really cook with gas.

SVG: What are some key skill sets or hires to do to make sure that you kind

of make the right play and don’t find yourself halfway up the river without a paddle? Kidd: I don’t know. Would you rather hire a cloud guy and teach him broadcast or would you rather hire a broadcast guy and teach him cloud? Smith: I think that I would hire a cloud guy and teach them broadcast, to be honest. All of the staffing that we have in our future is really like if it’s a master control operator, we want them to come from a master control environment because the tool sets are the same. If it’s running cloud-based infrastructure, I want them to come with an IT background. Kidd: I think you’re absolutely right. It’s hard enough to find broadcast engineers as it is at this point. You’re going to be much better off finding someone that understands cloud technologies and teaching them that 2110 is just a lot of bits, but it’s going to be okay and getting them used to the broadcast stack. Smith: There’s not a lot of broadcast engineering talent that’s coming out of schools anymore. I mean, it’s almost a lost art. So, we’re going to have a pretty interesting time as an industry when a lot of the older folks are nearing retirement and punching out. <

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WHITEPAPERS Embracing Collaborative Technologies and Remote Workflows in Sports Broadcasting By Bob Caniglia, Director of Sales Operations for the Americas, Blackmagic Design

he demand for content is higher than ever within the sports industry, with content ranging from live action broadcasts to short films to documentaries and long form video to social media snippets and reels and beyond. With today’s fast pace of digital consumption and a more diverse range of content than ever, broadcasters need to invest in flexible tools that support these growing content production needs. These tools include things like collaborative technologies and remote workflows. Not only do these new technologies increase efficiency and simplify workflows, but they increase productivity because they allow you to create from anywhere while still staying connected to your team, company, or home base, eliminating the traditionally high cost and complexity of collaboration and broadening access to talent around the globe.

> CLOUD ON THE HORIZON The pandemic turned the industry on its head, and the ripple effects are becoming clearer over time. During the pandemic, when everyone had to scramble and shift to remote work, the initial video setups may not have been the most ideal, but they got the job done. However, as time went by, the benefits of remote work came to light, with setups being fine-tuned and an industry shift toward the investment in better tools and technologies to support these workflows. Even as much of the industry is now back physically “in person,” the benefits of remote workflows, such as being able to use talent outside of your physical location, saving money on travel costs, and creating content more efficiently, are so valuable that broadcasters are still capitalizing on remote workflows in order to bring content to a variety of their audiences’ screens faster. The effects coming out of the pandemic, combined with the new era of YouTube, social media, and the next generation of filmmaking, 52

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mean that traditional sports broadcasting has given way to a completely new set of opportunities for sports video content creators. The workflows and tools of the past have yielded to a vastly different landscape of tools and workflows for today’s creatives which supports new ways of visual storytelling, such as sports filmmaking and docu-style content, more stylized social media content with full post production, and more. One important tool helping to enable these new facets of sports broadcasting is cloud collaboration. Cloud functionality has come a long way in the last few years and has truly transformed the industry. Cloud-based capture and post workflows enable creators to work together more efficiently and help to streamline both broadcast and filmmaking workflows by facilitating remote collaboration, allowing multiple users to instantly shoot and access content, work on the same timeline and share large files between themselves on a global scale. This in turn brings sports news, films, broadcasts, and other content to the airwaves faster. The latest cloud technologies offer extreme flexibility, allowing creators to work on projects from anywhere in the world rather than needing to be in the studio or together in a fixed location: capture content and upload to the cloud directly from your phone or camera; house projects and libraries; share files; edit, grade and

sound design productions remotely; and collaborate on a global scale all in real time. By removing the limitations of physical location, there is an infinite pool of global talent to tap into. Collaboration with videographers, photographers, cinematographers, editors, colorists, visual effects artists, and sound engineers that you may have never met in person is now possible without sacrificing any quality. And with everyone being able to work together at the same time, without having to import and export files, translate projects, lose work, or conform and manage changes, you can save time and money and maximize efficiency. While cloud-based tools and workflows are coming into their prime, it’s only a matter of time before these developing tools and processes will become a ubiquitous standard across the industry.

> LET THE STREAM GUIDE YOU While shooting and broadcasting from outside of a studio is not new, its attainability has reached new heights in the post pandemic era and is increasingly becoming the norm thanks to streaming technologies. From some of the major networks in sports broadcasting down to local, small town district sports, many have discovered the advantages of remote workflows and streaming content to both large and small audiences. There are products on the market today, such as cameras with built-in live streaming and self-contained streaming hardware boxes, with a myriad of streaming functionalities that not only allow you to broadcast from anywhere in the world to a live global audience, but also stream to or receive a stream from other devices, further simplifying and connecting remote workflows. For example, with the right workflow you can stream from any kind of remote location, from hockey games in Alaska to surfing

competitions in Australia to the 2024 Olympics games in Paris, France, generating a simple yet professional live production without worrying about dropped frames or complicated settings. This also means that the talent and crews manning the live streams can be local to the event, freeing up time and budget because costly travel isn’t required to send an entire team, or even one person, onsite. Local talent and crews can create and share this content in real time, bringing their unique perspectives and regional expertise, and contributing a diverse range of ideas and content to audiences worldwide. Even if you aren’t working for a major national broadcaster, streaming is useful for all sports applications down to local youth sports, which may operate on a smaller scale but can still be equally important to their audience and produce professional content. For example, local high schools can stream games so that friends and family who don’t live nearby or alumni who have moved away can still watch their home team, or you can stream away games back home to those who weren’t able to travel with the team. Live streamed sports content can be distributed via numerous platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and more without a delay so viewers can watch it in real time and not miss a thing. The live stream can also be sent over the internet back to your studio, where it can be received and converted back to video for connection to a switcher for mixing with other assets or as part of a larger program, and then incorporated into the live broadcast from there. Collaborative technologies and remote workflow solutions are more accessible than ever before and are only getting better. Now is the time to learn how to take advantage of what these new advancements can offer and ultimately bring your high-quality sports video content to viewers faster and more efficiently. <

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WHITEPAPERS

The Evolving Needs of Cinematic Broadcasting Optics By Hideyuki Kasai, Manager, Professional Imaging Group, Imaging Solutions Division, Fujifilm By Stosh Durbacz, National Sales Manager, Fujifilm North America

s one of the few companies that design, manufacture, and sell lenses for both broadcast and cinema applications, the research and development teams at Fujifilm intimately understand the engineering and optical compromises required in the development of high-performance zoom lenses to fill the needs of both customer verticals. Broadcast lenses have the advantage that they can be operated with simple accessories such as zoom and focus controllers attached to tripod pan bars by a single operator and have the functionality to support multi-camera live operation. In these applications, the need is for extremely long focal ranges and relatively small size and weight, which comes with a design compromise, exposure ramping, and focus breathing. Cinema lenses have been traditionally designed for larger image circle single sensor cameras and prioritize image quality with minimal exposure ramping or focus breathing. This also comes with a design compromise, which means much larger lenses physically with reduced zoom ranges. Over 10 years ago, Fujifilm introduced the Cabrio series zoom lens, which has the quality of a cinema lens but with the mobility and operability of a broadcast lens. In the early days of digital cinematography, this new optical versatility meant that these systems could be used in new environments, documentaries, live, and other cinematic shooting situations. A whole new category of lens was developed, the first lens solution that bridged broadcast and cinema optics. Over the course of the past decade, cameras have greatly expanded their ability to capture resolution and dynamic range, 4K and HDR have evolved in broadcasting, and demands for the next step of video expression have emerged in sports and the greater entertainment production vertical. In recent times, this evolution of acquisition continues, now we find a desirable new look for live capture, often termed “Cinematic Broadcasting”. Fujifilm’s Duvo family of lenses 54

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By using modern digital cameras with a single sensor such as the popular Super35 sized sensor, which is larger than the standard 2/3-inch sensor used in traditional broadcast cameras, it is possible to shoot with a shallow depth of field even at the same angle of view, and in some cases, a more traditional cinema camera is used to further achieve the rich visual expression of expanded color space and dynamic range. In response to this newfound need to produce Cinematic Broadcasting, Fujifilm’s R&D team wanted to create a lens that could achieve the following: 1. Compatible with Super35 and large-format single sensor cameras by having a built-in optical image expander so that a large variety of cameras can be used. 2. It should have an industry standard PL mount, which has long flange back to further support a variety of cameras. 3. It should have the key design and technology features of a standard broadcast lens, including, high magnification, telephoto focal length, and optical stabilization. 4. Fast exposures (Fno/Tno) throughout the zoom range needed to be prioritized to enable sports and live broadcasting at all times of day. 5. Ease of use for a typical camera operator, providing accurate response and high-speed operation. 6. Enhance the look of the in-focus subject, by creating a gentle focus roll off with a beautiful cinematic bokeh. 7. To further achieve “Cinematic” images, the focus breathing should be suppressed. In factoring all these criteria, it was decided the best path forward was to use a box lens type design, which enables a greater flexibility of optical design and high brightness. Additionally, it can achieve an operational usability that will support live sports broadcasts, and will incorporate the desired cinematic look in its optical design learned from cinema-specific lenses. One of the key criteria of fast exposures also lends itself to the box type lens. While the portable type lens can only practically use

front element lenses up to approximately φ130mm, the box-type design allows the use of front lenses with φ=220mm or larger, making possible a much higher light transmittance optical design, F5.0 at 1,000mm and flat F2.8 from the wide end to f’=465mm before the start of the exposure ramping. In support of the creative desire to have the cinematic look a Super35 lens with the same angle of view and the same Fno as 2/3inch lens will have a depth of field that is approximately 2.5 times shallower. It should be noted that the deep depth of field (2/3 inch systems) cannot be made shallower, however a shallow depth of field system (Super35) can be made to have deeper depth of field by opening the iris, or increasing the Fno. Thereby increasing the flexibility in depth of field control by 2.5x in a Super35 imaging system. In consideration of the box lens type design, the following additional goals could also achieved: • High accuracy and high-speed operation: Belt drive of the motor and zoom cam design reduces time lag and achieves a maximum speed of approximately 0.6 seconds from wide to telephoto (25mm to 1000mm). • Built-in expander: An expander that can handle a larger format (approx. 1.5x) and pass high level center to corner optical performance is built into the space that was previously used for an extender in a box-type lens, and can also be used as an extender (approx. 1.5x). • Other modern lens technology such as Breathing Compensation Technology (BCT) is equipped to compensate for changes in the angle of view during focusing by seamlessly adjusting the belt driven zoom position. In creating a desirable image for “Cinematic Broadcasting”, it is critical that the lens incorporates the bokeh simulation and

The lens in action during ESPN’s Monday Night Football design concepts that are particularly important in cinematic image capture. It is these optical design characteristics learned over years of cinema lens development that could not have been achieved without making cinema specific lenses for broadcast use. The image difference can be clearly seen when the cinematic camera is used with a traditional 2/3” broadcast lens using a 2/3” lens to Super35 PL mount camera conversion adapter. To accommodate a 2.5x larger sensor in the Super35 camera system, the focal length must be increased by 2.5x. This results in significant light loss, a calculated Fno slowing of 2.5x (if the Fno of the base lens is F1.7, it will become F4.3 when mounted on the Super35 camera with adapter, which is darker by about 1.85 Stops), an axial chromatic aberration of 6.35x, and a lateral chromatic aberration of 2.5x, Therefore, making the desirable “Cinematic Broadcasting” image expression impossible. Another important application for a cinema box lens is the support of high-speed cameras systems. Due primarily to sensitivity needs while capturing at high frame rates it is desirable to use a lens with as bright an Fno as possible. In addition, most high-speed cameras have PL mounts which enables to use of a larger camera sensor with larger pixels that can capture more light. When searching for a lens that can be used on these cameras for broadcasting it can be difficult to find a lens that perfectly satisfies both brightness and magnification or focal length. By developing a new series of lenses, Fujifilm hopes to provide content producers with the optical tools required to expand the creative look of “Cinematic Broadcasting” capture new image expression. < SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

WHITEPAPERS

Production Flexibility – Move the Pieces Without Affecting the Experience By Gregory Macchia, VP Business Development, Live Production, Riedel Communications

ne of the biggest challenges of taking productions to the next level is stepping out of our comfort zone and moving beyond the safe familiarity of the traditional broadcast model based on dedicated hardware to a new software-based model. The move to software is an evolution, often occurring in gradual steps, rather than a revolution, and it’s been happening all around us.

private or public, when and where it makes sense. The tools in this scenario are part of the same application core but packaged to address individual customer’s needs. This allows them to operate at their comfort level today and continue down their evolutionary path with technology that will lead them into the future. The best part is that to the operators using the equipment, the experience is the same. No matter where they are stationed, the operators use the same interface and utilize the same workflow, regardless of where the equipment and engines and even the event are located. For instance, they could be in a small control room or at home with a production suite and one day they could connect to the truck or to a venue. Where it connects doesn’t matter. To the operator, the system will be familiar and operate the same whether they are connecting to a venue or a truck, whether they are located down the street or across the state, across the country — or even around the globe. The right set of tools will let you work the way you need — wherever you are.

> PRODUCTIONS HAVE A LONG TRADITIONAL HISTORY

> BENEFITS OF SOFTWARE-BASED PRODUCTION TOOLS

Event productions have traditionally been expensive endeavors. The productions involve lots of equipment onsite, people to setup and control the equipment, and often outside broadcast trucks, with additional people, equipment, and cables are required to support the event. Much of the equipment onsite and in the vehicles are purpose-built hardware modules that require their own space, control, cabling, and interfaces, plus a body to operate them. The trucks and people often travel great distances, adding travel and fuel expenses. During the time to travel and setup the equipment, the system is not operational, and the people cannot produce events. As technology has advanced, some of the dedicated equipment has gotten smaller, such as video and audio routers. Monitoring has gone from requiring multiple discrete monitors, to software-enabled multiviewers that can display many images on one screen, and some tools, like graphics, are completely software based and run on servers.

Adopting software-based production tools presents a range of compelling advantages, each contributing to an optimized and efficient production process. Beginning with the reduction of costs, these tools enable the creation of more content, even for smaller shows, thanks to decreased expenses. This fiscal efficiency is mirrored in the reduction of space and energy requirements, as the tools necessitate only a minimal physical footprint, consisting of a PC and touchscreen, while eliminating the need for continuous dedicated equipment. Further enhancing productivity, these tools empower operators to seamlessly produce multiple shows or games from the comfort of their homes, eliminating the need for travel and minimizing expenses associated with venues. The benefits extend to maintaining production quality; the simplified, flexible, and cost-effective nature of the software-based approach ensures that high-quality production standards remain uncompromised. The advantages continue with reduced deployment time and training, as the intuitive software interfaces cater to digital natives and the stationary equipment streamlines setup. Moreover, the operation becomes safer and more efficient as the number of onsite personnel is significantly reduced. In the context of environmental responsibility, software-based tools contribute to improved carbon efficiency, eliminating the need to ship hardware or personnel. For instance, Sky Group has taken steps to achieve net carbon zero TV production through such measures.

By Costa Nichols, VP Sales Enablement, Riedel Communications

> SOFTWARE-BASED SOLUTIONS ARE OPENING NEW AVENUES Consider the technological approach taken in the application layers of certain production tools enabling the ability to provide steps towards this evolution while providing the right tool for the right job at the right time. For instance, early in the evolution, dedicated on-prem solutions, such as Riedel’s RiMotion, may be the right fit for those that still need a CAPEX model, but with added provisions for easy to take steps towards REMI, REMCO, and cloud, whether 56

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From a financial standWIRELESS point, cost-effectiveness reigns supreme; fewer dedicated equipment pieces are required onsite, travel and shipping expenses are minimized, and resources like fuel and overtime are significantly reduced. Importantly, the investment is future-proofed due to the scalability and cloud migration potential of softwaredefined architecture, ensuring adaptability to changing technological landscapes. The production scale and flexibility are greatly enhanced, enabling seamless adjustments according to the magnitude of the event, whether it calls for a single replay operator or a team of six. In sum, the adoption of software-based production tools presents a comprehensive framework for efficient, cost-effective, and adaptable production processes.

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> RIGHT TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB Riedel’s Live Video Production Tools, including Simplylive Production Suite, are software-based solutions. They are unique in their ability to exist on standard industry servers or commodity hardware and can reside in many locations, such as onsite, either in the control room or data center in the facility or at a remote data center, which are often referred to as on-premises or private clouds. These software-based systems also work with public data centers or public clouds, such as Google, AWS, or Microsoft, to name a few. These software-based systems are designed to deliver that onpremises experience, regardless of where they actually reside. The operator shouldn’t be able to tell the difference. This distributed architecture offers the greatest flexibility for the operators, who can be located anywhere, including their home. The key to the success of the remote operator is the fact they cannot differentiate the operating experience whether they are local or remote. Finding the right tool for the job depends on understanding the several styles of remote production generally used today: REMI, RemCo, and Cloud Production. Here are a few definitions. REMI is short for Remote Integration Model where live content from camera feeds is captured from a remote location such as the event venue and managed from a central location, such as the broadcast center, for the actual production. All the feeds are brought back to a control room and the final show is produced. The Savannah Bananas make use of this model. They have a control room at Grayson Stadium where they produce the live games with feeds being sent back from remote stadiums while on the road. Remote Controlled Production or RemCo is where the equipment, the engines that are being controlled, are at the venue. However, the operator is at a remote location, even their home. They use the internet to connect to the devices and drive remotely. Everything is produced on site, but via remote control. This is popular at venues that have a lot of onsite equipment or where the

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PRIVATE DATA CENTER / CLOUD

resources, either physical or monetary, to bring all the feeds back is too much. The RemCo model is more cost-effective when using public cloud because of egress fees. Full cloud production is a combination of both REMI and RemCo. With cloud production the feeds come from the live event, REMI style, to the cloud instead of the remote broadcast center. Then, using RemCo, we are remotely controlling the devices, or engines, that reside in the cloud. In this model the full production is done in the cloud. These three styles of remote production could also be thought of as three steps or building blocks of remote and cloud productions. Using these flexible software-based blocks allow mixing up operations to fit the needs of a particular event. They can move around and deploy depending on the resources needed. Often this may mean a smaller control room, as there are less hardware and less people required. These building blocks of production will ultimately allow you to go completely to an end-to-end cloud production.

> WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON – RIEDEL CONTINUING THE INNOVATION Today’s new generation of producers understand the need to create more high-quality content for expanding niche markets, but with limited budgets. They are looking for ways to create this content efficiently, affordably, reliably, and quickly. They may even need to create multiple sets of content simultaneously. To help with this they will need tools to help them coordinate production and keep the content secure. Combining this powerful remote production software system and an exceptional communication company seems to be an obvious step in the right direction. But the only way to get to this next level is with the industry getting involved and making this happen. Define the requirements and define the challenges that need to be overcome, including network security, production, engineering, operations, and everything in between. We need to work together, with standards-based protocols, to keep reaching towards sustainable, supportable, scalable, future ready systems. Once we move beyond our comfort zone and embrace the innovative evolution that software can deliver, we will find a steady and progressive way forward. Riedel’s technological approach in the application layers enable us to provide the right tool for the right job, while leading the way to the future. < SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

WHITEPAPERS

The Use of 5G for Live Production — The Technology Evolution and Emerging Capabilities

By (left to right)

Sung-Hyuk Yoon, Head of Connected Solution Development, Sony Corporation

Hugo Gaggioni, Chief Technology Officer, Sony Electronics

Deon LeCointe, Director, Networked Solutions, Sony Electronics

ithin the broadcast industry, there is a growing interest in using 5G in live production to wirelessly connect cameras into the live production workflow. This is due to the ubiquity, versatility, and bidirectional nature of the network technology. Sony recognized this interest when 5G was first starting to be introduced to the world around 2018 and has been working on prototypes of a portable low latency encoding device, 5G IoT technology, and media orchestration tools to address this new opportunity. At the core of the challenge is bandwidth. Cameras require a lot of bandwidth and 5G bandwidth, even within private networks, is constrained. In practice, most connections will be around uplink speed of 200 Mbps and possibly substantially less, so transferring a 12G-SDI camera output over a wireless link is no easy task. For that reason, using a low bitrate (high compression ratio) video encoder and decoder is essential. However, given the demands of live broadcasting, that codec also needs to be high quality and very low latency. During the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) 2023, Sony announced the CBK-RPU7, a powerful and portable HEVC encoder using a codec chip developed in house. The CBKRPU7, when connected to a 5G modem, allows a wireless camera to have similar performance to that of a wired camera. Combining the 58

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CBK-RPU7 with the latest Sony cameras enables the creation of the highest quality content regardless of location. (See Figure 1) Using the prototype version of the CBK-RPU7, Sony has conducted various proof-of-concept (PoC) tests in different parts of the world to demonstrate the potential for changing the production workflows in current media live operations. While 5G potentially offers fast connectivity, the biggest challenge beyond the available bandwidth has been to secure the Quality of Service (QoS) within the wireless space — the common perceptions being the lack of reliability and consistency compared to the wired network. This is mainly due to the best-effort nature of the technology usually employed which can make it unusable in situations where there is a high level of competition for the available bandwidth. This is often the case with public 5G networks, where many mobile handset users or even broadcasters, might be actively competing for transmission resources. However, it can also be the case for dedicated private 5G networks where different equipment (including cameras) is connected. A professional media organization needs to ensure that, under these circumstances, the live feeds from their cameras are assigned a higher priority than that of a smartphone user browsing content on social media or checking email. In order to address this challenge, Sony is developing a software stack as part of VideoIPath — a media and network orchestration platform created by Nevion (a Sony Group company) that can request dynamic prioritization of live media signals over the 5G networks. This smart QoS management

Figure 1. Successful tests carried out during the Coronation of King Charles II

platform is designed for use on 5G Stand Alone (SA) networks, a new mobile network architecture that is not dependent on existing 4G infrastructure to facilitate communications, through a key feature called the Network Exposure Function (NEF). This feature allows external applications to communicate with the 5G networks via a set of APIs standardized by 3GPP, the organization responsible for developing protocols for mobile telecommunications. Through these APIs, VideoIPath can now request that the network allocates the necessary bandwidth to the camera feed chosen by the operator in a dynamic way. This adds a powerful new capability to what is already a comprehensive fixed network orchestration and SDN control system, providing connection management, service assurance and network inventory capabilities for service providers and broadcasters, presenting new opportunities for true wired-to-wireless network convergence. The first public display of this technology was at a PoC during the Coronation of King Charles III on May 6, 2023, in London, United Kingdom. The test was carried out by Sony, private 5G SA Networks developer Neutral Wireless, and the research and development arm of UK public broadcaster the BBC. The objective of the PoC was to demonstrate that media signals could be prioritized on a standalone non-public network (SNPN) using QoS control. The solution for this PoC was built on elements of Sony and Nevion’s Networked Live offering. (See Figure 2) For media transport, each camera was fitted with an early prototype of the CBKRPU7 mentioned earlier, which provided ultra-low-latency HEVC video encoding, and was connected to the Neutral Wireless 5G SNPN via an Xperia 5G smartphone. For network and resource orchestration, VideoIPath was used to interface with the 5G network’s NEF to configure the QoS for individual flows based on dynamic information about the bandwidth and signal priorities. For example, a camera activity transmitting audio and video was given a higher priority for its signals compared to a non-transmitting camera. The effectiveness of the technology became clear during the test as the camera feed with QoS control applied was far more stable with an increase to the operating area of the camera compared to the feed without QoS. This ability to dynamically switch the QoS of camera feeds enables a production team to increase the number of cameras attached to a single network without the need to invest in additional infrastructure. This is beneficial to the production as it allows for the addition of different angles while also reducing costs associated with those additions.

Figure 2. Orchestrated 5G Production System in the Coronation PoC While this recent PoC was performed using an SNPN, the concept is also applicable to applications using a public network. Requesting prioritization of bandwidth from a public network serving huge numbers of smartphone users remains a challenge, but this is set to change as a new concept called network slicing — a new network architecture that creates multiple, logical networks on the same shared network infrastructure — becomes more mature and commonly deployed. Mobile Network Operators (MNO) across the globe are currently planning to offer network slices for different applications and network requirements, and it is reasonable to assume that a part of this technology eventually may also be offered to the media industry. This, combined with orchestration tools that can control QoS at the application layer opens the way for media companies to create media workflows over public 5G networks for their own purposes. There will continue to be a need for both private and public 5G for media applications. In scenarios where networks face significant congestion, such as sports venues, concerts, and pop-up live events, public network operators will be eager to satisfy the requirements of their smartphone subscribers and it will be a challenge for professional content producers to secure the bandwidth they require. In these cases, the use of private networks dedicated for use by media organizations may be necessary. However, private networks may not be sufficient to provide enough coverage in wide area scenarios, such as golf tournaments or long-distance road races or at unplanned events, such as news coverage of a severe weather event, where the use of a public network (preferably with network slicing) will be a better fit. Sony is currently working together with major MNOs in the United States to leverage Sony’s expertise in cameras, encoding, IoT, and media orchestration with the latest developments in advanced 5G networking, both in public network slicing and private network environments. As stated earlier, this is an area that is generating significant interest in our industry, as media organizations seek innovative new ways to optimize workflows and network operators look for new business opportunities offered by the latest networking technology. <

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WHITEPAPERS

Meeting the Expectations of Modern Sports Fans By Nicholas Jameson, Senior Customer Success Manager, Vizrt

rom UHD to AI, we are currently in a time of unprecedented technological advancement within media technology. This phenomenon is prompting media companies to review and reinvent their workflows. But it’s also exerting a significant influence on viewer preference — on the types of content they want to watch, and the ways they want to watch it. Although some of these trends started to show up in Generations X and Y, they are changing drastically with Gen Z (born between 1996 and 2010). The first generation to be dubbed true ‘digital natives’ (1), Gen Z already makes up more than a quarter of the global population. Soon to be the most influential generation, Gen Z prefers more short-form content, such as sports highlights, versus entire traditional long form broadcasts. How does changing consumption habits with the younger generations affect broadcasters? What can they do to successfully engage a diverse number of consumers, regardless of demographic? That’s what we will touch on below.

> THE CHALLENGE A recent study into Gen Z viewing habits, specifically focusing on sports (2), confirmed that viewership is undergoing profound change, shifting away from traditional media towards an increased reliance on digital platforms. While traditional broadcasters can take comfort from the fact that the big screen experience remains the most popular option for watching major tournament matches and championship finals, the study revealed a huge increased in viewing via smartphone, with 38% of respondents stating that they consume all their content that way. The extent to which Gen Z is connected to their smartphone and social media as part of everyday life was also reinforced by the study. For example, nearly two-thirds of Gen Z and almost half of millennials use social media to catch up on sports, 60

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including the viewing of highlight packages specifically created for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). The desire for new, and generally shorter, forms of content is also underlined. Many Gen Zers only ‘often’ (54%) or ‘sometimes’ (18%) watch a complete sports event from beginning to end, which strongly suggests an influence from the ‘bite-size’ media consumption habits associated with social media. Therefore, the challenge for media companies who want to form an enduring relationship with Gen Z can be separated in to two main components: firstly, to have the necessary flexibility to produce more content, across a greater number of platforms; and secondly, to have the technology that supports production for these platforms, as well as continuing to service legacy outlets, not least around the production of event television with true multi-generational appeal.

> THE SOLUTION Our recent experience has shown that it is the broadcasters who are most open to engaging both with new technologies — including those delivered and/or enabled by the cloud — and content platforms which are most likely to speak to the interest of Gen Zers. A recent project that paired Vizrt with Sky Sports Germany — resulting in the broadcaster’s first vertical football match multiscreened on TikTok — is a prime example (3). In what was described as a ‘Watch Party’, viewers were able to watch multiple sources and graphics simultaneously, including exclusive camera cuts, performance history and match analytics. To realize this ambitious project, Sky Sports Germany employed an array of Vizrt’s latest solutions: Viz Vectar Plus for live 9:16 production, Viz Engine 5 for core broadcast studio production, Viz

Arena and Viz Virtual Studio for in-stadium AR graphics and Viz Libero for advanced sports analysis. Cloud-based production and immersive technologies, such as augmented reality (AR), are also helping broadcasters build Gen Z audiences. Recent efforts by the European League of Football (ELF) is another project that comes to mind, which involved overhauling its viewer experience by offering more live coverage along with multi-language commentary options, and data-driven 3D, and AR graphics. ELF realized that moving its production workflow to the cloud would enable it to provide the extra content in a way that was sustainable and cost-effective. With only three weeks to go before the 2023 season, video production partner novel.media enlisted Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Vizrt to achieve end-to-end cloud-based live production. Multiple aspects of the deployment save on cost, and carbon, including the use of the Viz Now tool to automate the deployment and provide on-demand access to up to six cloud live production environments for game days. The new configuration also means that the broadcast teams can operate more flexibly and sustainably. There is no longer any unused hardware capacity as the ELF and novel.media can simply spin up cloud capacity when required — then switch it off when

the event is over. Significantly, the cloud-based production is also enabling a reduction in the need for OB trucks and large crews as this content is being delivered remotely.

