Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

NBA Draft 2020: ESPN Keeps an Eye on Prospects, Works With League's Content Team for Bristol-Based Production

19/11/2020

NBA Draft 2020: ESPN Keeps an Eye on Prospects, Works With League's Content Team for Bristol-Based Production Operations will use workflows, lessons from the virtual NFL Draft By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor

Wednesday, November 18, 2020 - 12:27 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Since the pandemic's beginning in March, ESPN's team has become accustomed to producing virtual Drafts. As the nation's top college-basketball recruits wait to hear their name called, the broadcaster will have virtual access to up to 30 draftees, a full onsite effort inside two separate control rooms, on-air talent in different studios, and more for this year's NBA Draft in Bristol, CT.

The NBA will be directly involved with producing and providing content for our giant LED-monitor wall in the studio, says Erin Williams, director, production operations, ESPN. This production will be very similar to what we did for the NFL Draft.

Check out more of SVG's coverage of the 2020 NBA Draft:

ESPN Creative Services Introduces Sleek Graphics Package for Virtual Production

Atlanta Hawks Invite Fans to Virtual Draft Party With Local Personalities, Team Personnel

The Homes of Basketball's Best: Viewers Will See Simultaneous Reactions of 30 Prospects The 2020 NBA Draft will be the first one sent live from ESPN studios in Bristol, CT. Photo: Shane Norton/ESPN

Unable to replicate an in-venue experience like last year's event in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, ESPN is throwing a massive house party inside its Bristol headquarters. Unable to have newly minted NBA professionals walk across a physical stage, the broadcaster worked with the NBA to develop a complex infrastructure that peeks into the homes of the most promising of Draft picks.

The broadcaster has leveraged the resources of Van Wagner as a third-party vendor to ship production kits to the prospects. The kits comprise two Apple iPhones, lighting gear, and other accessories to properly highlight the player at home. To send and receive feeds in Bristol, ESPN will use a sturdy foundation of 15 satellite trucks outside the facility.

At any given time, we'll have 12 feeds from Van Wagner as well as five feeds coming from [the NBA facility in] Secaucus, [NJ], says Tony Lacaprucia, operations specialist, ESPN. There will also be a variety of feeds from Facetime, Skype, and TVU. We're looking at about 80 feeds coming into Bristol.

As the main focal point in Studio E, all 30 potential picks will be able to be seen simultaneously on an expansive 3,436- x 1,080-pixel LED screen. Along with these incoming feeds, the NBA's production team will be responsible for creating additional content and graphics, which will be shown on the same screen.

Two control rooms and a full onsite staff will be deployed for tonight's NBA Draft broadcast. Photo: Shane Norton/ESPN)

Although this sneak peek into draftees' living spaces was seen during the NFL Draft in June, the operations team had ample time to readjust its execution and make any improvements deemed necessary.

In March, we were able to react and found ways to get things done, adds Lacaprucia. We can now do a show with lower latency and much better quality. [For example], we were able only to show video returns of the players' houses, but now we're able to include audio.

Full House: Two Control Rooms Allow Socially Distant, Higher-Quality Production In accordance with stringent safety protocols, the production and operations teams will be housed inside two separate control rooms. For this large-scale event with a lot of moving parts, a majority of staffers will be completing their duties from either of these control rooms. As another lesson learned from previous virtual Drafts, the two-pronged approach will not only allow ample social distancing but also provide a more efficient workflow.

Up to 80 feeds will be coming into ESPN's Bristol facility. Photo: Shane Norton/ESPN

The NFL Draft was the first time that we used a second control room to subswitch and feed the main control room, says Williams. As a company, we've implemented a lot of safety measures to keep our staff safe with masks and full layout grids with socially distant positions that are marked off.

With only certain staffers allowed to enter the studio, Williams and the operations team installed pieces of technology that will act as a workaround to look into restricted areas. We want to utilize this current model moving forward to support all of the inbound feeds and keep everything organized and clean, she explains. There's going to be a Panasonic PTZ camera that's going to allow our team in the control room to see what's happening inside of the studio.

In addition to providing much-needed support to the main control room, the secondary control room will facilitate virtual interviews conducted in the secondary studio by host Rachel Nichols.

