Watching live sports on TV these days is a delicate balance for broadcasters—how much information is too much?

Sports fans in the 1970s didn’t have to deal with that dilemma, when graphics were so primitive that fans expected “just the facts, ma’am.” Oftentimes, viewers coming upon a baseball game mid-inning would have to wait for the announcer just to get the score.

NESN, the TV home of the Boston Red Sox, decided to have some fun with this scenario, broadcasting part of a game between the BoSox and the Cincinnati Reds this week in the same manner a fan would view it in the mid-’70s.

The occasion was to commemorate one of the most memorable World Series in baseball history (at least to Red Sox fans), when the BoSox lost to the 1975 champion Reds in seven games.

To honor the 50th anniversary, NESN broadcast the third and fourth innings of the July 2 game at Fenway Park using vintage-inspired graphics and scorebug, throwback outfits, immersive flashbacks and other nostalgic broadcast elements. Members of the 1975 BoSox, including Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans, joined the broadcast team of Dave O’Brien, Lou Merloni and Jahmai Webster to reflect on the series.

NESN had been planning the retrocast for months, according to Amy Johnson, coordinating producer for the Red Sox at NESN.

“The idea of doing like a flashback inning came about from one of our producers, who was also a big fan of that ’75 team,” she said. “And so I immediately started watching a lot of YouTube videos. When I mentioned it to our graphics operator and our A1, they were all super on board and excited about it.”

Johnson said the network had to balance the idea of reducing on-screen informational graphics while also giving Sox fans the live coverage they had come to expect.

“We narrowed it down to two innings, and then we had some conversations about how ‘1970s’ we could go while still serving the audience,” she said. “So that's how we ended up with kind of the retro-looking score bug.”

To recreate the lower-grade “look” of a 1975 broadcast, the network had to alter its usually pristine 4K HDR resolution. To do that, they turned to NESN Technical Director Michelle Schlickman.

“She essentially created one version with crushed blacks and pulled out some of the Chroma, and then she keyed that over the same source to create some modulation,” Johnson said. “She was really excited by the challenge and she definitely took it head on, and it came out great.”

The graphics department was fully on board with the concept from the beginning, according to Johnson.

“This was truly a labor of love for our graphics operator; the minute I told him the idea he was all over it,“ she said. ”And then our senior graphics producer, Patrick White, helped us find a font that we had in house that looked similar to what NBC used in 1975 and then Bridget Sheeran, our graphics producer for the Red Sox, was the one who executed, making sure that we had the individual batter fonts updated throughout the innings.”

Social media lit up during the broadcast and the response was almost unanimous: Fans young and old loved the look, with some wishing the move to less graphics (or even none) could be an option going forward. Johnson said that while there are no plans to offer such a graphics-less feed, she sees this desire eventually being fulfilled by technology.

“I do think all media consumption is continuing to evolve toward personalization and people being able to choose what is on their screen for a broadcast,” she said. “We don't have any plans to do anything like that, but you can kind of see that down the road.”

Johnson said the broadcast showed how live sports TV can take liberties with new looks and sound to bring new experiences to fans.

“My biggest takeaway is, how can we keep challenging people throughout a baseball season to do some different fun things and kind of push our broadcast to the next level?” she said. “You know, there’s a lot of baseball games and nights to have something like this that's a little bit different.”

That said, Johnson said any experimentation will never distract from NESN’s ultimate goal.

“Our No. 1 priority is always coverage of the game and quality of the game,” she said. “So I felt like we kind of got that happy medium in the look that we went with.”

BOSTON and NEW YORK—The sports network NESN has announced that it has selected ViewLift provide solutions and technologies to upgrade the viewing and streaming experiences available for NESN 360, the direct-to-consumer streaming home for the Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins and other New England sports programming.

The upgraded DTC and TVE streaming offerings, which will use ViewLift’s “out of the box” features and functionality, are scheduled to relaunch this summer. NESN 360 allows fans to stream all locally-available games live on major devices, including mobile, web and connected TV platforms.

