College Football Kickoff 2024: FOX Sports' Big Noon Kickoff Harmonizes Game Production With Roaming Studio Show to Offer Full Coverage on Saturdays By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Thursday, August 29, 2024 - 1:36 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The era of conference realignment has changed a ton of aspects in college football, but one thing that remains the same is FOX Sports' ability to combine stellar live game production with entertaining studio programming. Big Noon Kickoff, their marquee studio show, will once again hit the road to visit Big Ten campuses, but on the broadcast front, the network's Big Noon Kickoff is seizing on the opportunity to lead every action-packed Saturday in the noon ET window.
From a broadcasting standpoint, conference realignment has some of our weekends starting on Friday night with the Big Ten, says Chuck McDonald, lead producer, FOX Sports. When you add in Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday morning, we'll be setting up the day with a big matchup in the early time slot.
Brady Quinn, Chris Fallica, Matt Leinart, Rob Stone, Urban Meyer, and Mark Ingram II will be onsite for the Big Noon Kickoff studio show.
Can't Wait for the Weekend: Excitement Builds With Conference Realignment, Ideal Time Slot The College Football Playoff may have expanded to 12 teams, but that also means that every single game has massive implications since more programs have an equal shot to qualify. There's a sense of excitement that comes with this prospect, and with the intensity of games ratcheting up every week, there isn't much of a runway for FOX Sports to settle into their slate of top-tier productions.
When you really think about [each week's] ramifications on the expanded playoffs, you realize how many more teams have access to the postseason, says McDonald. There isn't going to be an off week' because teams in the past that weren't relevant after a loss will still have an entire season to compete and fight for the biggest prize.
This theme of getting started right away is reflected in FOX Sports' first three weeks of the 2024 Big Noon Kickoff campaign, which will feature Penn State vs. West Virginia on Saturday, Aug. 31; Texas vs. Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 7; and Alabama vs. Wisconsin on Saturday, Sept. 14. Out of those six teams, four are ranked in the Top 10 with the Longhorns at No. 4, the Crimson Tide at No. 5, the Nittany Lions at No. 8, and the Wolverines at No. 9. If you examine the stakes of these games on their projected championship trajectory and the steep tradition of each program, McDonald believes that this trio of games is an incredible way to start.
In our 14 years of college football, I'm not sure we've ever had this combination of quality competition, iconic sites, and energetic fanbases in the first three weeks to begin a season, he continues.
Along with a more diverse Big Ten with the inclusion of four new programs in No. 3 Oregon, No. 23 USC, UCLA, and Washington, FOX Sports has the chance to set the table for the entire college football landscape. There are many schools in the Big Ten with National Championship aspirations, which also includes No. 2 Ohio State and No. 25 Iowa, but the network will also focus on the powerhouses in other conferences that want to end the season with a piece of hardware in their trophy case.
We've been working within the highest-rated window for three consecutive years and have established Big Noon Kickoff as a premier destination for fans, but we also want to talk about the bigger picture of college football, says McDonald. [Play-by-play announcer] Gus [Johnson] and [analyst] Joel [Klatt] are able to speak on the game and place it within a larger context.
Week-by-Week Changes: Stadium Constraints Dictate Camera Complement, Placement The Big Ten is passionate about college football, but the conferences' 18 universities play in various-sized stadiums. For example, Northwestern's temporary stadium that will sit about 15,000 fans pales in comparison to the massive Michigan Stadium's capacity of 107,601. With this sliding scale of venue sizes, McDonald and his production staff have to adapt to some buildings having the ability to fit a higher number of cameras more than others.
There are places where I can have 30 cameras while others can only hold 15, he adds. Michigan Stadium has its challenges since it doesn't have room for [sideline] carts compared to Ohio Stadium, which is more like an NFL-style venue where we can really put lenses anywhere.
This circumstance means that standard games will leverage 13 and others will reach up to 18, which includes a Steadicam and other devices from the studio show if the venue has enough space. A slate of Game Creek trucks will help the 1080p HDR show up convert to 4K as well as handle upgrades to certain technologies. This includes allowing their line-to-gain and pylon cameras to zoom in without losing image quality, which is a feature seen on the NFL on FOX.
There have been times where we wish we had a higher image quality to see whether or not a knee was down or a ball was out, continues McDonald. Those are the types of plays that flip games, so I think that that's going to make a huge difference.
Moving Forward Together: Game Crew, Big Noon Kickoff Synchronize Workflows for Primetime Matchups Since the COVID-riddled season of 2020, and the lingering effects that bled into subsequent seasons in 2021 and 2022, networks are still aiming to capture the lightening in the bottle of pre-pandemic college football. Now four years on, with students and fans piling into venues and programs gearing up for one of the most enthralling seasons in recent memory, FOX Sports is firing on all cylinders with the help of camaraderie between their game production and s
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
College Football Kickoff 2024: FOX Sports' Big Noon Kickoff Harmonizes Game Production With Roaming Studio Show to Offer Full Coverage on Saturdays By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor 
