Hollywood Meets Sports: Production Techniques Crossing Over
- Skyrim.AI Expert Series
- Jun 3
- 26 min read
Updated: Jun 11
Do you enjoy podcasts? Our expert series is now published as a podcast, so you can read or listen to Hollywood Meets Sports: Production Techniques Crossing Over 🎧 here
Sports broadcasts are starting to look and feel more like Hollywood productions. From cinematic camera work that mimics film and TV, to virtual production techniques straight out of VFX-heavy movies, to AI tools that streamline editing and commentary, the worlds of Hollywood and sports media are converging. This executive overview explores how innovations from film/TV production are being adapted to live sports coverage – and how they’re elevating storytelling and audience engagement in events like the Super Bowl, Olympics, NBA finals and more.
Cinematic Sports Coverage Trends
A Fox Sports camera operator with a shallow depth-of-field "cine" camera rig on the sidelines. Such large-sensor cameras (like the Sony a7R IV shown here) have been used since 2020 to give NFL and MLB broadcasts a film-like look 1.
In recent years, broadcasters have increasingly adopted cinematic visuals in sports coverage – using techniques standard in Hollywood to heighten emotional impact. One major trend is the use of shallow depth-of-field cameras on the field. Fox Sports pioneered this in late 2020 (with its handheld "Megalodon" rig) to deliver silky background blur and focus viewers’ attention on players 3, 1.This filmic look, once novel, is now common across leagues. ESPN and Turner have employed DSLR or cine-style cameras during NBA games and All-Star events, for example using Canon EOS and Sony Alpha cameras for "portrait mode" shots of players 4, 5. The effect is dramatic: during celebratory moments or player close-ups, the subject pops vividly from a creamy background, conveying emotion much like a movie hero’s close-up.
This cinematic movement goes hand-in-hand with High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging and ultra-slow-motion replays to enrich storytelling. Broadcasters are increasingly producing in HDR – for instance, Olympic Broadcasting Services committed to covering Paris 2024 entirely in 4K UHD HDR 6.Fox Sports has similarly made HDR the default in big NFL games; for Super Bowl LIX (2025) Fox originated a 1080p HDR signal (upconverted to 4K for viewers) 7 to ensure rich colors and contrast on modern TVs. The higher dynamic range means bright stadium lights, colorful uniforms, and shadow details all come through true-to-life, adding visual intensity to big moments.
Meanwhile, super slow-motion cameras – long a staple of sports – are being pushed to new heights for cinematic effect. Major events now deploy dozens of high-frame-rate units to capture decisive plays and raw emotions in extreme slow motion. Fox’s Super Bowl LIX coverage, for example, used 147 cameras – up from ~35 in a regular game – including 27 ultra slow-mo cameras and 23 high-resolution (4K/8K) cameras 8. This arsenal enabled replays at 4x to 8x slower than real time, so fans could see every subtle detail: a receiver’s fingers grazing the ball, a coach’s reaction, even "details down to individual blades of grass" in 8K replay shots 8. NBC’s Olympics coverage likewise doubled its use of multi-camera replay systems vs. Tokyo 2020 to provide freeze-frame "bullet time" moments and seamless slow-motion 6. These cinematographic replays serve a narrative purpose – they pause the frenzy of action and let viewers absorb the gravity or emotion of an instant, much like a slow-mo sequence in a film climax.
The combined effect of shallow-focus shots, HDR imaging and spectacular slow-mo is a more emotional, story-driven presentation of sports. The 2025 Super Bowl broadcast exemplified this "big screen" approach: Fox spotlighted player and coach reactions with cinematic focus, leveraged HDR color grading for dramatic night-game visuals, and used Phantom and 4K cameras to replay pivotal moments in almost hyper-real detail 11,8. Even the Olympics are embracing a "cinematic approach" – OBS officials have said Paris 2024 will be the first Games to use cine lenses on selected cameras for a shallower depth-of-field look 6.The goal, as stated by OBS CEO Yiannis Exarchos, is to bring viewers "closer to the action" with more film-like visuals, enriching the emotional connection to athletes and storytelling 14,6.