> SUMMARY While daily linear programming is likely to have a place for some years to come, it is clear that viewing habits are set on a trajectory of permanent change. If the viewing habits of Gen Z strongly favor bite-size content viewed via non-traditional platforms and media, then those characteristics are likely to be even stronger in the next generation. In a fast-moving media technology landscape, the adage of ‘adapt or die’ has never been more relevant. Re-evaluating workflows and developing more flexible production methods are essential if media organizations are to forge a lasting connection with Gen Z — and the generations beyond. Sources: (1) https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinseyexplainers/what-is-gen-z (2) https://go.vizrt.com/sports_viewer_engagement (3) https://www.vizrt.com/news-articles/sports/sky-sports-germany-delivers-first-916-stream-to-tiktok-with-vizrt/ <

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SPONSOR UPDATE

>3G WIRELESS

n RF and Broadcast Engineering Services Company making your vision and event come to life on the World Screen! From our Point of view to you! In 2023 3GMEDIA.TV has changed locations, moving to a new, larger facility allowing our production capabilities to expand. We welcomed a new MU into our inventory that we aptly named Bigfoot. Throughout this summer into the fall Bigfoot has seen our crew through the entire NHRA season. We doubled our gear and personnel for USFL over the spring. Our RF packages were built specifically for USFL delivering both HFR and HDR video transmission for live and remote broadcast. 3GMEDIA.TV is also excited to be partnering up with ESPN for the broadcast of Top Rank Boxing | Delivering exclusive Shallow Depth of Field Cameras capturing crystal clear, sharp footage of all the action. Lastly our road racing portfolio continues to expand. 3GMEDIA.TV continues to push the limit with innovation and creation with all our RF and specialty POV cameras, bringing the action, from our POV to you.

>7 POINT AUDIO

udio control software for sports and live events. Next generation software to deliver audio production the great technology leverage that video production has enjoyed for years. Bringing creativity back into the DJ position within events to drive engagement and interaction with fans and attendees.

>ABSEN

bsen is a global leading LED product and service provider, offering mainly turnkey solutions to customers on LED display applications. Absen follows high product standard, displays meticulous craftsmanship, and enforces strict quality control. At the same time, Absen is constantly building up more and more professional customer service networks, so that more and more localized service can be provided all over the world.

>ADDER TECHNOLOGY

dder Technology has unveiled new products and enhancements to its KVM portfolio that deliver greater choice and flexibility to the sports and broadcast world. The ADDERLink INFINITY 1102 (DP) transmitter and receiver, and the ADDERLink INFINITY 1104 (HDMI) transmitter, meet demand for single-head KVM functionality

while delivering a pixel-perfect, real-time desktop experience with 2K single-head video, digital and analog audio, and USB2.0 over a 1GbE IP network. Updates to the ADDERLink INFINITY 3000 series, an KVM receiver that delivers instant switching between unlimited virtual and physical environments, introduce support for various VDI protocols including HTML5, SSH, and VNC, ultra-high definition (UHD) resolutions and digital Display Port audio. In the realm of control room operations, Adder announced the ADDERView CCS-MV 4228 multi-viewer. Designed to optimize efficiency and decision-making processes, the award-winning model boasts a user-centric design, flexible connectivity options, and userconfigurable color-coded options — all delivered in 4K quality. For those looking for remote access, the new ADDERLink ipeps mini combines high performance KVM technology with a ZeroU form factor — facilitating IP remote access over LAN or WAN to a single computer or broader IT network.

>ADVANCED IMAGE ROBOTICS

IR is building remote video capture, storage, and distribution solutions for the Digital Age. The AIR platform marries robotics, machine-intelligence, and an intuitive interface to simplify highend camera control and reduce production costs.

>ADVANCED SYSTEMS GROUP

dvanced Systems Group (ASG) fuses technical and creative expertise to design, build, and operate media-centric solutions that bring our client’s visions to life. ASG addresses the need for a cloud-based solution with Virtual Production Control Room. VPCR allows real-time, broadcast-quality coverage for their clients’ live events. VPCR uses cloud-based production tools from several established industry vendors to deliver a powerful virtual control room solution. A complete cloud solution that requires no on-prem services. Deliver cost-effective content complete with dynamic switching effects, graphics, animations, and captions. Video and audio streams are encrypted for security, and access to each production is fully controlled. VPCR supports major videoconferencing applications with multiple live participants. Driven by the need for remote production solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, VPCR was developed around a multi-vendor environment that communicated on a standard, unified signal. Refined in real-world environ-

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ments over the past few years, this system addresses real-world challenges.

>AE LIVE

E Live is a provider of broadcast solutions to global sports governing bodies, broadcasters and production companies. We specialize in capturing, processing and visualizing live sports data using innovative, attractive and informative onscreen graphics and augmented reality.

>AERIAL VIDEO SYSTEMS (AVS)

ince 1981, Aerial Video Systems has been at the cutting edge of wireless camera technology for sports, entertainment, film, and more. We offer a complete range of solutions for the modern broadcast industry. Our expert team provides in-house, end-to-end engineering and deployment of cameras, aircraft platforms, 4K/UHD RF systems, fiber optic connectivity, and mobile production units.

>AI-MEDIA

hether to caption a sports broadcast, invenue display, or over-the-top content, AI-Media has all the technology you need in one place. Sports broadcasters, franchises, and venues worldwide choose AI-Media for our simplified, all-in-one sports captioning solutions. Ensure fans never miss a word of the action with AI-powered live captions that ensure optimal accuracy by recognizing sports-specific terms and names. From soccer and tennis to baseball and global multisport events, we have all the AI-powered technology you need in one place to reliably caption any sport. Easily push captions to in-venue displays with the powerful combination of LEXI and LEXI Viewer. Powered by AI, LEXI’s unmatched accuracy and cutting-edge features deliver results that rival human captions, at a fraction of the cost. It can also be translated into over 50 languages. LEXI seamlessly integrates with LEXI Viewer, the ultimate HD-SDI captioning device for delivering captions to large in-venue Jumbotron or Daktronics LED displays.

>AIRPIXEL

irPixel provides a scalable, low latency, radio and inertial sensing camera tracking technology that enables organizations globally to deliver broadcast TV, live events and virtual productions. AirPixel is ideal for large scale live events and productions with challenging lighting conditions. It

can be used to track various cameras (cable cams, steadicams, crane mounted remote heads, remote PTZ cameras, drones), both indoors and outdoors. Flexible installation ensures ease of use for AR and virtual production in a range of venues including large LED studios, stadiums, concert venues, and racetracks. Julian Thomas, Managing Director at AirPixel commented: “AirPixel solves many challenges that sports broadcasting faces including wide-area tracking, variations in light and weather conditions, and the need for fast, non-permanent installations. AirPixel technology has already been used during major sporting events including the 2023 Super Bowl LVII and the 2022 NCAA Final Four.”

>AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS

ince 1993, AJA Video has been a leading manufacturer of video interface technologies, converters, digital video recording solutions and professional cameras, bringing high-quality, costeffective products to the professional broadcast, video and postproduction markets. AJA products are designed and manufactured at our facilities in Grass Valley, CA, and sold through an extensive sales channel of resellers and systems integrators around the world.

>ALL MOBILE VIDEO

s one of the country’s premier providers of live entertainment technical services, AMV offers a full spectrum of production services: Mobile Production Units, Sound Stages, Post-Production, Transmission and Streaming services, as well as Equipment Sales & Rentals. The All Mobile Video team commits to serving clients and building relationships by catering to the individual needs of each production with unparalleled attention to detail on a show to show basis. AMV prides itself on partnering with its clients in terms of individual project design and boasts an experience level to rival anyone in the broadcast industry with a solid team of smart, strategically driven, highly trained engineers and project managers.

>ALLIED BROADCAST GROUP

t Allied Broadcast Group (ABG), we’re proud to provide the necessary tools for video production professionals to excel in their work. Since 2011, we’ve established a reputation for being a trusted source in the industry. Last year, we successfully assisted with equipment turnover for an NBA playoff team and the PAC-12, ensuring uninterrupted coverage. We also helped many clients find the right equipment while maximizing returns on their replacements. When an NFL Team urgently needed a flycam lens, our team delivered a replacement before their Thursday night game. Additionally, we have built custom production trailers for several colleges and even for SpaceX. Trust Allied to provide the gear you need for capturing every moment of the action. With our extensive resources and commitment to customer satisfaction, we’re here to be your Ally and Partner for new and preowned professional production gear.

>ALPHA

>APPEAR

LPHA is a technology integrator dedicated to making our client’s vision possible. We’ve been serving the Sports & Live Events market for over 30 years and have the unique ability to deliver a full range of solutions from production control rooms to IPTV, audio, and LED. We continue to lead in design/build systems for sports trucks, stadiums, and venues as well as casino environments including sportsbooks. Recent flagship projects include completing a new production facility for the Atlanta Falcons and a new control room for the Detroit Lions. We’ve also provided the IP-based video production systems for the new MSG Sphere in Las Vegas — a firstof-its-kind entertainment facility in the world. ALPHA also assisted several of our professional and collegiate sports clients with additional upgrade projects to prepare for their upcoming or current seasons. ALPHA has the solutions and award-winning team to assist you with all your technology needs and make your vision possible.

>AMAGI

nlock the Future of Sports Production with Amagi. In the dynamic world of sports production, Amagi emerged as a trailblazer in 2023 through groundbreaking engagements with sports rights owners and content providers. Key to Amagi’s success was its cutting-edge technology, notably the advanced live event orchestration solution, Amagi LIVE, the flagship broadcast-grade channel playout solution, Amagi CLOUDPORT, and the launch of Amagi DYNAMIC for on-demand single live events production. These powerful tools enabled Amagi’s customers to effortlessly manage and distribute a diverse array of premium sports channels. Amagi’s cloud deployment for sports broadcasters unveiled a spectrum of features meticulously designed to elevate the viewer experience. With the flexibility to seamlessly incorporate ad breaks and integrate captivating graphics, whether manually or through automation, Amagi set a new standard for sports content delivery. The advanced graphics insertion, ad placement, and monitoring capabilities of Amagi CLOUDPORT combined with Amagi LIVE empowered a single operator to trigger actions for different graphics and ad breaks across multiple endpoints, ushering in an era of unparalleled customization and viewer engagement. Amagi takes pride in its role as a catalyst in expanding sports content accessibility across diverse consumption models in 2023. Technology enablement for sporting leagues like National Hockey League and Urban Edge Network — premium sports right owners in the US — and groundbreaking technological innovations have firmly established Amagi as a dominant force in the live sports production realm, fundamentally reshaping the way audiences connect with and enjoy sports content. Join the journey into the future of sports production with Amagi.

ppear, a global leader in media processing and delivery technology, has continued to transform the broadcasting landscape in 2023. Collaborating with Riot Games, Appear’s X Platform now plays a pivotal role in powering seamless, low-latency video streaming for esports events like League of Legends and VALORANT Champions Tour. PSSI Global Services adopted the X Platform for high-capacity REMI productions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Its flexibility and density impressed PSSI, enabling efficient scaling and cost reduction. Eurovision Services also selected the X Platform for live contribution of a prominent tennis tournament in Paris. Delivering flawless 1080p HD channels, the X Platform showcased operational efficiency with minimal energy consumption, reduced shipping costs, and uncompromised quality. This commitment to sustainability received recognition at the NAB Excellence in Sustainability Awards, where the X Platform won an award due to its superior energy efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions. Appear remains at the forefront of the industry, offering versatile and efficient solutions that empower broadcasters and service providers to enhance their capabilities while prioritizing sustainability and cost-effectiveness. Appear’s dedication to excellence and innovation solidifies its position as a global leader in media processing and delivery technology.

>ARCTEK SATELLITE PRODUCTIONS

RCTEK recently took delivery of its 3rd new uplink encoding truck in the past 3 years, ARCTEK Blue. With the addition of ARCTEK Blue, it shows ARCTEK is committed to the transmission and encoding market. ARCTEK Blue is a 14-source MUX encoding truck with a C-band uplink. The straightforward yet versatile design makes ARCTEK Blue capable of transmitting via satellite, over fiber, or IP back to the head end. ARCTEK Blue can handle all video formats from HD to 1080p, HDR to 4K with Mpeg 4 or HEVC compression. ARCTEKs fleet of 3 KU-band and 2 C-band uplink encoding vehicles continue to crisscross the country covering their true love, sports. Most notably ARCTEK transmitted the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals, 2023 MLV Playoffs, Professional Bull Riding, Professional Bowling, and motocross series. ARCTEK is ready to roll whenever and wherever you have encoding, transmission or production needs. Nothing is more reliable than satellite.

>ARISTA NETWORKS

rista Networks pioneered software-driven, cognitive cloud networking for large-scale datacenter and campus environments. Arista’s award-winning platforms redefine and deliver availability, agility, automation, analytics, and security. Arista has shipped more than twenty million cloud networking ports worldwide with CloudVision and EOS, an advanced network oper-

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SPONSORUPDATE ating system. Committed to open standards across private, public and hybrid cloud solutions, Arista products are supported worldwide directly and through partners.

>ARKONA TECHNOLOGIES

023 marks the last year that we are providing our technology through an OEM partner and with the shift to direct sales and marketing we have expanded our partner network to support the vast majority of existing installs all over the world. We are committed to the continued support and service of our existing installed base as well as looking forward to showcasing our next generation products.

>ARRI

nspiring images. Since 1917. ARRI is a global company within the motion picture media industry, employing around 1,400 staff worldwide. Named after its founders August Arnold and Robert Richter, ARRI was established in Munich, Germany, where the headquarters is still located today. Other subsidiaries are in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Australia.

>ASTOUND BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

e are the sixth largest U.S. cable operator and provide award-winning high-speed internet, broadband communications solutions, digital TV, and phone services for small- to midsized business customers across the United States. We own, manage, and maintain our fiber-rich network — enabling us to provide superior performance and award-winning, local customer service.

>ASTRODESIGN

STRODESIGN is a reputable electronic manufacturer of audiovisual test solutions and video production technology that is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and an office in San Jose, CA. As a global leader and pioneer of image electronics, our solutions have always proven to surpass expectations and satisfaction.

>ASTUCEMEDIA

pecializes in real-time data visualization through augmented reality and immersive experiences for broadcast, museums, music performance, sport venues and digital platforms. Strong expertise in finance, sport, news and elections. Provides graphic services including conceptual design and branding for different media formats such as touch screen, augmented reality, virtual set, videowall, giant indoor/outdoor screens.

>AT&T

T&T is leading the way to the future — for customers, businesses, and the industry. The company continues to develop new technologies

to make it easier for customers to stay connected. AT&T envisions a world where everything and everyone work together, a world that works for you. AT&T Global Video Service features flexible, cost-effective connectivity tailored to suit your business needs. Available in over 200 points of presence globally, including sports venues, production studios, network bureaus, and virtually anywhere content originates, this service features a high-quality network designed to meet the rigorous requirements of the broadcast community — a network built to provide customers a “hitless” switching experience with quick access, more bandwidth, dual and diverse end-to-end routing connection arrangements to help ensure network survivability.

>ATEME

teme continues to drive home groundbreaking solutions that help content and service providers reach their goals when it comes to sports content: scalable workflows that match the fluctuating audiences of sports events, delivering viewing experiences of exceptional quality. Injecting flexibility at every step of the way — from cloud-native raw content processing to Softwareas-a-Service streaming solutions — Ateme’s latest developments transform traditional hardwarecentric workflows so that content and service providers can get new channels up and running in just minutes. This opens new possibilities, such as occasional use channels for broadcasting one-off events or multiple channels for different games in parallel. Supporting ultra-low latency and up to 4K UHD quality, Ateme’s cloud-native and SaaS solutions also enable premium framerate conversion with motion compensation, ensuring exceptional viewing experiences for viewers across the globe. This is crucial when transmitting major international sporting events. The solutions also protect revenue streams thanks to full software-based watermarking insertion, and bolster revenues through targeted advertising when it matters most — major sporting events — with Ateme’s awardwinning low-latency DAI solution. Find out more at www.ateme.com. And be sure to catch us December 11-12 at SVG Summit in New York where we’ll be exhibiting these winning solutions and more!

>AUDAZZIO

ports broadcasters are frustrated knowing that most of your viewers are using a mobile device during your broadcast; but you can’t reach it. You’ve tried using QR codes, but QR’s ineffectiveness only added to your frustration. The Audazzio Live QR second screen solution seamlessly eliminates that frustration, by providing a frictionless solution to delivering content. Audazzio embeds micro-signaling into the audio stream of your

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broadcast, that when heard by a mobile device, instantly delivers web content to the viewer’s device in about one second. And all that content is sponsorable — creating a new revenue stream for broadcasters and rightsholders.

>AUDINATE

udinate has a vision to pioneer the future of AV. Audinate’s award-winning Dante AV over IP networking solution is the worldwide leader and used extensively in the professional live sound, commercial installation, broadcast, public address, and recording industries. Dante replaces traditional analogue cables by transmitting perfectly synchronized audio and video signals across large distances, to multiple locations at once, using nothing more than an Ethernet cable.

>AUDIO-TECHNICA

udio-Technica, a leading innovator in transducer technology for over 60 years, announces a new exclusive relationship with the MotoAmerica race series, whereby Audio-Technica will serve as the official Broadcast Partner for microphones and headphones for the organization. Under the terms of this new partnership, Audio-Technica broadcast and production microphones will be used to capture the sounds on the track and for interviews of the riders post-competition and on the champion podium. Additionally, A-T headsets will be worn by the series’ announcers, and A-T mics and headphones will be used in the production of the official podcast and behind-the-scenes programming. Look to Audio-Technica products to capture detailed sound for your broadcast.

>AWS

or 14 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. AWS offers over 175 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, robotics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), media, and application development, deployment, and management from 77 Availability Zones (AZs) within 24 geographic regions, with announced plans for 18 more Availability Zones and six more AWS Regions in Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Spain, and Switzerland. Millions of customers — including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—trust AWS to power their infrastructure, become more agile, and lower costs.

>AZZURRO HD

ince 2006, Azzurro has been at the leading edge of technology, delivering turnkey solutions to the broadcast world. With Network Operation

Centers in NY and CT, our customer service and real-time monitoring capabilities provide peace of mind to many of the major broadcast networks and streaming platforms. Our video switching center in NYC, provides worldwide video connectivity to our customers. Additionally, we service several large displays in Times Square, including TSX Broadway. Azzurro transmits live events to these screens including the Super Bowl, World Cup, MLB, and MLS games. Azzurro designs, builds and manages professional at-home insert studios for premier on-air talent. Recently, we installed an AzzurroCam at the home of Seattle Seahawk legend Richard Sherman who co-hosts Undisputed on Fox Sports. Utilizing NICO, our browser-based platform, all studio aspects are centrally controlled remotely through a user-friendly interface.

>BACKLIGHT

acklight’s Wildmoka platform enables sports broadcasters and rights owners to maximize the value from their sports rights with tools that simplify and optimize the creation, distribution, and monetization of live sports content. In the past year, Backlight has developed integrations between Wildmoka and other Backlight solutions that further enhance sports content production and distribution workflows. Once such integration is with iconik, Backlight’s award-winning Media Asset Management solution. Wildmoka customers can use iconik to store valuable clips and streams from live sports coverage for future purposes. This integration improves workflow efficiencies by allowing media teams to streamline creative production and content distribution for important live sports events with Wildmoka, then store assets long-term in iconik for future editing and manipulation for unlimited creative purposes. A bi-directional sync of assets and associated metadata between the two platforms ensures that high mezzanine video files are easily searchable and made ready for use by both distribution and creative teams.

>BECKTV

eckTV offers complete, brand-agnostic space planning, design, engineering, purchasing, integration, and fabrication services for almost any budget. The company has implemented innovative technology for nearly every type of installation, including broadcast and network television stations, cable and satellite facilities, network operations centers, sports and mobile trucks, professional and university stadium venues, and houses of worship. The company’s projects run the gamut in terms of size and technology — from sports stadiums and large network builds to the smallest call letter stations, and from classic baseband video systems to sophisticated SMPTE ST 2110 deployments. BeckTV has designed and built the most advanced 4K HDR 2110 deployments in sports and is responsible for every 8K system in the NFL. For more than 40 years, sports venues and broadcasters have trusted BeckTV to create sports video setups that level up the fan experience and help sponsors connect with target audiences.

>BELDEN

or more than 100 years, Belden has been a leader in the design and manufacturing of insulated wire, cable and related products. Since then, Belden has transformed itself from a cable company to a signal transmission solutions provider with a complete product portfolio including cable, connectivity and networking products.

>BEXEL

exel is an NEP Broadcast Services Company. From local video equipment rentals to custom control rooms for international broadcasts, we cover it all. For 40 years, Bexel has supported major broadcasters in bringing the most important events to a global audience. Our team of technicians and engineers build custom, scalable broadcast solutions for a range of services including production equipment rentals, RF audio, 4K technology, fiber optic solutions, virtual production, systems integration, product sales, and auction services.

>BITFIRE

he BitFire Media Platform offers a revolutionary convergence of physical and cloud tools that empower you to create entire production workflows at any scale. Powered by our ultra-low latency global IP transmission network, The BitFire Media Platform is the most comprehensive and robust IP video and broadcast solution on the market today, enabling seamless hybrid-cloud transmission, production, and distribution. All backed by our industry-leading 24/7/365 US-based Network Operations Center. The BitFire Transport Network boasts a globally distributed architecture with strategically positioned ingest locations near both sources and destinations. The network leverages multi-hop recovery strategies and real-time routing decisions, ensuring ultra-low latencies with the utmost resiliency. BitFire’s innovative suite of physical and cloud tools replaces multiple products and discrete vendors. Our Cloud Switcher, Cloud Multiviewer, and FireBridge Control Room seamlessly integrate into our global media ecosystem, streamlining your complex hybrid workflows. To learn more, visit https://www.bitfire.tv.

>BLACK BOX

lack Box is the global leader in KVMoIP technology. Our KVMoIP solutions are used by the top industry leaders in Broadcast, Media, & Entertainment, OB Production Trucks, Collegiate and Professional sports, as well as for Instant Replay companies. Black Box Emerald KVMoIP provides universal access for anytime, anywhere monitoring, control, and collaboration. It seamlessly integrates with physical and virtual machines, and supports various resolutions including pixel perfect, 4K resolutions. The system provides zero latency with the lowest bandwidth consumption. Remote users can access the system via a zero client software app for anytime, anywhere, remote access. The system also provides a wide array of other features that include comprehensive system manage-

ment and automatic redundancy. NEW FOR 2023! We’ve recently launched Emerald DESKVUE! It’s a Multi-Source KVM user station that will allow a user to view, monitor, and interact with up to 16 different systems simultaneously both virtually or physically from different locations. Designed for customers that need to immediately react when monitoring many systems or live feeds without complexity or delays and allows for team collaboration and customized workspaces per user.

>BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

lackmagic Design has recently introduced several new creative video products perfect for sports broadcasting. Several new ATEM live production switchers include easy-to-use yet powerful features. ATEM Television Studio HD8 is a fully featured broadcast quality live production studio with eight standards converted 3G-SDI inputs, built in streaming, master recorder, multiview, USB webcam support, DVE, four ATEM Advanced Chroma Keyers, media players, talkback, 4 way Ethernet switch and optional internal cloud media storage. There’s even an ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO model that records all eight inputs for editing. ATEM Television Studio 4K8 is a powerful Ultra HD live production switcher that combines all the great broadcast features of the ATEM Television Studio HD8 with additional support for Ultra HD standards up to 2160p60. ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K is a new live production switcher that features 40 standards converted 12GSDI inputs, 24 12G-SDI aux outputs, four DVEs, 16 ATEM Advanced Chroma Keyers, four media players, four independent Ultra HD multiviews, two SuperSource processors and more. Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro features an EF lens mount, a larger 6K sensor for improved colorimetry and fine detail handling, ND filters and built in live streaming via Ethernet or mobile data. New Ultimatte 12 models, Ultimatte 12 HD Mini, Ultimatte 12 HD, Ultimatte 12 4K and Ultimatte 12 8K, are designed at lower cost while retaining the same high-quality processing for incredible edge handling, greater color separation, amazing color fidelity and better spill suppression.

>BRAINSTORM

rainstorm’s advanced yet user-friendly products meet today’s rapidly evolving broadcast and AV market requirements by providing state-of the art real-time 3D Motion Graphics, VP/XR (Virtual Production & Extended Reality), AR (Augmented Reality) and virtual studio solutions. With thousands of installations worldwide, our client base includes many of the world’s largest broadcasters, plus smaller and regional stations, production houses, film facilities and many other content providers, including esports, corporations, and internet creators. The company’s flagship product, InfinitySet, features an advanced toolset designed to enhance Virtual Production and XR workflows, streamlining users’ ability to boost their content creation, whether they are using LED video walls or chroma sets to produce virtual content, includ-

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SPONSORUPDATE ing in-context AR content. Fully compatible with Unreal Engine, InfinitySet has been optimized to reduce the hardware required for virtual production, helping clients to reduce its carbon footprint and power consumption and requirements.

>BROADCAST MANAGEMENT GROUP

roadcast Management Group was contracted to produce a sports entertainment show for the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL to kick off the 2023 football season. “The World’s Largest Tailgate” featured 12 cameras, including a jib, steady cam and a wireless handheld. The broadcast had live remote tailgates in 6 locations, including two international venues. The show featured appearances by Roger Goodell and Mama Kelce. The program was produced in less than 3 weeks including show format and graphic development. BMG also handled all event and talent management. The 90-minute live broadcast received more than 2.5 million live views and 77,000 concurrent live views.

>BROADCAST SERVICES INTERNATIONAL (BSI)

roadcast Services International is a recognized leader in domestic and international broadcast markets, providing full turnkey production solutions, including technical consulting, equipment rentals, RF wireless solutions, commentary systems, and host broadcast packages. BSI is concluding its busiest integration season to date, with successful installations for the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) at the World Athletic Championships in Hungary and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia. This fall and winter, BSI is eagerly anticipating a busy season covering events such as the Masters Tournament, the Latin American Amateur Championship (LAAC), NBA, MLB, and a series of other winter sports. Furthermore, BSI has expanded its equipment inventory with a Hitomi Matchbox, 4K HH lenses (both CJ24 dual servo and CJ14 Wide), Tac 24 cable 1000-2000 FT, expansion of our Ultrix Router, RTS KP5032 Omneo panels, RME Dante / MADI / USB audio converters, and a range of facilities to ensure that BSI’s clients continue to receive world-class production services and equipment.

>BROADCAST SPORTS INTERNATIONAL (BSI)

roadcast Sports International (BSI), a member of the NEP family, continues to be the industry leader in designing and deploying innovative radio frequency products. A focus of our current efforts is concentrated on leveraging the emerging public and private 5G networks to seamlessly deliver audio, video, communications, and data solutions. Development of BSI’s 5G MT-UHD (MiniTX UHD) provides a solid platform for launching

services in demand by our clients and the broadcast industry. Designed with small form factor, low power consumption and support for emerging cellular technologies in mind, it places the 5G MT-UHD clearly on the cutting edge. The 5G MTUHD won the 2023 IABM BaM award for innovation under the “Connect” category as well as “Best of Show” by TVB Europe. Stay tuned for unique implementations. Our goal is to provide seamless technology and services allowing our clients to concentrate on their storytelling.

