SVG Esports Production Summit Beckons 210 Attendees to Los Angeles for Conversations on What's to Come in Competetive Gaming Broadcasts Industry leaders from Riot Games, OS Studios, ESL FACEIT Group, Esports Engine, Allied Esports and HyperX Arena, OpTic Gaming & Esports Stadium Arlington, and more took the stage By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor Thursday, November 14, 2024 - 8:00 am
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The annual SVG Esports Production Summit, once again, went westward to Los Angeles on Tuesday, Nov. 12 and drew more than 200 industry professionals to discuss and network around the topic of live esports production and the in-stadium fan experience.
Developed by Sports Video Group's Esports Production Advisory Committee, this event highlighted the production logistics that go into organizing and broadcasting live-esports events, cloud-based and remote-production workflows, the role of observers and unique aspects of esports production, interactive streaming experiences and fan engagement, and much more.
All sessions from the 2024 SVG Esports Production Summit will be available to watch on demand at SVG PLAY in the coming weeks.
A keynote presentation with Riot Games' Allyson Gormley on their new Remote Broadcast Center in Seattle highlighted Tuesday's event.
The event was highlighted by a keynote presentation on Riot Games' new Remote Broadcast Center (RBC) in Seattle. Powered by AWS, the 70,000-square foot production space joins Riot's first RBC in Dublin to offer an efficient new approach to live global production where broadcast feeds from live esports competitions happening around the world can be sent to the RBCs where content is produced, broadcast, and distributed in multiple languages to esports fans. Riot Games' Global Operations Director, Esports Broadcast & Production, Allyson Gormley offered a behind-the-scenes look of their setup in Seattle and discussed how the RBC model prepares its esports-production team for the future.
The show opened with a conversation on where the esports production industry is going. Live esports tournaments have rapidly evolved from niche streams to major global broadcasts, pushing the boundaries of technology and creativity along the way. At the same time, a market correction in the industry has created sizable challenges over the past two years. Frequency Advisors's Chief Commercial & Corporate Development Officer's Wim Stocks explained how the industry has transformed over the years and where it's headed next.
Next, attendees were brought inside the control room to learn new tips and see technologies that enable a successful broadcast. Lux Machina's Evan Cervantes, Esports Engine's Randell (Guru) Hammond, Snapback Productions' Bryce Kongvold, OS Studio's George Rudaj, and Advanced Systems Group's Lucas Wilson broke down the emerging workflows that are shaping the esports landscape, including the latest cameras and lenses, audio and comms, AI and automation, AR and virtual production, and real-time data and stats integration, and much more.
Industry icon Wim Stocks gave his thoughts on the future of live esports production.
This discussion was followed up by a unique case study from Chess.com and Advanced Systems Group. Featuring Chess.com's Director, Broadcast Engineering & Production, Mike Buetsch, and Advanced Systems Group's Chief Cloud Officer Claudia Souza, the talk shed light on the strategies and lessons learned from using software-defined workflows for live production.
After a networking lunch, the audience returned to a conversation about producing esports shows on a budget. In the world of esports, delivering a high-quality broadcast doesn't necessarily have to be synonymous with high costs. With the right mentality and tools, it's possible to produce professional-level broadcasts without overspending. Industry vets offer best practices in optimizing workflows and maximizing resources, share practical advice on where to invest and where to save, and provide ideas on how to identify cost-effective tools and technology.
The subject of influencers was on stage next. Allied Esports and HyperX Arena's Brand Manager Austy Champion and OS Studios' Executive Producer and Director of Broadcast Ethan Spencer chopped it up about how these individuals can enhance the viewer experience through live commentary, behind-the-scenes content, and fan interaction, as well as how to balance influencer-driven content with traditional broadcast elements.
Allied Esports and HyperX Arena's Austy Champion and OS Studios' Ethan Spencer dove into the impact of influencers.
The penultimate panel weighed the balance between the live broadcasts and the in-person experience. Esports event producers often tasked with creating two shows at once, and while this requires seamless collaboration between the event organizers and broadcast teams, aligning their goals and workflows can be challenging. Professionals from these two groups - or more often than not, one group handling both tasks - described how they work together to synchronize their vision, communication, and execution.
Lastly, the closing panel digested the role of cloud-based solutions and remote production within the esports ecosystem. Although the esports-production industry was well ahead of the REMI curve over the past decade, the demand for efficient and flexible production solutions has led to even more remote and cloud-based productions today.
The 2024 SVG Esports Production Summit was made possible by Title Sponsor Advanced Systems Group; Diamond Sponsors Canon, Panasonic Connect, and The Switch; Gold Sponsors Evertz, RTS Intercom Systems, Teradek, and Vinten; and Event Sponsor TAG Video Systems.