Notably, these cinematic enhancements are not just tech for tech’s sake – they serve the story. Sports producers talk about isolating human drama amid the chaos of competition. A shallow-focus camera zooming in on a quarterback’s eyes before the snap, or a slow-motion close-up of a figure skater’s elation, helps translate athletic moments into emotionally resonant narratives. As Fox Sports SVP Mike Davies put it, the aim is to "inject cinematic elements" and "film look" into broadcasts to re-engage fans and enrich how stories are told on the field 1. In short, Hollywood-style cinematography is turning live games into epic mini-movies.
Virtual Production and VFX in Sports Broadcasting
An example of mixed reality sports coverage: the NHL Big City Greens Classic, an alternate broadcast where an NHL a game (Capitals vs. Rangers) was recreated in real-time as a 3D animated world. Players’ movements were tracked and rendered as cartoon characters skating alongside Disney’s Big City Greens characters 17. This first-of-its-kind production in 2023 aimed to engage younger audiences with a Pixar-like viewing experience.
Beyond cameras, sports broadcasters are borrowing Hollywood’s virtual production and visual effects techniques to create new kinds of live experiences. One area of crossover is the use of virtual sets and LED volumes – the same technology behind cutting-edge film productions (like Disney’s The Mandalorian). Broadcasters are now building LED-backed studios and XR stages to augment traditional coverage. For example, ESPN recently unveiled "Catalyst Stage," a massive LED volume studio in Bristol inspired by the ILM StageCraft concept 18. This facility uses a 65-foot curved LED wall, Unreal Engine graphics and motion tracking to place anchors in any environment – "a skyscraper rooftop, a virtual stadium, you name it," as ESPN’s CTO describes 19. It’s even capable of live multi-camera production in these virtual 3D worlds, effectively teleporting studio talent into dynamic settings that would be impossible or costly to film in reality. The stage provides "cinematic-quality" backgrounds rendered in real time, blurring the line between real and computer-generated imagery 20,19. This kind of virtual studio allows sports networks to present things like interactive analysis, player holograms, or fantasy environments (imagine a football pregame show set "on the field" via LED backdrop) with Hollywood-level visual flair.
Augmented reality (AR) graphics are also far more advanced on sports broadcasts today, thanks to techniques from VFX and gaming. Sports telecasts have used AR for years (the virtual first-down line in NFL, on-field graphics, etc.), but now we’re seeing immersive real-time animations integrated into live games. A prime example is the trend of alternate broadcasts with fictional or cartoon overlays, essentially mixed-reality sports presentations. Both the NFL and NHL, in partnership with Disney, have experimented here. In fall 2023, ESPN produced the "Toy Story Funday Football" broadcast – a fully animated version of an NFL game (Falcons vs. Jaguars) set in Pixar’s Toy Story universe. Using the NFL’s Next Gen Stats tracking data, every player’s movement on the London field was mirrored by animated toy characters in Andy’s room, "bringing every player and every play into the Toy Story universe in real-time" 21. Similarly, the NHL’s Big City Greens Classic (March 2023) turned a live hockey game into a cartoon showdown: an entire NHL game’s action was recreated with 3D animated players skating alongside characters from Disney’s Big City Greens, synchronized to the real game data 17, 22. These productions required Hollywood-grade motion capture, game engine rendering, and graphics overlay techniques to pull off – essentially doing live what Pixar does in months of animation, a feat unimaginable until recently.
The benefit of such virtual broadcasts is not just novelty, but strategic audience expansion. The NFL Toy Story and NHL Big City Greens telecasts were explicitly aimed at kids and families, using beloved characters and playful visuals to draw in a new generation. And it worked: the first Big City Greens Classic flipped the typical NHL audience demographic – "viewership…skewed 60% female" (young kids and parents), whereas normal hockey games are 60% male 23.The NHL’s innovation exec noted "the whole point of this is to bring the game to a new audience," and the data proved success in engaging non-traditional fans 23. In other words, by applying VFX and animation to live sports, broadcasters can present games in a storybook or video game style that resonates beyond hardcore fans.
