Sky unveils Premier League title sequence for 2020/21 season

The title sequence includes subtle references to Liverpool throughout. Sky Creative Agency has created this season’s Premier League title sequence for Sky Sports. It was made during lockdown, in collaboration with The Mill and features all 20 Premier League teams. Current champions Liverpool start and end the spot, which has subtle Liverpool-focused additions such as […]

Rakuten unveils free 80-min motorcycle doc, Ride you Dream

The documentary tells the story of Ana Carrasco, the only woman to date to win a world motorcycle championship. Rakuten TV has released Ride your Dream, its documentary about motorcycling world champion, Ana Carrasco, which was first announced in June. The 80-minute film tells the story of the first and only woman in history to […]

SailGP to release four-part documentary providing insight into the sport

The series will be broadcast in advance of the second season of SailGP next year. SailGP is releasing a new doc series, SailGP: Racing on the Edge, ahead of its second season, which launches April 2021 in San Francisco. SailGP: Racing on the Edge interviews the league’s creators, athletes and designers, to enable fans to […]

Five sports categories added to the Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards 2020

The deadline for completed entries for the sports categories at the Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards is Friday 25 September. The Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards 2020 are back for a second year, celebrating the exceptional teams behind the most outstanding broadcast productions of the past year. The awards include five sports-related categories, which are listed below. […]

Superbike Championship to trial the capabilities of 5G for live production

Ambitious trial will showcase the potential of 5G in enabling high-quality remote production. Catalan Broadcasting Corporation (CCMA) channel TV3 is running a 5G ‘immersive sport experience’ next weekend, at the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). The tournament, at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya 18-20 September, sees Vodafone providing a 5G service along the track and in […]

European Handball Federation refreshes on-screen graphics

The work on the graphics refresh began in April and spans a range of EHF tournaments. Design agency Jump has been commissioned by the European Handball Federation (EHF) to design and produce all the on-screen graphics for the EHF Champions League, EHF European League and the EHF European Handball Championships and qualifiers for both the […]

J Sports to live telecast major US sports to TV viewers in Japan

The broadcaster is using the Switch’s fibre transport network to air live baseball, golf and wrestling to Japanese sports fans. Japanese sports broadcaster J Sports is to air live telecasts of major US sports directly from American stadiums and arenas to viewers in Japan. The move is being enabled through a partnership with live video […]

Amazon Prime to air two special episodes of Take Us Home: Leeds United

The episodes mark the team’s historic return to the top-tier of English football. Amazon Prime Video is airing two special edition episodes of Take Us Home: Leeds United with ‘unprecedented access’ to Leeds United’s players and boardrooms during the team’s historic return to the Premier League. The two 45-minute episodes, which were produced by NEO […]

TECH: Changing The Rules of the game for live news and dynamic sports productions

Ronen Artman, VP of Marketing, LiveU, chats with Broadcast Sport about the capabilities of the LU-800 and the various projects undertaken this year. It’s fair to say that in the build-up to the launch of the first LiveU product in 2008 there was some industry scepticism about the viability of the underlying technology we were […]

Stats Perform creates a series of real-time insights for Premier League

Stats Perform is providing a series of new metrics and insights into Premier League games this season. The data has been made possible using player and ball tracking data from the Premier League’s tracking provider, Second Spectrum. This uses ‘computer vision’ to automatically identify and provide the precise coordinates of each player and the ball […]

NFL unveils new on-screen graphics, providing insight driven by AI/ML

The six new insights will be unveiled during the Houston Texans v Kansas City Chiefs match today (10 September). The National Football League (NFL) is working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to add six on-screen graphics, providing additional insight to the game. These will be debuted during the season kickoff game between the Houston Texans […]

Gfinity lands six-figure sum to deliver Cadbury-sponsored esports event

The company will organise, produce and live stream the entire event. Cadbury has appointed esports producer Gfinity to deliver new gaming tournament, the Cadbury Heroes Parents League. The knockout competition will take place on an as yet unspecified “leading games title” and will consist of 12 teams of two players. The teams will be made […]

National Premier League Tennis to use AI to auto create highlights

It’s the first time Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been used by a semi-pro tennis event. Online highlights from the National Premier League Tennis (NPL) finals in London this week are being produced using an AI technology. UK-based data science company Peak Indicators has created the AI, which automatically produces video highlights from a live feed. […]

VIDEO: LaLiga unveils 3D graphics enhancements for 2020/21 season

New graphics provide real-time insight into set-pieces. LaLiga is rolling out a series of on-screen graphics offering insight into the game, based on real-time and predictive data. These are being applied to scenarios including set-pieces. To find out more, watch the short film below.

