rkolsen 1679 Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Today ESPN opened up their new 194,000 square foot digital media center today featuring five studios. The new SportsCenter studio features a video floor, 114 monitors including 54 that are LEDs that can change shapes, 800 lights, a camera mounted on a 30 foot track and it is all tied together with 6 million feet of fiber optic cabling. The new studio will also allow ESPN to produced live an recorded programs simultaneously. ESPN announced that their Los Angeles studio will be redesigned with a new set similar to Bristols which will be launched around the same time DC2 goes live next month. Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy and ESPN President John Skipper hosted a mock SportsCenter broadcast from their new studios: [yt]EPUYAfzgVEs[/yt] More information here: http://frontrow.espn.go.com/2014/05/digital-center-2-fiber-cutting/ http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2014/05/new-state-of-the-art-home-for-sportscenter/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennTV1983 743 Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 That actually looks very impressive, and it looks like there will be new graphics to accompany the new look. Very clean, and very 2014. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper550 268 Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Well, this BottomLine up on the wall looks a little different. Guess they are going flat... Given that the current-gen glossy BottomLine fits with them, this will definitely clash with TSN's graphics for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susquvalleywgal 494 Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 For your approval/review ... prepare to be WOW'ED ... http://m.fastcompany.com/3030871/most-creative-people/an-exclusive-look-inside-espns-cutting-edge-new-sportscenter-studio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Damn. For a moment, screw what we think of the network. Damn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1679 Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Here's an article published in TV Technology : http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0086/espn-opens-new-digital-center/270611 That 56 monitor mosaic wall looks pretty impressive where each individual monitor could be pushed out up to three feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 According to a 10-second station id on WMVP-1000 AM (ESPN) in Chicago, we should tune in to "Sportscenter, like you've never seen before" this Sunday night at 11e/10c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d247 43 Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Here's the new "This is SportsCenter" ad in the new studio. [yt]7cPT3xukITU[/yt] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbs2newengland 71 Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 This studio facility was funded with your $5 x/ month subscriber fee. The Mouse House in Bristol would say to you or me You Better like this overpriced studio! Honestly I'm not an ESPN fan, because I am a diehard sports fan and many on air are just fanboys yeppin away. I'm not a fan of Sports Center being a block program than just a 6:00 & 11:00 show. To me the brand gets watered down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanewsguy 509 Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 This studio facility was funded with your $5 x/ month subscriber fee. The Mouse House in Bristol would say to you or me You Better like this overpriced studio! Honestly I'm not an ESPN fan, because I am a diehard sports fan and many on air are just fanboys yeppin away. I'm not a fan of Sports Center being a block program than just a 6:00 & 11:00 show. To me the brand gets watered down. Once again you have spoken the truth. I honestly can't remember the last time I watched Sports Center (or ESPN for that matter). I just get my sports fix online. I stopped watching Sports Center after they felt it needed to be on the majority of the day. I also don't like how "NFL Live" airs outside of NFL season, yet the other leagues don't get shows devoted to them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1679 Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 Damn. For a moment, screw what we think of the network. Damn. What do we think of the network? I don't watch it often enough.This studio facility was funded with your $5 x/ month subscriber fee. The Mouse House in Bristol would say to you or me You Better like this overpriced studio! Honestly I'm not an ESPN fan, because I am a diehard sports fan and many on air are just fanboys yeppin away. I'm not a fan of Sports Center being a block program than just a 6:00 & 11:00 show. To me the brand gets watered down. Your right - the airing of their flagship program for 12-13 hours a day is a bit much which makes me wonder how often is a story re-aired and how many different ways can you say it? Sports news, I would say is significantly different than regular news which makes me wonder how much actually occurs during the average weekday seeing as the most prominent and lucrative games play at night. The only sports which I can really think that are normally played during the day are baseball games which occur in the afternoons usually only when there is a double header and golf tournaments. Second thing is I doubt that this studio will foster newer creative ways to convey information. Sure they may now have the ability to display 3D graphics but there is nothing revolutionary about it - it was neat during the 2008 election, but six years later the novelty wore off. 3D graphics are common place and do not add anything useful to the story. Look at its use on the Weather Channel during AMHQ displaying a virtual cut out of the US with the rain clouds a foot above sea level, it's neat if your along the coast where you can see your area