>BROADFIELD DISTRIBUTING

roadfield Distributing is the go-to distributor for cutting-edge IP production technologies, including NDI (Network Device Interface) and SMPTE ST2110 standards. As the industry continually evolves towards IP-based workflows, Broadfield Distributing stands at the forefront, offering an extensive catalog of products and solutions that empower sports broadcasters, content creators, and production teams to harness the full potential of NDI and SMPTE ST2110. Broadfield Distributing’s comprehensive range of NDI-compatible equipment ensures seamless integration and optimal performance for clients seeking to transition to IP-based workflows. Products from Netgear, Vizrt, Panasonic, Canon, JVC, PTZOptics, Kiloview, BirdDog, Marshall, and Epiphan are all available for your NDI installs. SMPTE ST2110 is a pivotal standard for the broadcast industry, facilitating the separate transmission of video, audio, and metadata over IP networks. Broadfield’s commitment to staying ahead of industry trends ensures that they offer the latest ST2110-compliant products including the Panasonic Kairos, Matrox, RED Connect, Netgear, and more.

>C360, A COSM COMPANY

360 is personalizing the sports viewing experience. We’ve entertained millions of viewers worldwide while working with the largest sports broadcasters and Fortune 500 companies across the globe. Our platform integrates the smallest, most innovative cameras and patented software with v-commerce, sports betting and player/object tracking. C360 is leading the personalized viewing revolution across every streaming channel, device and social media service allowing unlimited viewers to control their own fully immersive viewing experience.

>CALREC AUDIO

n September 2022, Calrec launched its next generation of native IP audio mixing consoles, Argo Q and Argo S, built around Calrec’s ImPulse core and Assist UI. Argo is designed to adapt to changing production needs with interchangeable, configurable hardware panels. Users benefit from a fully modular, flexible, user-definable surface with

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supercharged DSP. The initial sales of these products have been allocated to sports production; NEP Australia installed two Argo S consoles and one 96-fader Argo Q into its Andrews Hubs facility in Sydney, which is a dedicated remote production facility used primarily for various sports productions across Australia. Shortly thereafter, Ross Production Services, a division of Ross Video, purchased three Argo S consoles for its Connecticut facility in the US. Since then, Calrec has had further success with US sports facilities and sales across Asia. Argo is fast becoming the new standard for sports production audio. Calrec have introduced a compact form factor, native IP processing core for its Argo consoles called ImPulse1. Designed for single console applications and based on Calrec’s large multi-console ImPulse cores, ImPulse1 not only expands the range of IP-based products but also provides greater choice to suit a variety of budgets and applications. Remote production continues to grow and with demands from sports broadcasters for greater capacity, Calrec have upgraded their Remote Production Unit with more channels and more busses. RP1 is designed to provide low-latency mix-minus/IFB monitoring mixes at the field of play while controlled from the consoles back at the broadcast facilities.

>CANON

t NAB New York, Canon will be exhibiting new equipment solutions for REMI, studio, remote and in-game production, shallow-depth-of-field shooting and industry-leading sports broadcast lens technology. Check out Canon’s EOS R5 C cinema camera with 8K shooting capability along with the latest PTZ cameras featuring stunning Canon color, control and focus; as well as new 4K HDR reference displays ideal for trucks and control rooms.

>CATON TECHNOLOGY

aton Technology celebrates groundbreaking milestones with Caton Media XStream and Netscope, a revolutionary duo designed to overcome the unpredictability of the internet. Featuring distributed cloud architecture, AI smart routing with reliability exceeding 99.9999%, real-time monitoring, and ultra-low latency, outperforming leased lines at a fraction of the cost. It’s more than a service; it’s a transformative solution redefining IP content delivery with picture-perfect video quality. Recognized for excellence, Caton received prestigious awards, including the Shanghai Technology Award 2023, Connectivity – Media & Entertainment Award, and the Excellence Award for Sports Broadcasting in 2023. The successful acquisition of MLB games from New York to Taiwan and NBA & NPB broadcasts for ELEVEN SPORTS Taiwan demonstrates the superiority of our IP solution in delivering top-tier sports content. As the industry

evolves, Caton Media XStream and Netscope lead the charge, ready to revolutionize content delivery, unbound by limitations, and poised to rewrite the rules.

>CES POWER

ES Power has done three acquisitions recently. We acquired Infinite Power, a premier provider of temporary mobile power and climate control solutions based in Washington DC, Immedia Event Productions (“Immedia”), a key player in the northeastern events sector known for its robust power and HVAC solutions. This strategic alignment will provide a new hub in New England, strengthening CES Power’s capabilities in Boston and solidifying its commitment to strengthening services in the Northeast & Euro Touring Power (“ETP”), a premier provider of electrical equipment and air conditioning rental for touring productions throughout Europe. CES Power recently provided all of the temporary power, distribution and HVAC along with the broadcast power for LIV Chicago. CES Power successfully completed the MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA, as well as the kickoff of the 2023 Fox college football season.

>CHAMPION DATA

hampion Data has delivered sport stats for over 20 years. We have an unsurpassed record across elite performance in sport, media and broadcasting. We capture the richest, most precise data in every moment of the game. Providing indepth analysis — translating numbers into elite performance. We analyze complex and time-consuming data sets. Sending vital stats to your screen — showcased in easy to understand, dynamic visuals. We adopt rigorous methods and cuttingedge, agile technology, to support the merging of multiple data sets within complex sporting eco systems. We create truly collaborative and enduring relationships with sports governing bodies, broadcasters, digital stakeholders and agencies on a domestic and global stage.

>CHRISTY MEDIA

hristy Media Solutions, a specialized media and broadcast technology staffing agency, are thrilled to become an SVG sponsor, marking a significant milestone in their mission to support the sports production community. With over 20 years’ experience, Christy Media Solutions have excelled in placing candidates across all career levels within major sports federations, broadcasters, and technology providers on a global scale. Their history spans partnerships with leading streaming platforms, the establishment of entire engineering and development teams specializing in cutting-edge video technology and the strategic placement of senior sales professionals. Christian Magill, Managing Director, says, “With our increasing capabilities across North America, we are thrilled to join SVG, enabling us to engage with other individuals and organizations that are committed to the evolution of sports video technology, and continue

showcasing our dedication to uniting top talent with leading media organizations.”

>CHROSZIEL GMBH

he new Chrosziel Burano Mount is a Sony Burano camera to PL lens “hot mount” adapter with metadata communication and ENG lens control through a 12-pin Hirose out connection. Using the Burano Mount with an ENG servo motor-controlled broadcast lens, the Focus/Iris/Zoom servo’s can be easily controlled through the camera and are compatible with the Sony Burano GP-VR100 hand grip, Sony FX9 top handle, RCP or camera’s web GUI. When the Burano Mount is used with cine lenses with LDS or Cooke /i-Data, metadata is transmitted through the adapter and appears in the viewfinder, on the monitor, and are recorded in the video file for use in post processing. The Burano Mount is shimmable with the included shim set. The Burano Mount joins the Meta Mount for Sony FX cameras already being used on sidelines today. Chrosziel celebrates 50 years in business in 2023.

>CHYRON

hyron is ushering in the next generation of storytelling in the digital age. Founded in 1966 as Chyron, the company played a pioneering role in developing broadcast titling and graphics systems. With a strong foundation built over 50 years on innovation and efficiency, Chyron has become a household name in broadcast, with a focus on customer-centric solutions. Today, the company offers production professionals the industry’s most comprehensive software portfolio for designing, sharing, and playing live graphics to air with ease. Chyron products are increasingly deployed to empower OTT workflows and deliver richer, more immersive experiences for audiences and sports fans in the arena, at home, or on the go.

>CINESYS

ineSys is a Broadcast and Media Systems Integrator providing solutions, integration, and support for digital content creators across North America. With more than 25 years of extensive IT experience, CineSys serves a range of industries from sports and broadcast organizations to post-production companies. This year, CineSys has helped creative teams implement hybrid solutions by leveraging existing infrastructures and providing secure remote environments. The engineering team also created a live edit and ingest system for live events. With a growing Development and Media Asset Management team in-house, CineSys can help create customized solutions. They also provide fully managed support services, freeing up internal teams to focus on the work at hand. Are you looking to take advantage of your sports archives, need easy access and sharing capabilities, or more efficient storage for the ever-increasing amounts of data? Get in touch with CineSys to discuss how they can help accelerate your workflow.

>CIS GROUP

ince 1988, CIS Group has been a Media Technology solutions provider & systems integrator with core competencies across the professional services spectrum. Over the years our scope has evolved to include: Consulting & Workflow Design, Integration, Full System Commissioning & Installation, Technical & Operational Training, Maintenance & Support, DevOps, and Managed Services. Focused exclusively on the MediaTech space, CIS has delivered countless solutions aimed at a variety of use cases throughout the Content Supply Chain — including live production, post-production, archiving, and distribution. In relying on CIS’s expertise, our clients, which include a variety of sports teams and networks, have been able to outsource a lot of their technical challenges, and focus their energy and resources on how the technology we implement ultimately delivers business value and creative value to their organizations. Enabling our customers to achieve their desired business goals and operational goals by effectively implementing our solutions is what we mean when we say that customer success is in our DNA.

>CLARK

vertime Elite (OTE) has increased its market presence this year through an exclusive deal with Amazon Prime to broadcast their basketball games live and produce a documentary that was released in September 2023. In addition, the arena’s LED boards received a much-needed content management system upgrade utilizing Ross’ XPression Tessera. In late spring, OTE completed Season 2 of OT7, the brand’s 7-on-7 flag football league, that showcases the next generation of college and pro players. The league play spanned across four regional locations that used REMI technology through BitFire to capture and broadcast the events. Finally, in late summer, OTE launched OTX, OTE’s boxing league which sold out in its first season at the OTE arena. Clark has worked hand-in-hand with Overtime Elite over the past year utilizing our 25+ years of experience to ensure OTE’s success. Clark looks forward to where Overtime Elite will take the sports world!

>CLARK WIRE & CABLE

mong many of the stadium and arena type projects Clark Wire and Cable participated in, all great indeed, the Roger’s Centre project has been a significant achievement, and we’re honored to have contributed to its success. The experienced sales, engineering, and product scheduling teams at Clark Wire & Cable have played a pivotal role in ensuring its ongoing triumph. With great thanks to Mike Martin from AJP and Doug Waldron from Unity, we’ve been able to be a part of this exceptional undertaking, helping with the top-notch implementation. Clark Wire & Cable is an innovator/supplier to the Broadcast Cabling and Audio/ Visual portions of major projects that include bulk wire & cable, custom assemblies, custom panels, preloaded custom panels, and all parts associated with these products as well.

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SPONSORUPDATE >CLEAR-COM

n 2023, Clear-Com celebrated 55 years of delivering innovative voice communications solutions to Sports and Broadcast applications, among others. Offering the widest range of intercom solutions spanning wired, wireless, analog, digital and virtual client systems, Clear-Com delivers ultimate flexibility to meet your needs. Recent updates to the awardwinning Arcadia Central Station make it the most flexible and powerful 1RU intercom device on the market, supporting over 285 input/output connections on a single system. The addition of I.V. Direct connections to Arcadia integrate LQ, Eclipse, and other Arcadia systems over LAN, WAN, or Internet. The HelixNet Powerline Device augments Arcadia by delivering power and digital audio to HelixNet endpoints. Over the past year, Clear-Com’s partner in Singapore, Elevate Broadcast, deployed the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix and FreeSpeak II Digital Wireless system to Australian integrator Global Advance to produce the Australian Professional League’s (APL) A-League men’s and women’s soccer programming. Atlanta-based partner Skillshot Media deployed a system comprised of Eclipse, FreeSpeak II, V-Series IrisX panels, Agent-IC mobile app and Station-IC desktop client to produce the BCX World Championship in esports. Jamaican partner M-One Productions provided a Clear-Com Encore Analog Partyline system for the Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball League tournament.

>COBALT DIGITAL

obalt continues to service live production with dependable, multi-faceted solutions in a variety of form factors that excel in mobile units and address every sports application. In addition to its well-established openGear line, Cobalt has opened the door to stand-alone 12G and ST 2110 JPEGXS solutions with the launch of its WAVE routers, WAVE control panels and Sapphire BBG-2110 series. Flexible, easy-to-use and integrate, WAVE routers accommodate any variety of applications with support for signals up to 12G-SDI. Packed into a 4U frame with full-size BNC connectors for mobile units where space is scarce, these routers include an Ethernet port for IP-based controls. Webbased control allows full setup, salvos, monitoring, and preset management. This compact design is optimized for 12G-SDI operation but handles lower SDI rates with ease, as well as ASI and MADI. A pair of Control Panels — the WAVE CP-84L and the simpler WAVE CP-78 — allow different setups to be stored and recalled from the browser to provide extremely flexible operations. Also new — Sapphire BBG-2110-H/S & BBG-2110-2H Mini Converters, perfect for behind monitors. The mini converters include single or dual 25Gb/s ports (for ST 2022-7 redundancy) and full NMOS support for easy configuration.

>COMCAST TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

omcast Technology Solutions, a division of one of the world’s leading media and technology companies, brings Comcast Corporation’s proven technologies to an evolving list of industries worldwide. We believe in continuous innovation, always looking for new and better ways to connect with our customers, as well as aggregate, distribute, and secure our own content, advertising, and data. We invest in and test these solutions, so you don’t have to — freeing you up to focus on accelerating your business, not your tech stack. We bring these innovations to the global marketplace, enabling our partners to think big, go beyond, and lead the way in media, technology, and cybersecurity.

>COMPRIMATO

otion-compensated frame rate conversion service for global live events distribution. Comprimato shapes the global broadcasting and streaming future by addressing the frame-rate conversion challenges. While North America, Japan, and select regions operate on 60 Hz systems, the majority of the world uses 50 Hz. Therefore, global live content distribution, particularly in sports broadcasting, demands flawless image quality. Traditional frame-rate conversion methods often produce jerky, blurry, and ghosted results. Sports broadcasting, with its fast-paced action and rapidly moving cameras, poses unique challenges. This is where motion-compensated frame-rate conversion shines. It analyzes movement in sequences, ensuring moving objects appear precisely where they should in new frames. Historically, achieving broadcast-quality conversion required costly hardware, running into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Comprimato offers a software-based solution, performing real-time frame-rate conversion on standard hardware or in the cloud, available as software-as-a-service (SaaS), dramatically reducing costs.

>CP COMMUNICATIONS

P Communications leads the way in content acquisition, live production, equipment supply, and customer service for broadcast sports, entertainment, and live events of all sizes, with offices in NYC, LA, and Tampa/St. Petersburg. From invenue production to live streaming, CP remains an inventive visionary for content creation, management, and delivery, with a diverse range of technology solutions, mobile units, and technical experts. CP Communications and its Red House Streaming subsidiary today provide flexible RF, IP, cloud, and bonded cellular solutions that can be customized for each event. For major sporting events such as the Super Bowl and MLB All-Star Game, CP’s expertise in RF event coverage and frequency coordination makes them the undisputed choice

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for mission-critical live broadcasts. Red House Streaming’s embrace of networked technologies for challenging coverage requirements, reliable signal transport, multi-platform streaming, and NOC-based monitoring has established RHS as a trusted brand for local and remote productions.

>CREATIVE DIMENSIONS

t Creative Dimensions, we design and fabricate custom broadcast studio sets and desks, branded environments, trade show exhibits, and interior/exterior signage. We have been in the ‘creativity business’ for more than 35 years. Our threetime Emmy-Award winning team of visionary designers, skilled craftsmen, and project managers have built a reputation of delivering innovative and impactful solutions across all industries. We’ve become experts not only at creating world-class signage, exhibits, broadcast sets, and experiences, but also guiding our clients along every step of the way. Client satisfaction is our style. More than anything else, it drives us — not just as an organization, but as individuals. Every decision we make, every strategy we adopt, we’re keeping your goals in mind. Whatever the project, our passion for a job well done and that ultimate ‘WOW’ factor inspires us to create inventive and original solutions to impress you and your customers.

>CREATIVE MOBILE SOLUTIONS

reative Mobile Solutions provides tapeless workflow solutions for live events and studiobased shows. We stay on the cutting edge of tapeless workflow and use our expertise daily in live production environments. Our goals are increasing efficiency and saving your production time and money. We provide services for television, film, commercial and other video productions. The experts on our team have worked on major sporting events such as ESPN’s ESPY Awards, the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, the US Open (Golf Channel & ESPN), ESPN College Football Gameday, the NBA Finals, and the Super Bowl.

>CTI

e make events sound better, look better, and more exciting for the fans! In the last year, CTI has completed two Division 1 projects, including the new broadcast control center at the University of Michigan’s Michigan Stadium and the new scoreboard at Lindenwood’s Hunter Stadium. Our work on Subaru Park, the home stadium of the Philadelphia Union Major League Soccer Club, was named one of the best installations of 2021 by SCN magazine. CTI has also worked extensively in MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL stadiums. From decades of experience, we know a world-class AV deployment requires a solid relationship between the integrator and the client. We have the talent to combine immersive technology, sound, video, broadcast TV,

and custom programming into an unparalleled customer experience for the fans in your stadium. CTI’s collaborative approach, built around our EDGE system, will deliver your desired results!

>DAKTRONICS

aktronics helps its customers to impact their audiences throughout the world with largeformat LED video displays, message displays, scoreboards, digital billboards, audio systems and control systems in sport, business and transportation applications. Founded in 1968 as a US-based manufacturing company, Daktronics has grown into the world leader in audiovisual systems and implementation with offices around the globe.

>DALE PRO AUDIO

ale Pro Audio has been a distinguished leader in the Broadcast, Live Sound, Contracting, and Studio/Post markets since 1956. Dale carries the industry’s top brands, has an expansive showroom in Jamaica, NY, and is staffed by an esteemed sales and technical team dedicated to their craft. Our educated sales staff continues to go above and beyond to help each customer. A key to the strong relationships we have built here at Dale. We cherish the opportunities to provide the equipment necessary to allow some of the biggest sporting events, concerts, and other live events to happen each year. Dale Pro Audio prides itself on always adapting to any and every situation to ensure our customers get the service they deserve. We at Dale are a family, and we treat our customers as such, the main reason that we have been a mainstay in this industry.

>DALET

alet’s latest product releases and updates enable new streamlined workflows from ingest to production and distribution. Announced at IBC 2023, Dalet InStream, the hyper-scalable, cloudnative IP ingest solution, brings a new level of elasticity and savings while enabling new workflows to get content to your audience faster. Dynamically add and subtract streams only paying for what you capture. Recordings from Dalet InStream are accessible in Dalet Flex before they have even begun, allowing for metadata pre-population and automated distribution workflows in advance. With the latest updates to Dalet Flex, content is also accessible in Dalet Cut our award-winning web-based NLE. Begin editing in your browser and send directly to distribution through the Dalet Flex workflow engine or continue editing in Adobe Premiere Pro with the Dalet Xtend panel. Content can now be ingested, managed, edited, and distributed entirely in the cloud giving you more flexibility and reduced TCO.

>DATA EXPEDITION

ata Expedition, Inc. (DEI) is pleased to update the SVG community with a SportsTech Journal update. Competitive wins this year in the sports community have been driven by the ease-of-use of DEI’s accelerated data transfer software. The ability to drop our software into existing workflows, have

multiple user experience options at hand, all while containing costs compared to more “well-known” market players, are leading reasons why we continue to see impressive growth in this space. DEI’s also pleased to announce the release of our WebDat client. WebDat is a windowless ExpeDat client for a purely web-based UX, allowing you to provide a fully customized web interface for ExpeDat file transfers — a tiny distribution package that installs as a menu bar/notification item, file transfers controlled by your webpage using an expanded version of ExpeDat Desktop’s HTTP API. A great solution for partners and customers’ in-house development teams wanting full customization.

guise’s solution allows you to create, manage and control your live graphics’ content from any source to any pixel, with unlimited scalability. Disguise Designer is the most advanced production hub to visualize your show before going on-air. The recent update of Disguise Porta, the cloud-based Unreal Engine and media playout control solution, allows to seamlessly manage CG graphics, AR, XR, and MOS in a single workflow. Our team of technical and creative consultants will work closely with you to bring your creative vision into reality, ensuring your broadcast captures the essence of your content. Learn more about how Disguise’s platform here: https://web.disguise.one/portapx

>DELL TECHNOLOGIES

>DIVERSIFIED

t Dell Technologies, we believe great storytelling comes from creative people empowered by advanced technology. Our leading technologies across workstations, displays, servers, storage and networking, and partnerships with key media software vendors, provide media professionals a simple, fast and cost-effective foundation to deliver the next generation of powerful content.

>DELOITTE

eloitte is one of the largest professional services companies in Italy, where it has been present for about 100 years. Our services are offered by various separate and independent companies and firms specializing in individual professional areas, but all part of the Deloitte network. Our approximately 11,000 professionals assist the more than 8,000 customers of the network in achieving excellence thanks to the high quality of the service offered, our multidisciplinary approach and widespread presence throughout the country.

>DEVLIN DESIGN GROUP

hen it comes to TV Studio Set Design for sports, online gaming, and esports, the award-winning team at Devlin Design Group covers all the bases. We understand engaging your fans is at the top of your game winning strategy. We’re all in it to help you win them over! Our client roster includes Monumental Sports, FanDuel, Tennis Channel, Riot Games, and Marquee Sports Network. They chose us because of what makes us different. We use the power of Creativity, Knowledge, and Innovation to reimagine sports studio production and bring great ideas to life. Fans crave the action and connection to their favorite teams and players. By delivering next-level scenic design, we can help you capture the hearts and minds of fans and increase the affinity and loyalty with your brand’s audience. DDG’s services include scenic design, virtual set design, lighting direction, fabrication, and lighting equipment.

>DISGUISE

isguise is the end-to-end platform for content experience and graphics production, driving the next generation of broadcast workflows. A connected ecosystem for LED content display, virtual production, extended reality (XR) and CG graphics in Unreal Engine tailored to broadcasters. Dis-

hen fans experience the unforgettable, they are no longer spectators — they are a fully connected, larger than life, sports family. Technology brings them together across time and boundaries, amplifying their passion, loyalty and engagement. There is a lot at stake to make that possible. The sports media industry must execute fully connected, immersive and efficient technology capabilities and solutions that permeate facilities, operations, broadcast, marketing, and IT regardless of complexity or scale. Generating experiences of the future hinges on immersive and personalized experiences through machine intelligence, whether in-stadium or from afar. Cloud capabilities are needed that make real-time content retrieval, production and community collaboration possible. Cybersecurity solutions must protect everyone. Diversified has delivered and executed advanced technology strategies and solutions for over 30 years. We understand the connection between advanced technology, businesses and fans like no other. Talk with us today about designing and delivering unforgettable experiences of the future. https://onediversified.com/contact-us/

>DMC BROADCAST GROUP

MC Broadcast Group represents manufacturers from all over the world. We help them sell, distribute, and market their hardware and software products for broadcast, cable networks, station groups, post-production facilities, and studios. With over 30 years’ industry experience, we source cutting-edge solutions from across the globe to provide high quality, cost-effective products from the most trusted manufacturers.

>DNA STUDIOS PLUS

NA Studios is now DNA Studios Plus! The Houston, TX, mobile production company now has a new headquarters in Dallas, TX. Expansion includes a new studio and event center in Dallas that includes remi control room and trucks. DNA added 2 new Super Nomad trucks built by Gerling. Trucks have 6 cameras, Ross switchers, and graphics. EVS and Canon lens round out the Dante capable trucks. Both trucks are Remi-approved by ESPN. This brings the total to 9 mobile units. DNA’s experienced broadcast staff is ready to help you take your next production across the finish line.

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SPONSORUPDATE >DOLBY

olby transforms the science of sight and sound into spectacular experiences. Through our innovative research and engineering, we develop breakthroughs that we share with the world through collaborations with broadcasters, streaming service providers, and consumer electronics companies worldwide. When you watch sports in Dolby, you get the unmatched experience of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to get the best sports experience you can have, no matter where you are. Dolby unleashes the full power of the game or match, providing you with a transformative experience by connecting you deeply with the emotion of the sport. Dolby Vision and Dolby ATMOS HAVE BEEN DELIVERED BY SOME of the world’s biggest operators for some of the world’s largest sporting events, such as the 2023 Super Bowl, 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Euros, and the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics. More and more operators are including Dolby technology for their regularly scheduled sports broadcasts for soccer, football, tennis, hockey, cricket, boxing and more. Partner with Dolby to join the rapidly expanding group of leading broadcasters, pay-tv operators and streaming service providers that are delivering spectacular live sports experiences in Dolby. Contact your Dolby representative or go to https://professional. dolby.com/sports to learn how you can take your live sport experiences to the next level with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

>DOME PRODUCTIONS

ome Productions continues its commitment to push the technological envelope and could not be more thrilled to share this milestone! Meet “Titan,” Dome’s new state-of-the-art broadcast mobile. Following on the footsteps of Gateway, Titan is Dome’s second ST 2110 IP mobile. Titan hit the road in July 2023 at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in Montreal, producing a CFL game between Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders for TSN. The successful first show marked a continued commitment of delivering top-notch technology to Dome’s clients. Titan can produce in a variety of formats — 720p, 1080i, or 1080p at both 50 and 60 fps — with HDR color space. The truck is powered by a redundant Evertz NATX IP switch fabric, with 6.4 Tbps throughput and full ST 2022-7 redundancy. In addition, Dome chose a Grass Valley K-Frame XP switcher with 128 x 64 ST 2110 I/O, 5 ME control panel w/ 35 button source selector, 6 Keyers/ME, Flexikey, Doubletake, 4eDPM, 8iDPM and 128GB image store — as well EVS VIA replay servers.

>EDGIO

dgio is an edge-enabled software solutions provider powering unmatched, secure digital experiences through a seamlessly integrated de-

livery, applications and streaming platform. Our globally scaled technology and expert services fuel the world’s top brands with the capacity to deliver the fastest, most dynamic, and frictionless education, entertainment, events and applications to every user. Dedicated to providing unparalleled client care and extending value every step of the way, Edgio is a partner of choice, driving worldwide internet traffic to support the most popular shows, movies, sports, games and music, and instant-loading websites.

in Altitude Archive, originate TV to 84 countries and reach 400M radio listeners weekly. Altitude Media Cloud, Encompass’ scalable and flexible processing platform built for broadcast, runs a suite of products: Altitude Playout, Altitude FAST, Altitude Stream TV, Altitude Archive, Altitude VOD and Altitude Connect. Services: live events, media processing, playout, contribution/distribution, streaming, disaster recovery and radio. YOUR SPORTS CONTENT. DELIVERED.

>EDITSHARE

ditShare is a technology leader in networked shared storage and smart workflow solutions for the production, post-production, new media, sports, and education markets. Whether you need on-prem, cloud, or hybrid solutions, our products improve efficiency and workflow collaboration every step of the way. They include media optimized high-performance shared storage, archiving and backup software, a suite of media management tools and a robust set of open APIs that enable integration throughout the workflow. Customer and partner success are at the heart of EditShare’s core values ensuring a world-class experience that is second to none.

>ELUVIO

he Eluvio Content Fabric is an open and decentralized, streaming, content distribution, and storage network built for the third generation Internet. It delivers live streams with deterministic end-to-end latencies under 3 seconds globally to standard streaming clients (DASH/HLS over HTTP), and provides a complete full-featured media stack to publish, store and deliver premium live streaming, PVOD, and FAST Channel streaming at scale, including personalization, access control, content protection and proof of engagement. Powered by the Content Fabric, the Media Wallet is a consumer application and embeddable API for discovering, streaming, and owning content directly from its publishers. It is available on web/ mobile browsers, and across major Connected TV platforms, including Apple TV, Android TV, and Fire TV. Across more than 1,600 device platforms, the Wallet is a universal personal media vault that expands the streaming and unique content ownership features of the Eluvio Content Fabric to mainstream consumers at scale.

>ENCOMPASS DIGITAL MEDIA

very day, premier brands trust Encompass to deliver their content to audiences worldwide. As a leading managed service provider, the company supports sports leagues, broadcasters, networks and OTT platforms. Encompass’ interconnected facilities and 1,250 media-obsessed professionals allow the company to acquire/deliver 100K live events/feeds annually, store 1.1M hours of media

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>ES BROADCAST arlier this year, ES Broadcast completed arguably its most significant North American systems integration project to date, in the shape of Van Wagner’s new multimillion dollar broadcast control center in Raleigh, NC. Van Wagner’s productions include some of the biggest events in the US sporting calendar, while the facility’s debut production for the 2023 Department of Defense Warrior Games saw more than 100 hours of programming over several days, fed from San Diego via LiveU bonded cellular. The control center incorporates a range of cutting-edge equipment from Ross Video, Evertz, NewTek, Calrec, LiveU, and Haivision. ES Broadcast’s extensive rental fleet of Sony HDC-3500, HDC-4300 and HDC-5500 cameras and Canon and Fujinon UHD lenses meanwhile has seen action on sporting events as diverse as the Masters and US Open golf, drafts for the NBA and NHL, the MLB All Star Game, women’s college basketball, motosurfing, and WWE wrestling.