Behind-the-scenes: A Question of Sport returns with some Covid tweaks

A Question of Sport executive producer Gareth Edwards reveals the changes made to shoot the new series at Dock 10 studios. A Question of Sport returned to dock10 studios this month to record 10 episodes – it’s first since lockdown. Coronavirus shooting guidelines meant the show had to shoot without an audience for the first […]

Sustainability: Sky Sports awarded Albert certification for football coverage

Broadcaster says it’s committed to maintaining its Albert-certified status for all future football seasons. Sky Sports has revealed that, from the start of the 2020/21 season, all Premier League and EFL matches shown live on Sky Sports will be certified 3-star Albert sustainable. The Albert certification, which is industry-backed and awarded by BAFTA, goes to […]

BT Sport reveals Proud To Be Town football doc

The documentary charts Harrogate Town’s challenges to survive as a club during Covid-19, before securing its promotion to the Football League. BT Sport is to air the latest doc from its BT Sport Films series, Proud To Be Town, on BT Sport 1 on Saturday 3 October at 8pm. The film centres on the impact […]

Esports BAR partners with easylive.io to live stream virtual event

The live stream of the online conference will be given the look and feel of a TV production. Esports event specialist, ​Esports BAR​, has partnered with live streaming company easylive.io to broadcast content from its forthcoming Esports BAR+ Americas virtual event on 22-25 September. The Esports BAR+ Americas event focuses on monetisation, innovation, investments and […]

Noah Media Group reveals feature-length doc, Finding Jack Charlton

The documentary will premier on the BBC and Virgin Media Television early next year. Sports doc producer Noah Media Group has released a ‘first look’ image from its forthcoming production, Finding Jack Charlton, and revealed broadcast deals with the BBC and Virgin Media Television. The film was directed by Gabriel Clarke (Bobby Robson: More Than […]

Podcast: Jeff Foulser on producing the Commonwealth Games

Sunset+Vine’s role as the host broadcaster on the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham explained. Sunset+Vine chairman Jeff Foulser talks to Broadcast Sport editor Jake Bickerton about the sports production company’s successful bid to become the host broadcaster of the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.  Sunset+Vine will produce more than 2,000 hours of coverage from […]

AI provides automated filming and editing at RC Celta de Vigo

LaLiga club turns to AI to provide on-demand content for fans, coaches and journalists. LaLiga club RC Celta de Vigo has brought in AI video recording in its training ground and press rooms, using tech from start-up Cinfo (one of the winners of LaLiga’s Startup Competition last year). Cinfo’s product Tiivi automates the recording, reproduction […]

Eurosport ‘teleports’ players into The Cube for photo-real remote interviews

Impressive use of technology to enable highly realistic looking face-to-face interviews with the interviewer and sports stars in different physical locations. The Eurosport Cube went live during coverage of the US Open last night with the broadcaster welcoming its first ‘teleported’ player guests. You can see a clip from the interview between Eurosport presenter Barbara […]

LaLiga pulls in 2.8 billion viewers during 2019/20 season

The Spanish football league unveils a series of insights about fan engagement during lockdown. LaLiga has revealed a number of insights into viewing figures and fan engagement during lockdown that show significant gains. LaLiga saw a 50% increase on its international audience on its first matchday back post-lockdown, with the audience coming from 105 broadcasters […]

BT unveils ‘unlimited substitutions’ film to promote Premier League coverage

The platform enables football fans to access Premier League games from different providers and switch services whenever required. BT has launched a TV advert for its ‘unlimited substitutions’ campaign that enables BT TV customers to access all 220 Premier League games in one place (through ‘seamless switching’ between BT Sport, Now TV and Amazon Prime […]