Even in standard broadcasts, augmented reality is enhancing storytelling. Networks now routinely fly AR graphics into the stadium - 3D team logos hovering over the field, virtual product placements, or animated mascots celebrating on screen. To make these look seamless, crews use techniques like real-time sensor tracking and Lidar, much as VFX teams do for match-moving CGI. In Super Bowl LIX, Fox deployed a new system with Lidar sensors on its SkyCam wires to get ultra-precise camera position data, enabling AR graphics to "track perfectly with the movement of the camera" 24, 25. This prevented virtual graphics from jittering or accidentally clipping into players, creating a smooth blend of real and fake – think of the down-and-distance graphics or giant AR banners that appear on the field and stay locked in place from any camera angle. By leveraging simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) tech akin to self-driving cars, Fox made it possible to confidently insert more ambitious 3D graphics into live coverage without disrupting the viewer’s immersion 26 ,27.
Another Hollywood crossover is the use of mixed-reality studios and volumetric capture for sports. We’ve seen broadcasters put presenters in virtual environments that react to game data – for instance, during an Olympic broadcast, a studio host might appear in a CGI recreation of Paris with real-time AR medal counts floating beside them. In fact, Olympic Broadcasting Services is planning virtual set backdrops and AR content at select venues in Paris 2024, blending real athletes with fantasy graphics for mobile and VR audiences 6.And ESPN’s Catalyst LED stage we discussed can just as easily put a SportsCenter anchor on a virtual basketball court with AR player stats popping up, all rendered by the Unreal Engine. These techniques bring a cinematic universe-building element to sports: the same way Marvel films composite actors into CG worlds, sports producers can transport talent and viewers to imaginative spaces that enrich the narrative (be it a historical setting, a futuristic data visualization, or a crossover with fictional characters).
In short, the adoption of virtual production and AR is letting sports broadcasts become visually unlimited. Games can be presented not just as live coverage but as immersive experiences – whether that’s kids watching their heroes play in a cartoon world, or fans at home seeing live analysis with graphics that would rival a video game or film. The melding of real and virtual is unlocking new story angles (imagine a "coach’s view" AR play diagram that literally comes to life on your screen) and keeps younger, tech-savvy audiences engaged with a medium that’s competing with fantastical eSports and entertainment content.
AI in Post-Production and Real-Time Coverage
Perhaps the most profound Hollywood-to-sports crossover is in the use of Artificial Intelligence – behind the scenes and even on-air. Hollywood studios have begun leveraging AI for everything from video editing assistance to VFX upscaling and even synthetic voiceovers; sports broadcasters are now doing the same to boost efficiency and personalization in coverage.
One prominent application is automated editing and highlights. In film, AI tools can help assemble rough cuts by picking the best takes; in sports, AI is a game-changer for processing the avalanche of game footage and extracting key moments. A leader in this space is WSC Sports, whose AI-driven platform is used by hundreds of leagues and broadcasters (NBA, ESPN, LaLiga, and more) to automatically create custom highlights 29, 30. These systems use machine learning to analyze live game feeds, identify exciting plays or milestones, and stitch them into ready-to-publish highlight videos within minutes – far faster than any human editor 30. For example, if you’ve ever watched an instant highlight reel of Lionel Messi’s goals or Patrick Mahomes’ touchdown passes on social media, there’s a good chance an AI system, not a person, produced the clip 31, 32. The AI "sees" the broadcast feed much like a human would – recognizing a goal or big play by combining visual cues (player celebrations, camera cut patterns) with audio (crowd roar, commentator pitch) and even graphics detection (scorebugs) 33, 34. It then outputs highlight packages tailored to different audiences or platforms automatically. This not only saves time, it enables personalized storytelling – a viewer could soon get an AI-curated reel of just their favorite player’s touches or a "hometown fan" version of a game recap. As one industry analysis put it, AI automation in sports coverage has become "central" to meeting fan demand for more content, more quickly 35, 29.