>EUROVISION SERVICES

urovision Services continued years of successful delivery at the pinnacle of basketball, golf, soccer, motorsport, athletics, and cycling. We continued servicing major tier-one international and US sports leagues, giving them global distribution and exposure, and the multiplication of feeds with regionalization and advertising replacement. Our ongoing cooperation with Eurovision Sport (which remains part of the European Broadcasting Union), was central to our delivery of the UCI World Cycling Championships, in Glasgow, in August. As an independent company, Eurovision Services has further sharpened focus on investing for the future, including our Washington DC and NYC offices. We have dedicated staff to serve US clients, and we’re consolidating our presence in major PoPs across the US with unique connectivity capabilities. We’re also building infrastructure to tackle tomorrow’s challenges, from new back-office processes to new delivery infrastructure that will drive more orchestration and automation to handle the multiplicity of feeds, formats, and delivery technologies. Satellite will remain part of the contribution mix for the foreseeable future, especially from poorly connected venues to deliver world feeds at scale, with the richest content delivered via fiber

on our Content Hub. Finally, for less well-connected locations, internet delivery (whether SRT or equivalent) is another part of our hybrid toolkit to ensure we provide the best customer experience.

>EUTELSAT

utelsat is a leading global satellite operator, central to connectivity across Video, Data, Government, Fixed, and Mobile Broadband markets. With a unique GEO and LEO satellite fleet and ground infrastructure, we facilitate worldwide communication. Our mission at Eutelsat is to enable clients to reach their customers, transmitting 7,000 TV channels to over a billion viewers via Direct-to-Home (DTH) or terrestrial networks, fostering business growth. In North America, we’ve been a steadfast partner to PSSI, delivering premium live sports content to clients like MMA, UFC, NFL, NHL, NBC Sports, PGA, FOX Sports, and CBS Sports. Our collaboration includes an average of 1,580 Outside Broadcast (OU) services executed in the past two years. Furthermore, this year we signed a multi-year deal with Fox Sports and TV Azteca, two prominent broadcasters in Mexico. Using our EUTELSAT 117 West A satellite, we distribute Fox Sports and channels, strengthening our presence in Latin America’s 117° West TV neighborhood.

>EVERGENT

vergent is the leading provider of revenue and customer management solutions for the Digital Economy. Our enterprise-class software enables companies across the digital media value chain to track and collect payments from subscribers, and distribute royalties to partners. Unlike legacy billing systems, Evergent’s solutions are easy to deploy, configure and manage. We offer out of the box capabilities that enable, develop, distribute and or deliver digital media experiences such as advertising, video, gaming, applications, and music, to achieve faster time to market and business model flexibility, while lowering the risk.

>EVERTZ

vertz continues the development of our DreamCatcher BRAVO Studio. BRAVO Studio, is a collaborative, cloud-based live production platform that redefines the creative experience for content creators and broadcasters. We have introduced BRAVO Studio’s new ‘Highlight Factory’ co-pilot that creates clips and stories automatically using AI technology. These clips and stories can be published directly to Evertz Ease Live where users can pick their curated highlights from the interactive overlay on their mobile or connected devices. Evertz has integrated the power of Studer Vista audio mixing console to its BRAVO Studio platform with the introduction of the new Vista BRAVO. This integrates a full mixing console into BRAVO Studio and gives users all the flexibility they need to enhance audio for live productions, both on-premises or through the cloud. For contribution remote production, we partnered with Lumen on the transport of a high-quality single-link UHD signal with ultra low-latency with JPEG XS

over a dedicated IP network for a major football game. For the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, a major US broadcaster used our XPS to receive over 40 1080p HDR signals with SRT from Qatar to their Miami facility over a private network.

>EVS

VS recently introduced VIA MAP, its Media Asset Platform designed to bring the world of content creation within a live production environment together with the world of distribution and review. Representing the culmination of EVS’ technological advancements, VIA MAP also marks a significant milestone in the company’s journey towards establishing a unified and open ecosystem that aligns with the dynamic needs of today’s media landscape. It serves as the central backbone for EVS’ core offerings, including LiveCeption for live replays and highlights, MediaCeption for asset management, MediaHub for distribution and monetization, and PowerVision for review and decision-making processes. Additionally, VIA MAP leverages the flexibility and advanced capabilities of EVS’ MediaInfra solutions, enabling customers to fully harness the potential of an IP-based infrastructure for live video operations, including advanced routing, monitoring, orchestration, and media processing workflows. Through VIA MAP, EVS presents an unparalleled platform that not only maximizes the value of content but also enhances operational efficiency. This empowers content creators to focus on their craft while simultaneously expanding their reach and revenue streams.

>FASTLY

astly’s powerful and programmable edge cloud platform helps the world’s online broadcasters deliver the fastest online experiences possible, while improving site performance, enhancing security, and empowering innovation at global scale. With world-class support that achieves 95%+ average annual customer satisfaction ratings, Fastly’s beloved suite of edge compute, delivery, security and observability offerings has been recognized as a leader by industry analysts such as IDC, Forrester and Gartner. Compared to legacy providers, Fastly’s powerful and modern network architecture is one of the fastest on the planet, empowering developers to deliver secure websites and apps at global scale with rapid time-to-market and industry-leading cost savings. Thousands of the world’s most prominent organizations trust Fastly to help them upgrade the internet experience, including fubo, FOX News & Sports, Bell Media, The New York Times, Epic Games, and GitHub. Learn more about Fastly at www.fastly.com and follow us @fastly.

>FILMWERKS POWER, A SUNBELT RENTALS COMPANY

his has been a strong year of growth and innovation for the Filmwerks Power Division as well as Sunbelt Rentals as a whole. Sunbelt Rentals continues to lead the charge in sustainable solutions with a significant investment in new green technologies. Part of our investment this fiscal year

included 25 new UPS systems for the Filmwerks Power fleet. With over 1,200+ locations across the United States and Canada, an expansive rental equipment offering, and a team of industry and equipment experts, we are here to be your rental partner.

>FINGERWORKS TELESTRATORS

ingerWorks Telestrators’ FingerWorks6, used by broadcasters worldwide in live sports environments, now supports live player and field tracking tools with real-time computer vision. This gives the ability for your on-air analysts to place tools on the playing surface during camera movements. In addition, it allows real time tracking of players with effective player ID tools. These new tools are currently being used on CBS and FOX NFL coverage, TSN Canada CFL football coverage, and Univision Spanish language soccer coverage. Features also include easier to choose tools including animations all in a true 3D environment, live statistic integration to populate custom graphic tools and advertising banners, auto team roster name bar feature for quick player identification, and a new live social media interface which provides a live interface with viewers. For more information on FingerWorks6, visit telestrator.com.

>FLETCHER SPORTS

or over 25 years, Emmy Award-winning Fletcher Sports has created some of the most innovative and memorable images for the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, plus many other sports broadcasts. Fletcher also provides specialty cameras to a variety of Entertainment shows, concerts, and Special Events for broadcast or in-house production. Fletcher serves the international sports broadcasting market with our Fletcher London operation.

>FLYCAM INTERNATIONAL

onceived soon after the Atlanta Games as a high-speed point-to-point flyer, FlyCam entered the television history books with a 500 foot flight over the Popemobile and has since drawn raves for super-close, dynamic coverage of sporting events and concerts on six continents. FlyCam has flown over nearly every sport imaginable, capturing some of the most awe-striking moments in modern memory. With technology at its most impressive today, FlyCam has had the opportunity to help shape the movies you watch, the sports you root for, and the commercials you fast forward through.

>FORECAST CONSOLES

e are humbled and honored by the number of clients that have trusted us with their control room furniture builds this year. To the integrators, consultants, architects, and our fellow vendors, thank you for the amazing partnerships. Life is good when you get to work with people you really like. To the incredibly talented production teams that work tirelessly to give fans an experience they will never forget, thank you for bringing joy to so many people. We are excited for the future and look forward to seeing it with all of you.

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SPONSORUPDATE >FORTINET

ortinet makes possible a digital world that we can always trust through its mission to protect people, devices, and data everywhere. This is why the world’s largest enterprises, service providers, and government organizations choose Fortinet to securely accelerate their digital journey.

>FRIEND MTS

riend MTS have enjoyed a busy 2023, and we’re now helping even more sports broadcasters and rights holders transform their content security from a cost center to a revenue stream. As the number one, trusted business partner of the world’s leading brands in media, sports and entertainment, we help sports leagues, rightsholders, broadcasters and service operators reduce the impact of illicit content distribution and piracy. Our advanced tool set includes Emmy award-winning fingerprint-augmented global content monitoring, forensic watermarking and legal enforcement, to help engage with diverted audiences, uplift revenues, reduce churn and drive business growth. Our pioneering dynamic delivery server blocking has now been rolled out to even more countries, helping to protect some of the most valuable premium live and on-demand content in the world and our agile, scalable technology is deployed in tens of millions of devices and applications globally.

>FUJIFILM NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION

n September 2023, Fujifilm announced the introduction of FUJINON Duvo HZK24-300mm Portable PL Mount Zoom Lens (Duvo 24-300mm), a dual format lens supporting two types of large-image sensors, specializing in shallow depth of field and beautiful bokeh. Complementing Fujifilm’s Duvo HZK25-1000mm F2.8-F5.0 PL Mount Cinema Box Lens (Duvo 25-1000mm), Duvo 24-300mm delivers 12.5x zoom, covering the 24-300mm focal range frequently used on set. The use of the built-in expander shifts the focal length by 1.5 times to 36mm450mm, allowing users to capture far-away subjects in desirable fields of view. At 10.6 inches long and 6.5 pounds, Duvo 24-300mm is compact and lightweight, making it easily portable for all types of live production; it can be operated in the same style as a broadcast lens using zoom and focus demands, is compatible with a variety of accessories specifically designed for portable FUJINON lenses, and can be utilized for shoulder-mounted operation, as well as with a Steadicam or for high-angle shooting using a crane. Offering as long a focal length in as small and lightweight a package as possible, Duvo 24-300mm gives handheld positions in live production the opportunity to take advantage of that classic FUJINON cinema look that’s been developed over Fujifilm’s almost 90-year heritage, from making film to making cinema lenses, bringing that unique color space,

latitude, and shallow depth of field to the show. The most dramatic, shallow depth-of-field shots in live shows often come from those intimate handheld positions; Fujifilm’s expanded range of portable and long Duvo lenses provides directors with that highly desired cinema look from nearly any position.

>G&D NORTH AMERICA

&D is currently working with SMT, a company that specializes in creating graphics for broadcasts, webcasts, and live events in the sports and entertainment industries. Their innovative solutions support SMT in realizing their visionary projects. An outstanding example is NFL’s weekly Thursday Night Football broadcast. In this exciting project, the ControlCenter-Compact 48 is used in a Leader/Follower configuration together with G&D’s ControlCenter-Compact 16. This is complemented by 2 U-CON consoles to support touch functions and about 24 CPU modules to create and control graphics overlays in real time during the game. This technical setup is divided among three mobile units and interconnected via high-quality DVI fiber links. As Rob McCarney, Field Support Manager at SMT, points out, G&D has developed products that meet the high requirements and extreme operating conditions in the field. The reliability of the products and the professional and customer-oriented support make G&D an invaluable partner for SMT.

>GAME CREEK VIDEO

ame Creek Video sets the industry standard for facilitating successful live broadcasts and recordings. As a family-run, privately-owned company, Game Creek works with the world’s largest television networks, production companies, and news organizations to provide them with comprehensive mobile production solutions. We combine an advanced, state-of-the-art fleet of mobile production units with an accomplished, reliable team of experts to ensure that the largest events in the world are televised flawlessly. For clients requiring dependable technology, exceptional response time, and consistent quality results in high-pressure environments, Game Creek Video delivers awardwinning productions of sporting events, concerts, awards ceremonies, corporate events, and more.

>GENIUS SPORTS

enius Sports is the official data, technology, and broadcast partner that powers the global ecosystem connecting sports, betting, and media. Its technology is used in over 150 countries worldwide, creating highly immersive products that enrich fan experiences for the entire sports industry. As the official data partner to the National Football League (NFL) and English Premier League (EPL), Genius Sports powers immersive broadcasts to engage the modern sports fan. This includes the

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

Sports Emmy-winning RomoVision on CBS which combines rich tracking data with Madden-style graphics to break down plays for audiences in more detail than ever before. And this year, the Premier League Data Zone, a data-driven broadcast integrating key stats and insights and used by broadcasters around the world. Genius Sports also powers BetVision, the world’s first immersive sports betting solution, combining low latency live streams on the NFL with integrated official stats, betslips, data-driven augmentations and more.

>GLOBECAST

lobecast is a pioneer in cloud migration, providing consulting, integration and 24x7 managed services. Globecast designs, integrates and manages hybrid broadcast and media cloud services, from acquisition, contribution and media supply chain to distribution and delivery of live TV channels, sports, news, special events, and ondemand content. The company is moving into a new state-of-the-art facility in Westlake Village in metropolitan Los Angeles, CA, that spans 21,000 square feet. It will serve as a true media center for Globecast to expand its services as it moves away from SDI to a SMPTE ST-2110 IP environment. The facility supports remote production and the live integration of sports content and means that Globecast can accommodate more channels and support an IP and cloud infrastructure for future developments like UHD, HDR, virtual reality and live event productions, which can include 30 simultaneous source feeds from remote locations.

>GLOOKAST

LOOKAST’s mission is to simplify some of the most challenging and nuanced aspects of content production by making media assets available when they are needed, where they are needed, and to the users who need them. We achieve this by leveraging our portfolio of real-time and file-based products that are aimed at ingest and workflow optimization use cases, while remaining flexible and open to continuously enhancing our solutions alongside customers, based on their requirements. GLOOKAST fundamentally believes that in today’s world it is more important than ever to be intentional and strategic about how media assets are created and managed within a production environment, as well as an archive environment. At GLOOKAST, we’ve worked with sports teams and leagues to help implement our ingest and workflow tools in a way that enables their media teams to do just that: ensure that their assets are created in an efficient, usable, secure, and monetizable fashion, all while allowing users to have the freedom of choice in relation to which production and postproduction environments they adopt.

>GOOGLE CLOUD

oogle Cloud accelerates organizations’ ability to digitally transform their business with the best infrastructure, platform, industry solutions and expertise. We deliver enterprise-grade cloud solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology to help companies operate more efficiently and adapt to changing needs, giving customers a foundation for the future. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to solve their most critical business problems.

>GRABYO

ver the past year, we’ve enhanced our broadcast-grade live production platform. In the last year we launched instant replay with slow-motion playback and speed controls, a broadcast-grade audio mixer with compression and multi-track output, and SCTE-35 ad marker insertion for monetizing live content, including YouTube live ad markers. Furthermore, we’ve integrated custom hardware into Grabyo Producer for seamless operation, allowing users to map their preferred hardware equipment, from Stream Deck devices to larger consoles like X-Keys. In Grabyo Studio, we introduced custom video markers for real-time clipping and highlights creation as well as multi-stream live clipping for sporting events. This allows editors to clip up to 9 feeds simultaneously. We also partnered with Magnifi to implement a human-centred automated clipping workflow that uses machine learning to identify highlight moments in live streams but allows humans to control the narrative, delivering an unparalleled level of audience engagement.

>GRASS VALLEY

rass Valley’s Media Universe is a proven ecosystem of both hardware and software that removes the choice between ground- and cloudbased solutions. Our ongoing development and investment in hardware — cameras, processing, routing, orchestration, multiviewers, and switchers — combined with the most advanced cloud native ecosystem for sports productions, delivers the ability to pick and choose the right combination of tools, regardless of complexity. As the best cameras available, our LDX 150 studio and LDX C150 compact cameras are exactly matched in features and imagery, and adept in both SDI and IP worlds. Today, you can use these cameras with traditional base stations, knowing that each has the ability to become an IP node that eliminates base stations completely when switching to IP. K-Frame is simply the most versatile switcher solution in the market. With native support for JPEG-XS aligned with our leading position in REMI and our DirectIP/Native JPEG-XS support in cameras, K-Frame can be scaled and architected for any occasion. AMPP has become an industry standard with nearly 4 million hours clocked per month — a four-fold increase since NAB 2023. AMPP is the key to our open ecosystem. It currently has a comprehensive set of over 100 applications from GV and over 80 integrated partners providing additional apps. More

users are seeing the benefit in the hybrid architecture of AMPP, allowing them to host processing at the edge, either on-premises, in the public cloud or a mix of the two — in GV or their own provided compute. Find out how all this all comes together in the GV Media Universe with AMPP at grassvalley.com/ampp.

>GRAVITY MEDIA

ome to state-of-the-art equipment, cutting edge technology and world-class production and post-production facilities, Gravity Media is leading the way in global sports and entertainment content creation. In April 2023, Gravity expanded its US Mobile Unit fleet with Aspen, a brand-new 3G HDR Mobile Broadcast facility. An innovative truck designed for the specific demands of the US broadcast market. Aspen joined its expanding outside broadcast truck presence in the US and underlined its commitment to further grow its presence in the world’s largest broadcast market. Aspen has already been deployed for ESPN’s XFL package, plus a variety of entertainment shows, including Ant-Man and The Wasp, Quantumania Red Carpet Premiere, and Darts. In July 2023, Gravity announced a partnership with NBC Sports to support their coverage of Big Ten football and basketball. Aspen, along with flagship mobile unit, Columbus is currently traversing the Midwest covering college football. Another new S-Class with the same specifications as Aspen is in progress, joining the fleet to support NBC Sports’ coverage in 2024. Gravity’s expanding and market-leading technology outside broadcast truck fleet criss-crosses the US covering entertainment shows, and sporting events, from college to professional for clients including NBC, FOX, ESPN, Pac 12, and more.

>HAIVISION

>HLW INTERNATIONAL

LW, a full-service design firm, is a leader in sports broadcast facilities design. For more than 25 years, our dedicated Media + Entertainment Studio — comprised of architects, interior designers, and industry specialists — has designed elegant spaces that feature efficient workflow and fully integrated, top-tier technology. Our client list includes ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and PAC-12. HLW is currently working on a new media production building for PGA TOUR Entertainment. Located in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, PGA TOUR’s new home brings the entire Northeast Florida organization to one central location for the first time. HLW is assisting with the design and detailing of production studios, control rooms, a newsroom, a café, and an open office workspace within the 165,000-square-foot project. Additionally, HLW is the Architect of Record for this new building.

>IHSE USA

s a leading provider of KVM Systems to mobile production groups, IHSE offers extenders and switch products designed to meet the workflow demands of operators requiring real-time access to computer-based systems; no matter if it is a single unit or shared sources between A/B units. Operators working in broadcast-related environments can access a wide variety of devices, whether they are local, remote, or accessing virtual sources. As more companies come to depend on network-centric solutions, IHSE’s KVM systems allow them to integrate all types of workstations in a hybrid concept that can be seamlessly configured to a physical KVM matrix system that is non-intrusive to critical workflow needs. The motivation for this is to allow more efficient sharing of hardware resources across units for several functional teams — each responsible for specific operations including replay, editing and graphics. Setup and configurations become easier as workstations can become agnostic allowing Technical Engineers to assign workspace more efficiently. KVM Switch Systems are offered in CATx for short runs and fiber for longer A/B connections. In addition to a full line of both baseband KVM and IP-KVM, IHSE will be introducing a full line of extenders based on the latest JPEG-XS format.

rom video encoders to mobile transmitters, receivers, and cloud management solutions, Haivision is recognized globally as a pioneer and leader in ultra-low latency, high-quality broadcast video contribution solutions for live sports, news, and events. Thanks to its rock-solid reliability and security, broadcasters around the world trust Haivision technology to deliver great broadcasts that bring audiences closer to the action. Haivision encoders and mobile transmitters allow broadcasters to securely and reliably transmit pristine-quality video, up to 4K UHD, at ultra-low latency over any type of network >IKEGAMI t NAB 2023, Ikegami introduced the UHKand conditions. Whether relying on 5G cellular netX600 — the latest addition to the Unicam XE works or the internet, Haivision’s live video contricamera line — joining the UHK-X700 and UHKbution solutions allow users to contribute superiorX750. Twelve UHK-X700 4K/HFR/IP cameras were quality live video content from anywhere. recently deployed at Gillette Stadium for the New England Patriots in-house production. The new >HARMONIC armonic, the worldwide leader in video deliv- UHK-X600 is designed to deliver impeccable imery technology and services, enables media age quality, incorporating three 2/3-inch oversamcompanies and service providers to deliver ultra- pling UHD CMOS sensors and provides 1000 TVL high-quality broadcast and OTT video services to resolution, minimal aliasing, plus 2000 lux sensitivconsumers globally. The company has also revolu- ity at f10 (60p). Global shutter imagers minimize tionized cable access networking via the industry’s artifacts when televising LED screen walls or flash/ first virtualized CCAP solution, enabling cable strobe illuminated stage environments. Four fuoperators to more flexibly deploy gigabit internet ture-proofing options are available, giving customservice to consumers’ homes and mobile devices. ers the freedom to invest in additional capabilities

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SPONSORUPDATE as or when required. License-key based options include support for 2x, 3x and 4x high frame rate capture plus optional 4K processing delivering 2000 TVL resolution when operating in 2160p. Plug-in hardware-based options include a SMPTE ST 2110 compatible media-over-IP interface board and optional 12G output board.

>ILLUMINATION DYNAMICS

llumination Dynamics (ID) services Live Broadcast, Film, Television, Theatrical and Special Events providing Automated and Film Lighting equipment, Transportation, Redundant Power systems, Technical services, and Crew. Our main locations are in Santa Clarita, CA, and Charlotte, NC, with additional ARRI Rental facilities available to us for support. ID operates nationwide as well as providing lighting services internationally. Our Broadcast division is an essential component of ID’s success providing reliable redundant generator power, UPS Systems, lighting design, equipment, and crew to multiple events. ID’s staff strives to provide a premium service for our customers and we recognize their loyalty has driven our success. Our staff remains on call for support 24 hours 7 days a week. In 2023 ID has continued its excellent service for PGA Golf, The NFL, The XFL, College Football, MLB, Super-cross, Extreme Sports, and many more.

>IMAGEN

n mid-2023, Imagen was acquired by Thomson Reuters, a global content and technology company, to be operated as part of the Reuters News Division. The acquisition has created signiﬁcant opportunities to better serve our existing and new sports customers through access to greater resources to accelerate our customer use-cases and product roadmap. The Imagen product remains focused on being the optimal platform for sports media management and distribution. We have some exciting new capabilities spawning from our recent launch of Imagen Live Connect, such as polling live data-feeds, AI enhanced search and smart-clipping capabilities, plus integrations with the best of breed adjacent technologies to create a compete content ecosystem. Rightsholders, sponsors, agencies, internal production teams... whoever is entitled to access your media can have one single destination with secure, permission-based access to live, archive, graphics, brand assets and digital ready content packages. As is always the case, we are unable to name names of all our new customers, nonetheless we are delighted to have them join Imagen.

>IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS

magine Communications offers a broad scope of infrastructure products for sports production and networks. The company’s Selenio Network

Processor is an essential part of modern sports production architectures, with more than 3,000 units deployed around the world to date. One reason for its broad acceptance is that it can be easily reconfigured in the field to add new functionality. Imagine recently announced a major addition to the SNP lineup with the launch of SNP-XL and a new double-density gateway. Over the last year, Imagine’s focus has centered on helping customers leverage the benefits of mixing on-prem and cloud, with recent developments including Magellan Connect, which extends the company’s Magellan Control System to include routing in the cloud; and Aviator Orchestrator, which consolidates on-prem and cloud multi-site workflows into a single operationalized environment. Imagine has also heavily focused on enabling HDR and UHD productions via its latest innovations such as SNP Master Control Lite (MCL). SNP-MCL provides customers with an easy path to incorporate HDR and UHD animated graphics and branding to create lightweight, UHD/HDR-capable channels. The company will continue to round out the SNP’s HDR and UHD processing and graphics functions heading into the various large-scale sports events next summer.

>IMAX

SIMWAVE is an IMAX company. We know that managing lean production workflows to deliver better viewer experiences without reprocessing and high variable costs is not simple. Ensuring an optimum balance between video quality and bitrate is difficult when QA and optimization tools are expensive to operate and often don’t correlate well with human vision.

>INTEGRATED MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES

ounded in 2007, IMT is a systems integration company servicing media & entertainment, enterprise and institutional clients with a broad range of media technology, IT and video collaboration solutions. Since its inception, IMT’s software team has developed and delivered a broad range of software solutions designed to solve critical customer problems to make technical organizations more accountable and efficient.

>INTEL CORPORATION

ptimized performance is one thing Intel and sports have in common. For more than 50 years, Intel has had a profound influence on the world, leading the industry and driving business and society forward; creating radical innovation that revolutionizes the way we live. Intel is the only company with the depth and breadth of software, silicon and platforms, packaging, and process with at-scale manufacturing that customers can depend on for their next-generation innovations.

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Intel Xeon processors optimize performance, scale, and efficiency across a range of demanding workloads. Intel’s 5G solutions allow content to be captured and transmitted faster, and from remote areas where traditional broadcast fails. And Intel looks to bring AI everywhere through its wide array of hardware and software platforms and open solutions. As a proud worldwide partner of the Olympic Games, Intel will also play a key role in accelerating the adoption of new technologies at Paris 2024.

>INTELSAT

hen the game is on the line, there are no excuses. Broadcasters have relied on Intelsat Media services for decades to deliver the most compelling content around the world, live via satellite. Whatever the occasion, combining the reliability of the world’s largest satellite fleet with the connectivity of the IntelsatOne global network, and our new IntelsatOne IP product, has always been a winning strategy. And as the media landscape changes, Intelsat will remain at the forefront of innovation and a foundational force in media contribution and distribution. With a unified global network, and strategically deployed teleports and partners, Intelsat Media can support the most demanding global requirements for the most compelling live content.

>JB&A

xertis’ value-added Broadcast division offers more than 80 manufacturer partners, unmatched credit facilities for qualified resellers, and exclusive access to exciting new product categories. Exertis is the one business partner you need to expand both business volume and profits. In fact, Exertis is the only company able to offer you the complete range of Broadcast products and systems that today’s Media & Entertainment, Post Production, Corporate, Education, Retail, Hospitality, Government, and House of Worship customers want most.

>JOSEPH ELECTRONICS

oseph Electronics (JE) is an authorized stocking distributor for more than 100 premier broadcast and pro AV brands with stocking locations in both Illinois and California. JE also designs, manufactures, and supplies innovative custom fiber solutions — such as the Caddie Series, DFT Series, and 4K fiber transport gear — for broadcasters and system integrators alike. Equipped with a state-ofthe-art fiber lab staffed with fully certified professionals, JE can fabricate, terminate, or repair any connector, assembly, panel, breakout, or interface in use today. JE has served the broadcast industry for more than 75 years and has representatives in California, New York, Georgia, and London.

>JPM TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING

PM Technology Consulting is pleased to announce that we have successfully completed our first year in the broadcast space. We have assembled a team of experienced consultants with over 25 years of combined experience in broadcast engineering and IT, including Zack Bacon, who has joined our team as CTO. In our first year, we had the privilege of working on two 2110 systems with multi-vendor deployments. These systems used a variety of equipment from different manufacturers, including Imagine, EVS, Evertz, Harmonic, Riedel, Lawo, Black Box, G&D, Sony, Dell, TAG, and Calrec. We are committed to helping our clients choose the best workflow for their needs, and we bridge the gap in interoperability to ensure that all of their equipment works together seamlessly. In the coming year, we will continue to recruit and add young talent to our team. We believe that the creativity and scripting knowledge of young engineers is essential to addressing the gaps in security and scalability that our clients and partners face.

>JVC PROFESSIONAL VIDEO

VC Professional Video was excited to provide a Complete Remote Production Solution, including its industry-recognized GY-HC500U Handheld Production Cameras as part of ACE Sports’ installation at Nashville High School in Arkansas. This is one of the largest and highest resolution displays installed at a HS within the U.S. Using JVC’s allencompassing glass-to-glass solution, allowed the school to shoot uncompromised image quality in 4K ultra-HD with HDR and use CONNECTED CAMTM features to livestream and present instant replays directly to the video board. JVC equipment can be found at many projects from ACE Sports, a leader in design, management, manufacture and installation of video boards, scoreboards, audio and production equipment for professional, collegiate and HS sports. JVC Professional Video, a leading manufacturer and distributor of broadcast, professional video and REMI equipment for news, sports and live event productions, offers a range of equipment specifically targeted to sports broadcast and sports coaching.