Eurosport gears up for its most extensive Tour de France coverage

The broadcaster is utilising digital platforms for faster highlights and more Tour de France action than ever before. Eurosport is covering ‘every minute of every stage of the 2020 Tour de France’ across 75 markets, including new formats and ways to watch (the Eurosport App, Eurosport.com and the GCN app). Working together with Discovery-owned Global […]

BBC to air Liverpool FC doc this Sunday (30 August)

The long-form documentary follows Liverpool FC from its glory days in the 80s through 30 years of struggle to return to the top of English football. BBC Sport has produced a 1h30m documentary marking Liverpool’s return to the top of English football as Premier League champions. Liverpool FC: The 30-Year Wait promises insight into why […]

Amazon Prime Video and Eurosport unveil US Open plans

Amazon Prime Video will show all live matches in the UK and Ireland, while Eurosport has the rights to the rest of Europe, including analysis in the Eurosport Cube (pictured below). Amazon Prime Video is airing all live matches from the US Open Tennis Championships 2020 in the UK and Ireland. Coverage from the tournament, […]

Creative Spotlight: Tiger Woods: Back (Sky Sports)

Behind-the-scenes during the post-production on Sky Sports’ recent 120-minute Sky Original documentary, Tiger Woods: Back. Sky Production Services (SPS), Sky’s in-house production wing, was commissioned by Sky Sports to provide offline/online, grading, and audio mixing on Tiger Wood: Back, a 120-min Sky Original charting the rise, fall, and comeback of the golf icon for Sky’s […]

DAZN produces Mourinho spot for Apple TV+ sports comedy, Ted Lasso

The sports streamer aired the two-part long-form commercial series during half-time and at the end of the UEFA Champions League Final. Apple TV+ commissioned DAZN to make and distribute a two-part commercial featuring José Mourinho, which aired during the UEFA Champions League Final to promote Apple’s new sports comedy series, Ted Lasso. DAZN produced the […]

GolfTV unveils second series of golf masterclass, My Game: Tiger Woods

Second series continues the Tiger Woods masterclass. The first episode is currently free-to-air on GolfTV. Discovery’s GolfTV has revealed the second series of its original production, My Game: Tiger Woods. The masterclass series was filmed in June in Florida (with strict Covid-19 production-safety precautions in place) and continues where series one left off, with a […]

COMMENT: Redefining sports broadcasting in the Covid era

Greg Burns, head of business development solutions, Arqiva, comprehensively examines how the industry will never be the same again. Covid-19 triggered a major setback for sports broadcasters, who faced a huge, daily challenge to offer a premium product that would keep viewers engaged and stop them from unsubscribing. Since then, we’ve watched as both leagues […]

Amazon Prime’s All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur to air 31 August

The series follows the success of All or Nothing: Manchester City in 2017. Amazon Prime Video is releasing the first three episodes of its much-anticipated All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur a week today (Monday 31 August), and has released an official trailer (see below) and a series of ‘sneak-peak’ clips from the docu-series. The series […]

Caribbean Premier League partners with WSC Sports for video highlights

The CPL is the first Twenty20 tournament to return since the coronavirus hiatus The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has teamed up with AI sports video technology company WSC Sports to enhance its real-time video highlights. The CPL is the first Twenty20 tournament to return to action since the enforced coronvirus postponements, and will use WSC’s […]

SBG assists Premier League refs PGMOL with remote working

The refereeing body is using the software to review key match incidents SBG Sports Software has supplied the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), the professional referees body for English football, with a system for reviewing key decisions from home. With coronavirus restrictions meaning that match officials can’t currently meet in person to review decisions […]

NBA turns to LiveLike for playoff watch parties

The organisation and broadcaster Turner Sports are trying to allow fans to watch the games together during coronvirus stay-at-home restrictions NBA and Turner Sports have turned to interactive technology company LiveLike to bring virtual watch parties to fans for the playoffs. LiveLike’s social viewing technology is now integrated into the NBA app and NBA.com, as […]

