
NBC Sports Chicago's New Pitch-Type Graphic on White Sox Games Draws Fan Praise, Interest From Other Broadcasters The RSN is first broadcaster to add type of pitch to strikezone graphic overlay By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Wednesday, June 16, 2021 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Although the pitch-tracking graphic over home plate has become a staple of the modern baseball broadcast, NBC Sports Chicago (NBCSCH) has brought a new twist to the overlay. In late April, the RSN debuted a pitch type element as part of the MLB PitchCast strikezone graphic overlay and it has drawn not only rave reviews from viewers but growing interest from other MLB rightsholders around the country.
Although pitch location and speed have been a fundamental piece of the virtual overlay of the strike zone for years, NBCSCH displays the pitch type in real time, offering the viewer a more complete picture of the pitcher/batter duel. Other RSNs, including YES Network, have displayed the pitch type as part of its scorebug graphic, but NBCSCH is believed to be the first to integrate it directly into the strikezone graphic overlay displayed above home plate.
It's the first of its kind, which we're really proud of, says NBC Sports Chicago Executive Producer Greg Bowman. We believe It just allows the viewer to engage more with the game. It provides them additional information for the most important storyline, which is that pitcher and batter duel. With pitch type, you can see how a pitcher is attacking a hitter. Plus, all the information is in one specific area on the screen [over home plate] so it makes it more engaging and easier to watch the experience.
The idea for the pitch-type graphic came up during one of Bowman's regular morning calls with NBCSCH SVP/GM Kevin Cross at the end of March just before Opening Day. The two were pondering how to better engage viewers - especially younger viewers - in the pitcher/batter duel during the broadcast.
We wanted to provide fans with valuable information during the game, as well as appeal to a younger audience and what they experience in playing videogames, Bowman explains. The league already provided pitch speed and location within the strike-zone box, but the one thing that was missing was pitch type. We started talking about putting it all in one location within the strike-zone box so that the viewer's eyes didn't have to go up to the scorebug in the upper left-hand corner after every single pitch.
He quickly put together a mock-up of the pitch type graphic and sent it off to the league for feedback and approval. Since MLB provides all Statcast and PitchCast data at the ballpark, using dedicated optical-tracking cameras (capturing angle, spin rate, and speed of the pitch), Bowman knew the league would have to play a major role in developing the new graphic.
[The league] had not been approached about this in the past, and they were very receptive to it, he says. They went to bat for us in working with their development staff and worked up a demo fit for their system. Then we went back and forth making some tweaks here and there and tested a couple of different versions.
The pitch-type graphic premiered during the White Sox home game against Cleveland on April 30 and has been used in every home-game broadcast since then.
Originally, the pitch-type graphic was not available for away games (the RSN worked with vendor TV Graphics to incorporate a dropdown element in the scorebug). However, after working with the league and away-team broadcasters on the MLB's current enhanced-world-feed model, NBCSCH was able to add the pitch-type graphic over the plate to its away-game broadcasts in early June.
It's great that now we're consistent on both home and road games using pitch types, says Bowman. When Major League Baseball delivers the PitchCast [data], they deliver a home feed and a visitor feed. All we had to do was reconfigure some TD switcher setups for our own show since we provide a world feed to the visiting team. And then, when we're on the road, we work with the home-team [RSN] to take the PitchCast visiting feed that they're getting at their stadium and have Major League Baseball feed our pitch-type graphics look on the visiting PitchCast feed.
He notes that, although fan reaction was about 50-50 after the first weekend of games, White Sox fans soon warmed to the pitch-type graphic and the feedback has been extremely positive in the weeks since.
In addition, several other MLB rightsholders have inquired about using the technology in their own broadcasts. NBCSCH did not want to limit other broadcasters' access to the pitch-type graphic, Bowman says, adding that the league is free to grant access to the technology for other rightsholders.
This further differentiates us from other broadcasts, he says. We're all very proud, but we're also happy to share it because it's really an exciting addition.
In my opinion, Bowman continues, we have one of the best production teams in the country, and we would put our game productions up against anybody. With innovations like this and all the other production elements we include in our games, I feel like we're one of the best productions in baseball, and this is just one example of that.
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...
13/03/2025
Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...
13/03/2025
At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...
13/03/2025
Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...
13/03/2025
Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...
13/03/2025
On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...
13/03/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...
13/03/2025
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 P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Roku Debuts NWSL Zone' Within Roku Sports to Spotlight Live Games, Content Feature marks Rokus first women's league-branded zone within service By Bra...
13/03/2025
Pixels, Images, Video, AI - and Us: A Perspective on AI from NDI Inventor Andrew...
13/03/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lighting Design Group's Steve Brill, Dennis Size ...
13/03/2025
IOC, Comcast NBCU Ink $3B Media-Rights Extension for Olympic Games Through 2036;...
13/03/2025
NCAA March Madness Live Returns with Expanded Availability of MultiView Vertical...
13/03/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...
13/03/2025
Sky Business, Sky's B2B division, providing connectivity and content to busi...
13/03/2025
Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...
13/03/2025
We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey.
Our 2025 survey p...
13/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...
13/03/2025
Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025
Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...
13/03/2025
Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...
13/03/2025
A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
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
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
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
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
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
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
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
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
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
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
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
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
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...