“The fan experience continues to be at the forefront of everything we do. By entering into this partnership, we will continue to focus on delivering dynamic, first in class products for fans of the Red Sox, Bruins and all of our programming,” said NESN president and CEO David Wisnia. “We’re excited about partnering with ViewLift to power feature-rich, reliable streaming for the next iteration of NESN 360.”

In making the announcement, the companies noted that NESN has a long history of tech innovation, which the current agreement continues. NESN was the first to provide fans with High-Definition broadcasts and then the first to offer 4K game broadcasts. In 2022, NESN was the first to launch a direct-to-consumer streaming platform in NESN 360.

“We are particularly proud to work with NESN, a consistent innovator in live sports,” said Rick Allen, CEO of ViewLift. “Our platform now streams 14 US pro teams and five RSNs, more than our competitors combined, and we will bring this experience to bear for the passionate fans of the Red Sox, Bruins, and the other pro and collegiate teams that New Englanders have come to enjoy from NESN.”

With the new deal, ViewLift’s roster of clients now includes streaming platforms for the NHL, and 14 professional teams across that League and the NBA, WNBA and MLB, as well as the Professional Fighters League, LIV Golf, and other sports leagues and teams around the world. The company reported that its robust cloud-based platform ensures seamless, buffer-free streaming and supports flexible monetization models, real-time analytics, fan personalization, and rapid deployment.

NEW YORK—Virtual MVPD FuboTV, which advertises itself as ‘the leading sports-first live TV streaming platform,” announced today that it has signed a branding deal with the Boston Red Sox for the 2023 season, marking its first such partnership with a Major League Baseball team.

The multi-faceted partnership includes the launch of Fubo branding and hospitality opportunities at Fenway Park as well as fan engagement both at the ballpark and across multiple digital platforms.

Fubo carries Red Sox and Boston Bruins games through NESN, local broadcast networks, national sports networks ESPN and FS1, as well as MLB Network, MLB Strike Zone and, most recently, MLB.TV. Fubo also carries NBC Sports Boston, which airs the Celtics.

“Fubo customers are very passionate about sports, and Boston sports fans are obviously very passionate about the Red Sox, making this partnership even more special,” said Yale Wang, SVP, marketing, Fubo. “Fubo is proud to be a partner of the Boston Red Sox this season. We’re looking forward to serving Red Sox fans with our sports-first premium platform, which was ranked #1 in Customer Satisfaction among Live TV Streaming Providers by J.D. Power.”

“The Boston Red Sox are proud to team up with Fubo as their first MLB Club relationship, and their industry leading status in sports streaming make them a natural choice as a partner of the club,” said Troup Parkinson, EVP, partnerships, Boston Red Sox. “We look forward to helping them provide Red Sox fans with additional benefits at Fenway Park and supporting their extensive gameday coverage through trusted partners like NESN.”

BOSTON—The New England Sports Network (NESN) has become the first regional sports network (RSN) to offer a direct to consumer service (DTC) with the launch of NESN 360, a digital subscription service that will allow fans to purchase a direct subscription to NESN’s live programming and video-on-demand content. 

The NESN 360 SVOD regional sports service allows Red Sox and Bruins fans to stream 220+ live games through a direct subscription or a participating TV provider account.

The service was launched in partnership with the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Bruins and Major League Baseball (MLB). 

The launch comes at a time when Sinclair's Bally Sports and others are planning to launch similar DTC services this year.  

NESN has also announced that it will introduce new features and functionality in the upcoming months, including 4K HDR, cloud DVR, and will expand its reach with FIRETV and Google TV apps. NESN is also exploring an exclusive live home batting practice feed in partnership with the Red Sox.

“NESN 360 is the latest iteration in NESN’s long history of innovation and providing fans with the best sports viewing experience,” said Sean McGrail, NESN’s president and CEO. “We believe the direct subscription option will build on NESN’s reach in the region, and will be an excellent complement to the existing, valuable partnerships we have with TV providers to bring NESN to all homes in New England.”

