This change aligns with the company’s previous rebranding efforts in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where its BT Sports division was renamed TNT Sports last summer. The rebranding effort is part of a broader strategy by WBD to consolidate its sports branding globally, having previously adopted the TNT brand for its sports channels in Latin America.

TNT Sports focuses on viewfinder, ‘this n that’ language device for European rebrand

BT Sport, Eurosport to become TNT Sports in select European Markets

As part of this rebranding, all sports-related content and productions within the WBD portfolio, including Bleacher Report and Golf Digest, will now fall under the TNT Sports umbrella. This move will see sports programming across various platforms such as TNT, TBS, truTV, and the Max streaming service being branded as TNT Sports.

The division will continue to be overseen by Luis Silberwasser, who serves as the Chair and CEO of TNT Sports.

TNT Sports holds significant sports broadcasting rights post-rebranding, rivaling major networks like ESPN.

Its portfolio includes broadcasting rights for major leagues and events such as the NBA, NHL, MLB, and the NCAA March Madness college basketball tournament. While the rebranding represents a shift in business strategy and an effort to unify the global sports brand identity, it is important to note that the individual sports broadcasts, such as “NBA on TNT” and “NHL on TNT,” have already been using their respective channel brands.

The most notable change will be seen during March Madness and MLB season, with the TBS and truTV brands removed in favor of the TNT Sports moniker.

Before the WBD deal, TNT and TBS did share branding under the Turner Sports banner with different levels of emphasis over the various years.

This rebranding comes as TNT Sports begins negotiations for NBA broadcasting rights. TNT Sports, known for hosting the NBA studio show “Inside the NBA,” is keen on retaining these rights along with ESPN.   

However, the NBA is expected to seek a substantial increase in rights payments, leaving the outcome of these negotiations uncertain with streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video expected to make a play for the rights.

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Amazon is set to invest $115 million into Diamond Sports Group, which operates the various Bally Sports RSNs, with an option for an additional $50 million.

This investment positions Amazon Prime Video as the primary platform for Diamond’s Bally Sports Plus direct-to-consumer (DTC) offering. David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond Sports Group, expressed gratitude for the support from Amazon and major creditors, highlighting the potential of the business to create value.

The collaboration with Amazon will allow Prime Video to become the primary partner for customers seeking DTC access to stream local Diamond channels. This includes live MLB, NBA, and NHL games and pre and postgame programming for teams where Diamond retains DTC rights. While specific details regarding pricing and availability are yet to be disclosed, the move marks a shift in how consumers access local sports content.

Diamond Sports Group has also announced a restructuring service agreement with Sinclair.

This agreement includes Diamond’s withdrawal of its $1.5 billion litigation against Sinclair in exchange for a $495 million cash payment from Sinclair to Diamond Sports Group.

Sinclair will also provide transition services to support Diamond’s reorganization and separation from Sinclair’s operations. This deal is currently pending court approval.

This restructuring comes at a critical time for Diamond Sports Group, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last March. The sports broadcasting landscape has been notably affected by cord-cutting trends and the consequent decline in advertising revenue. The restructuring plan is a strategic move to stabilize the company and ensure its operations beyond 2024.

Major League Baseball took over the production and distribution of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks following Diamond’s lapse in rights payments to the Padres and failure to reach an amended deal with the Diamondbacks. This situation indicated wider issues within Diamond Sports, as evidenced by the termination of agreements with Bally Sports Arizona by the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Coyotes due to the company’s financial struggles.

Phoenix Suns’ graphics blur the line between reality with sweeping views of local landscape

Diamond Sports Group operates 18 RSNs under the Bally Sports brand, covering 37 professional teams including 11 MLB, 15 NBA and 11 NHL organizations.

The agreement with Sinclair is designed to resolve pending litigation and support Diamond’s reorganization. The RSA includes promises from certain debt holders to provide $450 million in financing to support Diamond’s operations, finalize a reorganization plan, and repay $350 million of existing debt.

Sinclair purchased the RSNs from The Walt Disney Co. in 2019, following Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox’s film and television assets.

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By adding SRT support to its encoders and decoders, the company can now bridge SDI and ST-2110 environments on the ground, with cloud processing environments that use the SRT protocol. SRT support sits alongside the company’s support for Zixi and RIST, allowing customers to use a wide range of industry-supported formats.

The implementation has been extensively tested against numerous third-party products for interoperability.

“Many content providers are using the SRT protocol to send and receive video over the internet,” said Kieran Kunhya, Founder and CEO of Open Broadcast Systems. “By creating a highly sophisticated in-house implementation, we are able to provide the highest reliability possible for our customers”

The SRT implementation will be shipped to customers starting today.

