Altitude Sports Becomes First RSN to Feature Permanent Skycam With New Installation at Ball Arena The wired aerial camera system will serve Avalanche and Nuggets games for the rest of the season By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, January 16, 2025 - 3:19 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
In a first for a regional sports network, Altitude Sports & Entertainment has installed a permanent Skycam system at Ball Arena in Denver that will serve all of its Nuggets and Avalanche broadcasts for the rest of the season. Altitude and Skycam, which are both owned by Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, first debuted the system on Dec. 22 for the Avs' matchup against the Seattle Kraken and launched permanently on Jan. 14 for the Avs game against the New York Rangers.
We've talked for a few years about installing Sky Cam at Ball Arena, and within the past year those talks have increased and I'm ecstatic that it came to fruition, says Matt Krol. I'm looking forward to this being a regular staple of our broadcasts, bringing a playoff-level look every game night at Ball Arena.
Within the past year, KSE has made a concerted effort to leverage its properties across the world, which include Altitude and Skycam along with six pro sports teams (the Nuggets and Avs, Arsenal FC, Colorado Rapids and Mammoth, and L.A. Rams) and a variety of real estate holdings of which Ball Arena is part of.
This collaboration has been in the works for some time, but it truly gained momentum following a key meeting with our internal KSE team, says Stephen Wharton, GM/COO/CTO, Skycam. Building on the success of our NFL systems, this partnership was a natural progression. However, it required the right timing and local support to handle the high volume of events effectively.
Home Sweet Home in Section 322: Creating a Forever Home' for Skycam The operator suite above section 322 was custom designed by Skycam and the location provides the system with plenty of opportunity and overhead to not only cover Avs and Nuggets games, but also the myriad of concerts and other events that roll through Ball Arena throughout the year.
We needed to find the right home for the system, says Wharton. With as many games as we will do out of Ball Arena, we wanted there to be a forever home for Skycam so we put the effort into doing it right and building out a custom suite above section 322.
Such a Fun Toy': Production Team Embraces the New Tool While Krol says there was some initial uncertainty internally as to how the addition of a Skycam would impact the live-broadcast workflow for the front bench, the production team quickly embraced the new tool as part of its regular complement.
We had discussions on where to use, where not to, and how it will impact our look across the board, says Krol. When our Avalanche Director, Travis Honderd, used it for the time on Dec. 22, he texted me after the game saying, Yeah Skycam is better than I expected, such a fun toy.' It's going to be fun to discover new, exciting ways to enhance our broadcast through Skycam.
Krol says the benefits are already being seen in the broadcast with the Skycam providing a more overhead view that allows fans a better viewpoint to see plays develop.
There is no doubt this will change the way we produce games, he says. We have all seen the Skycam in action for NFL events and how that changed the broadcasts. This will do the same for our broadcasts on Altitude. It will take some getting used to for fans, but we already have seen some great looks from the Skycam for replays and break downs of plays that you can't see from the traditional game camera angle.
Sharing the Wealth: National and Regional Networks Get in on the Fun The installation at Ball Arena is the first in what Wharton hopes will be a new model that will elevate not only the broadcast side, but also enhance in-venue experiences and team assets. Similar to how it handles team-installed systems at NFL stadiums, Skycam plans to offer national networks the opportunity purchase control of the system when they visit Ball Arena.
We plan to offer national package opportunities, says Wharton, that are centered around growth and exposure, leveraging the system, its sponsors and our relationships with the Networks to make sure that all boats rise with the rising tide.
In addition, Skycam sees the Ball Arena installation as a significant opportunity to train new technicians and provide them with regular hands-on real-game experience.
As a company committed to growth and innovation, this setup also allows us to experiment with new technologies and quickly integrate them into our workflows, says Wharton. Additionally, it facilitates the expansion of our remote graphics, AR tracking workflows, and remote operator workflows, enabling us to refine and enhance these processes
On the regional side, Altitude plans to share the Skycam with visiting RSNs at no additional cost.