Mediapro strikes host broadcaster deal for Champions League knockouts

The production and rights company will distribute the remaining games in HD and ultra-HD Mediapro has been selected as the host broadcaster for the Champions League’s final stages. The Spanish production and rights company covered the quarter finals, and will also be in place for the final three matches taking place this week. The competition […]

SailGP to bring fans closer to the action with onboard conversations

The competition has paired with Acronis to deliver the project SailGP and cyber protection company Acronis have announced a voice recognition project that hopes to let viewers listen to onboard conversations. The project will track every conversation on the national teams’ F50 catamarans, and then transcribe and translate them in real-time. The resulting content will […]

Amazon Prime Video unveils Fernando Alonso documentary series

The series goes live at the end of September. Amazon Prime Video is releasing a five-part docuseries about two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso, who is expecting to return to Formula One next season. The docuseries, Fernando, centres on the past year as Alonso took part in the Indianapolis 500, Le Mans 24 hours and […]

Sky Sports launches dedicated ’round-the-clock’ NFL channel

The channel goes to air on 3 September, ahead of the 2020 NFL season. Sky Sports is launching Sky Sports NFL – its first dedicated NFL channel – as part of a new five-year partnership between the broadcaster and league. Sky Sports has broadcast live NFL coverage for 25 years but has never previously had […]

CTVS to live stream China Endurance Championship across China

China-based motorsport returns on Friday and will be live streamed across the country. The third season of the China Endurance Championship motorsport series begins on Friday (14 August) at Ningbo International Speedpark in south-eastern China. The event sees GT3, GTC (older generation GT3 cars), GT4, touring cars and prototype cars competing in 150-minute races at […]

Behind Closed Doors: The Covid Test Match begins tonight on Sky Sports

Cricket doc follows the sport’s return as lockdown measures begin to ease. Sky Sports is airing a new short feature, Behind Closed Doors: The Covid Test Match, which begins tonight at 8pm, and takes cricket fans backstage at the first #raisethebat Test between England and West Indies at the Ageas Bowl. The film promises to […]

Drone Champions League transitions to virtual events

ESL and Ross Video’s division, Rocket Surgery Virtual Productions work together to convert in-venue sport to a virtual studio set. ESL has converted a series of in-person Drone Champions League (DCL) events to a fully virtual alternative, with the competitors competing remotely. ESL worked with Ross Video’s dedicated virtual productions division, Rocket Surgery Virtual Productions […]

Sky Sports to air Formula 1 docuseries with rare archive footage

The series marks the 70th anniversary of the sport, and has been made in partnership with Formula 1. Sky Sports is to air a seven-part Formula 1 docuseries – Race to Perfection – on the sport’s 70th anniversary. The series goes behind-the-scenes over the 70 years of Formula 1, from its launch in 1950 through […]

Jaguar and Milk Crate Club combine for new Sir Stirling Moss Sky doc

Motorsport legend stars in the story of the first disc brake Creative consultancy Milk Crate Club and Jaguar Land Rover have collaborated to create the new Sky documentary, The Racers that Stopped the World. Telling the story of the creation of the disc brake, the programme stars the late Sir Stirling Moss in formerly unseen […]

Arena and Dock10 tackle FA Cup final with remote gallery

The technique has been perfected during the coronavirus lockdown Arena Television and Dock10 have revealed their use of a remote gallery for the delivery of the FA Cup final on 1 August. First used during the fourth round of the competition back in February, the jointly-developed technology has been refined in use during the Covid-19 […]

Timeline and Whisper bring cricket back to the BBC

Cricket is back on the BBC after over 20 years Whisper has won two contracts with the BBC and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to help bring the sport back to the public-service broadcaster after a 20-year hiatus. As part of the first deal, Whisper will deliver peak-time cricket highlights. These began on 8 […]

Arsenal and Intel extend immersive content partnership

Intel supply the Premier League club with cutting edge match highlights Arsenal and Intel Sports have extended their partnership for a further two years. The Premier League club has used Intel’s True View technology since 2019 to supply its fans with immersive highlights of matches. True View allows supporters to freeze match action, and view […]

