Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

NBA TV Takes Fan Engagement to Next Level With Social-Centric Fans Only' Telecast

05/04/2018

NBA TV Takes Fan Engagement to Next Level With Social-Centric Fans Only' Telecast There will be no play-by-play caller but plenty of social-media content, fan interaction By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor

Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - 3:06 pm

Print This Story

Story Highlights

In the age of ubiquitous mobile devices and social-media interaction, sports broadcasters have found it increasingly difficult to keep fans engaged during live game telecasts. Rather than fight it, Turner Sports and NBA TV aim to embrace the connected fan with a first-of-its-kind production format, dubbed Fans Only, debuting for the Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers game this Friday.

The Fans Only telecast will incorporate a constant stream of fan-driven content, including social conversation and instant polling, displayed in a multibox L-screen graphic throughout the game. In lieu of traditional play-by-play announcers, Fans Only will feature additional graphics (signaling simple occurrences like turnover or personal foul ) to help narrate the action. Along with significant fan involvement onsite at the STAPLES Center, NBA TV's studio team will take phone calls from viewers on-air, react to social-media content, and let fan polls determine what is featured next in the telecast.

Everyone knows that it's a challenge right now for TV networks to engage with the fans and find ways to keep their attention throughout these games, explains NBA TV Executive Producer John O'Connor. We believe it's now up to us to listen to them, find out what they want to see and when, and then react to that. That's the main philosophy for this game. I equate it to how fans are engaged on their phones during games; we are trying to bring that type of engagement to the TV screen.

The Graphics: On-Screen Layout and Social-Media Integration

NBA TV will feature an L-shaped graphic throughout the telecast; the action on the court will never go full-screen. The left vertical panel will display social-media content (from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat), and a scorebug and instant poll results will be displayed along the bottom. In addition to displaying the social-media conversation in general, NBA TV has recruited social influencers from around the country and will periodically incorporate them into the telecast.

One thing we discussed a lot is that we don't want to alienate the viewer because the full-screen experience is very important to fans. We understand that, says O'Connor. We have decided we are going to have the L-shaped screen the whole time and not switch between full-screen and the L-screen. That would drive the fan even crazier. You're going to see it the whole game, but you won't miss any game action whatsoever.

Because the Lakers-Timberwolves game coverage won't have an announcer or analyst, NBA TV will display lower-third graphics throughout the game.

We won't have traditional play-by-play or announcers, but, obviously, we still need to tell the story of the game, says O'Connor. The game will be dictated more graphically for fans at home watching the game, so they know what's going on. You will see extra lower-third graphics coming off the scorebug, like a turnover, out of bounds, and two-shot foul. Things that you'd normally take for granted when an announcer is calling the game we will now accentuate a little bit more with graphics so people aren't lost.

The Talent: Onsite at STAPLES Center and Back Home in the Studio

Throughout the telecast, host Casey Stern and analysts Grant Hill and Brendan Haywood will help guide the viewer through the telecast (the cast from NBA TV's The Starters will also be featured in the studio). In addition, Dennis Scott will be in the stands, and Nate Robinson will roam the concourse interviewing celebrities and engaging with fans.

Onsite at STAPLES, Dennis Scott and Nate Robinson will play a prominent role in the broadcast, says O'Connor. We have done some initiatives in the past, like Players Only, where we had Dennis Scott onsite, but he will be much more focused on the fans in the arena for this [telecast]. He will also talk to celebrities about being a fan and what it's like to show up to these games all the time as a celebrity.

NBA TV's Fans Only telecast will feature a constant L-screen graphic highlighting the social-media conversation, real-time fan polling, and more.

In the studio, NBA TV will be real-time polling fans throughout the telecast to determine what segment they would like to see next from Stern, Hill, and Haywood.

We're going to react to these instant polls with our content, O'Connor notes. Via our NBATV social handle, we will ask the fans if they would rather see an on-court demo from Grant and Brendan about a specific shot or the two of them just breaking down the game. We'll do a quick poll, and, coming out of the next break, we will be doing [the segment] they voted for.

Stern, Hill, and Haywood will also be taking calls live from fans via a hotline, incorporating social influencers, and chatting with The Starters.

Inside the Truck: The Fans Will Direct the Director, Producer

With multiple sources of content to manage - the game itself, interviews in the arena, in-studio segments, and social-media content, plus fan polling determining much of the rundown - Fans Only poses a very different dynamic for producer Stephen Lindsey and director Bert Bondi. To streamline the operation, NBA TV will have multiple producers managing various facets of the production and helping funnel the most relevant content to Lindsey at the front bench.

