ESPN to Leverage Production Tools to Offer Multiple Viewing Options of College Football Playoff Semifinals

4K, pylon, high-speed cameras help power five additional presentations of New Years Eve semifinal matchup

To no one’s surprise, ESPN is going big time on the production and operations behind this weekend’s College Football Playoff Semifinals (Saturday, ESPN, 3 p.m. ET; 7 p.m. ET). The network is planning to roll out robust production resources at both the Georgia Dome for the Peach Bowl and University of Phoenix Stadium for the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday, including 4K, pylon, high-speed, and aerial cameras.

cfpEach game will feature more than 60 cameras with all eight pylons equipped with four cameras, providing angles along the goal line, sideline and backline. A collection of Sony HDC-4300 cameras will also support replay and 4K zoom and SkyCam will be at both venues to provide its iconic aerial imagery.

MORE: ESPN Plans Big Sound for CFP National Championship Game

In addition to telling the story in the main game telecast on ESPN, these camera resources will also be leveraged to power up to six alternate viewing options of the game on ESPN2, SEC Network, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN3.

On the linear television side, ESPN will be serving up supplementary content and programming on ESPN2 and the SEC Network (for the Peach Bowl) to give hardcore fans the chance to go deeper in the game. On ESPN 2, the “Command Center Telecast” will offer a split-screen presentation of the game giving isolated angles from SkyCam, the sidelines, and elsewhere right alongside the main game camera. The screen will also be filled with enhanced stats and real time drive charts.

On the SEC Network, the Finebaum Film Room returns with analysts Paul Finebaum, Booger McFarland, Jordan Rodgers, and Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze interacting with fans over phone calls and social media to discuss the game in real-time.

There’s even more streaming options available on ESPN3 including the ability to watch the games with the audio of local radio broadcasts in place of the ESPN call (this is done through partnerships with IMG and Clearfield Sports), an isolated view of the game from SkyCam, and the “DataCenter,” which offers stats, curated social content, and other added info in real-time in a second-screen presentation style.

Password must contain the following:

A lowercase letter

A capital (uppercase) letter

A number

Minimum 8 characters

;
SVGLogoHR_NOTAG-200

The Latest in Sports Video Production & Technology
in Your Inbox for FREE

Daily Email Newsletters Monday - Friday