The SVG Podcast

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77 - Sports Betting: What It Means For The Sports Media Industry Jan 29, 2020

Show notes

It's Super Bowl Week and if forecasters are correct, Super Bowl LIV promises to be the most gambled on Super Bowl in history. According to analysts at PlayUSA.com, this year's big game is expected to haul in approximately $400 million dollars in total legal bets.

But the Super Bowl is just the tip of the iceberg. If 2019 was a year of states, leagues, and sports books positioning their chips, 2020 is poised to be a year when sports betting truly breaks out. And its inevitably having a major impact on live sports video production.

That's the topic we will dive into on the show today with Steve Byrd, Head of Global Strategic Partnerships with Sportradar; Mike Morrison, VP of Business Development at ESPN; and Damon Phillips, SVP and General Manager of NBC Sports Washington.

All three will share their own experiences in the growing space and tackle important questions like how are broadcasters approaching gambling from a programming standpoint? Do RSNs have a built in advantage? And how much quicker will more states come on board and continue to grow the pie?

This conversation comes from the stage of the SVG Summit and was recorded on December 17, 2019. Here to take you through is your moderator for this talk: our Chief Editor Jason Dachman.

This episode of The SVG Podcast is supported by Blackmagic Design. Blackmagic Design's ATEM Constellation 8K is a new Ultra HD live production switcher with many features that you can combine to make an incredibly powerful 8K switcher. It features four M/Es, 40 x 12G-SDI inputs, 24 x 12G-SDI aux outputs, four DVEs, 16 Keyers, four media players, four multi viewers, SuperSource, and standards conversion on every SDI input. It's a pretty sweet console. For more, visit the company online at blackmagicdesign.com.

The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that are making an impact on the industry.

DIGITAL EXTRA - Jason Justman, Distinguished Engineer, Sinclair Broadcast Group Jan 20, 2020

Show notes

On this special Digital Extra episode of The SVG Podcast, we're joined by Jason Justman, distinguished engineer for Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Owners of all of the Fox regional sports networks, the new Cubs network, Marquee Sports Network, and Tennis Channel, Sinclair is a major player in the sports video industry. How are Jason and his team building streaming platforms and systems to accommodate all of these new properties and workloads? Jason discusses that as well as get his opinions on some of the overarching trends in the industry, including latency and standards.

This conversation comes from the stage of the SVG Digital Workshop at the SVG Summit and was recorded on December 16, 2019.

76 - Super Bowl LIV Preview with FOX Sports' Mike Davies and Kevin Callahan Jan 15, 2020

Show notes

This weekend, the NFL's conference championship games will be held, meaning Super Bowl LIV is just a matter of weeks away.

This year's game is in Miami and Fox Sports has the honor of broadcasting the game. The network has already made some headlines, pledging to make this Super Bowl the first one available to the public to UHD and High Dynamic Range. We tackle that and much more of what the crews behind the scenes at the Super Bowl will be delivering to viewers at home in a conversation with Mike Davies, SVP Technical and Field Operations and Kevin Callahan, VP of Field Operations and Engineering.

This conversation comes from the stage of the SVG Summit and was recorded on December 17, 2019. Your moderator for this talk is our Executive Director of Editorial Services Ken Kerschbaumer.

This episode of The SVG Podcast is supported by Bexel. Look no further than Bexel, an industry-leading provider of broadcast services and production equipment rentals for more than 35 years. As a part of NEP Broadcast Services, Bexel skillfully delivers specialized broadcast offerings that include fiber optic solutions, 4K technology, broadcast graphics, flypacks, RF audio, and more. With locations in Los Angeles, Dallas, and now New York, Bexel is strategically positioned to deliver superior service for any type of event, or size. For more, visit the company online at bexel.com.

75 - Live From College Football Playoff National Championship in New Orleans Jan 14, 2020

Show notes

SVG's Brandon Costa and Kristian Hernandez are on-site in New Orleans to take in all of the video happenings surrounding the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Brandon and Kristian have met with video pros from ESPN, the SEC Network, the ACC Network, Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment, and the video teams from LSU and Clemson. They report back with their highlights from everything behind the television production, the MegaCast, the in-venue videoboard, and even social platforms.

74 - Joe Markowski, EVP, North America, DAZN Dec 30, 2019

Show notes

DAZN was one of American sports media's breakout properties in 2019, going from a relative unknown to become a home for major boxing events. They are also positioning themselves to be a major player in the sports rights market when many of the biggest properties start coming up for bid in the next couple of years.

On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we are joined by Joe Markowski, EVP, North America for DAZN to discuss how the company has grown globally, how they approach the U.S. market as a direct-to-consumer company, and what may be in the company's short term future as it pertains to sports rights in the United States.

This interview was recorded on December 17, 2019 on the stage of the SVG Summit in New York City. The moderator is SVG Director of Digital Brandon Costa.

73 - Bob Ley, Former ESPN Anchor and 2019 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Dec 11, 2019

Show notes

On December 17 in New York City, the 2019 class of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame will be inducted, and among the prestigious group of 10 individuals entering the Hall is former ESPN anchor Bob Ley. Our guest on The SVG Podcast, Ley was the longest-serving on-air talent at ESPN at the time of his retirement earlier this year.

Ley has been behind the desk for countless episodes of SportsCenter and is synonymous with quality journalism having served as lead anchor on the network's investigative program Outside the Lines.