NBA TV will also air preproduced pieces within the telecast (for example, Scott doing a live standup at the top of every quarter), but O'Connor's goal is a free-flowing broadcast that r
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2018/04/04/nba-tv-takes-fan-engagement-to-...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

13/03/2025

TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring for VOS360 Streaming Workflows at the 2025 NAB Show

TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...

13/03/2025

DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage Platform that Empowers Video Teams to Scale Effortlessly

DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...

13/03/2025

FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Life at NAB 2025 Exhibition

FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...

13/03/2025

Ajit Pai Appointed President of CTIA

CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...

13/03/2025

NAB: FCC's 60 Minutes Investigation Is Unconstitutional, Invalid

he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...

13/03/2025

CBS Miami to Launch AR Coverage of Weather and Sports for March Madness

MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...

13/03/2025

Meet the co-founder and chief customer success & innovation officer

Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...

13/03/2025

FCC Chairman Carr Launches Massive Deregulation Initiative

WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...

13/03/2025

SDVI Integrates Rally With Spectra Vail

SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...

13/03/2025

FCC Approves Gray's Acquisition of KXLT

ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...

13/03/2025

NAB Show 2025 Exhibitor Insight: Blackmagic Design

TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...

13/03/2025

Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice

Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions. ...

13/03/2025

Italia 90 Republic of Ireland Squad, Riverdance, Cian Ducrot & B*Witched on Friday's Late Late Show

Here is your host, Patrick Kielty! Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...

13/03/2025

RT Celebrating all things Irish this St. Patrick's Weekend

This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...

13/03/2025

GTC 2025 - Announcements and Live Updates

What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...

13/03/2025

T-Mobile, Thales and SIMPL ease IoT deployments with a flexible and secure connectivity solution

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...

13/03/2025

Relive the Magic as GeForce NOW Brings More Blizzard Gaming to the Cloud

Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library. Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...

13/03/2025

Gaming Goodness: NVIDIA Reveals Latest Neural Rendering and AI Advancements Supercharging Game Development at GDC 2025

AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...

13/03/2025

Drop It Like It's Mod: Breathing New Life Into Classic Games With AI in NVIDIA RTX Remix

PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...

12/03/2025

Como o Impacto Cultural e Financeiro da Indstria Musical Define Seu Sucesso em 2025

O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...

12/03/2025

Cmo el impacto cultural y financiero de la industria musical define su xito en 2025

Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...

12/03/2025

Nourish Mind, Body, and Soul This Ramadan With Spotify

Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...

12/03/2025

How the Music Industry's Cultural and Financial Impact Define Its Success in 2025

Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...

12/03/2025

FAST now transcends back catalog content

More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...

12/03/2025

Viamedia Adopts ShowSeeker Pilot To Streamline Ad Workflows

GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...

12/03/2025

Mediagenix Appoints Wael Yasin as Sales Director Central Europe

BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....

12/03/2025

Omdia: Global Online Consumer Expenditure to Hit $6.6 Trillion by 2029

LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...

12/03/2025

Comcast Technology Solutions Upgrades to Interra Systems BATON Version 9

CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....

12/03/2025

Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering

Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering Brie Clayton March 12, 2025 0 Comments High-capacity switch enhances existi...

12/03/2025

DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol

DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol Brie Clayton March 12, 2025 0 Comments Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...

12/03/2025

SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally Sweden 2025

SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...

12/03/2025

Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations

Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits. By Madd...

12/03/2025

Offering a broad umbrella for IP standards

TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...

12/03/2025

Warner Bros Belgium takes a new approach to its post production workflows

The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks By Matthew Corrig...

12/03/2025

Another VFX company suspends operations

Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months By Jenny ...

12/03/2025

Bitcentral to Showcase AI-Powered Innovations for Smarter...

Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...

12/03/2025

Jeff Lilly Named WGN-TV Director Of Technology

CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....

12/03/2025

Survey: Consumers Want More Shoppable TV Experiences

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...

12/03/2025

IP Showcase To Focus On IP, Broadcast Tech Convergence at 2025 NAB Show

BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...

12/03/2025

Comcast Boosts Internet Speeds for More Than 20 Million Customers

PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....

12/03/2025

Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14

Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14 Brie Clayton March 11, 2025 0 Comments Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade During Marc...

12/03/2025

Ross Video Strengthens Cloud Leadership with Appointment of Aaron Tunnell

Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...

12/03/2025

VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025

12 Mar 2025 VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...

12/03/2025

Getting Set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's Ongoing Software-Based Production Evolution

Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...

12/03/2025

Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful

Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...

12/03/2025

Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptual Displays

Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...

12/03/2025

Sky Sports Unveils Exciting Plans for 2025 Formula 1 Coverage

With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...

12/03/2025

Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz transmission solutions

Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...

12/03/2025

Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby Double-Header

Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...