SVG Summit 2023 Recap

December 22, 2023

NEW YORK CITY – Sports Video Group (SVG) hosted their annual summit event at the New York Hilton Midtown on December 11th and 12th. This event held a record attendance for SVG as there were over 1,800 attendees there to learn about the happenings in the broadcast and live production audio world this past year and what is to come in 2024. 

Day One Workshops and Panels
On the first day at the summit, people gathered for various workshops discussing numerous topics including AI, IP & Remote production, diversity and inclusion, cybersecurity, sports cloud production, sports content management and digital engagement.

Dale Pro Audio was again proud to co-sponsor the SVG Audio Production and Distribution workshop. People within the industry spoke of the rapid evolution of television as the direct-to-consumer model is replacing linear broadcast. The widespread of premium streaming platforms being used on Atmos-enabled TVs, soundbars, and phones amplifies the surround capabilities to go along with enhancement of UHD and HDR pictures. The growth of streaming leads to the growth of coverage, which means the consumer wants to be fully immersed in whatever it is they are experiencing.

This was being achieved in a few ways, whether putting mics on tennis players, their coaches, and umpires in the U.S. Open this fall (the first time it was allowed by the USTA), or more player-centric audio and video tracking in other sports leagues. Florian Brown, Senior Audio Engineer and Audio Production Consultant at ESPN, explained how the new access at the U.S. Open like listening into the coach’s box has changed the viewing experience. It brought the audience to the front row as if they were part of each player’s team. 

This reminded everyone of the reasons behind this type of innovation and the main driving force behind live sports: storytelling. There is no better story to tell than at the Olympic games. Karl Malone, NBC Sports and Olympics, Senior Director of Audio Engineering, gave an in-depth look of the audio production for this upcoming summer’s Olympic games in Paris, France. The production of the games will be done remotely from Stamford, Connecticut, a strategy which Malone explained is revolutionizing the way audio production is done.

There was a general feeling throughout the afternoon that immersive sound can be a huge boost to coverage, where appropriate. There were also several debates about cloud production, streaming bandwidth, and the progress of the ST2110 protocol to get the industry ready for what’s ahead in broadcasting.

Dale’s Technology Development Manager Joel Guilbert was present for the entire event: “It was encouraging to see such enthusiasm for newly introduced visual perspectives to help express the raw emotion and spirit of the crowd at these sporting events.”

Day Two Workshops and Panels
The second day of the summit had no shortage of interesting and engaging topics to cover. Panels ranged from the future of remote trucks at events as cloud production progresses, to alternate broadcasts (such as the “Toy Story” cartoon simulcast of a recent NFL game), to the rise of women’s sports content as a viable product. There was even an eye-opening segment on some revenue challenges from financial analysis firm Devoncroft Partners to break up the tech talk.

Day 2 then culminated in an informative roundtable discussion from some of the top figures at leading networks (Warner/Discovery, ESPN, CBS, and MLB Network) talking about some of the things they’ve been doing to push the envelope of live sports and some of what they think is on the horizon. This was followed by SVG’s Ken Kerschbaumer interviewing Telemundo’s Eli Velazquez about the emergence of the Latino and Hispanic markets in sports content consumption.

Velazquez has been a part of some of the largest sports events in the world, broadcasting them with Spanish-language coverage. Events like the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic games, NFL Sunday Night Football, and Premier League games. He shared his philosophies about the growth of Spanish-language content and how he has navigated through that space. 

Guilbert expressed the intrigue in listening to all the different speakers and panelists that are apart of creating some of the most important events each year: “One thread amongst these new perspectives - they all relied on primarily audio capture for their emotional attachment! From the expanded roster of mic'd up players on the field of play, new mics and cameras on officials - coaches in the locker room, umpires at courtside, capturing parents' reactions - it was hearing them that made them real! The cameras could have been in these positions for years, but now that there is an audio element - it’s real, immediate, and powerful!” he said.

The SVG Summit is a very important event for this industry. It not only serves as a networking event to maintain the strong relationships but also it provides the knowledge and information for companies, like Dale, to understand where the industry is going and allows for preparation to properly service the customers.

“We look forward to helping capture this next round of emotion - with tools like indestructible short shotgun mics, powerful portable noise reduction, new emerging RF tools to help go further with less infrastructure, Dale Pro Audio is here to help audio sound crisp, and compelling and add to the bigger picture.” 

Dale Pro Audio was proud to co-sponsor and attend the event and remains a leading provider of solutions for the Broadcast and Remote Audio industry since 1956.

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