>JW PLAYER

W Player’s end-to-end sports broadcasting solution makes it easy to stream at any scale, expand & engage your fans on any screen, and monetize your content. Recently PSV (Phillips Sport Vereniging) came to JWP for the quality of live streaming, video-on-demand options and subscriptions and IDM and achieved 50% higher views than launch projections. Sports broadcasters can also quickly develop, customize and maintain apps on any device as well as reduce the total cost of ownership to grow their business as seen with a recent Forrester TEI report that demonstrated that the JWP platform increased ad impressions by 150% and achieved over a 135% return on investment (ROI) for broadcasters. Founded in 2004, today JWP customers generate 8 billion video impressions/

month and 5 billion minutes of video watched/ month.

>KEY CODE MEDIA

ey Code Media is the preferred resource for audiovisual equipment, installation, and aftermarket support. We approach complex projects with a high-touch customer service focus, ensuring equipment is delivered, installed, and adopted by a customer successfully. Our solutions include: AV (Conference Rooms, Lecture Halls, Classrooms, Video Walls, Collaborative Offices, City Council Chambers); Broadcast (Comm Systems, Flypacks, OB Truck, and Control Rooms); and Production Equipment (Audio Suites, Video Edit Suites, and Networking).

>KISWE

iswe empowers content creators and owners to maintain control of their brand by connecting them directly to their audience through cloud production technology and interactive digital streaming experiences. Sports leagues and teams like the NBA, Los Angeles Clippers, and Detroit Lions leverage Kiswe’s production solution to quickly and affordably create alternative broadcasts of existing games to super-serve new audiences. Kiswe has also partnered with Phoenix Sun and Utah Jazz to build white-label mobile web, mobile app, and OTT platforms to distribute upcoming games directly to local fans. Musicians like BTS, Queen, and Rolling Stones have sold millions of tickets to fans around the world to live and pre-recorded, interactive concerts with Kiswe distribution technology. And top creators like Rhett & Link, Try Guys, and Smosh have utilized Kiswe Live’s interactive features to make fans’ input a key part of their show and foster deeper relationships with their fans.

>KMH AUDIO-VIDEO INTEGRATION

ports media professionals need to focus on engaging fans, creating content, and strengthening their brand, not worrying about the newest production technologies. KMH Integration removes the complexity for sports organizations installing or upgrading an AV system or production workflow. Offering a full range of consulting, system integration, and project management services, the KMH team works collaboratively with customers from initial design through project completion to ongoing support. Our team helps customers design more efficient production workflows, expand their operations, reach new audiences and use technology most effectively for long-term growth — whether it’s ongoing network technology upgrades, IPTV deployments, or studio and production space redesigns. Call KMH Integration at (929) 295-6347 or visit kmh-integration.com.

>LAWO

t Lawo, pioneering network, video, audio, control, and monitoring technology for TV and radio broadcast, performing arts, houses of worship, stadiums, and corporate applications has become a tradition. So much so that in Octo-

ber 2023, Philipp Lawo was inducted as Honorary Member of SMPTE for his company’s contribution to IP networking, interoperability and the coverage of live sporting events. Lawo’s product portfolio includes IP-based media infrastructure solutions, control and monitoring systems, digital audio mixing consoles, and video processing tools. The HOME Apps, launched at IBC 2023, represent a flexible foray into the abstraction of broadcast and media functionality from the hardware. Running on standard servers, onsite, in private data centers or in the public cloud, they are managed and controlled via HOME’s unified user interface. The first essential apps are HOME Multiviewer, HOME UDX Converter with HDR Processing, HOME Stream Transcoder and HOME Graphic Inserter. The HOME-native .edge Hyper-Density SDI/IP Conversion & Routing Platform offers edge computing by means of two optional licenses: .jpegxs allows users to compress streams before, or after, transmission, to mitigate network congestion; .proxy generates downscaled picture sizes and transmits them, along with the original resolution, to the desired destinations. Both options operate within .edge, right at the network’s edge, to avoid unnecessary network traffic already at source. Lawo’s Power Core Rev3 software-defined DSP mixing engine and I/O gateway, finally, is the third iteration of an acclaimed I/O and DSP solution for a variety of broadcast and live applications.

>LEADER INSTRUMENTS

eader Electronics Corporation has earned a worldwide reputation for designing and manufacturing highly reliable, practical, and powerful test and measurement instruments under the Leader and PHABRIX brands. Our products are specified for broadcast, production, postproduction, research, development, and service. The Leader and PHABRIX range include award-winning 12G/3G/HD/SD SDI and IP waveform monitors and rasterizers, all with customizable layouts. Among the available options are 4K/UHD, CIE color chart, HDR measurement, test pattern generation, eye and jitter measurement, closed caption display, IP, and 12G/6G-SDI. Our tools help customers smoothly manage their transition from analog to digital, from SD to HD, from HD to 4K/ UHD, from SDR to HDR, from BT.709 to BT.2020 wide color gamut and from SDI to IP. We continue to enable sports productions around the world with the Leader Zen series and PHABRIX Qx, Rx, and handheld Sx family.

>LEGRAND | AV

he LundHalsey Kontrol Plus Console blends premium aesthetic design and high-quality detailing with high-performing ergonomics for optimal performance and operator comfort. The Kontrol Plus Console features an ergonomic design, illuminated floating work surface, elegant high-gloss piano black detailing, integrated desktop cable access, lateral articulation monitor arm, discreet storage and access, adjustable LED accent lighting, pull-out PC tray, and more. LundHalsey is

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SPONSORUPDATE a leader in the design and manufacturing of control room furniture solutions. For over 35 years LundHalsey has ensured innovative solutions for applications including air traffic control, broadcast television, government security, industrial, oil and gas, utilities, transport, the armed forces, and the commercial sector. LundHalsey has partnered with Legrand AV and Middle Atlantic to deliver their innovative consoles to North America with all your favorite solutions including C2G, Chief, Da-Lite, Luxul, Middle Atlantic, and Vaddio.

>LH COMPUTER SERVICES

H Computer Services is a South Florida-based reseller and integrator specializing in data storage and protection solutions. Established in 1991, we have been providing world-class storage solutions to our customers for many years. You can count on LH Computer Services to be the source for all of your data storage needs. We serve customers throughout the southeastern United States from our location in Coral Springs, FL. We provide comprehensive solutions, drawing on the best of breed hardware and software from multiple manufacturers.

>LIVEU

iveU powers video production workflows and cloud services for professional, collegiate, and sports associations/conferences around the world. The company’s cloud-based solutions help deliver remote productions that simplify logistics and reduce costs. Featuring IP bonded encoding with 5G, LiveU provides robust, reliable connectivity and high-quality video, enabling crews to stream every game, match, or sport, wherever it is. Our latest SMPTE ST 2110 receiver operates as an all-in-one receiver in the video chain, reducing IT costs, time and overhead, while keeping everything in sync.

>LTN

or LTN, every day brings new opportunities to connect Tier 1 sports networks worldwide to the transformative power of a fully managed network and unlimited possibilities of IP-based solutions. Among them, LTN Wave and LTN Arc empower media companies to maximize the value of their premium live sports content — efficiently and at scale. Awarded ‘Best of Show’ at IBC 2023, LTN Wave offers a smarter alternative to fiber and satellite, through flexible, ultra-reliable IP distribution. LTN Arc enables our customers to make the most of every production with customized large-scale digital event versioning. Each year, LTN transports more than 4,500 sports and live events for over 3,000 customers on the fastest, most reliable network. This year, we surpassed a milestone of 1 million bookings. In 2024, LTN will continue to be the leading strategic media technology partner, future-proofing our customers and helping them navigate the shifting landscape confidently.

>LUCIDLINK

ucidLink is a storage collaboration platform that offers a new way for creative teams to work together on projects in real time without downloading and syncing media locally. It is fast, simple, and secure. Some of the largest sports, media, and entertainment brands use LucidLink for live production and post-production workflows, including Monumental Sports, representing teams from the NBA (Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks) and the NHL (Washington Capitals). Creative teams can choose from on-premises, hybrid, or cloud-exclusive workflows. What sets LucidLink apart is its ability to provide instant access to media files, making them appear as if they were stored on a local drive. This innovative solution empowers remote teams to access, edit, and share content directly from live captures. It eliminates the need to send editors to live events and enables simultaneous, immediate access from their respective remote locations.

>LUMEN TECHNOLOGIES

umen is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 450,000 route fiber miles and serving customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, government and communities deliver amazing experiences.

>M2A MEDIA

2A Media’s live video solutions support major broadcasters and rights-owners as they transition their valuable broadcast workflows from legacy technologies to the cloud. Having just announced two new strategic partnerships, M2A Media’s suite of next generation products are now even more accessible to US media companies looking to leverage the AWS Cloud for the end-to-end remote production and distribution of live workflows. M2A’s partnership with Videon, a disruptor in video edge computing, sees the integration of Videon’s LiveEdge Ecosystem into M2A CONNECT, a feature rich tool for the acquisition and distribution of live video decreasing the technical time, resources and complexity on premises and enabling more live feeds at scale. While M2A Media and Panasonic Connect have come together to simplify the technical and operational complexities associated with remote production, via an integration with Panasonic Connect’s KAIROS advanced remote production capabilities and M2A CONNECT’s acquisition, automation and distribution functionality. Learn more at www.m2amedia.tv

>MAGNIFI

ver the past year, we’ve enhanced our broadcast-grade live production platform. In the

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last year we launched instant replay with slowmotion playback and speed controls, a broadcastgrade audio mixer with compression and multitrack output, and SCTE-35 ad marker insertion for monetizing live content, including YouTube live ad markers. Furthermore, we’ve integrated custom hardware into Grabyo Producer for seamless operation, allowing users to map their preferred hardware equipment, from Stream Deck devices to larger consoles like X-Keys. In Grabyo Studio, we introduced custom video markers for real-time clipping and highlights creation as well as multistream live clipping for sporting events. This allows editors to clip up to 9 feeds simultaneously. We also partnered with Magnifi to implement a human-centred automated clipping workflow that uses machine learning to identify highlight moments in live streams but allows humans to control the narrative, delivering an unparalleled level of audience engagement.

>MARKERTEK

arkertek, a 100% Employee Owned Company, continues its evolution as the go-to supplier in live production sports. From providing a vast number of critical SMPTE fiber cables for February’s big game to a recent partnership with Ross Video, we help bring your vision to reality in the world of real-time televised coverage! The quality of what you bring to sports video fans is how we liken the customer service you receive at Markertek. Our broadcast and live events sales team helps you stay in touch with the ever-changing landscape of technology from the studio to the field. We are uniquely positioned to assist you with special pricing, project consultation and justin-time delivery. We offer all the right brands at just the right prices. Markertek is the only industry supplier to offer the value-added service of a complete custom shop delivering fiber cables, copper cables, metal panels and UV printing services. Come see what being a customer should feel like once again. Our house is your house, we’re America’s Broadcast Supply House.

>MARSHALL ELECTRONICS

arshall offers a range of global shutter cameras, including the Marshall CV568 Miniature camera with M12 lens and the CV368 supporting C and CS mount lenses. These models are ideal for demanding applications where global shutter performance is needed, including 3D, VR and events with fast motion that will be recorded and edited later. Most cameras today use “rolling shutter” technology and are suitable for talking head applications without fast-action movement. When a frame is exposed, the camera needs to move the pixel data to the color processor quickly to be ready to expose the next frame. With a rolling shutter, this is done extremely rapidly but “in the

light.” This can lead to smear and strange effects with fast-moving objects. Global shutter technology moves the pixel data “in the dark” by quickly shifting all pixel data to covered pixels then transferring to the color processor.

>MASV

ASV (massive.io) is the fastest secure cloud software that transfers heavy media files worldwide for sports media. Global sports media organizations rely on MASV to automatically deliver their large files without any restrictions, allowing them to concentrate on their next big deliverable. With the most recent addition of Growing Files, created for the hardworking production crew on a live broadcast, this feature allows teams to upload an in-progress, a new automated solution for live sports media. MASV is an ideal solution for sports media workflows with its simple UI and pay-as-you-go pricing. MASV is excellent for media professionals who often work remotely and need to share high-resolution assets and copyrighted content with each other on a deadline. In addition to file transfer, MASV provides a number of other tools to make sports media workflows more efficient, including file collection portals, cloud storage, automation tools, and integrations with third-party storage providers.

>MATROX VIDEO

atrox Video technology for live production is reshaping the broadcast and media landscape. Matrox ORIGIN, the company’s latest addition, is a cloud-native asynchronous media framework that redefines tier 1 live production in software. ORIGIN offers low-latency, frameaccurate broadcast operations for on-premises, or cloud environments, with best-of-breed choices — all while maintaining broadcast requirements and standards of quality. The Canada Winter Games leveraged Matrox Monarch EDGE Series remote production encoders and decoders for reliable, synchronized, and uninterrupted streaming using cost-efficient network connections. A recent addition to the Matrox ConvertIP Series of ST 2110/ IPMX converters, Daisy Chain, enables users to send multiple streams over a single 10/25G connection to multiple ConvertIP devices connected to monitors, minimizing port usage on the switch. In post-production and studio control rooms, the Matrox Extio 3 IP KVM extension and switching solution enhances collaboration, allowing remote access and control of workstations while maintaining high-quality video and audio.

>MAXON

s ever, Maxon is committed to adding incredible value to Maxon One, and there have been several updates this year, including improvements and new tools implemented across the entire suite. With the latest release, Cinema 4D 2024 is now better than ever — with massive performance improvements and a more “art-directable” Pyro workflow. The Red Giant suite received major updates: a new Combustion feature for Trapcode 2024, improvements to lighting control and the popular

Real Lens Flares for VFX 2024, as well as easier color correction and new presets for Magic Bullet 2024. This release also included the most comprehensive drop of Maxon Capsules to date. Cineware for Unreal was also improved for a seamless integration between Cinema 4D and Unreal Engine, including the ability for users to easily implement Redshift materials, cameras and lights to ensure a consistent look throughout their pipelines.

>MEDIA LINKS

elebrating 30 years of Media over IP innovation, Media Links has launched the Xscend IP Media Platform, an adaptable edge gateway that transports all types of media across both managed and unmanaged IP networks. Xscend addresses the migration from SDI-to-IP as well as IP-to-IP environments and is an ideal transport solution for low-latency remote/distributed production applications, including ground-to-cloud connectivity. Xscend’s uniqueness lies in its density and flexibility. Through its hardware modularity, software upgradeability, and license reconfigurability, flexible workflows can be adapted to support a wide variety of use cases, in particular the proliferation of content requirements in sports production. Up to 128 contribution quality services including hitless 25Gbps data and 4K video can be transported. Every week, Media Links IP transport technology flawlessly delivers pristine, high-value media content across local, regional, and national networks for many of the most popular television entertainment and sporting events, including Americas Got Talent, WWE, NASCAR, NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS, NWSL, and more.

>MEDIA.MONKS

t IBC 2023, media.monks announced an AI offering that will infuse machine learning into its software-defined production solution to deliver fans hyper-personalized content across new media formats. The proprietary system utilizes AI and machine learning to select highlights from live broadcasts and more effectively distribute custom content highlights to tailored, interest-based audiences. Driven by advances in technology from Adobe, AWS, and NVIDIA, this disruptive innovation moves media.monks’ broadcast systems into a new arena. media.monks is a pioneer in software-defined production, designing a system that provides limitless versatility to meet the everchanging demands of multi-format delivery to new media forms, screens, and platforms. Available immediately as a production, consulting, and integration service, software-defined production increases reliability through cloud redundancy and distributed global staffing, significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions commonly associated with live broadcast production workflows, and slashes costs from traditional broadcast set-ups by an estimated 50% or more.

>MEDIAKIND

ediaKind is a global change leader in media technology and services. Its mission is to deliver transformation by building a continuously

better media universe alongside its customers and partners. Drawing on a pioneering industry heritage and fueled by innovation, MediaKind embraces and champions new standards, methodologies, and next-generation, immersive live and on-demand media experiences worldwide. Its end-to-end media solutions portfolio includes Emmy award-winning video compression for contribution and direct-to-consumer video service distribution, advertising and content personalization, high-efficiency cloud DVR, and TV and video delivery platforms.

>MEDIAPRO

here is simply no other full-service production organization more equipped to meet your varied needs than MEDIAPRO North America. We are a dynamic full-service media powerhouse with locations in Miami, New York, Toronto, Mexico City, and Monterrey (Mexico). As an integral part of Spain-based GRUP MEDIAPRO, whose presence spans 31 countries, our capabilities include 17 state-of-the-art studios, including LED volumes, virtual production, a fleet of state-of-the-art mobile units, along with the capability and flexibility to provide our clients the broadest range of services. MEDIAPRO North America serves many of the biggest names in the sports and entertainment industry, providing 24/7 access and technical expertise. Our client’s a literal who’s who of the industry, among them Univision, Telemundo, ESPN, Hola TV, beIN Sports, CNN, Discovery Networks, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, LaLiga, Hemisphere Media Group, the Canadian Soccer League, Caribbean Series Baseball Tournament, “The Beautiful Game”, and numerous others. Our four distinct divisions include all facets of Content Production, from concept to distribution; Broadcast & Media Services, which provides all the technical and production services imaginable. Whether in-studio, or through the use of our Mobile Production Vehicles, our Broadcast & Media Services division helps ensure that clients are afforded every tool to bring their projects to success; our Sports Media Rights division owns the audiovisual rights of numerous sporting events which are repurposed to key outlets; and NEXT, our innovation division, develops first-to-market ideas that include content, distribution, new platforms and innovative forms of entertainment.

>MEYERPRO

hat a fantastic year 2023 has been. The event business is roaring, and we continue to expand our footprint in Portland and Seattle with over 12 new staff additions. We launched our new website in February, elegantly displaying our most exciting and breathtaking events — and summarizing our many service options in a few concise categories. Head over to meyerproinc.com to see the new design. During the summer we finalized our purchase of outdoor LED tiles manufactured by AOTO. The SW 3.7 panels are a new product, and we are thrilled to get them out in the sunshine. In July we offered support for the MLB draft at Lu-

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SPONSORUPDATE men Field in Seattle, providing our flagship Sony HDC-5500 cameras, and in August sent a team with Xbox to Cologne, Germany for the world’s largest gaming event — Gamescom.

>MICROSOFT

icrosoft enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

>MO-SYS

he Mo-Sys product range spans remote heads & motion control, broadcast robotics, mechanical and optical camera tracking for AR & VR, VP and on-set visualization. For the past 20+ years, visionary, inventor and technopreneur Michael Geissler has grown Mo-Sys into an industry leader, cultivated close ties to community of broadcast and production clients in 50+ countries including BBC, Netflix, Fox, ZDF, CNN, and ESPN.

>MOBII

obii is at the forefront of live video streaming technology, offering the fastest global glassto-glass latency of under 500 milliseconds. We support a variety of live workflows, ranging from medical teams to live sports analysis. We also cater to data collection, remote television match officiating, media and communications teams, and smart stadium operations. Our track record includes partnerships with prominent global players like SA Rugby, US Major League Rugby, and IMG Arena. Through our Microblock Technology, we achieve synchronous and low-latency performance that’s unmatched elsewhere. With powerful hardware and software, we assist companies in receiving and distributing video and data using both virtual and physical encoders. This facilitates solutions for microbetting, customer engagement, video analysis, review, and match data coding. Our ecosystem promotes seamless local and remote collaboration, uniting stakeholders and fans, ensuring everyone feels part of the same stadium experience — no matter where they are.

>MOBILE TV GROUP

obile TV Group (MTVG) has recently launched mobile unit 53-RP. This unit is a capture only system made to connect to the cloud or centralized production hub with 8+ 1080P HDR cameras including 4 super slo-mos. It features 4 107x lenses and a Calrec Artemis. MTVG enters the fall with six new partnerships covering the NBA, NHL, and MLB and is on track to complete over 4,000 events in 2023.

>MPE

otion Picture Enterprises (MPE) is a fullservice postproduction facility based in New York City, offering all-encompassing, cost effective resources and solutions nationwide. MPE provides both out-of-house editorial rentals and remote hosting, enabling your entire team to work anywhere safely, securely, and without lag. The remote infrastructure includes state-of-the-art data centers with dedicated internet circuits and firewalls, operating across separate fiber-optic networks through carriers that run at 10 Gigabits p/s. In-house technical support team and IT engineers monitor all systems 24/7/365. MPE’s 60,000 sq. ft. NYC facility is available for a flexible, hybrid work model should your team need to operate in-person for editing, onsite collaboration sessions, screenings, and online. MPE Finishing has expanded its range of services which includes color grading and sound mixing to final delivery. Finish remotely or in-person in Dolby Atmos Certified Sound Mix Studios and Dolby Vision 4K UHD Online and Color Grading Suites.

>MULTIDYNE

oneyBadger is an ideal field fiber solution for a new generation of content producers faced with a broader array of formats, signals, and connectors than ever while seeking to bridge the gap between fiber and IP. Ideal for stadiums, arenas, campus and venue-wide signal extension, metropolitan intra-facility connections and classic pointto-point links between trucks, control rooms and studios, HoneyBadger brings several classic MultiDyne strengths together into one common platform with exceptional signal density for HD, 3G (quad-link 4K) and 12G (single-link 4K) productions. With support for eight camera feeds and SDI return channels, HoneyBadger offers an expansive, unparalleled feature set for production-based fiber transport. With HoneyBadger, there are no limits for local signal connectivity and extension, thanks to its high I/O density and two independent 1Gb local-area network (LAN) extensions. The latter enables IP connectivity over single-mode fiber strands. As users can also extend four partyline intercom channels (wet or dry), eight bi-directional line level analog audio outputs and eight mic-pre inputs with phantom power over two cost-efficient single-mode fibers, customers can manage all long-distance bulk fiber transport needs from one box. That also includes analog tri-level or bi-level genlock outputs, legacy GPIO/serial control signals and more.

>NATHANIEL HOWE STUDIOS

e are coming out of a busy summer of production at Nathaniel Howe Studios. We are currently immersed in the branding, animation, and design of TGL, a tech-infused team golf league.

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This new venture, spearheaded by golf legends Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in partnership with the PGA TOUR, is set to tee off in January 2024. The project encompasses a vast array of deliverables, ranging from promo design to main titles, live insert graphics, scoring components, in-arena displays, AR live shots, and dynamic 3D broadcast graphics. In addition to this, we recently completed the design and animation for ‘Sterling’ a stunning season-long promo package for the UEFA Champions League. The toolkit, featuring exquisite 3D renders of the coveted trophy, is now being broadcast on Paramount+ & CBS. Our team has also successfully delivered a Global Brand Toolkit for Bally Sports. This toolkit will streamline promo structure, design, and workflow across the country.

>NEMAL ELECTRONICS INTERNATIONAL

e are pleased to announce that Nemal now provides sales and support for the new Neutrik FiberFox line of rugged tactical fiber connectors. These IP68 rated connectors are available in 2 or 4-fiber versions, are intermateable, and are compatible with industry standard designs iaw MIL-DTL-83526. The expanded beam construction allows for simple cleaning and maintains optical performance exceeding 10,000 mating cycles. FiberFox chassis receptacles fit in a typical “D” hole mount and utilize a standard LC interface. FiberFox expands on the high performance and durability of the opticalCON line by providing an expanded beam option. Nemal continues to provide design, build, and repair capabilities for the opticalCON line of fiber and hybrid connectors, cables, and interface panels. Nemal has also introduced a new line of 12G cables for UHD/4K applications. The cables are available in 3 standard sizes, either in bulk or terminated with 12G BNC or Mini-BNC (HDBNC) connectors.

>NEP GROUP

ou have a vision. We see it, too. And at NEP, we continue to grow our industry-leading Global Production Ecosystem with a full spectrum of solutions to meet the needs of our clients. Today, this outstanding network of leading experts, advanced technology, and exceptional facilities includes global fleet of over 200 mobile units, 150 flypacks, and 25 connected production hubs — all supported by the most experienced team in the business. In 2023 we’ve launched 15 new connected production facilities including mobile units, flypacks and production hubs enabling our clients to work how they want whether fully on site, hybrid or remote. Through this ecosystem we offer complete end-to-end solutions including: specialty capture and RF; connectivity; unilateral and alternative feed production; live ingest; commercial insertion and SCTE triggering; AR and Graphics; me-

dia asset management and archiving; distribution and transmission solutions; logistics and shipping — and so much more. Recently, at the 2023 NAB and IBC shows, our teams took home awards for innovative developments with our 5G NR MiniTx UHD and TFC (Total Facility Control) technologies, as we continue our efforts to push technology forward for our clients and the broader industry. With operations in 25 countries around the world, we are proudly built on 40 years of trusted experience to deliver the solutions you need — anytime, anywhere.

>NET INSIGHT

BS Sports has spearheaded the launch of a worldwide cloud-based media workflow environment that encompasses every aspect from production to contribution and playout. Leveraging the potent functionalities of Grass Valley’s GV AMPP and Net Insight’s pioneering Nimbra Edge solution, this bold initiative enables all operators to coordinate and manage operations remotely. Collaborating closely with CBS Sports during the launch of the Golazo Network, Net Insight has played a pivotal role in this notable moment. The partnership promises a transformation in sports broadcasting, unlocking the full potential of cloud-native playout for premium content delivery. This groundbreaking ecosystem is uniformly distributed across five AWS regions, showcasing the unmatched strength of the recently inaugurated Nimbra Edge cloud-based media network. This state-of-the-art network facilitates not only cost-effective content contributions but also offers scalable resources and agile workflows. It stands as a viable alternative to satellite technology, simplifying distribution to playouts and rights holders immensely.

>NETAPP

etApp is a global, cloud-led, data-centric software company that empowers organizations to lead with data in the age of accelerated digital transformation. The company provides systems, software, and cloud services that enable them to run their applications optimally from data center to cloud, whether they are developing in the cloud, moving to the cloud, or creating their own cloudlike experiences on premises. With solutions that perform across diverse environments, NetApp helps organizations build their own data fabric and securely deliver the right data, services, and applications to the right people—anytime, anywhere.

>NETSCOUT

etscout Systems assures digital business services against disruptions in availability, performance, and security. Our market and technology leadership stems from combining our patented smart data technology with smart analytics. We provide real-time, pervasive visibility, and insights customers need to accelerate, and secure their digital transformation. Our approach transforms the way organizations plan, deliver, integrate, test, and deploy services and applications.

>NEWSBRIDGE

ewsbridge offers cutting-edge solutions with its patented indexing technology, MXT-1, designed to deliver significant value to sports organizations. MXT-1 is a multimodal and generative AI, leveraging natural language models, computer vision, and speech processing to create human-like descriptions of video scenes, photos, and audio files. Specifically trained on sports, media, and entertainment content, MXT-1 excels in these domains by indexing at an extreme speed — achieving a sevenfold increase in cost and energy efficiency compared to traditional AI solutions on the market. This efficiency is attained through optimal CPU usage and intelligent frame sampling, minimizing energy consumption and making it affordable at scale. Newsbridge’s solutions are built on MXT-1, offering “Just Index with MXT-1” for audiovisual content metadata extraction and seamless integration with third-party MAMs. “Media Hub” comes with its companion mobile app for centralized content management and distribution to internal teams, sponsors, players, and social media channels.

>OPENGEAR PARTNER PROGRAM

penGear leader partners — AJA Video Systems, Apantac, Cobalt Digital, Decimator Design, MultiDyne, Ross Video, VITEC — give you the freedom to choose technology from a wide range of products to meet the needs of your broadcast, production, or distribution facility while maintaining a compatible openGear frame infrastructure. Get what you need for 12G, IP, live production, encoding, transport and anything else you need. openGear is the industry standard platform of choice for modular signal processing. openGear is a registered trademark of Ross Video Ltd. Get the new 2023 Ultimate openGear Applications Guide: www.opengear.tv/ultimate-application-guide

>OSA INTERNATIONAL

>NEXTOLOGIES

extologies specializes in building solutions that turn our customers’ challenges into competitive advantages, and we take that one step further. We don’t just create the solutions; we implement them, too. Whatever technology challenge you face, let Nextologies handle it for you. In 2023, we launched our newest innovation, NXTMCR: a hybrid solution designed to provide a unified remote master control interface for live event production. It orchestrates incoming satellite and/ or IP signals, video routers, video switchers, audio coms, video monitoring, scheduling systems and pre recorded files, and generates a downstream feed that’s fully loaded with SCTE markers, CCs and all the metadata necessary to distribute the signal to any taker around the world. NXT-MCR eliminates the burden of connecting to various systems through different remote control interface applications combining a one-stop UI, easy to learn and operate, that can reduce the manpower required for productions by 50 percent.

