ATLANTA—The competitive sports market has a new resource aimed specifically at sports technology startups, as Comcast NBCUniversal has announced the launch of its SportsTech global accelerator program open to startups from around the world.

SportsTech will partner with NBCU’s NBC Sports, Golf Channel and Sky Sports brands, as well as with NASCAR and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard and USA Swimming organizations to provide resources and relationships for the startups. All partners will also serve on an advisory committee tasked with influencing the innovation priorities of SportsTech.

The startups that participate in SportsTech will have access to an international consortium of advisors, a custom sports tech curriculum shaped by industry experts and investment capital. The partners, meanwhile, will get early exposure to emerging sports tech trends and technologies and insight into how they can benefit their businesses.

There will be specific areas of focus for SportsTech as it gets underway, including sports media & entertainment; fan & player engagement; venue & event innovation; fantasy sports & betting; eSports; business of sports; and technologies designed for players and coaches.

“SportsTech will provide the curriculum and platform for founders to develop their ideas while obtaining mentorship from leaders in multiple sports, enabling them to further deploy their technologies to dramatically improve sports experiences for athletes and audiences alike,” said Jenna Kurath, vice president of Startup Partner Development, Comcast Cable.

Interested startups can apply for SportsTech between now and May 15, with the initial three-month program beginning in August in Atlanta. Ten companies will be selected and the program will be directed by Boomtown Accelerators.

For more information on the SportsTech program, visit www.comcastsportstech.com. 

RASTATT, GERMANY—Lawo is on the course with the Golf Channel, as the network has installed three 64-fader mc-2-56 consoles to handle its primary production control rooms for live audio. An additional three 16-fader mc-2-36 consoles have been installed in hybrid live audio and post production rooms.

Beyond the mcfaders, Golf Channel has also installed four Lawo V_pro8 audio/video processors for video and audio channel mapping. The units are extra resources, with a dedicated unit per production control room and a fourth unit wrapped around the core video router.

“When we started this project, our objective was to overhaul our entire audio infrastructure while achieving IP-transport, pooled resources, ease of operation and improved workflows,” said Eric Gardner, Golf Channel’s senior director, engineering and BOC. Gardner says that the combination of Lawo gear has allowed Golf Channel to construct a system that combines audio, video, intercom and commentary into a single solution.

The complete system was installed in December of 2017.

ORLANDO, FLA.—The Golf Channel reached into its bag and pulled out some additional Pliant Technologies Tempest wireless intercom systems to use for its latest production suite, the Newsroom. With this latest Tempest system put into place, the Golf Channel now has five BaseStations in use to cover its four studio areas, which includes the Newsroom.

The Tempest system being utilized in the Newsroom is the Tempest2400, which is able to operate in the 2.4 GHz band worldwide and the 900 MHz band in North America. The Tempeset2400 does not require frequency coordination and isn’t subject to typical interference issues with analog RF signals.

The intercom system has a Seamless Routing feature that can be applied to a Tempest BeltStation. Similar to cell phone operation, Seamless Routing allows BeltStation users to move from one BaseStation’s coverage are to another without user intervention. If the signal data quality between the BeltStation and BaseStation drops to a certain level, the BeltStation will search for a better RF connection. A single BeltStation can roam between as many as 16 different RF coverage areas.

The Seamless Roaming feature is possible through Pliant’s ZSync technology, which provides a synchronization signal that coordinates the frequency hopping patterns of all connected BaseStations. The ZSync Dongle or ZSync Parallel Signal Generator can be used depending on the application.

The Golf Channel has been utilizing the Tempest system since 2007.

VAN NUYS, CALIF.—PSSI Global Services is teeing off with the Golf Channel, as the two companies have announced a new multiyear partnership. Under the agreement, PSSI will be the primary provider of satellite transmission services for Golf Channel news, live tournaments and entertainment programming across North America.

Among the services that PSSI will provide is the use of more than 20 C-Band satellite trucks and flyaway systems for covering tournaments, as well as encoding and transmitting live news, events and press conferences. PSSI and the Golf Channel will also collaborate on the development of new technologies to optimize transmission methods.

PSSI is a provider of mobile satellite transmission technology located in Van Nuys, Calif.