but it adds absolutely nothing to the story. This studio is a show studio plain and simple and is ESPN's way of stating the obvious that they are the dominant sports information provider. The most prominent scenic elements have been done before like the movable LED Panels (which are used by their LA studio and the Today Show), the video floor will soon be scratched and you won't be able to see the video (done by ABC's 2012 Election coverage) and the ceiling mounted trolley camera (used around The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon's audience bleachers) are all proven and true ideas. The only thing that I believe is original is the 56 panel video wall where every monitors distance from the wall can be changed, although I think it's been done in an art installation where the monitors are in a static position. After the first week the novelty of all these gimmicks (which is what they are) will wear off and they will revert to their old ways of presenting sports coverage. I highly doubt that this will correlate to any significant increase in viewership and their sky high ratings which they currently are enjoying during the World Cup will in a months time revert back to their normal levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
News 9 Viewer 100 Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 This studio facility was funded with your $5 x/ month subscriber fee. The Mouse House in Bristol would say to you or me You Better like this overpriced studio! Honestly I'm not an ESPN fan, because I am a diehard sports fan and many on air are just fanboys yeppin away. I'm not a fan of Sports Center being a block program than just a 6:00 & 11:00 show. To me the brand gets watered down. You're absolutely right. As it currently is, SportsCenter is on nearly 24 hours a day. The airwaves are oversaturated with SportsCenter. If I had my way, only 4 editions of SportsCenter would air on the main network, the legacy shows (the 6 PM, 11 PM and 2 AM editions) and a morning show from 7-9 AM. All the others would move to ESPNews, which would also simulcast the main broadcasts and be rebranded as ESPN SportsCenter 24. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbs2newengland 71 Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 I stopped watching Sports Center after they felt it needed to be on the majority of the day. I also don't like how "NFL Live" airs outside of NFL season, yet the other leagues don't get shows devoted to them... In the defense of ESPN, you still got NFL news, you can cover outside of the season with the draft picks and the goings on during the summer camps, if people like that kind of stuff. It drives ratings for sports radio, then it must do the same for ESPN. What do we think of the network? I don't watch it often enough. Your right - the airing of their flagship program for 12-13 hours a day is a bit much which makes me wonder how often is a story re-aired and how many different ways can you say it? Sports news, I would say is significantly different than regular news which makes me wonder how much actually occurs during the average weekday seeing as the most prominent and lucrative games play at night. The only sports which I can really think that are normally played during the day are baseball games which occur in the afternoons usually only when there is a double header and golf tournaments. Second thing is I doubt that this studio will foster newer creative ways to convey information. Sure they may now have the ability to display 3D graphics but there is nothing revolutionary about it - it was neat during the 2008 election, but six years later the novelty wore off. 3D graphics are common place and do not add anything useful to the story. Look at its use on the Weather Channel during AMHQ displaying a virtual cut out of the US with the rain clouds a foot above sea level, it's neat if your along the coast where you can see your area but it adds absolutely nothing to the story. This studio is a show studio plain and simple and is ESPN's way of stating the obvious that they are the dominant sports information provider. The most prominent scenic elements have been done before like the movable LED Panels (which are used by their LA studio and the Today Show), the video floor will soon be scratched and you won't be able to see the video (done by ABC's 2012 Election coverage) and the ceiling mounted trolley camera (used around The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon's audience bleachers) are all proven and true ideas. The only thing that I believe is original is the 56 panel video wall where every monitors distance from the wall can be changed, although I think it's been done in an art installation where the monitors are in a static position. After the first week the novelty of all these gimmicks (which is what they are) will wear off and they will revert to their old ways of presenting sports coverage. I highly doubt that this will correlate to any significant increase in viewership and their sky high ratings which they currently are enjoying during the World Cup will in a months time revert back to their normal levels. I blame the 3D space ship effects and obscenely large studios to Disney. CapCities/ABC wasn't going to be their Magic Kingdom Profit Center, it was clearly ESPN. That was their MO to buy CapCities in the first place from what I know about. I've heard it was valued in '95 for $30b, its valued north of $60b today. Speaking about the good ole days, here is an open I found of SC in the mid 90s on YouTube. I like the simple but sexy Quantel(?) like graphics/effects the open shows. (I've wondered why they didn't get a bigger studio for SC in those days, I am factoring the "10lb" camera factor, and it still looked small for where ESPN was in the mid 90s.) youtube.com/watch?v=MbUG5Sww4hM You're absolutely right. As it currently is, SportsCenter is on nearly 24 hours a day. The