Open Broadcast Systems is a leading-edge manufacturer of encoding and decoding for B2B video contribution and distribution. Its software-based solutions are deployed to deliver premium video content over any network, from satellite to IP. High-quality solutions developed by Open Broadcast Systems deliver services to millions of people every day, including many major sporting and breaking news events.

Encoding and decoding solutions from Open Broadcast Systems are high quality, cost-efficient and agile, able to be developed and installed in extremely short timeframes.

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This new company, which doesn’t have a name yet, brings together EMG’s experience in broadcasting for sports, entertainment and events with Gravity Media’s expertise in live production and media services.

The merger results in a large company with extensive resources, including over 100 outside broadcast trucks, 40 studios, and production facilities in Europe, the Middle East, the United States and Australia. They will also have 30 offices in 12 countries, employing 2,000 permanent staff and a network of freelance workers.

This company plans to provide a variety of services like broadcasting, technology, production and post-production. They will work on popular live events and entertainment programs, collaborating with well-known production houses and broadcasters.

The leadership of the new group will include Shaun Gregory, current CEO of EMG, as the global chief executive officer and John Newton, founder and CEO of Gravity Media, as the executive chairman. They will join the main Board alongside EMG’s current shareholders and TowerBrook Capital Partners, a significant shareholder in Gravity Media.

EMG was advised by Société Générale and Crédit Agricole CIB, while Moelis & Company provided advisory services to Gravity Media for this transaction. The merger follows the completion of necessary regulatory and other required conditions.

The combined entity will have involvement in various major global events, including the UEFA EUROs, FIFA World Cup, Olympics and entertainment series like “The Masked Singer” and “Love Island.”

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The 1080p HDR feed will be available across most platforms with the 4K HDR feed available on certain MVPDs and vMVPDs. A complete list of distributors supporting the 4K HDR feed has not yet been released. 

Fox Sports presented Super Bowl LVII in 2023 and LIV in 2020 in 4K, however, they utilized upconverted deliveries.

Along with the game, the pregame, halftime and postgame show will also be delivered in 1080p HDR and 4K HDR.

CBS Sports notes the enhanced presentation with “HDR expands the ability of a television set to better display detail in shadow and bright scenes. Wide Color Gamut (WCG) enables a display to present a broader and more vivid range of colors. Together, HDR and WCG offer viewers a brighter and more colorful viewing experience.  These technologies, combined with enhanced display formats such as 1080p and 4K, will allow CBS Sports to deliver a truly realistic football presentation for Super Bowl LVIII viewers with capable television setups.”

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The coverage will be broadcast from a sweeping temporary set at the Fountains of Bellagio from Feb. 5 to Feb. 11, leading up to the Super Bowl on Feb. 11. The extensive coverage plan includes contributions from CBS Sports, CBS News and CBS Entertainment, as well as CBS Media Ventures.

News programming like “CBS Mornings” and “CBS Evening News” along with entertainment programming including “Entertainment Tonight” and “The Talk” will take up residence in Sin City for the occasion. 

CBS Sports

• “The NFL Today” – CBS Sports’ pregame show with host James Brown and analysts Phil Simms, Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson, Boomer Esiason, JJ Watt, and lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones will count down to kick-off of Super Bowl LVIII with detailed game analysis, features and interviews, with the spectacular fountains serving as the backdrop.

• “Super Bowl Live” – Host Adam Zucker will be joined by a rotating cast of analysts including Matt Ryan, Charles Davis, Kyle Long, Amy Trask, Trent Green, Kevin Carter and Jonathan Jones each night, offering news and analysis. Reporters Aditi Kinkhabwala, AJ Ross and Tiffany Blackmon will also contribute to SUPER BOWL LIVE and additional CBS Sports shows.

• CBS Sports HQ – CBS Sports’ free, 24/7 streaming sports news network will provide coverage all week, including more than 40 hours of programming, culminating with an extended Super Bowl LVIII post-game show. Notable daily programming that week includes the PICK SIX podcast and SportsLine’s best bets shows, as well as CBS SPORTS HQ SPOTLIGHT.

• “NFL Monday QB” – Adam Schein, along with Matt Ryan, Trent Green and Jonathan Jones, will break down all of the quarterback action heading into Super Bowl LVIII.

• “That Other Pregame Show” – Host Adam Schein, analysts Amy Trask, Kyle Long, Brock Vereen and Jonathan Jones will offer opinions, analysis, predictions and interviews, with appearances by analysts from THE NFL TODAY.

• “We Need to Talk” – CBS Sports’ all-women sports show will air a special episode, hosted by AJ Ross, Aditi Kinkhabwala, Andrea Kremer and Amy Trask.