I'm hoping other RSNs take advantage of this and use this for their broadcasts at Ball Arena, he says. We value our relationships with the other RSNs as we often share and trade to help each other out, and with the television landscape the way it is, we all need all the help we can get.
The arrival of Skycam is just the latest chapter in what has been an eventful few months for Altitude. In addition to inking a local over-the-air rights agreement with TEGNA and launching its Altitude+ direct-to-consumer streaming app, Altitude recently revamped the look of its pre- and post-game studio shows to incorporate fans more at Ball Arena. It's all part of Altitude's effort to enhance the value proposition for local fans.
First [to launch Skycam] doesn't matter to me; we all have new toys and different ways of doing the broadcasts, says Krol.
North America Stories
04/02/2025
L3Harris has signed a two-year agreement with Thai Airways International to provide training service on its A320 Full Flight Simulator (FFS). This significant a...
04/02/2025
L3Harris' all-digital electronic warfare suite, Viper Shield , completed its...
04/02/2025
Nielsen Reports Major Recent Ratings Milestones for CBS and Paramount Series
N...
04/02/2025
BARCELONA Grup Mediapro and Google Cloud have expanded their collaboration to create an innovation lab focused on generative AI to develop solutions for the med...
04/02/2025
WATERTOWN, Mass. EditShare this week said it has received SOC 2 Type II certification, an independently audited evaluation of an organization's information ...
04/02/2025
Executive Creative Director Halle Petro Named Partner of Sonic Union
Brie Clayton February 4, 2025
0 Comments
Sonic Union is excited to announce Execu...
04/02/2025
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Camera for Android 2.0 Update
Brie Clayton February 4, 2025
0 Comments
New update adds support for Xiaomi Pad 6...
04/02/2025
CETA Software Launches Artist Access: The Time-Tracking Tool for Creative Teams
Brie Clayton February 4, 2025
0 Comments
CETA Software, creators of p...
04/02/2025
OWC Announces General Availability Launch of OWC Dock Ejector 2.0
Brie Clayton February 4, 2025
0 Comments
The Ultimate Tool for Efficiently and Safel...
04/02/2025
NEW YORK Paramount Global and Nielsen have inked a new, multiyear deal that will provide measurement for all of the company's platforms, including national ...
04/02/2025
2d Animated Short Concerning a Project for Schools
Brie Clayton February 3, 2025
0 Comments
2d animated short concerning a project for schools
Febru...
04/02/2025
Step by step guide to using 3D Models in After Effects
Graham Quince February 3, 2025
0 Comments
Since 2024, Adobe After Effects has had native suppor...
04/02/2025
Powerful Premiere Automation with new Excalibur Update
Colin Smith February 3, 2025
0 Comments
This tutorial takes you through the new update for auto...
04/02/2025
Cinematography of A Complete Unknown: Shooting 12,800 iso Sony Venice 2 to creat...
04/02/2025
DIY to D A: Ela Minus Breaks Through The electronic artist and producer tells Rolling Stone about her new album, D A, and how shes forged a career outside the...
04/02/2025
The future of football? Technology and entertainment merge in the Kings World Cu...
04/02/2025
Virtual Production and AR Graphics: Demystifying the Tools, Technologies, and Tr...
04/02/2025
SVG All-Stars: Russell Fink, Senior Director, Programming and Content Analytics,...
04/02/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: farmerswife's Jodi Clifford on Organizing Your Pr...
04/02/2025
EA Acquires TRACAB Technologies as It Looks to Move Beyond Games EA believes TRACABs sports tracking/analysis technology will help to make the EA SPORTS App the...
04/02/2025
Kingdom come: Alamiya Media on bringing the Supercoppa Italiana and Supercopa de...
04/02/2025
Alamiya Media at 50: Preparing for rapid change, an international broadcast cent...
04/02/2025
Back to All News
Clara Galle, Claudia Salas and Paula Usero Star in That Night,...