>OPENDRIVES

Blacklight, CloudSoda, Archiware P5, and Axle AI enhance cloud editing, remote access, backup, and archiving. As a team of former creatives, postproduction heads, and IT engineers, OpenDrives understands the industry’s biggest pain points — and solves them through first-hand experience and workflow expertise.

penDrives streamlines and accelerates content workflows with software-defined storage management and data services trusted by Fox Sports, CBS Sports, L.A. Kings, and many more M&E heavyweights. Delivering “everything, everywhere” data movement and management for Fox Sports, OpenDrives served as a partner behind industry’s first flyable broadcast production system. This helped Fox Sports cut a week off setup time in Sydney and boost write speeds for video files, earning OpenDrives team members a Sports Emmy. Most recently, OpenDrives debuted multi-cloud migration to centralize Fox Sports’ 27-petabyte data environment across over a dozen onsite studios and editing facilities as well as cloud deployments. Containerized application solutions with

SA has had a busy year supplying equipment in a variety of sports including baseball, softball, tennis and cricket. We are supporting our strategic partner FingerWorks deploying systems now featuring FingerWorks 6 player tracking. Our Las Vegas location moved into a new 130,000 sq ft warehouse.

>OSPREY VIDEO

he Osprey Video Talon Hardware Encoding and Decoding platform is the go-to hardware platform for System Integrators, live streaming operators and OEM’s looking for workflow flexibility and professional features at a price point that is not cost prohibitive. The Talon is platform agnostic, and our robust SDK and available features are unmatched in its class of products. The Talon 4K was built with security and stability in mind. With its ability to handle harsh network and physical environments it offers users peace of mind when faced with unfavorable conditions. With its roots in Real-time Streaming with battlefield and other harsh environments Osprey Video was able to easily pivot and put these same principles in place for personalized and interactive workflows in Media and Entertainment with a focus on sports.

>PANASONIC CONNECT

anasonic Connect offers an extensive portfolio of live production solutions that take gameday productions to the next level. Its award-winning live production platform, KAIROS, provides teams with unlimited control, delivering dynamic content to multiple screens and distribution platforms while streamlining production workflows. Panasonic Connect continues to expand KAIROS’ capabilities. The next generation KAIROS Cores, AT-KC200 and AT-KC2000, offer enhanced functionality and performance to streamline connectivity, improve video processing performance, and

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SPONSORUPDATE provide larger file storage capacity. The KC2000 offers the most capacity yet with up to 128 inputs and 80 outputs, more video processing power, and a larger 850 GB internal clip player. Whether your production includes multiple UHD broadcast outputs or content transfer to a LED screen at 32MP in scale, KAIROS’ screen management capability provides a simple, unified canvas to paint a single look or effect across all outputs. Integration with Panasonic Connect’s wide array of PTZ and studio cameras makes it easy for teams to capture stunning imagery to immerse fans. Panasonic Connect continues to innovate and expand its sports production solutions. Stay tuned for exciting announcements coming this fall at NAB New York!

>PERIFERY

fter acquiring Object Matrix earlier this year, Perifery has continued to strengthen its footprint to become a leading object storage provider for sports-related organizations. Perifery’s core products, Object Matrix and Swarm, provide simple, cost-effective scalability, with the highest levels of content security built in. Sports organizations benefit from several in-facility and on-set/remote solutions that are purpose built for nearline content archive, preservation, and distribution. Working with some of the biggest names in sports, including ATP Media, Intersport, and Whisper Cymru, Perifery’s customer base is growing yearon-year. Perifery’s Senior VP – Content & Technology, Jonathan Morgan spoke at the SVG Sports Content Management Forum in July to share a discussion focused on edge to core to cloud. With AI/ ML technologies transforming media production, Perifery has introduced AI+, representing a breakthrough in media content production at the edge. AI+ is integrated with Perifery Verge, which allows users to securely transport content from remote to in-facility with full end-to-end encryption. By combining on-prem or cloud-based object storage with storage at the edge, sports organizations can benefit from highly optimized workflows. We continue to work closely with our partners, releasing new technical integrations to manage and monetize their video assets.

>PHENIX REAL-TIME SOLUTIONS

henix’s feature-rich platform is essential for captivating audiences and providing immersive experiences that accelerate revenue growth for sportsbooks, sports leagues, and gaming properties as well as live shopping and hybrid auction platforms. As the only video streaming provider with proven experience delivering broadcastquality video to more than 500,000 concurrent viewers with less than ½ second of latency, Phenix continues to redefine the boundaries of what’s possible with real-time video delivery. In its pursuit to provide an unrivaled video streaming experience,

Phenix goes beyond other real-time streaming providers by offering adaptive bitrate and a global architecture with a multi-cloud infrastructure and 34 points of presence (PoPs) worldwide. And now, DRM and server-side ad insertion (SSAI) while maintaining less than ½ second end-to-end latency. With these latest innovations, Phenix cements its status as the ultimate choice for interactive video, constantly breaking new ground and redefining the realm of possibilities.

>PIXELLOT

023 continued the strong demand from leagues and federations to bring live coverage to women’s sports, youth sports, and lower league teams that until now had no coverage. This tremendous growth was complimented by the release of Pixellot’s revolutionary new Show S3 sports streaming camera system. Additionally, our new status as an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Technology Partner enables Pixellot to leverage the power of AWS’s cloud ecosystem to enhance its services and superior customer experience. A prime example of the game-changing revolution that is going on in the sports world is our partnership with one of the most innovative and forward-thinking sports federations in the world — the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). FPF’s Project 2030 plan to transform the way football is played, watched, and analyzed is a model for other sports federations. The partnership will kick off with the deployment of Pixellot’s Production suite, which will cover +1,000 matches per season.

>PIXOTOPE

ixotope is the world’s leading Mixed Reality solution for live media production. Leveraging the full power of the Unreal (UE4) render engine, Pixotope empowers content creators and broadcasters to produce best in class Mixed Reality content for television, online streaming, and film. Mixed Reality for media production enables content owners, creators, and distributors to tell stories in new and exciting ways, catching the attention of an increasingly fragmented audience.

>PLANETCAST INTERNATIONAL

lanetcast International addresses the needs of media and entertainment companies in Europe, North America and LatAm for cloud-first media services that enhance, protect, organize and deliver video content. Planetcast’s media services reduce costs and improve quality across the entire broadcast chain, from acquisition through to final distribution to the consumer.

>PLIANT TECHNOLOGIES

liant Technologies new MicroCom 900XR Wireless Headset, combines the great sound quality, excellent range, and budget-friendly price

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point of MicroCom XR with the comfortable fit, exceptional noise isolation, and flip-up muting technology of the SmartBoom PRO headset, but without the wire. The latest addition exhibits the same proven performance and functionality as the MicroCom 900XR beltpack but is engineered to fit into the SmartBoom PRO headset ear cup. Its unique all-in-one design features an easy-to-read OLED display, two intercom channels with a dual listen option, and supports up to 10 full-duplex users including unlimited listen-only and shared users. Available in single- and dual-ear configurations, featuring an internal antenna and field swappable batteries with considerable run time (14 hours on the dual-ear and seven hours on the single-ear), the new headset’s lightweight and adjustable design allows for comfortable all-day wear. It also collapses for easy storage and travel.

>PRG

RG is the world’s leading provider of entertainment and event technology solutions and has the largest inventory of rental production equipment. PRG provides comprehensive and discreet services to an array of clients in the live music, TV/ Film, Broadway, sports, gaming, corporate experiential, and live events markets. Clients and partners depend on PRG’s innovation, experience, and depth of experience in audio, video, lighting, rigging, virtual production, staging, scenery and automation systems to bring their stories to life. With 42 offices across six continents and 29 counties, PRG has capabilities to provide services worldwide. For more information, please visit https:// www.prg.com/.

>PRODUCTIONHUB

fter nearly 20 years, ProductionHUB has grown beyond an alternative to production guides and the yellow pages into the largest global network of film and video professionals ready to bring your content to life. ProductionHUB has come a long way since their lean beginnings. No matter what you need for a production, they’ll help you find it with plenty of time before the cameras start rolling. Search their growing network of over 150,000 professionals, place a request for something specific, post a full-time job or let them do all the crewing for you. Beyond their crewing services, they keep you up to date with emerging trends in the industry with their blog and press from leading, innovative companies.

>PROFESSIONAL WIRELESS SYSTEMS

rofessional Wireless Systems (PWS), based out of Orlando and New York, continues to be the leading company in supporting RF and wireless equipment. PWS provides on-site RF coordination support for live production events in the sports,

entertainment and corporate industries. Our latest events include the Super Bowl, ESPN Top Rank Boxing as well as Riot Games. Setting up a stable RF system can be difficult to understand and complicated to deploy. PWS knows that stable, repeatable RF is vital to a successful event or installation. Whatever solution is appropriate, PWS is your one-stop-shop for all RF system rentals, specialized products, and onsite support. PWS is the only manufacturer of RF hardware that also provides design, deployment and coordination services for some of the most critical events in the world. As a result, this unique combination ensures that all PWS products solve real world RF problems.

>PROGRAM PRODUCTIONS

s North America’s #1 provider of live event labor, Program Productions will crew a recordbreaking amount of broadcast event days in 2023 — more than 30,000 — with a database of 18,000 skilled technicians. We’re providing our clients with the reliable and innovative solutions they need to make each event a success. PPI’s global reach, combined with our local expertise, continues to benefit our clients through cost-effective crew placement and scheduling. In 2022, we launched a training program to rebuild the post-COVID deficit of skilled technicians. Since the inception of the program, 100 technicians across 21 markets have been trained in 14 positions. Program Productions continues to join forces with ProCrewz, the event labor management platform and mobile app, a recent winner of the 2023 NAB Show Product of the Year Award. Together, PPI, ProCrewz and XLT offer an unrivaled, fully integrated solution, with PPI providing the skilled event labor and ProCrewz and XLT serving as a complete end-to-end labor and payroll management platform. Powered by ProCrewz, XLT equips you with a custom-built platform for event labor management, backed by a dedicated team of experts. This all-in-one solution enables you to communicate with crews in real time, tap into HR & legal support, and access customized labor and financial data reports. In 2023, as event days have reached record highs and crewing logistics have become significantly more challenging, these features have proven to be nothing less than essential. And we’re just getting started. Expect more updates to ProCrewz as we continue to innovate the live-event space. Catch all the action at ProCrewz.com.

>PSSI GLOBAL SERVICES/ STRATEGIC TV

ith the largest fleet of transmission vehicles in North America, one of the largest privately owned teleports in the world and an expert team available 24/7 for events across the globe, PSSI Global Services provides comprehensive event, transmission and connectivity solutions via satellite, fiber, IP, and beyond.

>PURE MOBILE PRODUCTIONS

ounded in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2010, Pure Mobile Productions has a fleet of two advanced, state-of-the-art HD mobile production

trucks and five production support trucks, providing live sports broadcasts for the NBA’s Utah Jazz, MLS’ Real Salt Lake, the Utah Royals FC, ESPN events, including Monday Night Football and College GameDay, as well as NBC Universal’s The Golf Channel in the United States and Canada. Pure Mobile Productions has also provided trucks for the NBA Finals, NFL Playoff games, the NFL Draft, numerous College Football Bowl Games, and UFC Events, to name a few.

>QUANTUM

uantum has your future of end-to-end sports content production workflows covered−including high-speed collaboration from on-premises to the cloud and back, AI-enabled content enhancement, and more including: Myriad All-Flash File and Object Storage that delivers consistent, low-latency performance that is ideal for VFX, animation, and virtual workflows and rendering. Agile, efficient shared workflows that bring together sports content production teams. Content enhancement automation with AI and ML powered by Quantum CatDV. Content protection and large-scale archives at any scale on the most costeffective and energy-efficient storage. Learn more about insight-driven workflows at quantum.com/ sports

>Q5X

5X unveiled 4 new designed-for-sport wireless audio transmitters at IBC. Trusted for our rubber/flexible PlayerMic, Q5X continues to innovate rugged solutions in both Axient Digital and analog. Toggle — software selectable push-to-talk or mute or talkback. This transmitter compliments the functionality of our existing RefMic, which features a rocker-style mute switch. AquaMic XL — this waterproof transmitter is IP68 rated to 30 m and boasts a 36-hour battery in a new curvy shape. With an approximate 50g increase in weight, the battery life increased by 20 hours compared to our AquaMic L. TossMic — this “throwable” transmitter has a weighted beanbag ring to assure the waterproof integrated microphone lands sunny-sideup! The outer ring can be removed to become a 36hour PlantMic. GolfHoleMic — the name says it all! This transmitter is integrated into the cup with a waterproof microphone. It is newly available in Axient Digital.

>QUINCE IMAGING

>REALITY CHECK SOLUTIONS

eality Check Solutions (RCS) ignites on-air viewing experiences for some of the mostwatched sporting, esports and entertainment events on television, second screen and OTT services. With offices in Burbank, CA and London, RCS has partnered with the world’s leading sports leagues, federations, networks and social media giants since 1997 to fuel audience engagement through a customized fusion of dynamic graphics, real-time data, and social media. To give shape to each client’s unique vision, RCS develops sophisticated graphics and production systems that can be seamlessly deployed in a wide array of professional environments.

>RED5

ed5 Sports Streaming Solutions allows customers to capture fans with next-gen interactive live video experiences. Red5 delivers TrueTime Solutions for Sports making real-time possible, delivering live video at the speed of thought. Our TrueTime portfolio suite includes Multiview, DataSync, WatchParty, and Studio. Employ usercontrolled camera angles, alternate commentary, on-screen player stats, watch parties, and liveaction microbetting. Wow multitude of fans with next-gen entertainment opportunities. Recent deployments include major sports leagues streaming all star games and remote camera management. Red5 has also been chosen to be the prime streaming provider for a major retail sports betting franchise in Europe.

>RF WIRELESS

uince Imaging continues to set the pace in the evolution of projection mapping, harnessing cutting-edge technology trends to redefine athletic experiences. By integrating state-of-the-art RGB 35K Christie Digital laser projectors and Pixera media servers, Quince has elevated spectacles for institutions like the University of Missouri Athletics. This fusion of technology amplifies the game experience and crafts immersive and captivating moments that leave fans spellbound.

>QVEST

cast and media. It touts a proven track record, having driven complex transformative initiatives globally in the areas of streaming, digital media supply chain, broadcast systems integration, media workflows and data and analytics solutions. Qvest provides deep domain expertise at the nexus of content and direct to consumer models. Recently, Qvest and a major sports network teamed up to build a strategic technology roadmap. Their joint aim is to future-proof the network’s facilities, increasing their capability and flexibility. This ensures they are well-positioned to adapt to evolving workflows and meet the broadcasting requirements of tomorrow. Qvest stands as the ideal partner for driving innovation and new business models.

vest is the world’s largest media-focused consulting and system integration firm for broad-

ith 30 great years behind us, we are looking forward to the next 30! The little Canadian RF engine that could has had some huge wins over the last year. UmpVu for MLB, the very innovative Natural Selection Tour, WTS Triathlon series, and many more. Innovation, creativity and outstanding client integration remain the focus of this growing company. RF video, audio, communications rentals, and integration.

>RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS

iedel Communications has had a strong year! With the integration of Simplylive, Riedel has an impressive line-up of live video-production

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SPONSORUPDATE tools including the Simplylive Production Suite, offering ViBox for multicamera productions, with Slomo and RefBox. Additionally, RiMotion replay, RiCapture UHD recorder, the Venue Gateway and the Web Multiviewer enable simple, scalable production and replay for anyone, anywhere. Riedel’s MediorNet IP solutions for video and audio processing and distribution, including the FusioN IP edge-device and the VirtU processing-platform, are based on the innovative MuoN SFP technology and exude an abundance of processing: encoding/ decoding, ST 2110 gateways, multiviewers, and HDR conversion between any SDR/ HDR formats, including Slog3, PQ, and HLG. MediorNet HorizoN seamlessly unites the worlds of SDI (TDM) and ST 2110 IP and works alongside Riedel’s award-winning MicroN UHD media distribution and processing platform, adding bandwidth, I/O, higher resolutions, and processing power to the MediorNet TDM platform. Riedel’s award-winning Bolero wireless intercom has won an Emmy Award! Bolero offers both the DECT 1.9Ghz and 2.4Ghz versions, including capabilities in combined networks. The scalable and reliable Artist-1024 intercom matrix goes from 16 ports to 1024 in 2RU. Riedel’s SmartPanel Series decouples a keypanel’s capabilities from its hardware and turns it into a software-definable application platform. With the Audio Monitoring App (AMA), the 1200 Series SmartPanels now unite advanced intercom, control, automation, and monitoring functionalities in a single panel. For the 1200 Series Control Panel App (CPA), several third-party implementations of broadcast control and automation software are currently available.

broadcasters from around the globe to draw fans deeper into the game. The combination of production control room technology, LED content management systems, and stunning 3D data-driven graphics streamlines event production for operators while delivering fully immersive and unforgettable experiences for fans. Sports & Live Events Success Stories Ross solutions are entrenched in the workflows for both sports broadcasters and in-venue production teams at stadiums and arenas across Europe. Some recent customer success stories include SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA and US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. Another recent company success was the acquisition of Austria-based Spidercam, the global supplier of broadcast cable camera solutions. Spidercam made its television debut in 2005 and is now the market leader in cutting-edge cable camera solutions used to create unique outdoor shots for sporting events, concerts, esports, and TV shows around the globe. Introducing XPression Tessera One Last year, the Sports & Live Events group added to its ever-expanding range of products with the introduction of XPression Tessera One — a simple, compact, affordable, and powerful LED content management system that provides over six million broadcastquality pixels to drive LED displays in sports venues of all sizes. Featuring customizable XPression Graphics and DashBoard Control Panels, several customers have already used Tessera One to successfully elevate their game-day productions while streamlining operations for production teams. To learn more about Ross Video’s Sports & Live event solutions visit rossvideo.com/sports/sports-venue

>ROHDE & SCHWARZ

uilt on a 90-year heritage, Rohde & Schwarz develops, produces and markets a wide range of electronic capital goods for industry, infrastructure operators and government customers. The independent group is among the technology and market leaders in all of its business fields, including wireless communications and RF test and measurement, air traffic control and military radiocommunications, cybersecurity and network technology with an unparalleled expertise in supporting the entire Broadcast and Media value chain from content ingest to the transmission of the broadcasting signal. The Broadcast & Media product portfolio is designed with a customer focus to match your application needs and spans from post-production, studio production, and playout far down your delivery network, and is strengthened by exceptional service & support options.

>ROSS VIDEO

>RT SOFTWARE T Software, the Broadcast Graphics specialists, provide a comprehensive set of solutions for News, Sports, Entertainment and Channel Branding. Tactic Pro is the leading sports analysis telestrator on the market today, thanks to its advanced feature set. AI Player Tracking, AI Pitch Calibration and AI Player Drag are all designed to accelerate tedious manual processes and let the user focus on creating more insightful sequences. Another product in the range, Tactic Live offers superb live virtual graphics keying for all surface types. Reference customers are using it to add virtual markers to improve viewer engagement across a range of sports from horseracing (grass and dirt), to international catamaran racing (water). Our Swift range covers augmented reality graphics, newsroom integration and standard overlay graphics. All built on our scalable, future proof render engine with superb file and format support (NDI / SDI / ST2110). Cloud ready, and all able to be controlled by a web browser.

oss Video’s live broadcast production solutions for sports & live events have helped teams and

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>RTS INTERCOM SYSTEMS

TS is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of intercom solutions. From the Advanced Digital Audio Matrix (ADAM) systems used to coordinate major network broadcasts of the world’s largest events to small-format systems used for in-house productions, RTS is dedicated to innovating the future of global communications.

>RUSH MEDIA COMPANY

ith clients that include every major network and sports league, Rush Media Company has a proven track record of producing, packaging and innovating live television productions at every level. With a fleet of more than 23 mobile production units, offices and facilities located around the country, Rush Media Company is the leader in packaging live events.

>RYVAL STUDIOS

yval Studios has had a great 2023 welcoming new clients Duke University, Madison Square Garden Sports, Chicago Bears, and NC State University. Ryval is working with these new clients to provide production services for their open videos, intro videos graphics and post-production needs. Ryval is a live-action production company that works with professional and collegiate sports teams to help produce in-venue, social media and marketing/advertising content needs.

>SCALE LOGIC

t Scale Logic, we understand the ever-expanding demands of the Sports Entertainment industry when it comes to providing solutions within content creation environments. With the sports market content continuously growing, it is essential to leverage advanced technologies like data analytics, AI, and high-performance data storage for content production and distribution. Additionally, managing performance, scalability, and data protection while maximizing ROI is crucial for sports facilities. New Customer Wins: NHL, US Figure Skating and the Orlando Magic. We are proud to announce our exclusive VAD agreement to deliver the foremost AI Content Search tool available today. Read more: https://scalelogicinc. com/data-management/ai-content-search/

>SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY

eagate Technology crafts the datasphere, helping to maximize humanity’s potential by innovating world-class, precision-engineered data storage and management solutions with a focus on sustainable partnerships. As a global technology leader for more than 40 years, the company has shipped over three billion terabytes of data capacity.

>SENCORE

encore, a pioneer in broadcast solutions, stands at the forefront of transforming the sports video landscape. With a rich history spanning over six decades, Sencore is renowned for its commitment to cutting-edge technology and unmatched expertise. Sencore proudly acquired Adtec Digital’s AFN platform, further enriching its broadcast solutions portfolio. This integration empowers Sencore to deliver seamless, top-tier video processing, distribution, and monitoring. It elevates the quality and reliability of sports video content, ensuring an immersive and captivating viewer experience. Sencore’s comprehensive suite of solutions includes encoding and decoding systems, signal monitoring, and content delivery platforms. Sencore’s unwavering commitment to excellence equips broadcasters, sports networks, and production teams with the tools they need to thrive in the dynamic world of sports video. Discover how Sencore shaping the future of sports video production and distribution with groundbreaking solutions at www. sencore.com and stay at the forefront of sports video technology.

>SENNHEISER

ew dimensions of listening, impressive sound experiences and moments to give you goosebumps — the world of audio can deliver all of this: At Sennheiser, we seek to excel in shaping such experiences each and every day. Since the inception of our company 75 years ago, we have become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of headphones, loudspeakers, microphones, and wireless transmission systems.

>SES

ur latest innovation for the dynamic sports market is SES SCORE, an innovative sports and events media platform that connects content owners and rights holders with takers via a single, easy-to-manage UI. With the worldwide demand for live content still growing, all sides are under increasing pressure to optimize their distribution processes and take advantage of new opportunities when they arise. However, managing live event bookings is a complex task requiring significant resources. And taking advantage of the wealth of opportunities that live events offer requires the ability to swiftly connect content owners and takers together to maximize monetization. SES SCORE provides each side with at-a-glance complete visibility into availability and pricing of all the individual components that make up an event broadcast (4K UHD, HD, audio, metadata, etc.). This allows them to make decisions swiftly and easily control and monitor all aspects of what has, to date, been a complex process.

>SHURE

hure understands the challenges of capturing accurate audio from sports events, especially in high-density RF environments with players, coaches, and announcers in action. Their Q5X transmitters integrated with the Axient Digital wireless platform capture high-quality audio un-

der the most extreme in-game conditions. The ADX5D Axient Digital Dual-channel Portable Receiver is a reliable and flexible solution for capturing audio from the sidelines, locker room, or even in the stands. Shure’s newly released AD600 Digital Spectrum Manager streamlines your wireless workflow with real-time scanning capabilities that quickly locate clear operating frequencies and provide full RF spectrum analyses and site surveys. Shure’s microphones and RF solutions have been trusted by broadcast sound engineering professionals for decades, delivering clear and consistent sound to audiences worldwide. From halftime shows to studio productions, Shure is an integral part of the sports broadcasting industry, providing reliable and high-quality audio capture and transmission solutions.

>SIGNIANT

he world’s biggest sports broadcasters put their faith in the Signiant Platform to meet the mission-critical content flow needs during events like the Men’s World Cup, Super Bowl LVII, and the Summer and Winter Games. For massive global events like these, Signiant software is moving petabytes of content before, during and after the game. Wherever content needs to flow, whether it is remote edit teams, automated content flow between systems, content exchange between rightsholder and broadcast partners or to and from the cloud, the Signiant Platform has it covered. The Signiant Platform supports the accelerated movement of growing files over any IP network, a mission critical capability for live events where speed is everything. Remote editors can create highlight clips from various camera feeds immediately after the action takes place. Moving content into storage as it is being created dramatically reduces the time to shut down production trucks after the event — saving time and money. With the introduction of Media Engine on the Signiant Platform, customers can find, preview and interact with media right where it lives, without having to move or ingest it into an asset management system, which also speeds up operations in sports.

>SILVER SPOON ANIMATION

ilver Spoon is a leading provider of real-time animation and virtual production for all screens, from broadcast to emerging social media formats. With roots in premium performance capture, we work nimbly across industries, from advertising and gaming to film and TV. At our 12,000 sq. foot facility in Brooklyn, NY, we are constantly innovating, and expanding the boundaries of what can be made in real time.

>SKYCAM/CABLECAM

kycam is a leading designer, manufacturer and operator of mobile aerial camera systems. Skycam plays a significant role in changing the way sports are broadcasted in America, appearing at marquee broadcast events such as Super Bowl XXXVII, US Tennis Open, NCAA Final Four, NFL Pro Bowl, Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, NCAA College Football.

>SKYLINE COMMUNICATIONS

kyline Communications is the global leading supplier of end-to-end multi-vendor NMS, OSS and orchestration software solutions for the broadband and media industry. Our flagship DataMiner network management platform, which received various prestigious awards, enables end-to-end integration of the most complex technical ecosystems and has been deployed by leading operators around the world.

>SMT

MT’s Puck and Player Tracking system, known as NHL EDGE by the league, is now being deployed in NHL stadiums, providing instant data intelligence to fans through graphics displayed on centerhung videoboards, and on screens in hospitality suites and throughout concourses. These integrated graphics grant fans access to data such as players’ top speeds, shot speeds, lineup changes, time on ice (TOI), team comparisons, hardest shots, and other key storytelling elements. Since 2020, SMT has provided the NHL with the most comprehensive end-to-end technology solution in sports, encompassing scoring, tracking, graphics, and virtual insertion technology. In 2021, SMT introduced its OPTICS data-based graphics system, powered by OASIS, its revolutionary platform that transforms raw data and video into dynamic realtime graphics. OPTICS enriches the viewer experience with graphics featuring events such as passes, goals, times of possession, and more, along with pointers, discs, and trails that reveal game-winning strategies.

>SNA DISPLAYS

e bring our clients’ creative visions to life. SNA Displays builds high-end digital displays as vivid and dynamic as the imagination. Our work is supported by industry-leading expertise and service. We prove to our clients that dreams live digitally.

>SOLID STATE LOGIC

olid State Logic (SSL) designs and manufactures award-winning technology for large-scale broadcast audio production. System T is SSL’s nextgeneration broadcast production platform. It is a truly IP-native, distributed, and scalable audio production system that can be tailored to any production application. It offers market-leading architectural flexibility; any configuration of control surfaces, processing engines, and I/O can be combined to build the perfect system. SSL recently launched the Tempest Control App (TCA). Delivering full control of all mixing, routing, monitoring, setup, and automation functions, including the entire suite of next-gen immersive production tools, SSL’s TCA brings to the market an unprecedented level of production flexibility and operational adaptability for broadcasters of all sizes. TCA is a robust and highly scalable control solution for key broadcast audio applications, including remote production, newsroom production, backup scenarios, or anywhere a physical control surface is not required. Audiotonix, Solid State Logic’s parent company,

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SPONSORUPDATE has developed a cloud-based processing platform which over the past 12 months has been utilized in a number of successful proof-of-concept events with sports broadcast partners. TCA will provide a software-based control solution that can run ‘locally’ alongside the cloud-based audio processing. The existing System T remote functionality can be used to connect another control surface that is on the ground. This could be a large-format console, a smaller console, or another instance of TCA.

