HBO, Showtime Redesign On-Screen Look, Graphics for Mayweather-Pacquiao

Joining forces on the “Fight of the Century” meant going back to the drawing board in some respects for Showtime Sports and HBO Sports for a fresh on-screen presentation.

That meant redesigning everything from logos to music, and especially, graphics packages for the fight and all surrounding programming.

“You’ve got two networks who do the same sport for years and years, who have very different ways of producing our shows,” says Jason Cohen, VP, Production for HBO Sports. “I think that the more interesting and fun part of this process has been sitting down with [Showtime’s VP, Production] Gordon [Hall] and his team and recreating elements that we have been using for years. Now it’s all unified for a singular event.”

Fortunately, both entities had a common partner to help tie it all together. SMT (SportsMEDIA Technology), one of the live sports industry’s top providers of advanced graphics and data integration, has played a key role in the implementation of these new elements for this unique sporting event.

The pay-per-view fight will feature a new on-air graphics presentation that integrates the official clock information, punch statistics, social media elements, and more.

“The fact that we had a working relationship with both networks went a long way for helping us pull this together so quickly,” says Don Tupper, VP of Business Development at SMT.  “We understand how their productions and workflows actually operate and there are common vendors on both sides. It wasn’t like trying to bring together two completely disparate teams trying to do this. Once the look and design was finalized, the actual execution of it was fairly seamless and straightforward.”

“With SMT at the helm of our broadcast graphic production, we are confident the execution of the Mayweather-Pacquiao production will be flawless for this truly unique event,” Hall said in an official release. “SMT has been vital to our boxing broadcasts both with on-air graphics and information displays for talent and production.”