airwaves are oversaturated with SportsCenter. If I had my way, only 4 editions of SportsCenter would air on the main network, the legacy shows (the 6 PM, 11 PM and 2 AM editions) and a morning show from 7-9 AM. All the others would move to ESPNews, which would also simulcast the main broadcasts and be rebranded as ESPN SportsCenter 24. All they need to do is just rebrand ESPNews as SC24. SportsCenter is already running on gawd how many hours in a day. The old ESPNews, which had a different look, their Bottom Line was actually an L3 giving more data, etc, now it looks more like ESPN, so why just do the change and give the brand name its own channel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Damn, it does look good. The video at the top did in-fact show the new package. The color red has officially taken a back seat, as gray (for the ticker and rundown) and white (for most everything else) make up the new color scheme. All-new ticker is in place, but I'm not yet sure if it'll spill to the other networks, much less the other programs. The theme has also been updated, ditching some the heavy metal for more of a hip-hop/techno version...BUT IT ACTUALLY WORKS. So far, so good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skbl17 188 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 It does look pretty nice. That 80+ monitor wall will take some getting used to, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1110 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 You know what these graphics remind me of? Gannett. That's right. Gannett. Simple, clean, easy to read and understand. Huge departure from any other graphics I've seen on a sports network. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 The other networks switched to the new ticker sometime in the last few minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikePulse 315 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Screenshots via WatchESPN app. Forgive the captioning - something for some reason cant be fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColumbusNewsFan 217 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I gotta say I love the new bottom line. Looks good. I know that Arial font is frouned upon in this establishment but it works here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikePulse 315 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 And here's your mega monitor wall at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I gotta say I love the new bottom line. Looks good. I know that Arial font is frouned upon in this establishment but it works here. Finally saw a capital 'R'. It's Helvetica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikePulse 315 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Another view of the set. And the mega monitors at their best example. Floor monitor for sponsor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1679 Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 The whole he look is a bit confusing to me, it's almost bipolar where the set is flashy and bright but the graphics are subdued and flat. Here's a screen grab taken from XFINITYs TVGO app showing the graphics: I understand where you guys see a resemblance to the Gannet package where the graphics (mainly the L bar) is what I would consider to be flat or minimalist. The L bar and bottom line appear to have little variation where it's mainly grey and white with red reserved for the SportsCenter logo and the current segment. Outside the L bar where the traditional lower third appears to be used with white background and black text. It doesn't appear to have the modularity that the Gannet package or even the new Sinclair graphics have where all the "boxes" are connected to each other. The full screen graphics appear to be a mishmash of different styles where the only thing is that is unified is the white background. Some of the graphics have an SC watermarked in the background while others do. As the for the studio it is visually impressive and as I stated before I don't how revolutionary the set will be for story telling. In the end the monitors will still display stats and video as they do now. I did like how they used the 56 panel video wall to display audience reaction from different cities where the video feed of the reaction appeared to be the furthest away from the wall and an American flag backdrop waving at different distances from the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanewsguy 509 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Looks like Al Jazeera if you ask me. Having said that I don't like it and it'll take some getting used to. It's too clean and bland... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1679 Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 Okay that's odd, there is even graphic that is a orange parallelogram lower third that is used for flash footage, where one is labelled flashback then next to it is another parallelogram that is twice the height of the original that displays text. Now that I've watched it some more, I will say there is some modularity where the different rectangles on the lower third are sometimes connected together where one showed a picture of Carmelo Anthony, next to it is the headline and above the headline is a blue label saying ESPN & Media Reports as the category. It looks like the current CBS O&O package without the logo. I have also noticed that there is a significant amount of room left over for overscan. It's noticeable even if your televisions setting is supposed to cut it off and even more so when the picture isn't zoomed in. The only thing I really like is the set and the L bar, but to me the main picture frame graphics are a mess. I do also realize that I am being over critical, nitpicking and that it's their first day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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