In this conversation, we will take a look back at his storied career, recall how he got started at ESPN, discuss what he was most proud of during his four decades at the network, and even get his take on the current state of sports media.

NOTE: All proceeds from the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame ceremony go to benefit the Sports Broadcasting Fund, SVG's charity that offers financial support to industry professionals and their families when facing financial difficulty due to calamity or natural disaster, illness, injury, or loss of life. If you'd like to add the Sports Broadcasting Fund to your holiday giving, please visit www.sportsbroadcastfund.org.

This episode of The SVG Podcast is sponsored by Grass Valley. The name Grass Valley has been synonymous with production switchers for more than 50 years. K-Frame, Kahuna. Kayenne, Karrera, Korona, Maverik, Kula are all progressing into the future with advanced R&D in I/O boards, control panels and frames, enabling smooth transitions into IP and whatever comes next. With switching options for any show big or small, Grass Valley always has the right answer. Yes – Grass Valley does that. Learn more about the company's long line of high-end sports production tools now at www.grassvalley.com.

72 - Simon Eicher, Executive Producer and Director of Broadcast, Esports Services, ESL Gaming Nov 27, 2019

Show notes

Esports has become a pretty popular topic on The SVG Podcast as of late and on this episode of the show we give you a look inside one of the top brands in the industry, ESL Gaming.

To talk about ESL and his view of the future of the esports industry, we are joined by Simon Eicher, Executive Producer and Director of Broadcast, Esports Services for ESL. He'll share his thoughts on the production trends emerging in the esports business and even divulge some of the things he might be expecting to see in 2020.

This conversation is moderated Charles Conroy, VP of Gaming for The Switch and comes from the stage of our SVG Esports Production Summit, which was held on November 19 in Los Angeles.

This episode of The SVG Podcast is sponsored by Fujinon. Today, 4K demands a higher dimension of performance. And Fujinon's latest 4K HDR broadcast lenses meet the challenge. The new UA46x and UA125x 4K HDR lenses extend the limits of high resolution, high contrast, and deliver dramatic high dynamic range. Fujinon's cutting-edge optical technology presents the next standard in optical performance — image quality that exceeds the high expectations of imaging professionals. Contact your Fujinon rep. and ask for a demo today. Visit them online at fujifilmusa.com.

DIGITAL EXTRA - The 5G Revolution: How 5G Will Transform Live-Sports Production and Delivery Nov 25, 2019

Show notes

On a special Digital Extra episode of The SVG Podcast, we break down the potential of 5G in live sports video production. 5G.

There's a world of opportunity in 5G world and - as it pertains to live sports video production - the tools that can be enabled by 5G are awfully enticing. On this episode of the show, we are joined by Steve Hellmuth, EVP, Media Operations and Technology at the NBA, Mike Flathers, Chief Technology Officer at IBM Aspera, and Daniel Pisarski, VP of Engineering for LiveU to discuss their learnings from their experiences of working in 5G and also to discuss what they all hope for the technology in the short term and long term future.

This talk took place at SVG's annual TranSPORT conference which was held on October 15 at the Microsoft Technology Center in New York City. Your moderator for this session is SVG's Executive Director, Editorial Services Ken Kerschbaumer.

DIGITAL EXTRA - Digital Delivery: Traditional vs. OTT Distribution Tech Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

On a special Digital Extra episode of The SVG Podcast, we bring you a roundtable discussion with four industry experts on the unique challenges in delivering live streaming video content.

More eyeballs are shifting from linear TV to streaming outlets but the expectations of the quality of that video remains the same. What makes it so difficult to meet those expectations and what progress does the industry still need to make to bring an experience that is free of latency and buffering?

We tackle that topic with four gentlemen on the show today: Phil Green, SVP, Partnership Development for Endeavor Streaming; Jason Justman, Distinguished Engineer for Sinclair Broadcast Services; Abe Zerbeb, CEO of TAG Video Systems; and Ben Ziskind, Executive Director of Live Video Platform for Fox.

This conversation, which is moderated by SVG Director of Digital Brandon Costa, comes from the annual SVG TranSPORT conference which was held on October 15 in New York City.

71 - Widening The Field: Achieving Greater Diversity in Sports Production Nov 06, 2019

Show notes

We broach a very important topic on this episode of The SVG Podcast: diversity in sports production. Progress has been made in front of the camera in this regard, but when it comes to behind the scenes, its been slower to progress.

We have a special roundtable conversation for you to address this issue on the show today. We're joined by Bob Clarke, the founder and chief executive of MAMA Youth Project, Inga Ruehl, a director for Sky Production Services, and Ekta Hutton, Acting Head of the HBS Broadcast Academy to share practical steps that broadcasters can take in order to promote equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion in their work places.

This talk took place at SVG Europe's Sport Production Summit, which was held on September 12 at the DeLaMar Theater in Amsterdam. Your moderator is Heather McLean, Editor, SVG Europe.

This episode of The SVG Podcast is supported by Amazon Web Services. The game of live sports streaming is changing. On November 14, tune in to Behind The Stream—an online webcast series covering the latest tips, tricks, and trends for live sports media. AWS video experts will show you how organizations are enhancing the sports fan experience, guide you through whiteboard architecture "plays" to visualize how you can implement AWS services, and inspire you to deliver next-generation fan experiences. Visit AWS.amazon.com/media to register today.

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