ATLANTA—Move over Shohei Ohtani. Make way Aaron Judge. Tonight’s 2025 MLB All-Star Game will see a private 5G wireless network emerge as a television production all-star in its own right, contributing numerous wireless camera shots, supporting comms and camera control from in and around Truist Park.

“The amazing part about Atlanta is that it’s not just a ballpark, and it’s not just a ballpark with a big parking lot around it,” Brad Cheney, vice president of field operations and engineering at Fox Sports, said. “It’s a ballpark with an amazing entertainment district [The Battery Atlanta] tied to it. That screams connectivity needs for us.”

(Editor’s note: Fox stations and cable network Fox Deportes will air the 2025 MLB All-Star Game at 8 p.m. ET from Truist Park in Atlanta. Viewers can also stream the game with the Fox Sports app and on Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, YouTube TV and DirecTV.)

Crowded House
The Battery Atlanta, adjacent to the home of the Atlanta Braves, is a mixed use/entertainment complex with shops, bars and restaurants. Office buildings, apartments and a hotel round out its features—any one of which increases wireless network traffic and together, for an event like the All-Star Game, compounds the wireless network challenge.

“We learned back in 2021 during the World Series that The Battery was popular, and it’s continued to grow ever since from when it was relatively small and new,” he said.

To sidestep any 5G network congestion, Fox Sports is working with Major League Baseball sponsor and technology partner T-Mobile for private 5G wireless network coverage of the entertainment district and ballpark. CP Communications is managing the private 5G network and most conventional RF and wireless comms, he added, noting that the RF connectivity of a handful of specialty cameras being deployed will be managed by their respective vendors.

Fox Sports made big use of 5G for wireless camera contribution on Monday (July 14) during FS1’s “Live at the All-Star Game” show and will again rely on 5G connectivity to contribute shots for tonight’s game to “expand the zone of coverage” to include The Battery and Truist Park, Cheney said.

For the 140 wireless communications packs to be used to produce the game, there was no other practical choice. “There’s really no system large enough out there that’s not cellular-based that can do the amount of wireless audio packs we need for communications—not just for us, but also for Major League Baseball, for ESPN and all of the other rightsholders,” said Cheney.

Production Highpoints
Fox Sports will produce the All-Star Game in 1080p Full-HD HDR. Upscaled 4K HDR streams will be available for connected TVs and living room apps, such as Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV and Roku devices.

It will deploy 55 cameras, including six Super-Slow Mo cameras, a FlyCam traveling from The Battery Atlanta into the ballpark at home plate along the first base line, a helicopter camera and a drone camera from Beverly Hills Aerials.

A first for All-Star Game coverage, the broadcaster will outfit the entire umpire crew with body-worn cameras. Base umpires will wear MindFly chest cams, while the home plate umpire will wear a third-generation RF Wireless Mask Cam, the broadcaster said.

Managing the color and the look of the Ump Cams and drone camera isn’t simply a matter of tweaking CCU settings, especially given the need to integrate the camera shots seamlessly into the HDR production of the game.

“We’ve spent some time with colorists to make a profile for the drone that takes the SDR and makes the HDR correctly that matches the broadcast cameras as close as possible, obviously, knowing that the lensing is not the same and the sensors are not the same,” said Cheney. “We then use [AJA Video] ColorBoxes [and color controllers from Cyanview] to actually manage that color throughout the game.”

Fox Sports has a history with this color management strategy for specialty cameras, Cheney noted. During the UFL season, Fox Sports made extensive use of Mindfly cameras, and it has been regularly using the third-generation RF Wireless Mask Cam this season since it debuted during the 2024 MLB playoffs.

“It looks spectacular on its own, but when we get the maestros to tweak it up a bit, it’s going to look exactly like everything else there.”

The broadcaster must also address the effect of changing lighting conditions on color and the overall look of video as the evening game, which starts in daylight, transitions to stadium lighting as night falls. Fox Sports will rely on the ColorBoxes and Cyanview units to make necessary adjustments, according to Cheney.