Fans who choose to subscribe directly have an annual and a monthly subscription option, each with its own limited time promotion for the launch of the new product. The monthly plan will bill $1 for the first month, followed by $29.99 once per month. Annual subscribers will be billed $329.99 once per year, which reflects the first month as just $1, and will receive eight tickets to a 2022 Red Sox game of their choosing, while supplies last. 

Subscribers can stream NESN’s live feeds and video on demand (VOD) library directly to their computer, iOS, Android, Apple TV or Roku device. Fans who already have NESN through a participating TV provider will be able to authenticate into the NESN 360 app to access the same experience, including streaming live Red Sox and Bruins games and VOD content.

In addition to the live TV programming, NESN 360 will include expanded access to Red Sox content, including highlights and select on-demand historical Red Sox games, as well as Bruins games, Bruins highlights, exclusive new content and a library of hundreds of video-on-demand titles, including NESN original shows. Additionally, NESN 360’s video-on-demand library will feature full games of notable 2022 Red Sox season matchups, including nationally broadcast games after they’ve aired.

NESN has also invested in original content featuring notable personalities, including baseball content creators Jared Carrabis and Pitching Ninja. There are also collaborations in progress with other content partners such as The Boston Globe.

NESN (New England Sports Network) this week previewed its new studio at Fenway Park that will make its on-air debut this Friday, April 15 at the home opener of the 2022 Boston Red Sox season. 

The 20x24-foot studio space will be the new home for NESN’s pregame and postgame shows for Red Sox home games, replacing the Jersey Street set. One highlight of the set includes a 20x9-foot mural wall consisting of 1,968 baseballs and 60 34-inch wooden baseball bats, which provide the backdrop for a five-foot tall illuminated NESN logo.

“We are so proud to debut our brand-new NESN studio in conjunction with the 2022 Red Sox home opener,” NESN president and CEO Sean McGrail said. “It is our top priority to bring unparalleled access and connection to our fanbase, and this new space in the center field concourse of historic Fenway Park will bring our fans closer to the game than ever.”

A large window, approximately 18 1/2x5 3/4 feet, faces the ballpark, offering viewers an expansive view of the field. Opposite the opening is a 19x13-foot blueprint of Fenway Park, produced by NESN’s creative services department, inspired by a dozen antique blueprints of the park from the Red Sox archives dating from 1933-1969.

The fourth and final wall of the studio is a clear plexiglass wall that extends floor-to-ceiling, providing fans with a sneak-peek into the on-air action. 

The fabrication of the anchor desk and the signature baseball bat and ball mural were produced by Mystic Scenic Studios, Inc. based in Norwood, Mass.

For a gallery of images of NESN’s brand-new pregame and postgame studio at Fenway Park, click here. 

MONROE, LA.—Lumen Technologies has announced that the New England Sports Network (NESN) has selected Lumen for its broadcast and content backhaul delivery services. 

As part of the deal, Lumen will provide these video delivery services for all Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox away games, and will also leverage the Lumen dedicated Cloud Connect platform for disaster recovery.

Lumen will provide signal acquisition, packaging services and disaster recovery solutions, for approximately 150 Red Sox games and 70 Boston Bruins games.

Packaged services include a combination of video delivery of all Bruins and Red Sox away games, as well as services such as data and phones to support NESN’s remote-production requirements. 

In addition, Lumen’s Dual Managed Video Network Services platforms will be deployed to NESN to support all content acquisition and distribution. 

Lumen Vyvx Cloud Connect will be used to deliver all Bruins and Red Sox games to NESN’s cloud provider as disaster recovery.

More information on the Lumen Vyvx broadcast solutions is available here. 

ORLANDO, Fla.—Fox Sports will stream 4K coverage of the MLS All-Star Game July 31 from Orlando, Fla., as part of its expanded use of the high-res format online and made available on its apps.