03/02/2025
The L3Harris IPLCS is a fiber-optic tether connecting a torpedo to the origin vessel, providing data in real time. Credit: L3Harris...
03/02/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. Video Services Forum (VSF) today announced that the VidTrans 2025 conference and exposition will take place Feb. 25-27 at the Marina del Rey Marr...
03/02/2025
WASHINGTON Last week Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) introduced the Stop Sports Blackouts Act to make cable and satellite companies ref...
03/02/2025
Amazon Prime Video has added more companies to its Preferred Vendor Services Program....
03/02/2025
BURBANK, Calif. The CW, NBC Sports and Grand Slam Track, a new global track competition, have announced a media rights deal that makes The CW the exclusive U.S....
03/02/2025
Adding LED wall to green screen studio expands creative options
CJP Broadcast Service Solutions, systems integration, production and content digitisation speci...
03/02/2025
CJP Broadcast Service Solutions, a systems integration and content digitisation specialist, has been appointed as a certified QuickLink Gold Partner. This strat...
03/02/2025
2d Animated Short Concerned a Project for Schools
Brie Clayton February 3, 2025
0 Comments
2d animated short concerning a project for schools
Februa...
03/02/2025
Academy Award-Winning Production Company Caviar Signs Director Dawit N.M.
Brie Clayton February 3, 2025
0 Comments
Academy Award-winning independent p...
03/02/2025
Blackmagic Design Announces Customizable Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K Body
Brie Clayton February 3, 2025
0 Comments
New body only model of Blackmagic URSA...
03/02/2025
Berklee Alumni Recognized at the 2025 Grammy Awards Winners took home trophies in 14 categories, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Songwr...
03/02/2025
For media production companies, the drive for increased efficiency without extensive incremental costs or added complexity is always near the top of the priorit...
03/02/2025
Any lingering resistance to virtual production involving next-generation elements like LED walls, in-camera visual effects (ICVFX) and mixed reality (MR) is rap...
03/02/2025
The physical function of audio mixing remains relatively unchanged today despite technology's onward march. There are now many ways to mix studio and outsid...
03/02/2025
Lightbridge, creators of the renowned Precision Reflectors for motion picture lighting, celebrates 8 years of innovation with a 40% discount on all current CRLS...
03/02/2025
High dynamic range (HDR) has transformed the sports fan experience, enabling broadcasters and OTT providers to deliver live events with remarkably lifelike colo...
03/02/2025
MainConcept, the leading provider of video and audio codecs, announces the latest additions to its MainConcept EVA (Easy Video API) technology, set to greatly e...
03/02/2025
Back to All News
Last Samurai Standing' Unveils 14 New Cast Members Ahead of November Debut
Entertainment
03 February 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied to ...
03/02/2025
Super Bowl LIX: Flown Sound System Adapts Older Stadium for Game, Hip-Hop-Heavy ...
03/02/2025
The NAMM Show Continues To Move Beyond the Music Dale Pro Audio had a front-row seat to what has become the major U.S. pro-audio expo By SVG Staff
Monday, Fe...
03/02/2025
As it heads to its estimable 30th anniversary, the HPA Tech Retreat continues to add one-of-a-kind programming to its schedule. The HPA Tech Retreat committee h...
02/02/2025
2026 Edition of Sundance Film Festival to Take Place in Park City and Salt Lake ...
02/02/2025
Back to All News
Sintonia - The Last Party: Netflix Celebrates the Shows Fifth ...
02/02/2025
Back to All News
Toma Ikuta Stars in Demon City' with Music by Tomoyasu Ho...
01/02/2025
Cow Job Listing: Calling All Creative Editors! Love Japan? Japan-Inspired Video ...
01/02/2025
DirecTV said it has significantly expanded its MySports package, which includes 40 national sports and local broadcast channels, to 122 Nielsen designated marke...
Altitude Sports Becomes First RSN to Feature Permanent Skycam With New Installation at Ball Arena The wired aerial camera system will serve Avalanche and Nuggets games for the rest of the season By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. 
