October 8, 2024
EVENT PROGRAM
TITLE SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSORS
CASE STUDY SPONSORS
EVENT SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSOR
AGENDA
9:15 – 9:55 a.m. REGISTRATION SPONSORED BY
9:55 – 10:00 a.m. WELCOMING REMARKS PRESENTED BY PRESENTERS:
Chris Allen, Red5, CEO and Co-Founder
Adam Whitlock, ESPN, Senior Director, Remote Traffic Operations; SVG TranSPORT Committee Chair
10:00 – 10:45 a.m. THE STATE OF TRANSPORT: Broadcaster Perspectives
The day kicks off with a panel exploring the current state and future of live sports transmission, including the impact of emerging technologies — IP, 5G, the cloud, 4K/HDR, and much more.
SESSION INTRODUCTION: Sean Sullivan, Astound Business Solutions, Senior Director, Media Network Architecture
MODERATOR: Jason Dachman, SVG, Editorial Director, U.S.; SVG TranSPORT Program Director
PANELISTS:
Brad Cheney, Fox Sports, VP, Field Operations and Engineering
Scott Davis, CBS Sports, VP, Broadcast Operations
Julie Morrison, Warner Bros. Discovery, Manager, Content Transmissions – Technology & Operations
Paul Spinelli, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, AVP, Engineering
Adam Whitlock, ESPN, Senior Director, Remote Traffic Operations
10:45 – 11:00 a.m. CASE STUDY
11:00 – 11:30 a.m. NETWORKING BREAK
11:30 –
Inside NBC Olympics’ Paris 2024 Transmission Scheme
NBC Olympics’ operations for the Paris 2024 games were a genuine transatlantic operation, with production teams throughout France and at NBC’s Stamford, CT, Broadcast Operations Center (BOC) tied together by a supercharged web of connectivity. NBC Olympics transmission leaders offer an inside look at how they pulled it all off.
PRESENTERS:
Ian Kuchta, NBC Sports Group, VP, BOC and Transmission Operations
Eric Poellot, NBC Sports, Senior Manager, Transmission Engineering & Operations
11:50 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. NEW SENSATION: How JPEG XS Is Changing the Game for Live Production
The JPEG XS compression standard offers visually lossless video with minimal latency, making it an ideal choice for REMI productions and other real-time applications. Hear how JPEG XS factors into today’s transmission landscape, as well as what opportunities and challenges lie ahead.
MODERATOR: Adam Whitlock, ESPN, Senior Director, Remote Traffic Operations
PANELISTS:
John Dale, Media Links, Corporate Director, Chief Marketing Officer
Ian Kuchta, NBC Sports Group, VP, BOC and Transmission Operations
Andrew Osmond, Evertz, Director of Business Development for Media Transport
Andy Rayner, Appear, CTO
12:30 – 12:45 p.m. TECHNOLOGY Q&A: Broadcast WAN, Evolution,
1:30 – 2:10 p.m. THE ST 2110 FACTOR: How IP-Based Plants Are Impacting Transmission
Hear what the future holds for transport of uncompressed ST 2110 video and what it means for your transmission roadmap.
MODERATOR: Kristian Hernández, SVG, Senior Editor
PANELISTS:
Kevin Callahan, NBC Sports, Olympics & Paralympics, Senior Director, System Engineering
Robin Hérin, Ateme, Director of Standardization, Office of the CTO
Donald Rodd, Diversified, Principal Consultant
Paul Spinelli, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, AVP, Engineering
2:10 – 2:50 p.m. THE REMI REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED: Connectivity for Remote Productions
This session will cover a wide range of topics essential for any broadcaster or production company looking to enhance their remote-production capabilities.
MODERATOR: Brandon Costa, SVG, Director of Digital
PANELISTS:
Tom Buffolano, Tata Communications / The Switch, Head of Business Development, College Sports
Ben Hayes, BitFire, Director of Client Services
Dan Pisarski, LiveU, CTO
Jesse Pitt, Deloitte Media Solutions, Media Engineering Specialists Leader
2:50 – 3:05 p.m. NETWORKING BREAK
3:05 – 3:45 p.m. INTERNET-BASED BACKHAUL: Evaluating Your Risk, Reward, and Return
From cost-efficiencies and scalability benefits to reliability and security concerns, this panel addresses best practices in internet-based backhaul.
MODERATOR: Jason Dachman, SVG, Editorial Director
PANELISTS:
Ghislain Collette, Haivision, VP, Product Management
Adam Whitlock, ESPN, Senior Director, Remote Traffic Operations
Sasha Zivanovic, Nextologies, CEO and Co-Founder
3:45 – 4:00 p.m. THE KEY INGREDIENTS FOR TAKING TIER 1 LIVE PRODUCTIONS IN TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Get the latest on the cutting-edge tools and technologies tier 1 live events are using to take their live cloud production workflows to the next level.
PRESENTERS:
Luke Potter, Alpha, Manager of Cloud Solutions
Francesco Scartozzi, Matrox Video, VP, Sales & Business Development, Broadcast and Media Group
4:00 – 4:40 p.m. INNOVATION IN TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY: 5G, IP, the Cloud, and Beyond
Technology manufacturers and connectivity providers discuss the current landscape, challenges, and future directions in live sports transmission.
MODERATOR: Jason Dachman, SVG, Editorial Director
PANELISTS:
Chris Allen, Red5, CEO and Co-Founder
Gordon Brooks, Zixi, CEO
Brad Cheney, Fox Sports, VP, Field Operations and Engineering
Jason Schnellbacher, T-Mobile, Technology Innovation
Tim Stevens, Verizon Business Group, Global Leader, Strategic Innovation, Media & Entertainment
4:40 – 5:30 p.m. NETWORKING RECEPTION
TranSPORT
COMMITTEE CHAIR
*ADAM WHITLOCK, ESPN, Senior Director, Remote Traffic Operations
Whitlock oversees the daily operation of ESPN’s Remote Traffic department, which is responsible for the acquisition of all live event contribution transmissions for ESPN linear and digital networks, both domestic and international.