“Fox is looking at how we get into 4K in a really exciting way,” says Steven Thorpe, VP, video platforms, for Fox. “The question is, how can we start getting 4K out to our audience? The best way to do that is through our digital products.”

Streaming 4K from Orlando (broadcast coverage begins at 8 p.m. EDT on FS1) follows Fox Sports’ 4K stream this summer of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup made available on its website and coverage of the July 27 game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox from Fenway Park.

Fox will also stream 4K coverage of the Aug. 3 contest between the Yankees and Red Sox from Yankee Stadium (broadcast begins at 1 p.m. EDT on FS1).

The 4K all-star soccer coverage, available on the Fox Sports App and Fox Now as well as Apple TV and Roku devices and via select MVPDs offering TV Everywhere services and pay-TV providers, will not make use of high dynamic range (HDR), which the broadcaster is experimenting with at the moment, says Thorpe.

For distribution, FOX has partnered with satellite service provider SES. Coverage from Orlando City Stadium will be uplinked to an SES satellite and downlinked to an SES facility where basic bugs and slates will be added before being re-uplinked for distribution to Fox’ distribution partners, says Thorpe.

One destination will be Verizon Digital Media Services where Thorpe’s team and Verizon will rely on the Verizon Slicer ecosystem for transcoding into HLS video, which will be transited out via Verizon’s EdgeCast CDN and ultimately to consumer devices, he explains.

For consumers, the goal is to make accessing the 4K stream fast and easy. “We are trying to make sure we surprise and delight our audience by making content available in 4K,” says Thorpe. “We will give them some simple badging that lets them know a feed is available in that higher quality. We want to make sure that when people go into the Fox Sports app or Fox Now, 4K content is treated just like anything else.”

The approach Fox Sports is taking to 4K production harkens back to the early days of HD production, says Michael Davies, Fox Sports SVP, Field & Technical Operations. “The way to go about it [4K production] is to produce in that highest common denominator format and downconvert,” he says.

While resolution is important, it is HDR that will make the most noticeable impact. “I would go as far as to say that the colorimetry of a broadcast is more important than the resolution. It’s nice when you have both. But overall, the HDR is the moneymaker,” says Davies.

During these early days of HDR, Fox Sports has zeroed in on Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) for high dynamic range, “mainly because of what the manufacturers support at the moment,” says Davies.

There is even an incremental increase in the quality of standard dynamic range video that begins as HDR and is downconverted, another benefit of starting in the higher resolution and downconverting, he adds.

However, challenges remain from a production point of view. Small, specialty cameras, such as those used in pylons, aren’t available with 4K support. Nor are the RF cameras that play a critical role in sports production, he says.

Additionally, high frame rate cameras and graphical treatments viewers expect, like the yellow line on a football field, are in short supply, says Davies.

As a consequence, the availability of upconverters on production trucks takes on added importance. “There is a fair amount of conversion that is always needed, and sometimes you find that sort of left out,” he says, adding the dearth of upconverters makes renting additional resources common.

An often overlooked aspect of 4K production—until it’s needed—is monitoring. “All well and good if you are producing 4K, but unless—let’s say your video person—has an HDR monitor to actually see what he is doing, you will need to make sure one is added,” says Davies.

As Fox Sports expands its 4K sports coverage, however, it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of viewers still watch in HD.

“Let’s be honest, there are not a lot of people watching HDR at the moment, so it is important to make sure at the end of the day that you are protecting the show that 99% of the people are watching,” says Davies. “They won’t understand if the colors are wrong because you are doing HDR for a small segment of the audience.”

The BBC is reportedly in talks with Major League Baseball to air matches due to take place in London next year.

According to Sportcal, the pair have been holding talks since June, with a deal expected to be announced soon.

The MLB is also said to be close to renewing its long-term rights deal with BT Sport.

It's thought the deal with the BBC will resemble the NFL's deal with the broadcaster, which broadcasts UK games on free-to-air TV.