Inside the production of US college football’s biggest game
Last night’s College Football Playoff National Championship is the culmination of the college football season in the US, and is regarded as the biggest college football game in the country – with a broadcast and production operation befitting such a high profile fixture.
The post-season match determines the champion of the NCAA Division, with Michigan Wolverines yesterday (Monday 8 January) beating the Washington Huskies in a game which provided an opportunity for the likes of ESPN and production services firm Game Creek to create an IP-based compound and debut a host of new cameras. Find out more about the broadcast operation below. Reporting by Brandon Costa and Kristian Hernández.
CFP National Championship 2024: ESPN Debuts new PylonCams and establishes almost fully IP compound
For the first time at this event, ESPN established a nearly completely IP-based production compound, while debuting a few new innovative cameras: a beefed-up PylonCam, two 4K-capable cameras on both SkyCams, a box camera on each goalpost for a 190-degree look at the back of the end zone. “This is probably one of the most robustly covered single-day events,” said John LaChance, executive director, field operations, ESPN. Read more about ESPN’s efforts to provide the most comprehensive coverage of the action on the field for the viewer at home here
Part of Game Creek Video’s 37-person team onsite to support the challenging deployment of a fully IP production compound for ESPN. (Photo: Game Creek Video)
ESPN made a big operational leap by establishing a fully IP-based production compound. All the production trucks parked outside NRG Stadium in Houston for last night’s CFP National Championship are fully connected via SMPTE ST 2110. According to ESPN remote operations specialist Brian Ristine, it’s a step that the operations side of the house has been considering for some time. Read more here
“We have the privilege of capturing, sharing, promoting, and telling their stories,” said Joey Johns, director, Football Social and Digital Communications, University of Michigan. “Seeing the response of our fans has been really awesome, and it’s been a great ride.” Read more about how Johns and his team documented Michigan’s progress to the final, including the use of short-form video for social media, here
CFP National Championship 2024: What to know about ESPN’s comprehensive coverage from Houston
All the facts about ESPN’s multi-platform presentation, including a soundtrack provided by John Williams and a collaboration with NASA, here
Two fanbases — the University of Michigan and the University of Washington —descended on NRG Stadium in Houston to cheer on their teams, with the action supplemented by the Van Wagner in-venue–production team which delivered engaging and creative content via videoboards and technologies that were used at the 2023 NCAA Men’s Final Four. More here