BT Sport and Insight TV team up for women’s football reality series

The six-parter, Ultimate Goal, will air later this year. BT Sport and 4K specialist Insight TV have teamed up to create six-part reality format, Ultimate Goal. The production follows 28 women as they compete to take part in a one-off match in front of scouts from women’s teams around the world. The series will be […]

LTA launches tennis mini-series with British Olympian Aimee Fuller

The first episode in the six-part series is live now on IGTV, Facebook and YouTube. The National Governing Body of tennis for Great Britain (LTA) has launched a six-part digital mini-series called The Showdown, with British Olympian Aimee Fuller. Designed for social platforms, the series will run across LTA and influencer channels over the next […]

COMMENT: What does the Future of Sport Look Like?

Luke Gaydon, Business Development Sports, Accedo investigates the options for broadcasters aiming to pump atmosphere into fan-free sports broadcasts. In these uncertain times, there are two key questions that sports clubs, leagues, and content providers are asking: How do we get fans back into stadiums safely?; And until then, how do we deal with a […]

Manchester City players appear in water shortage environmental campaign film

The production was shot pre-pandemic and focuses on how water complacency impacts on society. Creative agency Brave have produced a film – The End of Football – featuring Manchester City players, for global water technology company Xylem, to drive awareness of escalating water challenges. The film, which was shot at Etihad Stadium, features numerous Manchester […]

Sky Sports to show 48 matches from Scottish Premiership 20/21 season

The 20/21 season kicks off this weekend. Sky Sports is airing 48 live matches from the Scottish Premiership season, which returns this weekend. Eilidh Barbour will present Sky’s coverage, while regular analyst Kris Boyd will be joined by James McFadden. Former Rangers, St. Johnstone and Kilmarnock striker Ally McCoist; former Scotland and Manchester United midfielder […]

Rakuten unveils feature-length doc on female motorcycle racer, Ana Carrasco

The 80-minute film goes live in September on free-to-air platform, Rakuten Stories. Rakuten TV is to launch an 80-minute documentary about female motorcycle racer Ana Carrasco, who became the first woman to win a motorcycle world championship. The film, Ride Your Dream, will be available to stream for free on Rakuten TV’s Rakuten Stories across […]

SailGP unveils behind-the-scenes doc series with Denmark SailGP team

The seven-part series will air monthly in the lead up to SailGP Season 2 next year. SailGP has unveiled a mini doc series going behind-the-scenes as the Denmark SailGP team prepares for Season 2 of SailGP in 2021. The series has been made in association with Team Rockwool Racing and offers ‘access-all-areas’ to the Denmark […]

STV Player to air doc about “Scottish football’s biggest underdogs”

The 90-minute film tells the fascinating story behind Caledonian Braves FC. STV is to air a documentary called Brave Calling, telling the story behind Scotland’s newest football club, Caledonian Braves FC. The film is a “warts-and-all portrayal of the various challenges involved with forming an entirely new football club in the 21st century,” says STV. […]

Eurosport to produce podcasts and how-to videos for World Snooker Championships

The broadcaster will ramp up its analysis and supplementary content for the tournament. Eurosport is screening every round of The World Snooker Championships, which begins tonight, including the qualifiers. The tournament runs until 16 August. Eurosport is broadcasting the Championships – snooker’s biggest event – live to 50+ markets across Eurosport channels and the Eurosport […]

LaLigaTV unveils series of documentaries as the season draws to a close

The content, which includes an in-depth interview with Zinedine Zidane, will be broadcast during July and August. LaLigaTV is to reveal a number of documentaries and studio shows as the season comes to an end. The programming, which will be available in July and August, includes an episode of VIVA LaLiga that will collate together […]

Podcast: Formula 1’s Frank Arthofer talks esports and the F1 Virtual GP series

Formula 1 speedily unveiled its enjoyable esports series, F1 Virtual GP, to replace real Grand Prix races during lockdown. It went out across digital and linear TV to millions of racing fans. Formula 1 global head, digital media and licensing, Frank Arthofer talks to Broadcast Sport editor Jake Bickerton about the F1 Virtual GP series, […]