>SOLOTECH

olotech is your single source for audio, video, lighting, rigging, soft goods, control and collaboration solutions & services. Our world-renowned notoriety in live productions, systems integration and equipment makes us unique.

>SONY

ony Electronics offers a comprehensive suite of tools and technologies to help creators connect within their fans. Their legendary imaging tools ranging from Alpha full-frame cameras to bring viewers directly into celebrations, to their award-winning Cinema Line and Super 35mm System Cameras with global shutter, provide professionals with the ultimate in versatility and flexibility to help them achieve new levels of creativity in storytelling and unique vantage points. Sony’s Networked Live technologies are a part of an ecosystem designed to enable production resources to be optimally connected, used, and shared — regardless of location. It includes solutions, products, and services focused on network and resource orchestration, media transport and hybrid processing and operations. Networked Live brings together the power of Sony and Nevion, a Sony Group company and architect of virtualized media production. Together, they offer extensive live production and IP network technology expertise with a focus on the logistics and economics of live production. Networked Live provides ideal integrated solutions for facilities, contribution, remote production and distributed production to help revolutionize production workflows. Sony’s Ci Media Cloud platform connects teams, content and devices from nearly any location in a reliable and secure environment. With powerful APIs and innovative applications, Ci allows for multi-site contribution, live previews, collaboration, NLE integrations and browser-based sub-clipping to help companies get clutch moments to your fans faster and smarter. With Ci, creators can upload melts or push live streams automatically to log the action from virtually anywhere so content can be searchready. Learn more: pro.sony.

>SOS GLOBAL EXPRESS

o one knows freight forwarding and logistics like SOS Global Express. After all, we’ve been

doing it at the highest levels for nearly four decades and we’re not slowing down. At SOS Global Express, we are an engineered solutions partner whose multimodal logistics services (air / sea / ground freight and solutions for dangerous goods & batteries) are trusted by premier clients in several industries, including sports broadcasting and music touring. We are more than a freight forwarder, we partner with our clients to engineer logistics solutions that are reliable, timely, and cost-effective. Our clients trust us to handle all aspects of their time sensitive freight movements, requiring precision and proven experience. Whether it requires moving a few dozen miles or traversing an ocean, our team is ready to turn any challenge into an opportunity. SOS Global Express is headquartered in New Bern, NC, with offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates. Backed by the resources of NEP’s global network, our international team includes 200+ logistics specialists and sales professionals who are ready to meet your needs 24/7/365. Learn more about our logistics solutions and schedule a free consultation call with one of our freight specialists at www.sosglobal.com.

>SPALK

e help the world’s leading sports properties tell their stories to the world. We do this by building powerful software, partnering with leading commentators and using our unique commercial insight to allow sports leagues & broadcasters to drive fan engagement & achieve their goals.

>SPECTRA LOGIC

n sports, vast amounts of highly valuable content is created regularly. Immediate and long-term protection of these assets as well as timely access to new and legacy content is critical to creating and delivering stories quickly to the fan base. Spectra’s solutions provide intelligent tiering and lifecycle management of assets, delivering superior protection while placing content on the right storage medium(s) to enable fast access to content when needed. Single namespace coupled with intelligent policies hydrate content from slower archives to faster storage devices to provide fast access to both recent and legacy content. Spectra’s modern architecture offers integration of on-premises storage with cloud storage and multi-sites to activate content sharing, collaborating and protecting, while accommodating hybrid workflows and true business continuity strategies. Contact us today to see how Spectra’s expertise can help you create, share, monetize and preserve your sports stories for today’s viewers as well as future generations.

>SPIIDEO

piideo continues to revolutionize the world of sports broadcasting with its innovative AI-

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powered automatic production technology. This groundbreaking technology empowers media rights-holders, producers, and leagues to effortlessly broadcast thousands of games, all without the need for a single camera operator. By utilizing Spiideo’s cutting-edge low-latency sports production cloud, any game can be seamlessly live-streamed to fans around the globe. Spiideo’s advanced camera system and platform also provides multiple additional feeds, opening up a world of possibilities for tactical analysis, scouting, betting, data collection, and more. With this comprehensive solution, not only does it significantly reduce the cost of production, but it also unlocks a multitude of revenue streams that can be leveraged to monetize content rights. With Spiideo, the world of sports broadcasting reaches new heights of efficiency, affordability, and revenue generation. Sharing footage from the cloud has never been easier, and broadcasting can even be automated, saving time and resources.

>SPORTRADAR

portradar is a leading global provider of sports betting and sports entertainment products and services. Established in 2001, the company is wellpositioned at the intersection of the sports, media and betting industries, providing sports federations, news media, consumer platforms and sports betting operators with a range of solutions to help grow their business.

>ST ENGINEERING IDIRECT

T Engineering iDirect is a global leader in satellite communications (satcom) providing technology and solutions that enable its customers to expand their business, differentiate their services and optimize their satcom networks. With over 35 years of innovation focused on solving satellite’s most critical economic and technology challenges, we are committed to shaping the future of how the world connects.

>STATS PERFORM

tats Perform is the market leader in SportsTech providing the most trusted sports data and the latest advancements in applying AI and machine learning to deliver better predictions for teams, sportsbooks and a more engaging broadcast, media and fan experience. The company collects the most detailed sports data to create new experiences across sports. Leveraging the richest sports database, Stats Perform enhances sports competition and entertainment through machine learning and computer vision to create advanced predictions and analysis.

>STEVENS GLOBAL LOGISTICS

t’s been an exciting year for Stevens Global Logistics! We’ve worked hand in hand with our SVG partners to deliver success to venues such as

SoFi, Walt Disney World, and Javits. We delivered critical support for the 2023 NCAA Final Four and the Ultra Musical Festival in Miami. We are always LIVE, from a single event to a global tour, our complete roster of services is ready to go 24/7/365 with coverage from offices on both coasts. Whether shipping direct to events or executing critical inventory transfers, we provide solutions to drive your business forward. Stevens Global Sports and Entertainment Event Logistics. We deliver for you. www.stevensglobal.com. Direct contact: Michael Behar. michaelb@stevensglobal.com

>STUDIO NETWORK SOLUTIONS (SNS)

NS, the world leader in work-from-everywhere cloud and on-prem storage solutions for professional media teams, earned the Cloud Computing & Storage Product of the Year Award at NAB 2023 and the Storage IABM BaM Award at IBC 2023. SNS’s high-performance EVO shared storage solutions, travel-friendly MOD server, and multi-award-winning EVO Cloud workflow are trusted by sports media production teams around the world, including the National Hockey League (NHL). Read the NHL case study at snsevo.com/ nhl. By combining scalable, high-performance shared media storage servers with powerful software and cloud workflow tools for teams working on-premise or remotely with Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Avid Media Composer, and other creative applications, SNS solutions empower post-production, broadcast, and VFX teams in over 70 countries to create amazing content, faster, from anywhere. Get a demo at snsevo.com.

>SUITELIFE SYSTEMS

uitelife Systems, a leading provider of monitoring, QC, and video and hardware management solutions, worked with a national football team, providing monitoring tools for their international game. They used Suitelife’s Logging as a Service tools to qualify international distribution of their pre-season games, monitoring SCTE, audio levels, and local and national automated ad insertion to monetize their content.

>SUPPONOR

he leader in the virtual advertising industry for over a decade surpassed expectations by delivering over 3,000 live sports events across every continent during the 2022-23 season. This is thanks to the success of its award-winning AIbased technology Supponor AIR and a growing global team and new R&D facility. A number of new deals have been signed, including a multiyear agreement with NHL to continue supporting its Emmy-nominated DED solution, which has delivered over 3,500 live broadcast integrations across more than 1,400 games and driven NHL sponsorships to surge 21% year-on-year. Thanks to cooperations with sports marketing agencies such as SPORTFIVE, Infront and Mediapro, Supponor continues to grow, working with several elite football clubs at leagues such as Germany’s Bundesliga

and Spain’s La Liga, where Supponor renewed contracts with MP and FC Barcelona, and moving into other sports including basketball, cricket, rugby, motorsports, baseball, and handball.

>SWXTCH.IO

wXtch.io are the creators of cloudswXtch, a virtual overlay network that helps content producers bridge on-premises infrastructure with public cloud networks. Now available for deployment on five public cloud networks, swXtch.io’s innovation helps users migrate both their networks and highbandwidth media workloads to the cloud through multicast, PTP synchronization, lossless UDP and other on-prem features not previously available in public clouds. Additionally, features such as protocol fanout and network path redundancy enable more efficient stream management and improve reliability. cloudswXtch offers a strong value proposition to the sports community, including helping to enable smaller production compound footprints, streamlined production and distribution workflows, and reduced hardware infrastructure. These benefits could even help convert mobile production companies into sustainability-minded service providers with more software-defined workflows and less iron to purchase, store, move and amortize. cloudswXtch is configurable to serve a broad array of use cases in sports broadcast and production.

>SYNAMEDIA

ynamedia helps video providers connect with bigger audiences, and categorizes its Video Network portfolio by B2B distribution SaaS solutions, D2C streaming SaaS solutions, and IP network optimization products. Specifically, these categories include compression, CDN switching, in-stadium experiences and a new way of distributing sports content. At IBC, Synamedia showed the industry’s first demonstration of Versatile Video Coding running in the cloud on the latest AWS instances, highlighting the benefits of using AI for compression. This included customization by sport to optimize the results. For example, it features a lightweight, real-time AI model that ensures every image is properly rendered, including the grass on the field. Synamedia also announced that 25 customers, including beIN and SportsMax, are using its SaaS products at scale, and recently signed the largest deal in Video Network’s history with a $90M contract for IP network optimization using the vDCM and Virtualised Cable Access.

>SYSTEMS INNOVATION

ystems Innovation is not a typical AV integrator. Our company evolved from the world of live events and creating innovative experiences for audiences. Using our live events DNA, we merge technology with design for experiential impact.

>TAG VIDEO SYSTEMS

AG Video Systems provides software-based integrated IP probing, monitoring, visualization, and analytics solutions. This year, TAG has enriched its Realtime Media Performance platform

with new tools and functionalities, guaranteed to bring sharper, more targeted application-specific monitoring to users. The enhancements include Content Matching technology that automatically and accurately identifies and compares the content throughout the workflow, the option to create custom dashboards and visualizations, and cloud-based workflows for applications ranging from live production through distribution. In addition, heightened integrations with partners like DataMiner and Nevion were added. The control and visibility into production and distribution workflows, increased by the integrations, provide the data needed to keep systems running smoothly as businesses and services evolve. During 2023, Fox Sports has selected TAG to monitor marquee events as part of their innovative transportable IP-based production system that delivers a worldclass viewing experience.

>TAGBOARD

agboard is the world’s leading audience experience and cloud production platform, used by thousands of brands, sporting teams, and media companies to create and distribute interactive stories.

>TECHNICOLOR

echnicolor, a worldwide creative technology leader in the media and entertainment sector, is at the forefront of digital innovation. Our commitment: supporting the delivery of exciting new experiences for consumers in theaters, homes, and on-the-go.

>TELEMETRICS

elemetrics (Allendale, NJ) has supplied its robotic camera control equipment and systems to all of the major sports networks and regional channels for many years. This year has been particularly busy, working with NBCUniversal’s Golf Channel, which is in the midst of another successful season of covering the PGA Tour live across eight events in the U.S. and another in the UK. Since 2020, when the Golf Channel moved its headquarters from Orlando, FL, to Stamford, CT, the team has been producing “Live From” shows with robotic camera control systems from Telemetrics, which are controlled remotely over a dedicated fiber line (and sometimes satellite) from Stamford. In addition, the Telemetrics OmniGlide Robotic Roving Platform has been embraced by a number of major production studios, including those covering the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB leagues. The rover is so unique and aesthetically pleasing that many have featured it prominently on-air during their programs.

>TELESTREAM

or 25 years, top sports broadcasters, media organizations, and enterprises worldwide have looked to Telestream as a digital transformation and innovation partner in the video industry. With a comprehensive suite of on-prem, hybrid, and cloud solutions, Telestream’s diverse portfolio encompasses live capture and ingest, media process-

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SPONSORUPDATE ing, workflow automation, production and postproduction, live streaming, video quality monitoring and analytics, content management, video test and synchronization, quality control, and distribution. Telestream’s user-friendly, powerful technology optimizes media supply chain processes, ensures compatibility across devices and screens, and guarantees efficient file transcoding, empowering sports content producers to manage and leverage their media better than ever before. Our latest solutions include Vantage Cloud, a no-code media processing solution for automating workflows, which integrates with Qualify for automated QC checks on media files. For sports broadcasters interested in organizing and managing media access, Content Conductor is your go-to cloud/hybrid/onprem content management solution. Never miss a recording with Live Schedule Pro, a live ingest scheduling solution for Lightspeed Live Capture to coordinate events, feeds, and devices in real-time and power live edit workflows in postproduction. With Telestream, sports broadcasters and production teams can elevate programming and deliver high-quality, unforgettable experiences for their fans. To learn more, www.telestream.net.

>TELOS ALLIANCE

he new Axia Altus software-based audio mixing console from Telos Alliance is like no other virtual mixing solution on the market. Altus equips broadcasters for the new mobile era by enabling audio mixing in a virtualized environment where literally any place can be a creative space. Altus virtualizes the functions of conventional consoles with an intuitive graphical interface via the modern web browsers on today’s desktop PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, enabling a shift from physical to virtual production that helps broadcasters break free from the confines of a physical studio. Altus is perfectly matched to the immediacy of sports broadcasting. It is ideal for playby-play or commentary booths, call-in talk shows from home studios, temporary portable studios, and remote broadcasts on-demand; on-site show producers find Altus an invaluable collaborative tool. Altus can also be deployed in existing AoIP facilities to deliver full-featured mixing capabilities in spaces where physical consoles are not practical. Delivery by Docker container ensures a flexible and streamlined deployment process for Altus, accommodating on-premises installation using COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) hardware or on cloud-hosted platforms including AWS. Purchase options include one-time buyouts and subscription models.

>TELSTRA

rom Grand Slams to World Cups, Telstra delivers major sporting events and tours for broadcasters and sports leagues around the world.

Discover how our team of media industry professionals leverages Telstra’s high-capacity fiber networks, online & video cloud platforms, world-class satellite services and 24/7 broadcast centers to offer comprehensive, end-to-end managed solutions that bring sporting content from stadiums to screens. Telstra’s services include contribution and distribution from 1000+ customer sites and 1500+ sporting venues worldwide, 24/7 operations support, remote production capabilities and virtual advertising. Powered by Supponor, our virtual advertising solution allows rights holders to geo-target their advertising, enhance fan engagement and generate significant revenue through multiple feeds. The high-value commercial inventory it creates is reliable at scale (in terms of events, cameras, and unlimited output feeds) and works across multiple sports (any sport, any surface, anywhere, any time). To find out more, visit https://www.telstra.com.au/business-enterprise/ industries/telstra-broadcast-services.

>TERADEK

eradek designs and manufactures high performance video solutions for broadcast, cinema, and general imaging applications. From wireless monitoring, color correction, and lens control, to live streaming, SaaS solutions, and IP video distribution, Teradek technology is used around the world by professionals and amateurs alike to capture and share compelling content.

>THE FAMOUS GROUP

he Famous Group is an award-winning creative technology company specializing in live events and experiences. Over the past two decades, The Famous Group has spearheaded mixed, virtual and augmented reality experiences for the biggest brands, venues, and events in the world. The Famous Group has created activations for leagues and organizations including: NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA MLB, MLS, WWE, La Liga, F1, and PGA while also collaborating with brands such as Verizon, Nike, Mercedes Benz, Viacom, Live Nation among numerous others. The Famous Group additionally leverages proprietary technology to enhance the in-game experience including VIXI, a real-time social media platform that integrates fans’ social media posts at sporting events, as well as VIXI LIVE, which is powered by TFG’s Virtual Seat software. In just under two years since its creation, VIXI Suite is currently used by over 100 venues and has seen over 5 million fans actively participate in the platform.

>THE STUDIO-B&H

he Studio-B&H is a unique service-based environment dedicated to providing comprehensive solutions to all professional media markets. The Studio and its state-of-the-art Technology

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Center offer unmatched access to high-end technology as well as a superior level of expertise in all aspects of digital cinema, live broadcast production, postproduction, emerging technologies and their related digital workflows. The Studio has assembled a highly skilled team of accomplished professionals to provide solutions for nearly any media environment. These solutions include technology demonstration, testing and experimentation as well as a wide range of system design services and integration for all vertical segments of the media industry, from independent filmmakers to major broadcasters.

>THE SWITCH

n the action-packed world of live video production and distribution, The Switch is always on and always there — setting the industry benchmark for quality, reliability, and unmatched levels of service. Our comprehensive production platform combines mobile and at-home/remote services and includes the provision of highly skilled production personnel to enable our customers to cost-effectively capture, edit, and package compelling live coverage. The Switch global transmission network connects over 800 of the world’s largest content producers, distributors, and sports and event venues — seamlessly linking rightsholders, broadcasters, streaming platforms, media outlets, and web services. With connections across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, all our feeds are monitored for utmost reliability from our 24/7 Network Operation Centers (NOCs) in Los Angeles, New York, and London. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in New York, we’ve been connecting viewers around the world to live events for almost three decades, bringing them the content they want across linear TV, ondemand, and streaming platforms — on multiple screens and devices. Our services are trusted every day by corporate enterprises and leading sports, esports, news, entertainment, house of worship and government organizations that rely on The Switch to turn on their live content. Our customers include: leaders in the Tech industry — Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo; major global broadcasters — BBC, CBS, CNN, Fox, NBC and Sky; and household names in the field of sports — ESPN, MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL, and PGA.

>TSL

aunched at IBC 2023 the MPA1-MIX-NET-VR is a native IP 1RU audio monitor and incorporates fully redundant networking to ST 2022-7. It has been recognized as a TVB Europe ‘Best of Show’ Award Winner for 2023 at IBC. With 8 dedicated rotary controls, users can quickly create their preferred monitoring mix available from internal speakers, headphone jack, or line outputs, and

visible from the audio level meter display. From the total of 128 audio channels available, up to 16 different monitoring mixes can be created and instantly recalled covering a range of monitoring requirements. A leader in audio monitoring, TSL’s latest MPA1-MIX-NET innovation safeguards against network disruptions and failures, empowering broadcasters to deliver top-tier, uninterrupted broadcasting experiences whether it’s a high-stakes sporting event, live concert, or oncein-a-lifetime global event.

>TVU NETWORKS

NE is a first of its kind dual-purpose 5G cellular transmission and synchronized multicamera remote production (REMI) in the smallest, lightest, and fastest portable transmitter available. Weighing in at just 1.79kg and only 200mm tall, the ONE is the most compact and full-featured portable 5G transmitter on the market that’s also easy to use. Within seconds, it’s ready for live 5G cellular transmission from a single video source. If synchronized frame accurate multi-camera live event coverage is desired, the ONE can switch to remote production for up to four video sources on the fly within minutes. The unit features the latest in 5G NR modem technology and the most advanced antenna design available in a backpack style cellular transmitter, ensuring wider coverage, better range, superior data transfer rates, and future proofing of 5G network deployments. The ONE also utilizes patented ISX protocol for full use of all available bandwidth to its fullest potential regardless of the transmission environment, resulting in superior video quality and uninterrupted delivery.

>UNIQFEED

programming. You can use the engine to power everything from dynamic virtual environments to augmented and mixed-reality broadcasts, digital avatars, and in-stadium spectacles. Want to find out more? Visit unrealengine.com/broadcast

>VARIANT SYSTEMS GROUP

ive Production is due for a change that revolutionizes workflows, delivers simplistic integration, and significantly lowers the learning curve. VSG Products encompass these values. Our approach is to challenge traditional live production tools by using an intuitive framework paired with a user interface that is so easy to use, anyone can instantly become an operator.

>VENUE EDGE

enue Edge continues to support collegiate and professional sports organizations by aligning innovative content, activations, and new technology together to form an enhanced fan experience — both inside and outside of the facility. Recently, Venue Edge increased its support of soccer by working with St. Louis City SC, during its inaugural season to create one of the best atmospheres in American sports. Venue Edge continued its longtime work with Orlando City Soccer Club and supported seven international friendlies held in the US over the summer. The organization continues to consult with and deliver live production and creative technology support to long-standing partners, including Florida Citrus Sports, the ACC, the Mountain West Conference, and the Big West Conference. They also have continued their support of Bowl Games including the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, the SDCCU Holiday Bowl, and the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl.

>VERITONE

niqFEED develops virtual advertising solutions to enable sports rightsholders to maximize the commercial potential of sponsorship inventory in live sports. In January 2023, uniqFEED deployed virtual advertising at the iconic Lauberhorn Ski Races in Switzerland, marking the first time virtual advertising has ever been used in winter sports. Other live deployments in 2023 include the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament and the Davis Cup tie between Slovakia and Greece at the historic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. January 2023 saw the appointment of sports business expert Tom Huston as CCO of uniqFEED. Originally from California, Tom, now based in Switzerland, is responsible for uniqFEED’s global commercial objectives and expansion. In April 2023, uniqFEED also released its full soccer solution, which supports virtual LED perimeter overlay and virtual inserts on the playing surface. uniqFEED continues to develop and enhance its multi-sport solution for tennis, baseball, golf, hockey, volleyball, basketball, and more.

>UNREAL ENGINE

pic Games develops Unreal Engine 5 (UE5), the world’s most open and advanced real-time creation tool. UE5 unlocks unparalleled fidelity in real-time graphics for live events and broadcast

eritone, a leader in enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, regularly supports several tier-one sports productions across the world. In 2023, Veritone extended its licensing agreement with the Augusta National Golf Club, home of The Masters. Under the new multi-year contract, Veritone will serve as the archive of record and as the exclusive North American licensing partner for all Augusta National non-live or archival footage across its portfolio of events, including The Masters and Augusta National Women’s Amateur. The archive contains match broadcast feeds, ISO feeds, course and club scenery, press conferences and official films. Veritone also signed a multi-year extension with U.S. Soccer in September 2023, continuing its role as the archive of record and licensing partner for the federation’s content. The deal includes all levels of the U.S. Soccer’s national teams. Veritone’s service uses its AI platform to archive and monetise their video rights.

>VERIZON BUSINESS GROUP elivering the connected world. Simply. Securely. Reliably. In today’s rapidly evolving, hypercompetitive environment, we help our customers in the sports and live production industry keep pace by providing the tools, technologies and

expertise that allows them to deliver core services, maximize efficiency, embrace new ways of storytelling and lower costs. Our advanced connectivity solutions — including private networks and 5G Edge — are transforming the way content is created, protected, distributed, and consumed. As the NFL’s Official Private Wireless Network for Coach-to-Coach Communications, Verizon’s Managed Private Wireless solution includes full in-game support for on field communications and is now live at all 30 NFL stadiums for the 2023 season. To learn how VBG can help you prepare for digital transformation, innovation and accelerated growth in the 5G era please visit us at: https://www. verizon.com/business/solutions/industry/mediaentertainment/

>VETERANS TV

eterans-TV is a nonprofit that offers professional, hands-on TV production and postproduction training to U.S. Veterans. VETV helps veterans start a new career path by teaching them how to use professional-grade equipment so they can apply for entry-level positions at broadcast TV stations. VETV also helps graduates of the program make connections in the broadcast media industry. All equipment is donated by companies in the broadcast media industry and all instructors are volunteers.

>VIDEON

ver the past year, Videon emerged as a disruptor in live video edge computing, notably with the introduction of LiveEdge Max, which marked a significant stride in hybrid:cloud live video technology. This innovation propelled us to a recent victory in the sports domain, where our collaboration with TorkHub enhanced live event orchestration in the motorsport sector, especially with Formula Drift. Our technology played a pivotal role in reducing latency and ensuring real-time sports data integration for improved monetization. Moreover, Videon proudly supported a sportsrelated production by providing essential edge compute solutions, showcasing the effectiveness and reliability of our products in a demanding live production environment. The recent or upcoming release of LiveEdge Max underscores our relentless pursuit for excellence, as it’s designed to make live video workflows smarter, more automated, and easily monitored, showcasing the versatility of our products. In summary, Videon’s suite of products, backed by the growing LiveEdge Ecosystem, continues to break new ground, promising exciting opportunities for our partners and clients in the sports and live video sectors.

>VIDISPINE - AN ARVATO SYSTEMS BRAND

idispine is a brand of the Arvato Systems Group. The Vidispine portfolio enables companies working with media to focus on their core business by providing easy access to technology that supports their business needs. Arvato Systems’ platform enables customers to get the maximum value from their assets, rights, media inventory and market.

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SPONSORUPDATE >VIDOVATION

idOvation is a leading manufacturer of video and data communication products to the broadcast television and sports, corporate audiovisual, and government markets. VidOvation offers a wide selection of best-in-class products that fits into any application or budget for wireless video, video streaming, video networking, and fiber optic applications. In addition to its product offerings, the company excels in helping its clients readily integrate complete customized solutions into existing infrastructure and third party systems.

>VISTA WORLDLINK

edicated to providing successful solutions to its increasingly diverse clientele, VISTA is committed to disruptive innovation in the media industry. For over 30 years VISTA has consistently raised the industry standard by developing valueadded services for the media industry, consistently maximizing a client’s reach while effectively offering competitive prices.

>VITAC, A VERBIT COMPANY

ITAC, a Verbit company, is a full-service captioning and communications accessibility provider with more than 35 years of experience in the M&E industry. VITAC offers a variety of accessibility solutions, including live and prerecorded captioning, audio description, subtitling, and transcription services. Captioning hundreds of thousands of programming hours each year, its customers include sports leagues, broadcasters, cable networks, streaming platforms, production companies, stadiums, and arenas. The company specializes in accessibility and compliance, helping sports-video providers meet FCC and ADA requirements. VITAC has provided captions for broadcasts of the Olympic Summer and Winter Games, the Super Bowl, the World Cup, and the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament as well as NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and NCAA games and captions for Major League Baseball’s “Ballpark” mobile app. VITAC also provides quick turnaround captioning for live clips of sporting events and captions on scoreboards, ribbon boards, and handheld devices in stadiums and arenas.

>VITEC

ITEC is a market-leading provider of IPTV, Video Streaming and Digital Signage Solutions that help organizations harness the power of video to engage, empower, and evolve. VITEC understands the unique technical and operational requirements for successfully deploying an IPTV network in sports and entertainment venues, and delivers an effective and reliable solution that engages visitors, enhances the fan experience, and drives revenue. Our IPTV distribution and digital signage solutions enable the distribution

of broadcast-quality live TV, video, advertising, alerts and more to any screen around the facility. Our seamless, end-to-end solutions create differentiation and deliver personalized and engaging experiences with triggered, well-targeted and tailored content, encouraging visitors to spend more time and money in and around the venue. VITEC’s global customer base includes Kansas City Royals, Liverpool FC, Lord’s Cricket Ground, Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota United Allianz Field, The Open Golf Championship, Paris Longchamp Racecourse, PSV Eindhoven, Sacramento Kings, Ulster Rugby, and many more.

>VIVARO MEDIA

or almost twenty years of its activity, the VIVARO label has turned from just a brand into a synonym of an entire industry, a symbol of stable development and innovative approaches. After the brand alteration, the leading IT company will be henceforth positioned on the market as VBET, and the media company will be presented with the VIVARO label.

>VIZRT GROUP

ver the past year, Vizrt has launched over 20 new products, has been recognized by 24 industry awards, and has joined forces with NewTek — forming the most comprehensive single vendor product portfolio in content creation. Vizrt delivers leading-edge solutions in graphics, cloud, remote, live production, sports, virtual reality, infrastructure, and more from the podcaster to the broadcaster. A recent project was with Sky Sports Germany which teamed up with Vizrt and delivered its first multi-screened vertical football match streamed on TikTok. Seeking to engage with Gen Z and millennial audiences, Sky Sports Germany created watch parties for fans to stream the 2023 Super Cup from TikTok. Viewers were able to watch multiple sources and graphics simultaneously including exclusive camera cuts, performance history, and match analytics. It’s a significant step in engaging young viewers, as a recent Vizrt survey on viewer engagement revealed that younger audiences not only prefer to watch sports content on their phone while on the go (80%), but the majority (74%) catch sports content on social media. New sports products include Vizrt’s live, image-based AR graphics and virtual advertising solution, Viz Arena 5.2, which is now available in the cloud. Viz Libero 8.2 offers AI Cutouts for all sports, which exploits the power of Viz AI to intelligently recognize and mask players to generate the cleanest of cutouts. The addition of Datacenter also makes it easy for operators to connect live data sources to fields in graphics templates without any scripting, custom coding, or special knowledge.