Live in Bristol: Studios To Host Commissioner Adam Silver's Reading of Picks, On-Air Analysis A 3,436- x 1,080-pixel LED screen will simultaneously project up to 30 Draft prospects. Photo: Kelly Backus/ESPN Images

The broadcaster is deploying the numerous studios in Bristol to host various on-air personalities. The most notable guests will be Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, who will be announcing Draft picks in real time in front of the LED display in Studio E.

The main set will also include host Rece Davis, analysts Jay Bilas and Jay Williams, and NBA Draft analyst Mike Schmitz. Situated in other areas of the facility will be NBA reporter Malika Andrews, Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, and NBA Draft analyst Bobby Marks. Before the Draft gets under way, Hoop Streams, the network's digital-only NBA show, will be produced from Bristol as well. Cass
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/11/18/nba-draft-2020-espn-keeps-an-ey...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

13/03/2025

You Will Leave Opus Singing the Original Bops Performed by John Malkovich

(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

How Spotify Is Driving Growth, Discovery, and Innovation in the Audiobook Market

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

Spotify Audiobooks Launches a New Publishing Program for Independent Authors

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

Evolving EO/IR Technology For All-Domain Airborne Law Enforcement

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

Craft Interview: Jamie McCombs, Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio

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

Craft Interview: Paul Sandweiss, Production Sound Mixer/Audio Director

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

Riedel To Showcase New StageLink Smart Edge Devices At 2025 NAB Show

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 for VOS360 Streaming Workflows at the 2025 NAB Show

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 Platform that Empowers Video Teams to Scale Effortlessly

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 Life at NAB 2025 Exhibition

FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...

13/03/2025

Ajit Pai Appointed President of CTIA

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

NAB: FCC's 60 Minutes Investigation Is Unconstitutional, Invalid

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

CBS Miami to Launch AR Coverage of Weather and Sports for March Madness

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

Meet the co-founder and chief customer success & innovation officer

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

FCC Chairman Carr Launches Massive Deregulation Initiative

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

SDVI Integrates Rally With Spectra Vail

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

FCC Approves Gray's Acquisition of KXLT

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

NAB Show 2025 Exhibitor Insight: Blackmagic Design

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

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

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 Cross

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 on Completing Customizable Studios for All Clients

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; Add Digital Projects, Initiatives

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 Video Feed, Mascot Mode, and Popular Boss Button

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 Experience for Daytona, The PLAYERS, and March Madness

SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...

13/03/2025

Sky Business Launches Cloud Voice A New Cloud Communication Solution for UK Businesses

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 for F band applications

Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...

13/03/2025

The ICG Marketing Survey 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

Harmonic Amps Up Video Streaming Efficiency with New Origin Capabilities

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 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

FOR-A America Theme Connecting the Present, Building the Future Comes to Life at NAB 2025 Exhibition

Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...

13/03/2025

2025-03-13

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

Italia 90 Republic of Ireland Squad, Riverdance, Cian Ducrot & B*Witched on Friday's Late Late Show

Here is your host, Patrick Kielty! Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...

13/03/2025

RT Celebrating all things Irish this St. Patrick's Weekend

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

GTC 2025 - Announcements and Live Updates

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

T-Mobile, Thales and SIMPL ease IoT deployments with a flexible and secure connectivity solution

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...

13/03/2025

Relive the Magic as GeForce NOW Brings More Blizzard Gaming to the Cloud

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

Gaming Goodness: NVIDIA Reveals Latest Neural Rendering and AI Advancements Supercharging Game Development at GDC 2025

AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...

13/03/2025

Drop It Like It's Mod: Breathing New Life Into Classic Games With AI in NVIDIA RTX Remix

PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...

12/03/2025

Como o Impacto Cultural e Financeiro da Indstria Musical Define Seu Sucesso em 2025

O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...

12/03/2025

Cmo el impacto cultural y financiero de la industria musical define su xito en 2025

Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...

12/03/2025

Nourish Mind, Body, and Soul This Ramadan With Spotify

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

How the Music Industry's Cultural and Financial Impact Define Its Success in 2025

Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...

12/03/2025

FAST now transcends back catalog content

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

Viamedia Adopts ShowSeeker Pilot To Streamline Ad Workflows

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

Mediagenix Appoints Wael Yasin as Sales Director Central Europe

BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....

12/03/2025

Omdia: Global Online Consumer Expenditure to Hit $6.6 Trillion by 2029

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

Comcast Technology Solutions Upgrades to Interra Systems BATON Version 9

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

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

DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol Brie Clayton March 12, 2025 0 Comments Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...