YES Network Pulls Out All the Stops for Jeter’s 3000th

YES Network rolled out a red carpet of production tools on Saturday afternoon for Derek Jeter’s 3000th hit and was well rewarded, logging its highest-rated and most-viewed game of the year. YES notched a 6.6 household rating and 634,257 viewers for the New York Yankees’ 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday afternoon, according to Nielsen overnights.

The YES telecast peaked during the 2:00-2:15 p.m. quarter-hour (Jeter had his 3,000th hit at 2:00 p.m.) at an 8.3 average TV-household rating (827, 200 viewers), again a season high.

Yankee fans stuck around for more after the game ended. The network’s two-hour “JETER 3,000” special immediately following the game averaged a 3.3 average household rating (319,750 viewers).

A Milestone Covered From Every Angle
After weeks of anticipation while Jeter sat on the DL, the YES production team was more than ready for the future Hall-of-Famer to reach the milestone, which he did in dramatic fashion with a home run in the 3rd inning (as part of a dominant 5-for-5 day at the plate).

YES’s in-game telecast included an interview with Jeter’s father, Dr. Charles Jeter, and an in-booth interview with Christian Lopez, the lucky fan who caught the landmark home run. YES’s Kimberly Jones also delivered a live on-field interview with Jeter immediately after the game.

Throughout the game telecast, YES regularly used a wireless right-field handheld camera to shoot home plate and used a variety of aerial shots from the blimp overhead. In addition, the network’s YES MO extreme-slow-motion camera system caught a variety of intimate moments throughout the game, such as catcher Jorge Posada (Jeter’s best friend on the team) hugging the Yankees captain as he crossed home plate after the record-breaking home run.

In addition to the variety of camera angles, YES miced Yankees first base coach Mick Kellehe during the game in an effort to capture the on-field ambiance of the monumental moment.

‘JETER 3,000’ Goes the Distance
YES continued the celebration with a “JETER 3,000” special following the game. In addition to Jeter’s live post-game press conference, the special included press-conference segments featuring Joe Girardi, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada, and Lopez.

A battalion of interviews followed the press conference, including segments with Dr. Jeter, Dick Groch (the Yankees scout who signed Jeter), Yankees President Randy Levine, and rapper/die-hard Yankees fan Jay-Z. YES also landed phone interviews with former Yankees and long-time Jeter teammates Paul O’Neill and David Conn, as well as with Wade Boggs, the only other player to knock a home run for his 3,000th hit.

YES also ran a preproduced feature offering a Jack Curry sit-down interview with Jeter and sound from such notables as Tino Martinez, Willie Randolph, Don Mattingly, Buck Showalter, Joe Torre, Nomar Garciaparra, Cal Ripken, Troy Tulowitzki, and Tim Wakefield. Video of many of Jeter’s milestones and memorable moments also proliferated through the “JETER 3,000” telecast.

Other highlights included post-game locker-room sound from former Yankee and current Ray Johnny Damon, as well as tweets posted by CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and David Price, the Rays pitcher who gave up Jeter’s 3,000th hit.

 

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