
NFL International Series: Sky Sports opts for an enhanced production as the Jags prepare to take on the Bears in London By Will Strauss
Friday, October 11, 2024 - 10:16
Print This Story
In the latest game in the NFL's International Series, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be looking to kickstart their faltering start to the season when they take on the Chicago Bears at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Sky Sports holds the rights to show the game live in the UK and Ireland. SVG Europe caught up with senior producer Alex Jackson on the eve of the Week 6 matchup to find out how the broadcaster will handle pre-match, half-time and post-match coverage.
The London games are our FA Cup Final, acknowledges Jackson. It's a real opportunity for us to showcase to the UK audience, what we're all about. So, we invest a lot of time and resources into trying to make it the best possible production.
Sky's NFL output is ordinarily helmed from a mixed reality studio at its HQ in Osterley, West London. But for this home' fixture, the presentation team will be going on-site.
As much as we're proud of our new studio, you can't beat being on-site, continues Jackson. We want to bring the atmosphere of an NFL game to the viewers at home. You get such a difference when you're on site. The atmosphere comes crashing through your screen and that's what you want.
The on-screen team at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium will include longstanding host Neil Reynolds, former NFL players Jason Bell and Ndamukong Suh, NFL analyst Phoebe Schecter, and reporter Olivia Harlan Dekker.
The Bears have given us access to shoot in their locker room before the team arrives. That's exclusive access. It's an opportunity for us to peel back the curtain and take the viewers to a part of the stadium that they wouldn't normally go.
Sky has several different presentation positions available to them on Sunday.
We try to bounce around areas to take the viewers closer to the stadium. We're going to present the match build-up from field side. We have a reporter position field side too which we can use for updates during the game or at halftime. Our reporter, Olivia Harlan Dekker, will grab interviews with players post-match.
We're going to try and stay in our presentation position up to kick off, he continues. And then Neil, Jason and Suh will reposition from field-side up to the broadcast studio in the stands that we use on Premier League games. Before the game, we'll also have a position outside the stadium because we feel the fans are a big part of the story during a London game.
Sky is also getting something that eludes many broadcasters, adds Jackson.
The Bears have given us access to shoot in their locker room before the team arrives. That's exclusive access. It's an opportunity for us to peel back the curtain and take the viewers to a part of the stadium that they wouldn't normally go. Phoebe and Suh are going to explain the intricacies of the locker room and the setup.
Although the presentation team will be on site, the production is being done remotely from Osterley (gallery pictured, above).
Jackson says: The director, director's assistant, technical supervisor, sound, graphics, producer, VT ops, they will be all be in our NFL gallery back at Sky. And then we have all the camera circuits coming in via fibre. For the first time for a Sky NFL London game, we've got a full HDR camera set up to improve the visual quality of what we're offering to our viewers.
Sky's presentation elements will be captured in 1080p HDR. To match this to the host match coverage, which is 1080p SDR, the host feed will be up-converted at Sky. The final output will be made available to viewers in both 1080p HDR and 1080p SDR.
In total, 45 people are working on the NFL output on Sunday, this includes the talent, the staff from Sky, and the crew from the OB provider EMG, plus those working for Sky Sports News and in Sky's Digital and Social teams.
Among the ongoing challenges for Sky is explaining the intricacies of the sport to viewers who are new to it. This can be solved, at least partly, through the language used by the talent but also via on-screen graphics and specially produced explainer content.
We're conscious that it is quite a complicated game, recognises Jackson (pictured above). And we definitely do our best not to assume knowledge. We've made a real effort over the last couple of years to make the coverage more accessible. We've moved away from Xs and Os. We've tried to focus more on the stars and not go too far down the analytical route.
We've recently upgraded our analysis software to Piero. Sometimes [with NFL] there is a feeling that there's just a sea of bodies and it's hard to know where you should be focussing your attention. We think it is important to help direct the viewers.
Phoebe is leading a series of explainers throughout the rest of the season. We think they're essential. These have already started. This Sunday we should be seeing the first episode of her jargon-busting series. But equally, we have a loyal audience. Many of the viewers have been with us for quite a while and we don't want to dumb it down. So it's a fine balance between not assuming too much and not patronising your audience.
Ross Video's Piero will play its part in this process too.
We've recently upgraded our analysis software to Piero to bring it in line with what the football [soccer] department and Premier League use. We think it is important to direct viewers to where they should be looking. Sometimes there is a feeling that there's just a sea of bodies and it's hard to know where you should be focussing your attention. That's why we've taken the time, e
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 ...