Five COSM cameras are being deployed for presentation of the game at the COSM venues in Los Angeles and Dallas; however, it’s likely they will be used “once or twice throughout the broadcast to show off a special angle,” he said.

Fox Sports will deploy 40 field-effects mics and 10 player mics for real-time conversations between the announcers and players in the game. Joe Davis and John Smoltz will reunite in the booth for their fourth All-Star Game together. Reporters Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci will provide inside information and in-game reports from the field, the broadcaster said.

The ongoing work at Fox Sports leveraging artificial intelligence to uncover storylines from all audio sources that might otherwise get overlooked will not be integrated into game coverage. “That’s something we are working to deploy in Major League Baseball overall, but it’s not something for the All-Star Game,” said Cheney.

“Our audio focus for this show is really about the player audio and the two-ways that we’re able to do with all those players and continually making that kind of the focus of the game itself,” said Cheney.

ATLANTA—CBS said WUPA Atlanta will become its new network outlet in that city. The station, which broadcasts on Channel 69, will begin broadcasting CBS programming on Aug. 16.

CBS News & Stations has owned WUPA, currently branded on-air as Atlanta 69, since 1994. Currently an independent, WUPA was an affiliate of The CW from 2006 to 2024.

Effective Aug. 16, WUPA will rebrand as CBS Atlanta and plans to launch a streaming CBS News Atlanta channel, covering the latest regional weather, traffic, local and breaking news.

Gray Media’s WANF had been the CBS affiliate since 1994. Gray said WANF will become an independent station focued on its local news operation.

CBS owns and operates 27 stations in 17 of the country’s biggest markets. It operates a streaming service, CBS News 24/7, which includes streaming news feeds from many of its owned stations.

“Launching our first owned CBS station in Atlanta is a milestone moment for us,” said Jennifer Mitchell, president of CBS Stations and CBS News and Stations Digital. “This expansion allows us to bring the full strength of CBS’ award-winning news, sports and entertainment programming directly to one of the most vibrant and influential markets in the country. With WUPA and the launch of the CBS News Atlanta streaming channel, we’re not just delivering content—we’re investing in the community, local journalism and ensuring Atlanta viewers receive the same trusted, high-quality journalism that defines CBS in every market we serve.”

WUPA’s live linear feed will also be available on Paramount+.

In a separate announcement, Gray Media said WANF would leverage its local news operation and the resources of its Atlanta-based parent company to better serve the local community with on-air and online content.

“As residents of Atlanta along with our families, this company’s leadership and our corporate colleagues have been keenly focused on improving what we watch every day on WANF and its sister station, WPCH Peachtree TV,” said Gray’s executive chairman Hilton Howell. “We are excited to now take WANF in a new direction that puts full control of the station’s offerings in local hands and that allows us to expand our investment in local news, weather and sports by, for and about the people who, like us, live in Greater Atlanta.”

Gray said that it plans to make additional financial and other resource investments in WANF to enable it to transition successfully to a strong independent local television station.

Gray said it expects that WANF will join the ranks of other successful local independent news stations. Former network affiliates like Gray-owned KTVK Phoenix, WJXT Jacksonville, and WHDH Boston are all high-rated independent stations that have flourished with a strong local news presence, the company said.

“Since acquiring WANF and WPCH in December 2021, Gray has invested tens of millions of dollars to reinvigorate the stations and expand their capabilities,“ Gray Co-CEO Pat LaPlatney said. “Three years ago, WANF adopted its current call sign to emphasize its new commitment to delivering Atlanta News First. This is not just a slogan, it’s the philosophy for the entire organization. The next chapter as an independent station allows WANF to deliver on that commitment more fully, and our experience and our research make us optimistic that viewers and advertisers will increasingly turn to WANF as a result.”

ATLANTA—In yet another sign of the growing influence of the Atlanta area on television and film production, media production start-up BlueStar Studios has announced plans to build a 53-acre production campus in a suburb of the city. The new studio in Forest Park will offer purpose-built stages starting Summer 2023. 