KEYOTE SPEAKERS
*IAN KUCHTA, NBC Sports Group, VP, BOC and Transmission Operations
Kuchta has been with NBC Sports for 15 years in a variety of different roles and he now manages the Broadcast Operations, Transmission and Ingest teams in the Stamford, CT facility.
ERIC POELLOT, NBC Sports, Senior Manager, Transmission Engineering & Operations
Poellet’s teamsare responsible for acquisition and quality control of all inbound and outbound feeds, covering all events including the English Premier League, Sunday Night Football, the Olympics, BIG 10 and more.
SPEAKERS
CHRIS ALLEN, Red5, CEO and Co-Founder
Allen leads a talented team at Red5, where their TrueTime Solutions enable a wide range of interactive, real-time streaming applications for companies such as NVIDIA, Verizon, and FormulaDrift.
GORDON BROOKS, Zixi, CEO
Brooks brings more than 30-years of software and services technology leadership to Zixi, leading the strategic direction, as well as overseeing the day-to-day execution of Zixi’s strategic plan.
KEVIN CALLAHAN, NBC Sports, Olympics & Paralympics, Senior Director, System Engineering
Callahan has worked for NBC Sports for over 15 years in several roles; and now manages the System Engineering team, comprising design and advance support teams who design, commission and support new broadcast systems and production facilities.
*BRAD CHENEY, Fox Sports, VP, Field Operations and Engineering
Cheney manages technical and operational planning for baseball, boxing, and college sports along with transmission services and advanced-technology projects for Fox Sports. Cheney is a leader in new technology approaches.
GHISLAIN COLLETTE, Haivision, VP, Product Management
Collette has over 20 years of experience in video networking, working in broadcast, cable distribution, and streaming industries. Prior to Haivision, Collette served as a project engineer at Videotron.
JOHN DALE, MediaLinks, Chief Marketing Officer
Dale is responsible for global marketing, product management and business development. Additionally, he has been a board member of the Video Services Forum since 2003 and recently chaired the JPEG-XS Activity Group.
SCOTT DAVIS, CBS Sports, VP, Broadcast Operations
Davis is responsible for the day-to-day management of all CBS Sports transmission and connectivity needs, including all video, audio, data and communication paths from and to CBS Sports production sites.
BEN HAYES, BitFire, Director of Client Services
Hayes works to ensure the execution of the technical and operational solutions that BitFire’s clients have come to expect. He has supported the integration of new production technologies and workflows.
ROBIN HÉRIN, Ateme, Director of Standardization, Office of the CTO Hérin supports the Research & Innovation team in developing future technologies for video processing and delivery, while also driving partnership projects and standardization initiatives. He has previously worked as a solutions architect.
*JULIE MORRISON, Warner Bros. Discovery, Manager, Content Transmissions – Technology & Operations
Morrison manages a core team supporting transmissions on behalf of Turner Sports. She leads a team vital to ensuring the success of tent-pole events and high profile shows — including many complex remote productions — across multiple platforms.
ANDREW OSMOND, Evertz, Director of Business Development for Media Transport
Osmond has headed teams that have designed innovative codec transport systems at multiple companies and worked closely with domestic and international service providers to optimize broadcast network performance and reliability.
DAN PISARSKI, LiveU, CTO
Pisarski is an engineering leader in the online, video, and broadcast industries. He has a broad background in software and hardware design, product development, research and analysis and quality assurance.
LUKE POTTER, Alpha, Manager of Cloud Solutions
Potter has built his career at the intersection of media, technology, and content. Leveraging his deep industry expertise and cuttingedge cloud innovations, Potter is driving transformative change across media and live production workflows.
ANDY RAYNER, Appear, CTO
Rayner is currently CTO at Appear. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s technology strategy and its implementation. Prior to joining Appear in 2023, Andy was chief technologist at Nevion, a Sony Group company.
FRANCESCO SCARTOZZI, Matrox Video, VP, Sales & Business Development, Broadcast and Media Group
Scartozzi is responsible for managing the worldwide BMG Sales and Product Management teams to develop, sustain, and grow revenue. He joined Matrox in 1995 and has held various roles from applications engineer to sales director.
*PAUL SPINELLI, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, AVP, Engineering
Spinelli is the AVP, engineering for Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBG). Previously, he had been the director, distribution and network systems and the director of engineering and engineering manager of Sinclair Television Group’s corporate facilities.
TIM STEVENS, Verizon Business Group, Global Leader, Strategic Innovation, Media & Entertainment
Leveraging a deep understanding of business operations, technology, industry trends, and competitive landscape, Stevens is responsible for marketing strategy, product positioning, market intelligence, and business development.
SASHA ZIVANOVIC, Nextologies, CEO and Co-Founder
In 2009, Zivanovix and the Ethnic Channels Group (ECG) partners started Nextologies, to offer the digital video delivery system Zivanovic had built for ECG to broadcasters all over the world.
*
Reach every audience, any way you want.
GREAT BROADCASTS START
Ultra-Low Latency
Video Encoder
Low Latency Mobile Video Transmitter
Advanced Receiver & Distribution Platform
Get with the 5G program.
It’s time to make your sports broadcasts fully wireless and more efficient. With Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, you can capture, edit and deploy content seamlessly. Plus, with the power of Verizon 5G, you can reduce the need for on-site equipment and large crews, helping you save time and money. Upgrade your broadcasting to get the efficiency your business needs. Visit verizon.com/entertainmentsolutions for details.
