ATLANTA—Gray Media and the NFL’s Carolina Panthers have announced that for the first time three Panthers preseason games will air live in Spanish to Gray’s Telemundo audiences across the Carolinas.

Starting this August, Spanish-speaking fans will be able to catch every Panthers preseason game on six Gray Telemundo affiliate stations in South Carolina and Eastern North Carolina.

The three games are: Friday, August 8, Panthers vs. Cleveland Browns; Saturday, August 16,, Panthers at Houston Texans; and Thursday, August 21 Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Spanish-language broadcasts of the Panthers preseason games are an extension of the partnership between Gray's WHNS Greenville, S.C., known on-air as Fox Carolina, Gray-owned Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network and the Panthers announced in April.

“This partnership with the Carolina Panthers marks an exciting milestone for our Telemundo affiliates and the communities we proudly serve across the Carolinas,” said Susan Sim Oh, senior vice president of strategy and operations, Gray Telemundo Affiliate Station Group. “This is about more than football — it’s about building inclusive experiences that resonate with our Spanish-speaking viewers. We’re especially proud that Fox Carolina (WHNS) helped lead the way in forging this first-of-its-kind partnership, bringing Panthers football to even more households in a way that honors culture, language, and community.”

WHNS-WDKT general manager Bryce Caldwell added, “The Carolina Panthers are a tremendous partner, and we couldn’t be more excited about this expansion of offerings to our Spanish-speaking audiences!”

Telemundo stations airing Panthers preseason games include:

• WDKT—Greenville, S.C-Spartanburg, S.C.-Asheville, N.C. -Anderson, S.C.
• WTES—Columbia, S.C.
• WZCH—Charleston, S.C.
• WXIV—Myrtle Beach, S.C.
• WTWL—Wilmington, N.C.
• WTGC—Greenville-New Bern, N.C.

BURLINGTON, MA.—The NFL’s Carolina Panthers have signed a six-year deal with Avid, standardizing its media operations on the company’s MediaCentral platform.

The organization’s existing post-production infrastructure was aging and susceptible to downtime, making it difficult for the media department to meet deadlines, Avid said. It also faced limited storage challenges and was unable take advantage of the latest software to leverage advancements in workflow, encoding and delivery technology.

While desiring an upgrade of post capabilities, the Panthers wanted to avoid making a large capital investment every few years to keep up to date on the latest technology. The Avid MediaCentral deal provides the organization with one platform for storage, asset management and archive that is integrated into the Panthers’ control room replay system for fast turnaround, Avid said.

The enterprise agreement gives the Panthers a way to avoid large capital investments and upgrade to Avid’s most advanced hardware and software over the duration of the deal with optimal pricing and predictability, Avid said.

“Our multi-year enterprise agreement with Avid solves our challenges in a unique and creative way and enables us to stay current with the latest technology while reducing our operating costs,” said Stephen Herbster, post production manager, for the team.

More information is available on the Avid website.

PETALUMA, CALIF.—The Carolina Panthers’ Panther Vision production team has drafted Point Source Audio’s CM-i3 Comms headset to serve as the standard system for its camera team, according to a recent press release. The headset will be deployed to provide consistency in audio levels between the camera operators and production control room throughout broadcasts.

The CM-i3 dual in-ear Comms headset features a modular design and is available with a variety of XLR connectors that are compatible with intercom systems from Clear-Com, RTS and Telex. It also features a 3.5mm phono plug for comm apps on iPhones and smartphones. The CM-i3 weighs in at 2 ounces.

Point Source Audio has plans to launch additional models of its headsets at the 2017 NAB Show. The company will be located at booth C1110.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF.—TVU Networks is getting in the huddle with the Carolina Panthers, as the live IP video technology provider will help capture and transmit video from post-game press conferences and interviews. To do so, the Panthers have deployed the TVUPack wireless uplink backpack during the weekly Game Day wrap-up show.

The TVUPack is a modular IP newsgathering product that enables broadcasters to capture and broadcast live HD video over multiple cellular, satellite, microwave, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max and BGAN connections. TVUPack features proprietary Inverse StatMux Plus technology designed to deliver HD quality picture with under one second latency.

TVU Networks is based in Mountain View, Calif.