AI is also starting to assist with live production decisions – essentially acting as an auxiliary director. Machine learning systems can crunch data in real time to help determine optimal camera cuts or graphics insertion. For instance, some experimental systems analyze crowd noise levels, ball position, and player reactions to recommend the next camera angle (wide shot vs. close-up) that would best capture the drama. While human directors still call the shots, AI is becoming a smart advisor, flagging noteworthy reactions or statistical anomalies that producers might otherwise miss. In Hollywood multi-cam TV shoots, AI has been trialed to suggest edits, and sports is following suit for "AI-assisted camera cuts." This is especially useful in lower-tier productions (like minor league or college games) where an AI-driven switcher can reduce the crew needed, automatically following the action akin to a seasoned vision mixer.
Another burgeoning area is AI-driven graphics and advertising insertion. In movies, companies like Mirriad use AI to insert products into scenes in post-production (digitally adding a billboard or a Coke can that wasn’t originally there) 36. Sports broadcasts are adopting similar tech in real time. Using computer vision, broadcasters can virtually replace stadium signage or add new on-field graphics targeted to each region or stream – e.g. viewers in Europe might see a different sponsor’s logo on the soccer pitch than U.S. viewers, all rendered seamlessly on the fly. AI object tracking makes sure these virtual ads appear realistic (properly foreshortened, under players’ feet, etc.) and stay locked in place as cameras pan 37. This virtual advertising unlocks huge revenue opportunities, essentially multiplying inventory without physically altering the venue 38. Several tech providers use AI/ML to make this possible (e.g. Supponor, Vizrt, and others), and it’s now common in high-profile events – you might not realize that the rotating ad boards you see on a Champions League broadcast are sometimes digitally added. The AI analyzes camera perspective and lighting to insert ads authentically, so much so that casual viewers often can’t tell what’s real. During the pandemic, this approach also enabled creative visuals like filling empty stands with virtual fans or team banners, guided by AI to avoid overlapping with athletes 39, 36. It’s a direct parallel to Hollywood’s green-screen and set-extension techniques, now used to "dress" live sports scenes with whatever imagery serves the story or sponsors.
One of the most fascinating (and debated) developments is AI-generated commentary and voiceovers. In Hollywood, AI voice cloning has been used to re-create actors’ voices (for example, for dubbing or resurrecting a deceased actor’s dialogue). In sports, we are witnessing early uses of synthetic commentators. A striking case: NBC announced it will deploy an AI-generated clone of legendary announcer Al Michaels’s voice to narrate nightly highlights packages for the 2024 Paris Olympics on its streaming platform. Instead of a human host, an AI Al Michaels will read the recap script, even greeting viewers by name, in a voice nearly indistinguishable from the 78-year-old icon 40, 41. Michaels himself gave the project his blessing, seeing it as an experiment in augmenting coverage (though it understandably raised eyebrows about AI’s implications for broadcast jobs). On the more experimental end, tech giants like IBM have demonstrated AI doing live sports commentary based purely on data. At the 2023 US Open tennis, IBM’s Watson AI system generated play-by-play commentary for some lower-tier matches that had no human announcers 42.This wasn’t a robot voice rambling incoherently – it was a trained system that analyzed the live data (serve speeds, rally stats) and produced spoken narration and insights in real time 43, 42. For example, IBM’s generative AI might describe a ping-pong match: "Nick’s arm was a whirlwind, spinning the ball at 8.5 mph, while J.R.’s 30 forehand shots weren’t enough…" – a surprisingly colorful summary the AI produced at a Dreamforce demo 44. Early trials found that fans didn’t mind AI voices on minor games where otherwise there’d be silence 45.And with multilingual capabilities, AI commentators can even translate or dub on the fly – the European Broadcasting Union recently tested an AI system that translated a live sports commentary from French to Portuguese in real time 46, 47. This kind of AI dubbing allowed global fans to hear the excitement in their native language, something that would be costly with human announcers in every tongue. Eurovision’s project in 2024 was billed as "democratising access to sport" by ensuring "fans can enjoy commentary in their own language, enhancing their viewing experience like never before." 48, 47.
While AI-generated on-air talent is still in early days (and raises ethical questions), it clearly parallels trends in Hollywood (where digital humans and voices are increasingly realistic) and offers intriguing possibilities. Imagine regionalized commentary – an AI that sounds like a local celebrity calling the game just for your market – or personalized analysis – an AI co-commentator that tailors its insights to the level of expertise it senses in each viewer. Broadcasters are exploring these frontiers carefully, often using AI for supplemental content (highlights, secondary audio feeds) rather than the main event broadcast… at least for now.