Offering more than 600,000 square feet of production and office space, the campus will include 18 stages ranging from 5,000 square feet to more than 40,000 square feet. The historic 108,000-square-foot Fort Gillem headquarters building serves as the centerpiece of the campus. Productions will have access to two intersecting 100GB fiber lines for supporting all technical needs, including cloud services and virtual production. BlueStar Studios is currently under construction and development will continue in phases through 2024, with an expected total investment of $180M.

“BlueStar Studios offers production teams and studios top-of-the-line stages equipped with the latest tools and tech in a beautiful, historic campus conveniently located 10 minutes away from the Atlanta airport. It’s an exceptional space designed with creativity in mind, and our infrastructure provides the ultimate in bandwidth and redundancy,” said Rich Goldberg, CEO and Founder of BlueStar Studios.

An additional 45,000 square feet of former motor pool, wood-working and metal-working buildings will be repurposed mill and wardrobe. Amenities include a nature trail, on-site cafe, dog run, and more, and the campus retains much of its original 1940s era architecture, providing an abundance of practical shooting locations, as well as sound stages for traditional or virtual production. Offices are also available for lease to companies looking for a production-friendly home base in Georgia.

Developed to be an “inviting place for storytellers,” according to the company, BlueStar Studios says the new development will support the surrounding community through employment and educational opportunities and that the company is currently exploring partnerships with local universities and high schools, with the goal of becoming a premier destination for learning next generation filmmaking techniques and training students in the cinematic arts. 

“Fort Gillem has long been a significant presence in our community, so we’re thrilled to see such a transformational development through this substantial investment in a technology-forward way. BlueStar Studios preserves the charm and history of the surrounding area while also bringing new production capabilities and boosting our local economy,” said Forest Park Mayor Angelyne Butler. “We look forward to welcoming productions and their highly-skilled professionals to Forest Park and sharing all our city has to offer.”

ATLANTA—Cinelease Studios - Three Ring broke ground on a $144 million expansion of its Altanta film and TV production studio this week. 

In a ceremonial “Golden Shovel event,” Thursday,  legislators, officials from the Georgia Film Office, and members of the community noted the importance of the expansion which they say will bring additional productions, new jobs, and a positive economic impact to the region. 

“We’re always evaluating incentives and where productions want to be, and that combination is why we built Cinelease Studios - Three Ring here in Georgia in 2020,” said Cinelease Studios General Manager Gannon Murphy. “Georgia has for the last decade-plus, embraced the film and television industry by consistently providing a business-friendly and cost-effective work environment; and after only being open since 2020, we’re doubling down to expand our studio to keep productions coming back to the state year after year.”

In 2001, Georgia launched a campaign of tax incentives to attract film and TV production enterprises to the state, where cities like Covington were poised to become “the Hollywood of the South.” Cinelease responded by utilizing its 45 years of industry experience to diversify into the Atlanta-based studio management division.

Cinelease Studios - Three Ring opened in 2020 as a purpose-built film and television campus with six sound stages, three mill spaces, 12 office bungalows, and an expansive wooded and developed backlot. The studio has been leased at 100% capacity since its opening and clients have included Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, and Skydance Media. With demand for content at an industry-wide high and all sound stages fully booked through year’s end, Cinelease Studios says now is the ideal time to embark on this new endeavor.

“The impact of the productions that come here go far beyond the film industry. These investments bring more money, more jobs, and more opportunities to communities like Covington. This expansion is a great example of how rural areas can produce big gains both for their region and all of Georgia,” said Gov. Brian Kemp. “As a major player in the industry, Cinelease is setting the standard and I look forward to their growth here, in the number one state for business.”

The expansion will add eight new stages, enhancing the campus by providing a total of 14 purpose-built sound stages. Upon completion, the stages will total 276,000 square feet of stage space alone, 100,000 square feet of office space, and two new mill spaces will offer 72,800 more square feet of flexible space for construction mill and storage. The designs will also accommodate more office amenities, eight acres of outdoor filmmaking space, and pavement to double the parking currently available.

