NEW YORK—Production services and live video delivery provider The Switch this summer curated, produced and delivered all live coverage of the SlamBall Summer Series, culminating in the Aug. 17 SlamBall Championship Game.
The event, hosted at the Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, was broadcast and streamed on ESPN, ESPN2 and the EPSN+ over-the-top OTT platform. The Switch provided a live production team, first-mile connectivity expertise and network reach as well as packaged 17 days of broadcast and livestreamed games, The Switch said.
SlamBall, invented in 1999, is a 4-on-4 contact sport that combines aspects of basketball, football, hockey and gymnastics and is played with trampolines in front of each net. For the SlamBall Summer Series, The Switch production team assembled for each game included an executive producer, producer, technical director, associate director, camera operators, replay operators, audio engineers, assistants and other personnel.
"The concept we've crafted for SlamBall sets it apart from any other sport today, including its innovative broadcasting approach,” said Mason Gordon, who created the sport and is the CEO of SlamBall.
“Combining the finest aspects of diverse sports coverage with a truly distinctive broadcast curation, we sought a production and transmission partner capable of bringing our imaginative and ambitious vision to life. Switch proved to be the perfect collaborator, providing the ingenuity, expertise, and experience needed to give our audience an unforgettable viewing experience.”
The Switch’s custom production and delivery setup relied on 14 cameras, including two on courtside telescopic camera cranes to bring viewers close to the live action. From a tech perspective, the production required a 50-foot expandable Outside Broadcast (OB) truck, two 27-foot stabilized head Techno-Jib mounted cameras to capture the rapid flow of the game, two long lens cameras providing high and wide shots, two handheld cameras courtside, two robotic pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras behind the backboards, as well as mini-cameras under the court to provide unique angles of all the action near the hoop, The Switch said.
“The set-up we have created with the SlamBall team delivers an unparalleled sports viewing experience; there is nothing like it. It involves a blend of different camera angles and production concepts to fully capture the bruising, in-the-air game action,” said Jerry Cole, vice president of live production services at The Switch. “The complexity and originality of SlamBall’s production configuration set it apart from any major or minor league sport today. We’re incredibly proud to be the chosen production and transport services partner, and to be asked to bring this awesome sport to life on the screen for fans everywhere.”
More information is available on The Switch website.
