
ESPN continues to cultivate its GREMI (Vizrt graphics/ EVS replay remote integration) hybrid at-home production workflow.
Originally published by SVG.
ESPN gets back in its NBA groove tonight with a regular-season-opening doubleheader featuring Pelicans-Rockets and Mavericks-Suns matchups. The network will continue to blaze a technological trail with innovations like the use of removable robos in locker rooms and, potentially, SkyCam at some point in the season. In addition, ESPN continues to cultivate its GREMI (graphics/replay remote integration) hybrid at-home production workflow, which debuted on its NBA shows last year after first being deployed on its MLB coverage in 2017.
We are extremely proud of our technical managers and specialists in the field for NBA, says Wendell Grigely, senior director, event operations, ESPN. They have put together the GREMI operation to make it seamless and continue to find new ways to innovate. It was a lot of hard work and communication between our ops in Bristol and ops people in the field [to refine the GREMI model], but everyone just refused to let it fail, and the result was a huge success.
GREMI Model Is in Full SwingLast year, ESPN launched its GREMI model across all its NBA productions, and, according to Grigely, the effort was a rousing success. With the GREMI approach, two EVS operators, a graphics operator, and a graphics producer are located in Bristol, CT, but use equipment - EVS servers and Vizrt graphics systems - housed on the truck. Between two and four additional replay operators (depending on the size of the show) are located on the truck.
The GREMI operation has been incredibly successful, says Grigely. In the beginning last year, we expected to have a few issues, but we really didn't, and it was totally seamless. Everyone in production has embraced it, and it has worked out for both the remote side and our operation back in Bristol. Plus, we get consistent operators because we have the same people working more shows.
This year, the clock-and-score-graphics operator will also be located in Bristol.
Everyone got on board really quickly from a technical and operator standpoint to make sure this succeeded every single week, says Grigely. And we developed great relationships between production people in the truck and our operators back in Bristol. The communication was excellent throughout the year so we could make little improvements every week.
Building Off Summer League SuccessESPN will continue to deploy eight to 12 cameras on the majority of NBA games, with the count jumping to 16 or 17 for marquee and primetime games, such as this Saturday's Rockets-Lakers matchup in Los Angeles. The through the glass shot that has become a staple of ESPN's NBA coverage will be back for selected games this year, with Sony HDC-P43 6X-slo-mo robotic cameras (provided by Fletcher) mounted behind the glass.
After a successful test at NBA Summer League, ESPN and the NBA will deploy breakaway robos in locker rooms throughout the season (pending team approval). New mounts allow the robotic cameras to be easily mounted for pregame, halftime, and postgame segments and then quickly removed.
Another successful Summer League experiment may also make its way into ESPN's coverage this year. The network may deploy SkyCam on tentpole games later in the season.
We are looking into using SkyCam after its success at Summer League, says Grigely, but nothing is definite yet. We are working with the league and the individual teams, but there is a lot of interest. We definitely want to try to get it [located] over play on the court. I think it offers some interesting angles, and we're working to make that happen.
He pinpoints Christmas Day - always a big day for ESPN's NBA coverage - as a potential debut for SkyCam with more appearances possible during the second half of the season.
ESPN will also continue to mic players and coaches for its Wired segments as much as possible this season, according to Grigely.
EN3, Victory Trucks Are Committed to HardcourtESPN will rely on two dedicated mobile units for its NBA shows this season: NEP's EN3 and Game Creek Video's Victory. Although ESPN will deploy a handful of other trucks when necessary, the operations team has been able to customize EN3 and Victory for the specific needs of its NBA productions.
It's great to have dedicated trucks that we can load up with our [custom] gear [complement] for the season, says Grigely. It allows to do less shipping because the mobile units show up with everything we need. We can often knock out four games with just those two trucks in a week, which will be really great for our operations team.
ESPN Turbocharges Content-Sharing Effort With CMSIESPN continues to bolster its file-transfer operations from games, enlisting Creative Mobile Solutions Inc. (CMSI) to manage content sharing not only with Bristol but also with the league and Turner Sports.
Our file-transfer operation now is pretty large, says Grigely. It really allows the content to be shared across all of ESPN's platforms, as well as NBA and Turner. File transfer has helped speed up that process and make it a much tighter operation overall, and we've continued to refine that.
Related articles
NBA Summer League Spotlight: A Breeding Ground for Production-Tech Innovation
NEP Group, Bexel support March Madness broadcasts with Vizrt graphics tools
Related articles
NBA Summer League Spotlight: A Breeding Ground for Production-Tech Innovation
NEP Group, Bexel support March Madness broadcasts with Vizrt graphics tools
Most recent headlines
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
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 ...
12/03/2025
SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...
12/03/2025
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
By
Madd...
12/03/2025
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...
12/03/2025
The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks
By Matthew Corrig...
12/03/2025
Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months
By Jenny ...
12/03/2025
Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation
Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...
12/03/2025
CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....
12/03/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...
12/03/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...
12/03/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....
12/03/2025
Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...
12/03/2025
Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...
12/03/2025
12 Mar 2025
VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...
12/03/2025
Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...
12/03/2025
THE PLAYERS Championship 2025: AI Commentary, Shared-Reality Viewing at COSM, La...
12/03/2025
Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...
12/03/2025
Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...
12/03/2025
With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...
12/03/2025
Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...
12/03/2025
Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...