• “The Jim Rome Show” – The afternoon radio show, hosted by Jim Rome, is live Monday through Friday and simulcast on CBS Sports Network. Rome offers compelling commentary on the day’s hottest topics, along with high-profile guests and signature callers weighing in on the day’s biggest sports news.

• “Time to Schein” – Adam Schein hosts the hour-long weekday talk show, covering the world of sports with interviews and commentary. 

CBS News

• “CBS Mornings” – CBS’ award-winning morning news program will broadcast live from location in Las Vegas on Thursday and Friday, delivering original reporting, breaking news, top-level newsmaker interviews and artful storytelling with co-hosts Gayle King, Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson.

• “CBS Saturday Mornings” will be live from Las Vegas, with co-host Dana Jacobson on-site.

• “CBS Evening News” – Norah O’Donnell will broadcast live from Las Vegas, bringing viewers all the action from Super Bowl LVIII, including the latest breaking news from across the country.

• CBS Stations – CBS Owned Television Stations and Affiliates covering Super Bowl LVIII will broadcast from the Bellagio during their local newscasts.

CBS Entertainment

• “The Talk” – CBS’ Daytime Emmy Award-winning talk show will broadcast live Monday through Friday. Hosts Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell and Sheryl Underwood will welcome celebrity guests and highlight the happenings in Vegas.

CBS Media Ventures

• “The Drew Barrymore Show” – Hosted by Drew Barrymore, the show will tape “Drew’s News” and field segments throughout the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

• “Entertainment Tonight” – The Emmy-winning entertainment news show, hosted by Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner, will be with all the stars in Sin City leading up to and after the game.

• “Inside Edition” – The daily, syndicated newsmagazine, hosted by Deborah Norville, will originate from Las Vegas leading up to the game.

CBS has announced an exclusive residency in Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII, with The Fountains of Bellagio serving as the backdrop of the Network’s central broadcast location for CBS Sports, CBS Entertainment, CBS News & Stations and CBS Media Ventureshttps://t.co/1cVyvhOvtc pic.twitter.com/l922BfVdiL

— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) January 8, 2024

This event represents a significant effort by CBS to provide comprehensive coverage of the Super Bowl across multiple platforms and formats, engaging a wide range of audiences through sports, news, and entertainment programming.

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The game, which is scheduled to stream on NBCUniversal’s Peacock, will play its entire fourth quarter without commercials — a first for a televised NFL game.

It’s also the first time Peacock will be the exclusive platform for an NFL game.

This will be made possible by “presenting sponsors” Capital One, Hyundai and Walmart, who will all get shoutouts at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Overall, NBC says the game will have about 40% fewer ads than a typical NFL game. 

“We are proud to work with our partners at the NFL to present this first-of-its kind experience,” said NBC Sports President Rick Cordella in a statement. “NBC Sports’ best-in-class NFL production, Peacock’s fan-friendly viewer experience, and this innovative advertising model will allow NFL fans an exciting new way to watch the game’s conclusion.”

In place of commercial breaks, Peacock viewers will see content takeovers and game features tied into “Football Night in America” studio analysis, all billed under the sponsors’ names.

NBC will also be including its first shoppable moment during an NFL game in partnership with Walmart. A QR code embedded in the stream will allow viewers to explore Walmart’s holiday shopping hub.

This will be paired with a more traditional ad during the game starring NBC Sports’ Chris Simms and Devin McCourty. The spot will reportedly see the two turning to Walmart for their last-minute holiday gift-giving needs.

“The power of live sports is more prevalent than ever, and at NBCUniversal, we not only have the scale of our broadcast platform, but we now can reach an entirely new audience through Peacock,” said Mark Marshall, chairman, global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal in a statement. “With this one-of-a-kind sponsorship environment attached to our first-ever exclusive Peacock NFL game, we are able to connect an untapped set of consumers to our marketers, and we couldn’t be more grateful to our partners at the NFL for trusting us to creatively launch this groundbreaking format.”

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“Real Sports” launched in 1995 when Gumbel was still with NBC and will air its final episode Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. 

The show has offered up some prolific sports journalism in its three decades on the air and racked up 32 Sports Emmys and two Peabody Awards for its work.

It also attracted its share of controversy, including in response to comments made by Gumbel about Black participation in the Olympics, a perhaps-too-cozy relationship between the NFL commissioner and the head of its players union and a comment about slavery during coverage of an NBA player lockout. 

As to why it’s ending now, Gumbel is at the end of a contract term and there are hints that HBO’s new-ish owner Warner Bros. Discovery’s efforts to cut costs could have a role in the decision to wrap the program. 