“Production crews range from a handful to several hundred, but regardless of size, the local spend fuels Georgia’s economy,” says Jessa Grazioplene, Director of Studio Client Relations. “From creating more jobs to renewing long-term leases on land, our vertical growth expansion of our 572,000 square foot purpose-built studio reinforces our local economic commitment.”

Cinelease Studios’ stages have already housed two major episodic television shows that employed over 1,000 crew members combined. The entertainment industry drives nearly $4 billion into Georgia’s economy and this expansion and consequential increase in overall production capacity will make an impactful contribution to the workforce, tax base, and client experience, Cinelease said.

With continued partnership with Cinelease and Herc Entertainment Services, the Cinelease Studios - Three Ring expansion is projected to finish in late 2023.

NEW YORK—Locast, the free TV station streaming service, has added two more markets, Atlanta and Phoenix, bringing its total to 15 markets where broadband users can watch local TV station signals over-the-top for free, though Locast asks for a donation.

Broadcasters have sued Locast over the service, which relies on an exception for nonprofits in copyright law to stream the stations without asking their permission or negotiating a fee for carriage.

Locast was launched by the Sports Fans Coalition in part as a way to give viewers access to sports programming during retrans blackouts—via a copyright exemption for nonprofits that retransmit TV-station signals, like the translators that extend TV station signals to hard-to-reach areas.

Obviously, alternative ways for MVPDs to get stations that don’t involve going to the local bar or switching to an antenna reduces broadcasters’ leverage in retrans negotiations. For example, AT&T, during its recent impasse with Sinclair, suggested Locast as an alternative to stations blacked out by Sinclair.

In their suit, network lawyers say Locast is nothing like the TV translators it purported to resemble. “Locast is not a public service devoted to viewers whose reception is affected by tall building[s] … Instead, Locast’s founding, funding and operations reveal its decidedly commercial purposes,” they said.

Locast said it will add more markets before the end of the year, and if it can raise enough via donations, all 210 markets eventually.

ATLANTA—ARRI Rental has given notice that it will be shutting down its services to the Atlanta area, effective as of June. This comes following a strategic shift from the company that will concentrate its rental services on the East and West Coasts of the U.S.

ARRI Rental’s Secaucus, N.J., location will remain the main hub and headquarters for all ARRI Rental services in North America. Brooklyn Haus in New York and the new Burbank, Calif., facility will become flagship rental operations and training centers for the East and West Coast, respectively. There will be no change for the Charlotte, N.C., and Vancouver operations.

Members of the Atlanta ARRI Rental team will be offered opportunities to relocate and continue to work at other ARRI Rental facilities within the U.S. The rental equipment currently housed in Atlanta will be transferred to Brooklyn and Burbank in June.

ARRI Rental operated out of Atlanta for the last five years.

CBS’s coverage of Super Bowl LIII drew 100.7 million viewers across all platforms, down 2.6 percent from 103.4 million viewers last year.

According to Fast Total Audience Estimates from Nielsen, the New England Patriots’ low-scoring victory over the Los Angeles Rams was watched in all or part by 149 million people age 2 and up.

Streaming the Super Bowl set records. The average minute audience was 2.6 million viewers, up 31 percent from last year. The game was seen on 7.5 million unique devices, up 20% from last year, and viewers consumed more than 560 million total minutes of live game coverage, up 19 percent from last year.

CBS said Super Sunday delivered the biggest day even for new subscriptions to CBS All Access. Sign ups were up 84 percent, unique viewers rose 46 percent and there was a 76 percent increase in time spent on CBS All Access.

CBS said that for its owned stations in Los Angeles and Boston, this year’s game was the highest rated Super Bowl ever.

Following the game, CBS drew 22.22 million viewers for The World’s Best, best ever for CBS. The Late Show drew 5.52 million viewers, its third highest total ever.

The lower viewership was matched by estimates that CBS drew fewer ad dollars for the Super Bowl.