NHL to remotely produce live and behind-the-scenes content using Blackbird

Quick turnaround content will be streamed on its digital and social outlets, and distributed internally for re-purposing. The National Hockey League (NHL) is remotely producing live and behind-the-scenes content as it returns to live sport, using cloud video editing platform Blackbird. For the NHL’s 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers and 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL […]

Sky Sports wins rights to British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa, 2021

It’s an extension of a rights partnership that now covers 25 years. Sky Sports has picked up the exclusive live rights to the British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa next year. The rights includes the Tour’s three tests as well as five warm-up matches. This is the 25th year of the partnership between […]

Podcast: Ingrid Silver, partner at Reed Smith, talks sports and Covid-19

Media industry lawyer talks about how the safe return of sports is being enabled, and the legal implications of Covid-19 cancellations. Ingrid Silver, partner, Entertainment and Media Industry Group at global law firm Reed Smith, talks to Broadcast Sport editor Jake Bickerton about the ‘gradual return’ of sports to our screens, following Government guidance that […]

World Squash Federation moves to develop squash in the esports sector

Squash governing body teams up with esports specialists to create new esports opportunities for the sport. The World Squash Federation (WSF) has joined the Global Esports Federation (GEF) to bring squash into the esports world. WSF and GEF will work with interactive tech specialist Refract to develop innovative technology to develop squash’s presence in the […]

The Open: AI to pit golfing greats from the last 50 years against each other

Archive content and historic data to bring golfing greats back to the green in a virtual version of The Open. The Open is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create a virtual Championship – The Open for The Ages – with many of the golfing greats of the past 50 years taking to the green. The […]

Sunset+Vine wins Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games contract

It will produce 2,000 hours of coverage during the 11 days of the Games, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Sunset+Vine has won the Host Broadcaster contract for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Birmingham 2022 and CGF Partnerships appointed Sunset+Vine after an international tender process. It will capture 2,000 hours of TV coverage […]

COMMENT: Lockdown life – Seven days at Timeline Television in June 2020

Timeline Television technical manager Adam Lowe reveals his lockdown work diary for 11-17 June. 11 June Today is my last day of Live Championship League Snooker for ITV Sport (pictured). We have had the honour/challenge of being the first UK sport back on terrestrial television. It’s been quite a challenge to plan a workflow that […]

World Table Tennis partners with IMG on production and rights deals

The partnership will attempt to professionalise and commercialise table tennis around the world. World Table Tennis (WTT) is to enter a ‘strategic partnership’ with IMG for the global media rights development and distribution; production oversight of WTT events; and a mandate to grow the sport of table tennis globally. The betting data and streaming rights […]

Podcast: Ron Chakraborty on how the BBC is filling Wimbledon fortnight

A schedule of 50-hours of classic Wimbledon archive content and tennis docs replaces the cancelled Wimbledon 2020. Ron Chakraborty, executive editor, major events at BBC Sport talks to Broadcast Sport editor Jake Bickerton about the BBC’s plans for Wimbledon 2020 following the cancellation of the tournament due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Rather than live tennis […]

Whisper wins Spark Sport cricket contract in New Zealand

The production company reveals its second big cricket win of the week. Whisper has been appointed by Spark Sport to produce all New Zealand Cricket matches played in New Zealand over the next six summers. The production company will produce live coverage of all home Blackcaps and White Ferns Internationals and Super Smash matches on […]

Eurosport to show Berlin’s bett1 ACES tennis tournament (13-19 July)

The competition includes the return of grass courts games. Eurosport has picked up the rights for the bett1 ACES tournament in Berlin next week (13-19 July), which features Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev (pictured above, photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images), Tommy Haas, Nick Kyrgios, Elina Svitolina, Kiki Bertens and Petra Kvitova. Eurosport is screening the tournament […]

Five’s The Gadget Show speaks to BT Sport about 8K sports broadcasts

TV tech show interviews BT Sport’s Jamie Hindhaugh and Andy Beale for a report on 8K. This week’s episode of Five’s The Gadget Show features interviews with BT Sport chief operating officer Jamie Hindhaugh and chief engineer Andy Beale at the broadcaster’s first public live 8K HDR sports broadcast. Broadcast Sport was at the same […]