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

>WASABI TECHNOLOGIES

asabi recently previewed new SmartBuckets technology through a powerful new integration with GrayMeta Curio that harnesses AI to create more personalized sports fan experiences with hyper specific detail. The partnership transforms media archives into the highly indexed and searchable Smart Buckets, generating rich metadata for media libraries stored in Wasabi. Digital teams can instantly find and retrieve specific media segments based on people, places, events, emotions, logos, landmarks, background audio, and more. They can then deliver relevant content to market as fast as possible. Liverpool Football Club is looking at how they could apply this technology to its own media library. “This solution would allow us to bring fans more rapid access to engaging content from the most recent games to those most memorable moments from the club’s history and help them feel even more connected to their club,” said Drew Crisp, SVP of digital, Liverpool Football Club.

>WAVES AUDIO

aves Cloud MX Audio Mixer Step up to superior audio mixing in cloud-based broadcast environments: Cloud MX is a 100% cloudbased audio mixer, delivering pristine audio, highprecision mix control, and creative processing capabilities with Waves plugin integration — in a scalable, broadcast-ready cloud workflow. Broadcasters and media organizations can now add state-of-the-art audio mixing and processing to their flexible professional cloud-based workflows. The Waves Cloud MX Audio Mixer is powered by a cloud-based version of Waves’ double-precision, 32-bit-floating-point eMotion LV1 mix engine and augmented by Waves’ industry-leading arsenal of audio plugins. Waves Cloud MX makes it easy to scale productions with any number of audio mixers, without the operational costs involved in shipping, maintaining or scheduling on-premise gear and personnel. It fits cleanly into NDI and Dante based environments, and is easily deployed on AWS and GCP environments, making integration with your cloud production systems a breeze. To learn more: https://www.waves.com/mixers-racks/ cloud-mx-audio-mixer-premium

>WESCO

esco builds, protects, powers and protects the world. From traditional Broadcast network studios to large sports and entertainment venues, Wesco helps your Broadcast business run smoothly by providing technical, logistical and supply chain solutions to increase efficiency and mitigate risk. Wesco’s Broadcast team has the technical expertise, resources and decades of experience to help solve your most important challenges. With nearly 1.5 million products and locations in more than 50 countries, Wesco delivers what you need, when you need it.

>WJHW

e have had an incredible 2023 delivering the most exciting projects in Sports including the new PPG Paints Arena center-hung LED for the Pittsburgh Penguins, where additional technology upgrades are underway again for next year. In Houston, we are supporting a multiyear technology and LED renovation at the Toyota Center. We were excited to design and oversee delivery on new SMPTE 2110 4K systems for both the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers who also turned on significant concourse and audio upgrades as well as a sports performance facility, all with WJHW. We’re very excited about the new 25k square feet of displays for the Denver Broncos in Empower Field at Mile High Stadium. WJHW also oversaw the design and installation of the largest display in baseball for the NY Mets at Citi Field and the Miami Heat are debuting new Video and LED technology this season with our support.

>WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY

orld Wide Technology (WWT) is a technology solution provider with $13.4 billion in annual revenue that provides digital strategy, innovative technology and supply chain solutions to large public and private organizations around the globe. Based in St. Louis, WWT employs more than 7,000 people and operates over 4 million square feet of warehousing, distribution and integration space in more than 20 facilities throughout the world.

>WSC SPORTS

ersonalized videos for every fan — automatically and in real time. WSC Sports’ AI driven platform analyzes live sports broadcasts, identifies each and every event that occurs in the game, creates customized short-form video content and

publishes to any digital destination. This seamless and frictionless workflow enables partners to instantly generate and distribute professionally edited videos on a large scale, to maximize exposure and create innovative monetization opportunities.

>XYTECH SYSTEMS

s sports production continues shifting toward a hybrid of remote and in-person production, having a centralized way to manage your media is critical. In support, Xytech recently announced that, as part of its upcoming Winter Release of The Media Operations Platform, a new mobile user experience (UX) will be available to users. The next-generation mobile UX is built on top of an open-source framework that taps into the latest event-driven JavaScript Runtime environment to split the app into three distinct sections: Contacts, Schedules, and Timecards. The app also implements mobile-friendly features such as face ID login for quick launch into the dashboard, reminders for key events, support for dynamic changes and fill any screen width while maintaining usability, and real-time notifications alerting users to the latest changes in their workflows. These features ensure that the company remains positioned to manage end-to-end media operations across any environment.

>ZERO DENSITY

ero Density is an international technology company dedicated to develop creative products for the industries such as broadcasting, augmented reality, live events and esports. Zero Density offers the next level of virtual studio production with real time visual effects. It provides Unreal Engine native platform, “Reality Engine”, with advanced real-time compositing tools and its proprietary keying technology. Reality is the most

photo-realistic real-time 3D Virtual Studio and Augmented Reality platform in the industry.

>ZIXI

ixi provides the cloud based and on-premises Software-Defined Video Platform (SDVP) that enables reliable broadcast-quality video delivery over any IP network, any protocol, any cloud provider and any edge device. The company offers technologies for sports broadcasters, enterprises, over-the-top video providers, sports leagues, service providers, cable operators and Telcos around the world, giving them the lowest TCO in the industry. Many of Zixi’s clients are delivering and managing thousands of streams, and there is no other alternative in the market that can provide 99.999%+ reliability at scale. Zixi are purpose built to provide market leading performance, universal interoperability and an operational control plane that simplifies management and orchestration at scale, and ZEN Master Live Events Manager delivers advanced event schedule management, enabling operations teams to programmatically or manually define the event schedule. Event stages unlock automated stream switching and alerting rules tailored to pre/live/post event stages. With 15+ years of innovation and expertise, the Zixi Enabled Network has grown to over 1000+ media customers and 400+ OEM and service providers that deliver 20,000+ channels daily, with 110,000+ deployed instances in over 120 countries, gathering over 9 billion data points a day while delivering over 100,000 live sporting events a year. This powerful ecosystem of the largest media organizations in the world exchanging live video allows for the creation and acceleration of new content acquisition, business models, and opportunities to reduce cost and generate revenue. <

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3GMEDIA.TV

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7 POINT AUDIO

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ABSEN INC

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ADDER TECHNOLOGY

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ADVANCED IMAGE ROBOTICS

Mobile

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ADVANCED SYSTEMS GROUP, LLC.

Mobile

Amy Lounsbury

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AE LIVE

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Stuart Coles

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AERIAL VIDEO SYSTEMS

Mobile

Argyle Nelson

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AI-MEDIA

Corporate

James Ward

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AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS

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Christina Oliver

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ALL MOBILE VIDEO, INC.

Mobile

Eric Duke

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ALLIED BROADCAST GROUP

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Brad Chapman

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ALPHA

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ARCTEK SATELLITE PRODUCTIONS LLC

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Brian Stanley

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ARISTA NETWORKS

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Ed Chapman

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ARKONA TECHNOLOGIES

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ASTOUND BUSINESS SERVICES

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Platinum

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John Bonaccorso

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BACKLIGHT

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Matt Weiss

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BROADCAST MANANGMENT GROUP

Mobile

Stephen Cotliar

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BROADCAST SERVICES INTERNATIONAL INC.

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Brodie Bartlett

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BROADCAST SPORTS INTERNATIONAL

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Clay Underwood

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BROADFIELD DISTRIBUTING INC

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C360, A COSM COMPANY

Mobile

Evan Wimer

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Dave Letson

dave.letson@calrec.com

CALREC AUDIO

Platinum

CANON U.S.A., INC.

Platinum

Richard Eilers

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CATON TECHNOLOGY CES POWER

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CHAMPION DATA

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CHRISTY MEDIA SOLUTIONS

Mobile

Amy Vacher

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CHROSZIEL GMBH

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Michael Burnham

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CHYRON

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CINESYS LLC

Mobile

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CIS GROUP

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Matt Silva

matt.silva@cisgroup.tv

CLARK

Mobile

Brian Morrison

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CLARK WIRE AND CABLE

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John Orona

John.Orona@clarkwire.com

CLEAR-COM

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COBALT DIGITAL INC.

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COMCAST TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

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Tonia Wilson

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Jiri Matela

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CP COMMUNICATIONS

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Aaron Segarra

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Daniel Kiley

dkiley@gowithcd.com

CREATIVE MOBILE SOLUTIONS

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Noah Gusdorff

noah@cmsi.tv

CTI

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DAKTRONICS

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Tyler Campbell

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DALE PRO AUDIO

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Eric Eldredge

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DALET

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awhitaker@dalet.com

DATA EXPEDITION, INC.

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Dana Merk

dmerk@DataExpedition.com

DELL

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Jeff Grassinger

jeff.grassinger@dell.com

DELOITTE CONSULTING

Mobile

Chuck Zujkowski

czujkowski@deloitte.com

DEVLIN DESIGN GROUP

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Dan Devlin

ddevlin@ddgtv.com

DISGUISE

Mobile

David Jorba

david.jorba@disguise.one

DIVERSIFIED

Mobile

Steve Stubelt

sstubelt@onediversified.com

DMC BROADCAST GROUP

Corporate

Don Cardone

Don.Cardone@DENZ.tv

DNA STUDIOS PLUS

Mobile

Sam Schrade

sam@dnastudios.tv

DOLBY

Platinum

Thomas Louvet

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DOME PRODUCTIONS

Mobile

Bruce Gaum

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EDGIO

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starin@edg.io

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Mike Wright

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Eluvio

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EMG

Mobile

Chris Brandrick

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ENCOMPASS DIGITAL MEDIA

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Peter Ostapiuk

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FILMWERKS POWER, A SUNBELT RENTALS COMPANY

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FINGERWORKS TELESTRATORS

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Bryan McKoen

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Dan Grainge

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Patrick Hally

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FORECAST CONSOLES

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Ryan Haberman

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Eric Kenyon

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HLW

Mobile

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IHSE USA

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IKEGAMI

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tzastrow@ikegami.com

ILLUMINATION DYNAMICS INC.

Mobile

Rich Williams

rich@illuminationdynamics.com

IMAGEN

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IMAX

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INTEGRATED MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES

Mobile

Brandi Morini

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INTEL

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Courtney Willock

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INTELSAT

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Mandy Caseells

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JB&A

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Nick Smith

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JOSEPH ELECTRONICS

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John Cleary

jcleary@josephelectronics.com

JPM TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING

Mobile

Jesse Janosky

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JVC PROFESSIONAL VIDEO

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Dan Skirpan

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JW PLAYER

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Matthew Malanga

mmalanga@jwplayer.com

KEY CODE MEDIA

Mobile

Matt McClain

mmcclain@keycodemedia.com

KISWE

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TK Gore

tk.gore@kiswe.com

KMH INTEGRATION

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Kevin Henneman

info@kmh-integration.com

Platinum

Wolfgang Huber

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LEADER INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION

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Joseph Castellano

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LEGRAND AV

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Gordon Wason

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LAWO

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Doug Cole

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Platinum

Janel Moorefield

janelf@liveu.tv

Corporate

Connie Petrides

connie.petrides@ltnglobal.com

Corporate

Julie O'Grady

julie.ogrady@lucinlink.com

Platinum

Elliott Garstin

elliott.garstin@lumen.com

M2A MEDIA

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George Silvis

George.Silvis@M2AMedia.tv

MAGNIFI

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Jere Hanks

jere.hanks@magnifi.ai

MARKERTEK

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Adam June

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MARSHALL ELECTRONICS

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Bernie Keach

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MASV

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Jon Riis

jon@masv.io

MATROX VIDEO

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Zahraa Al-Haideri

zalhaide@matrox.com

MAXON

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Paul Babb

p_babb@maxon.net

MEDIA LINKS

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Tom Canavan

tcanavan@medialinks.com

MEDIA.MONKS

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Lewis Smithingham

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MEDIAKIND

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Murray Barker

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LH COMPUTER SERVICES LIVEU

LTN LUCIDLINK LUMEN TECHNOLOGIES

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Platinum

Marisa Navarro

mnavarrol@mediapro.tv

MEYERPRO

Mobile

Cody Maxwell

cody@meyerproinc.com

MICROSOFT

Corporate

Charlotte Bielecki

charlotte.bielecki@microsoft.com

MO-SYS ENGINEERING

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Stephen Gallagher

stephen.gallagher@mo-sys.com

MOBII SYSTEMS

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Greg Schultz

greg@mobii.com

MOBILE TV GROUP

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Mobile TV Group

Hello@mobiletvgroup.com

MOTION PICTURE ENTERPRISES (MPE)

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Neal Pilzer

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Jesse Foster

jesse@multidyne.com

NATHANIEL HOWE STUDIOS

Mobile

Nathaniel Howe

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NEMAL ELECTRONICS INTERNATIONAL

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Ben Nemser

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NEP GROUP

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Meredith Knight

info@nepgroup.com

NET INSIGHT

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Per Johansson

per.johansson@netinsight.net

NETAPP

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Martin Leslie

martin.leslie@netapp.com

NETGEAR AV

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Tod Musgrave

tod.musgrave@netgear.com

NETSCOUT

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Sam Scheffler

Sam.Scheffler@netscout.com

NEWSBRIDGE

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James Fraser

james.fraser@newsbridge.io

NEXTOLOGIES

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Juli Patty

julip@nextologies.com

OPENDRIVES

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Jaclyn Taroc

j.taroc@opendrives.com

OPENGEAR

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Cindy Zuelsdorf

hello@opengear.tv

OSA INTERNATIONAL

Mobile

Steve Cormier

scormier@osacorp.com

OSPREY VIDEO

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Scott Whitcomb

scottw@ospreyvideo.com

PANASONIC CONNECT

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Kate Lajeunesse

Kate.Lajeunesse@us.panasonic.com

PERIFERY

Premier

Leanne Tomlin

leanne.tomlin@perifery.com

PHENIX REAL TIME SOLUTIONS

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Jed Corenthal

jed.corenthal@phenixrts.com

PIXELLOT

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Yossi Tarablus

yossit@pixellot.tv

PIXOTOPE

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Ben Davenport

ben.davenport@pixotope.com

PLANETCAST

Mobile

Paul Kosac

paul.kosac@planetcastinternational.com

PLIANT TECHNOLOGIES

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Gary Rosen

Gary.rosen@plianttechnologies.com

Platinum

Erin Bates

ebates@prg.com

PRG

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PRODUCTIONHUB

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Steve Rotz

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PROFESSIONAL WIRELESS SYSTEMS

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Jimmy Van Winkle

JimmyV@ProfessionalWireless.com

Platinum

Amy Scheller

ascheller@programproductions.com

PSSI GLOBAL SERVICES

Mobile

Clint Bergeson

info@pssiglobal.com

PURE MOBILE PRODUCTIONS

Mobile

Jim Neely

JimN@Puremobileproductions.com

Q5X

Corporate

Paul Johnson

sales@q5x.com

QUANTUM CORPORATION

Corporate

Skip Levens

Skip.Levens@Quantum.Com

PROGRAM PRODUCTIONS, INC.

QUINCE IMAGING

Corporate

Eric Gazzillo

egazzillo@quinceimaging.com

QVEST

Premier

Jon Christian

jon@qvest.us

RCS

Mobile

Matt Rohrs

m.rohrs@rcs.live

RED5

Corporate

Sylvio Jelovcich

sylvio@red5.net

RF WIRELESS SYSTEMS

Mobile

Rob Bunn

rob.bunn@rfwireless.com

Platinum

Sara Seidel

Sara.Seidel@riedel.net

Premier

Maryam Larki Bavi

Maryam.LarkiBavi@rsa.rohde-schwarz.com

Platinum

Kevin Cottam

kevin.cottam@rossvideo.com

RT SOFTWARE

Corporate

Mike Fredriksen

mike.fredriksen@rtsw.co.uk

RTS INTERCOM SYSTEMS

Premier

Michael Brown

Michael.Brown2@us.bosch.com

RUSH MEDIA GROUP

Mobile

Tim Eichorst

timeichorst@rushmediaco.com

RYVAL STUDIOS

Mobile

Jon Morgan

jon@ryvalstudios.com

SCALE LOGIC

Corporate

Drew Wanstall

dwanstall@scalelogicinc.com

SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY

Corporate

Mark Anderson

Mark.B.Anderson@Seagate.com

SENCORE

Corporate

Brandon Baker

brandon.baker@sencore.com

SENNHEISER

Corporate

Jennifer Lee

Jennifer.Lee@sennheiser.com

SES

Corporate

Miriam Benedicto

miriam.benedito@ses.com

SHURE INCORPORATED

Corporate

Celino Ullegue

ulleguc@shure.com

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Premier

Jon Finegold

jfinegold@signiant.com

SILVER SPOON ANIMATION

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Laura Herzing

laura@silverspoonanimation.com

SKYCAM

Mobile

Stephen Wharton

stephen.wharton@skycam.tv

SKYLINE COMMUNICATIONS

Corporate

Thomas Gunkel

hi@skyline.be

SMT (SPORTSMEDIA TECHNOLOGY)

Corporate

Patricia Hopkins

p.hopkins@smt.com

SNA DISPLAYS

Corporate

Mitch Leathers

mitch.leathers@snadisplays.com

SOLID SATE LOGIC

Platinum

Ross Gilbert

SVG@solidstatelogic.com

RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS ROHDE & SCHWARZ USA ROSS VIDEO

SOLOTECH INC.

Mobile

Christine Latour

christine.latour@solotech.com

SONY ELECTRONICS INC.

Platinum

Sony Imaging

pro.info@sony.com

SOS GLOBAL EXPRESS

Platinum

Matthew Eversole

meversole@nepgroup.com

SPALK

Mobile

Tom Read

tom@spalk.co

SPECTRA LOGIC

Corporate

Hossein ZiaShakeri

broadcast@spectralogic.com

SPIIDEO

Corporate

Niklas Bergdahl

niklas.bergdahl@spiideo.com

SPORTRADAR

Corporate

Samantha Karvelas

s.karvelas@sportradar.com

ST ENGINEERING IDIRECT

Mobile

Bart De Moor

bdmo@idirect.net

STATS PERFORM

Corporate

Wayne Ford

wayne.ford@statsperform.com

STEVENS GLOBAL LOGISTICS

Corporate

Michael Behar

michaelb@stevensglobal.com

STREANN MEDIA

Corporate

Leandro Finol

leandro@streann.com

STUDIO NETWORK SOLUTIONS (SNS)

Corporate

Steve McKenna

sales@studionetworksolutions.com

SUITELIFE SYSTEMS

Mobile

Bobby Stevens

bstevens@suitelifesystems.com

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

SPONSOR INDEX SPONSOR

AD PAGE

LEVEL

CONTACT

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Corporate

David Patton

david.patton@supponor.com

SWXTCH.IO

Corporate

Cassidy Phillips

cassidy.phillips@swxtch.io

SYNAMEDIA

Corporate

Anne-Cecile Soutarue

asoularue@synamedia.com

SYSTEMS INNOVATION (LMG)

Mobile

Neil Morrison

neil.morrison@lmgsi.net

TAG VIDEO SYSTEMS

Corporate

Ilana Tchenko

ilana@tagvs.com

TAGBOARD

Premier

Elyse Loeb

elyseloeb@tagboard.com

TECHNICOLOR

Corporate

Rick Dumont

rick.dumont@philips.com

TELEMETRICS, INC.

Corporate

Michael Grotticelli

AMGMedia@aol.com

TELESTREAM

Premier

Tiffany Haley

tiffany.haley@telestream.net

TELOS ALLIANCE

Premier

Lindsay Klinger

lindsay.klinger@telosalliance.com

TELSTRA

Corporate

Jess Bedford

jessica.bedford.2@team.telstra.com

TERADEK

Premier

Michael Gailing

mike@teradek.com

THE FAMOUS GROUP

Mobile

Eric Burak

eric@thefamousgroup.com

THE STUDIO-B&H THE SWITCH

TSL

Corporate

Michel Suissa

michels@bandh.com

Platinum

Christian Kneuer

christian.kneuer@theswitch.tv

Corporate

Vicky White

vicky.white@tslproducts.com

TVU NETWORKS

Platinum

Eric Chang

echang@tvunetworks.com

UNIQFEED

Corporate

Marcel Naef

marcel.naef@uniqfeed.com

UNREAL ENGINE

Premier

Bernt Johannessen

bk.johannessen@epicgames.com

VARIANT SYSTEMS GROUP

Corporate

Olaf Bahr

olaf@vsglive.com

VENUE EDGE

Corporate

David Saphirstein

David@Venueedgepro.com

VERITONE

Premier

Jennifer Goode

jgoode@veritone.com

VERIZON BUSINESS GROUP

Premier

Steve Walter

stephen.walter@verizon.com

VETERANS-TV

Mobile

Robert Lefcovich

robertlefcovich@gmail.com

VINTEN

Premier

Elaine Pritchard

elaine.pritchard@videndum.com

VIDEON

Corporate

Sales

Sales@videonlabs.com

VIDISPINE, AN ARVATO SYSTEMS BRAND

Corporate

Kurt Krinke

kurt.krinke@arvatosystems.com

VIDOVATION

Mobile

Rick Anderson

ricka@vidovation.com

VISTA WORLDLINK

Corporate

Joshua Liemer

jliemer@vistaworldlink.com

VITAC, A VERBIT COMPANY

Corporate

Dave Titmus

david.titmus@vitac.com

VITEC

Corporate

Bryan Reksten

bryan.reksten@vitec.com

Corporate

Janine Scott

janine.scott@vivaro.com

Platinum

Amisa Saari-Stout

asaari-stout@vizrt.com

Corporate

Lindsay Daly

ldaly@wasabi.com

VIVARO MEDIA VIZRT

WASABI TECHNOLOGIES WAVES AUDIO

Corporate

Udi Henis

udih@waves.com

WESCO INTERNATIONAL

Corporate

Adam Levy

alevy@wescodist.com

WJHW

Mobile

Charles Adkinson

cadkinson@wjhw.com

WORLDWIDE TECHNOLOGY (WWT)

Corporate

Gene Arantowicz

gene.arantowicz@wwt.com

WSC SPORTS

Corporate

Joe DaCosta

joe.dacosta@wsc-sports.com

XYTECH SYSTEMS

Corporate

Jessica Mintz

jmintz@xytechsystems.com

Mobile

Birim Yamanlar

birim.yamanlar@zerodensity.tv

Platinum

John Wastcoat

john.wastcoat@zixi.com

ZERO DENSITY ZIXI

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

THE FINAL BUZZER

THE REVOLUTION IS NOW By Ken Kerschbaumer Sports Video Group, Executive Director, Editorial Last month, SVG held our second-annual Remote Production Forum in Los Angeles, a chance for the industry to get together and discuss all the new (and still developing) permutations of how live sports events are produced. It was a fascinating day of discussion and debate as new technologies like the cloud, AI, and IP continue to bring more flexibility and customization to a sports production. In fact, this edition of our Journal features a long transcript of the panel discussion concerning the cloud and its role in a live production environment. It doesn’t take long to see the potential for a production environment that leverages the cloud, AI, and IP to truly revolutionize sports production. IP standards coupled with fiber connectivity and IP routers provide the ultimate in signal quality and flexibility in terms of who can access it and what they can do with it. Transport those raw signals into the cloud and then operators, working nearly anywhere, can use cloudbased production tools to turn those raw signals into a compelling live production. And AI can play a part in the entire chain by potentially tracking players on unmanned cameras, importing metadata to drive statistics, and using AI to match graphics with the players on screen, and automatically creating highlights and cutdowns to meet the needs of fans who consume sports in new ways. But the big theme at not only our event in Los Angeles (to watch all of the sessions, CLICK HERE to check out SVG Play) but also at the IBC show in Amsterdam in September is that the real revolution is not about technology but rather the true freedom to produce an event in a way that best suits the event. As an example, let’s look at the Ryder Cup, which was held earlier this month in Rome. With only 24 golfers, it has a much smaller field compared to a regular tournament and, as such, has far fewer signals that need to be managed by a production team. Fewer signals means the opportunity to send them to a remote facility, in this case Stamford, CT for NBC Sports and Osterley Park outside of London for Sky Sports, where the director, producer, replay operators, graphics operators, and audio team can produce the event. The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup also followed a similar model with the four main production teams operating out of NEP’s Andrews Hub in Sydney. All signals were transported back to that Hub and production teams that were historically working in different stadiums and staying in different cities and hotels suddenly found themselves working in the same facility and staying in the same hotels. It was, truly, a revolutionary event as the production teams could work on more than one match and actually bring a more consistent look and feel to coverage from one match to the next. Of course, the big questions posed by many in our industry focus on a binary choice for our future: when will all events be IP, cloud, or use Ai. The simple answer is never. There will always be a mix of technologies in use as savvy production teams analyze what is the best fit for the show. The good news for the industry — and for sports fans — is the clear winner will be lower-tier sports that have historically never been produced before. The cost of rolling out a truck, travelling a crew, and dealing with complicated transmission logistics simply made those events money losers. But now? The ability to produce an event without a truck, without a large onsite crew, and then to use 5G to backhaul signals opens up a whole new world of possibilities for new sports to find new fans. Meanwhile, the established sports can also be a winner. Yes, there is more pressure to have more of the team on site but some of the crew can work remotely and contribute to the production in new ways. In a perfect world, the cost savings from the larger events can make more financial resources available to pay for rights to the smaller sports previously mentioned that have found a new audience (pickleball, I’m looking at you). Ultimately the goal is a sports ecosystem that is more diverse, featuring new sports, new fans, and new ways to connect. And that, truly, is a revolution. <

SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / FALL 2023

PUBLISHED BY SPORTS VIDEO GROUP 19 West 21st St., Ste. 301 • New York, NY 10010 Tel: 212.481.8140 • Fax: 212.696.1783 www.sportsvideo.org EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS PAUL GALLO, Executive Director

paul@sportsvideo.org | 212.696.1799

MARTIN PORTER, Executive Director

marty@sportsvideo.org | 516.446.2029

KEN KERSCHBAUMER, Executive Director, Editorial

kenkersch@sportsvideo.org | 646.205.1810 EDITORIAL JASON DACHMAN, Editorial Director, U.S.

jason@sportsvideo.org | 646.861.2373

BRANDON COSTA, Director of Digital

brandon@sportsvideo.org | 646.861.2370 KRISTIAN HERNÁNDEZ, Senior Editor kristian@sportsvideo.org | 646.880.4902 SAMANTHA GABAY,

Digital Content and Social Media Coordinator samantha@sportsvideo.org | 646.448.9570 SUSAN QUALTROUGH, Copy Editor susan@sportsvideo.org RIVA DANZIG, Art Director riva@sportsvideo.org SVG SERVICES KAREN HOGAN KETCHUM,

Director of SVG Services karen@sportsvideo.org | 646.559.0434 KATIE CHAMPION,

Production and Operations Manager katie@sportsvideo.org | 646.524.7497 ALICIA HOPKINS, Meetings and Events Manager alicia@sportsvideo.org | 646.880.4901 ANDREW LIPPE,

Membership & Client Services Manager andrew@sportsvideo.org | 212.481.8133 CRISTINA ERNST, Event Operations Director cris@sportsvideo.org | 917.309.5174 SPONSORSHIP ROB PAYNE,

Managing Director, Worldwide Sponsor Development rob@sportsvideo.org | 212.481.8131 ANDREW GABEL, Director, Sponsor Development agabel@sportsvideo.org | 646.998.4554 DYLAN DAVIDSON, Sponsorship Coordinator dylan@sportsvideo.org | 646.559.0435 SVG EUROPE JOE HOSKEN, General Manager

joe@sportsvideo.org Tel: +44 74290 90134 ABOUT SVG

The Sports Video Group was formed in 2006 to support the professional community that relies on video, audio, and broadband technologies to produce and distribute sports content. Leagues, owners, teams, players, broadcasters, Webcasters, and consumer-technology providers have joined SVG to learn from each other, turn vision into reality, and implement innovations, while sharing experiences that will lead to advances in sports production/distribution and the overall consumer sports experience.