Kantar Media’s preliminary estimate for in-game ad revenue for Super Bowl LIII is $382 million, down 6 percent from $408 million in last year’s game The record was set in 2017, when the Super Bowl went into overtime and Fox rang up revenues of $419 million, according to Kantar.

Data and analytics company iSpot.TV estimates that advertisers spent $391 million on in-game spots on CBS during the Super Bowl.

ATLANTA—Fox Sports is deploying a series of small, unobtrusive POV cameras for coverage Dec. 8 of the MLS Cup game between host Atlanta United FC and the Portland Timbers as part of its 26-camera setup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

“This is the big, ultimate event for the MLS. We have it covered as an elite game to make sure we don’t miss anything,” said Michael Davies, senior vice president of Field and Technical Operations for Fox Sports. “The new thing is all of the POVs [point-of-video cameras] around the stadium.”

For the game, Fox Sports has added small POV cameras in the goals, the locker rooms and along the tunnels leading from the locker rooms to the stadium floor as well as four corner flag cameras –soccer’s equivalent of NFL and college football pylon cameras. “I think the corner cams fit nicely into that portfolio of small POV cams,” he said.

The corner flag cams are the handiwork of Admiral Video, the Lancaster, N.Y.,-based company that has teamed with Fox over the past few years to design and build a variety of specialty cameras for sports coverage. “I’ve asked Paul Halsey, the principal there, to make these cameras,” said Davies. “We’ve had him do all sorts of strange things.”

“Companies like Admiral Video are able to take apart cameras that exist and reconstruct them in the space that you have available for something like a corner flag, a pylon or a set of NFL chains–whatever you have to work with,” he said.

The corner flag cameras to be used during this weekend’s MLS Cup will feed a 720p HD signal via a modified USB connector and copper cable to Fox Sports’ switching matrix. The connection enables two-way communications providing for control over camera iris and other camera painting functions. Super-wide lenses are part of the corner flag camera assembly as they are with all POV cameras that are being deployed for the game.

“When you are dealing with any type of POV camera –worn or otherwise—it needs to be super wide angle because you never know where the action is going to take place,” he said. “It’s not like a camera that you can pan and tilt.”

The POV cameras in the corner flags are the same type of miniature cameras Fox Sports uses as part of its production of Thursday Night Football, Davies said, adding that for those NFL games the cameras are operated in 1080p mode to match the networks’ overall production setup.

Davies looks forward to the day when 4K and higher t frame rates become available in small POV cameras, he said. “That will be pretty cool because you could even get an element of super motion.”

For now, however, Davies is hopeful the corner flag cameras used this weekend can “catch lightning in a bottle.” He fully acknowledges there are no certainties about whether they will capture shots that are airworthy. “Cameras like this don’t get used all of the time. You can’t even guarantee that they will be used at all,” he said.

However, occasionally these POV camera setups can capture some amazing shots. “You may not put these types of cameras out for your garden-variety regular season game, but when you are dealing with something like the MSL final, you want to go out with all of your guns blazing and be ready for anything,” said Davies.

“That’s why we decided to put those corner cams in. Either they play a very minor role, or they end up being the star of the show. You never know.”

Fox Sports coverage of the MLS Cup begins on Fox and the Fox Sports app at 7:30 p.m. ET.

ATLANTA—DigitalGlue is opening the doors to its new home in Atlanta with the goal of expanding its services, which will now include TV production and post production. The new studio office will provide customers equipment demos, training, virtual reality and post production suites.

The 27,000 sq. foot studio space is located in Atlanta’s West Side area. It includes a large training and conference room equipped with a 102-inch interactive whiteboard/projection screen, 7.2 surround audio speaker system, and wireless HDMI connectivity. The demo room features multiple Silverdraft super computers for VR, Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve, and 3D animation. The space also offers professionals to work with RED, Silverdraft, Adobe, Harmonic and Blackmagic equipment.

Construction of the new office space is now complete. DigitalGlue expects to hold a multi-day grand opening event, but no plans have been released at this time.