MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—TVU Networks was part of the team for the recent production of the 2021 NFL Draft, supplying its TVU Anywhere remote production app and TVU Grid cloud-based video distribution network for special footage during the three-day event.
The NFL Draft took place in Cleveland, but footage was shown throughout networks' coverage of the 32 NFL teams’ draft rooms and for incoming rookies that were watching the draft at home. TVU Networks supplied its technology in both these situations.
TVU Anywhere was part of the all-in-one camera kits that was sent to prospects, pre-loaded on a Mac mini; a webcam and lighting gear were also included. The camera feeds were set to a bank of 25 TVU servers in Cleveland, which provided up to 50 SDI outputs for use during live broadcasts. The servers were also networked through TVU Grid, which allowed for monitoring of all live video feeds online and on mobile devices with TVU’s GridLink.
Another bank of 17 TVU servers providing 34 SDI outputs were assigned to manage video feeds from all 32 teams’ draft rooms. Each team was shipped an iPhone preloaded with TVU Anywhere. All club feeds were also Grid-enabled and an SRT streaming output was provided for off-site monitoring and review.
TVU GridLink enabled remote monitoring of all draft rooms for sponsor alignment via built-in access restrictions and secure sharing protocols. They also created an archive of all content using TVU Search, an automated, AI-based solution that enables searchable archive.
TVU also offered a free live shot of the front of the draft location from a high vantage point for bumps and live intros for TVU Grid customers. The footage came from Cleveland’s ABC affiliate, WEWS.
“TVU’s solutions worked very well for us during the NFL Draft,” said Nate McCoart, director of technical operations, Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment. “They made it easy to manage live video from dozens of locations across the country for the broadcast, and they were able to manage secure draft room feeds for both our production and NFL officials.”