Prior to “Real Sports,” Gumbel went to CBS, appearing on various programs including as co-anchor of “The Early Show” from 1999 to 2002. Prior to that, from 1982 to 1997, he was co-anchor of NBC’s “Today,” having first joined the network as part of its sports division in 1975. 

“Real Sports” is the basis of two other HBO sports shows, “On the Record with Bob Costas,” which ran from 2001 to 2004 and “Costas Now” from 2005 to 2009.

Once “Real Sports” goes off the air, ESPN’s “E:60” will be perhaps the most prominent sports newsmagazine to remain on the air. CBS previously had a sports edition of “60 Minutes” that aired from 2013 to 2017. The show returned briefly during the COVID-19 pandemic under the name “60 Minutes Sports: Timeless Stories,” which used repeats of previous reports. 

There is now word on what Gumbel’s plans on after the show ends.

Gumbel has a brother, Greg, who works for CBS Sports. 

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Q&A: Mobile TV Group talks streaming, personalized viewing, and edge computing

Housed in a 53-foot straight trailer, the 53-RP can accommodate up to 10 personnel on-site. It stands out as one of the initial large-scale, capture-only systems that connects directly to the cloud, central, or decentralized production hubs. This connection is facilitated through its eight 1080P High Dynamic Range (HDR) cameras, which include four super slow-motion cameras.

In terms of equipment, the 53-RP is fitted with four 107x lenses, a Calrec Artemis Audio Mixer, an Evertz NEXX router, and a RTS ADAM-M Matrix System.

“This mobile unit represents another innovative remote production workflow being implemented for some of the biggest sporting events,” said Nick Garvin, COO at MTVG. “This ‘camera-only’ mobile unit is equipped with best-in-class technology, allowing for world-class image and audio quality to be produced at a remote location and distributed to fans all across the world.”

The 53-RP has already been deployed this fall, covering college football for FOX Sports.

“53-RP has been a critical component of our season thus far,” said Mike Davies, executive vice president at FOX Sports. “MTVG’s expertise in remote production has shone through 53-RP and has given us the ability to give our viewers indistinguishable quality from traditionally produced shows. As partners of MTVG, we truly appreciate their expertise, technology and service for this college football season and beyond.”

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The launch aligns with RTL’s exclusive free-TV partnership with the NFL, a significant move for both the broadcaster and the league, with the NFL also playing a game in Germany during the 2023-2024 season.

The preseason kickoff was hosted on August 12th by Nitro, a channel within the RTL network known for catering to niche interests. This event also marked the inauguration of RTL’s freshly minted live studio, replete with advanced Leyard Europe LED screens.

The journey to this state-of-the-art studio began in February when RTL collaborated with Veech x Veech, an Austrian design firm. The partnership aimed to craft a studio that was not only visually striking but also technically superior.

Laurin Schmid of Leyard Europe (Planar) played a pivotal role, ensuring that the LED screens chosen would offer optimal color rendering for broadcast without common issues such as moiré patterns. RTL’s previous positive experiences with Leyard in other studio settings laid a foundation of trust, influencing the decision to continue with Leyard’s technology in the new NFL studio.

“The preference for Leyard LED solutions by both the Veech x Veech team and the end client is rooted in past positive experiences with our products,” said Schmid.

“For instance, RTL has already successfully incorporated Leyard products in four other studios across Germany. This historical context solidified the choice of Leyard as an LED manufacturer for the new NFL studio.”

Despite the complex nature of such undertakings, the studio was completed within a short timeframe. A concerted effort from various teams and efficient use of Leyard’s Slovakian manufacturing resources were key to meeting the tight schedule, a task typically spanning up to two years but accomplished in mere months.

The studio’s design features a 360-degree layout with four main LED walls. The on-air team, comprising commentators, analysts, hosts and presenters, navigate the studio’s centerpiece – an 11.5m by 2.7m curved video wall made of Leyard AT 1.5mm LED panels. This curved design is a familiar aspect to RTL viewers, reminiscent of other network studio setups.

The studio doesn’t shy away from integrating social media, sporting a vertical LED wall for the community host to display content in a mobile-friendly vertical format. The moderator’s desk is flanked by multiple LED screens, supporting the detailed analysis and vibrant graphics that will keep viewers engaged.

Schmid underscores that Leyard’s offerings are not only top-quality but also sustainable, providing a long-term solution for RTL’s broadcasting needs. The on-camera performance of Leyard’s screens, backed by a lifetime warranty, was a convincing factor for RTL.

The successful completion of RTL’s innovative NFL studio showcases the synergy of quality, reliability, trust, and teamwork. As the 2023/24 NFL season unfolds, RTL Deutschland is poised to deliver an unrivaled viewing experience, leveraging its latest technological advancements.

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