On the production side, AI is also speeding up post-production workflows in less visible ways. Automated clipping, tagging, and even story editing are becoming routine. Olympic broadcasters plan to leverage AI to manage the vast footage – OBS expects to produce 11,000+ hours in Paris 2024, and they are using AI both for "generation of automatic highlights" and as "assist tools for editors", where AI can flag key moments based on live commentary and help assemble story packages 6. Essentially, AI can listen to commentators and generate an index of important events (e.g. "world record broken in 100m freestyle" at timestamp X), saving editors from scrubbing through feeds 6. These kinds of tools mirror what film editors are adopting – AI that can transcribe and mark up raw footage, detect the best takes, or even suggest edits to match a certain pacing. In both Hollywood and sports, AI is taking on the heavy lifting of content curation, letting creative professionals focus on higher-level storytelling decisions.
Case Studies: When Hollywood Tech Hits the field
To ground these trends, let’s look at a few recent case studies where Hollywood-grade production techniques made a tangible impact on live sports broadcasts.
Red Digital Cinema & EVS: Bringing Cine Cameras to Live Sports
A key enabler of the cinematic sports look has been the introduction of true digital cinema cameras into live broadcast workflows. A milestone here is RED Digital Cinema’s "cine-broadcast" solution, which brings the same kind of large-format cameras used on film sets into the stadium – without slowing down live production. In May 2025, RED announced a partnership with EVS (a top live replay systems provider) to tightly integrate RED cameras into sports broadcast pipelines 51,52. The RED V-RAPTOR and KOMODO cinema cameras can output an 8K video feed in real time, and with RED’s new module and firmware, that feed is broadcast-ready (compliant with SMPTE 2110 IP standards, etc.) and can plug directly into EVS replay servers 51.What this means is broadcasters can capture live action in full cinematic quality – 35mm-style sensor, 24p or higher frame rates, rich color depth – and still do all the things a live sports production needs to do (switch between cameras instantly, record super slow-mo replays, etc.). According to RED, their Cine-Broadcast system enables up to 8K 120fps capture and 3x or 4x slow-motion playback on the fly, "ideal for high-end sports… live event production." 51,53.
At the 2025 MPTS industry show in London, RED demoed a RED camera feeding directly into an EVS XT-VIA server, showing how a single camera could output two simultaneous feeds (one live, one for slow-mo) – for example, a 4K feed at normal speed and a 1080p feed at 8x slow motion 52.This effectively merges cinema and broadcast tech: the director gets the gorgeous imagery of a RED cine camera and the replay operator gets the high-frame-rate recording for slow-motion, all synced. Recent deployments by CBS Sports and NBC have already proven this out on air 51, 54, for instance, a RED was used in March Madness broadcasts to capture dramatic fan shots and then replay them in crystal-clear slow motion, adding an emotional layer to the telecast. Moreover, RED’s system can leverage its RAW output and IP connectivity for advanced uses like real-time AI/ML processing on the feed 55.In essence, a RED camera could be streaming 8K RAW video into a cloud AI that’s enhancing images or tracking players live – something traditional broadcast cams can’t do as easily.
This case study underscores how film-grade cameras are crossing into sports. Not long ago, using a digital cinema camera for live sports was almost unthinkable – they weren’t built for instant zoom/focus or the rigors of multi-cam switching. Now, with companies like RED adapting their gear (and giants like Sony offering "Cinema Line" broadcast cameras), the gap has closed. The payoff is visual storytelling: that critical touchdown or gold-medal moment can be captured with the same artistry as a Hollywood action shot, and replayed in slow-mo with complete reliability. As RED’s VP described, it "introduces large-format, cinematic storytelling into live content, without compromising on speed or standards… working seamlessly within traditional broadcast" setups 56, 57. The integration with EVS assures producers that they don’t have to sacrifice workflow – they get the best of both worlds, elevating the look of the broadcast with filmic shots while retaining all the live production capabilities (instant replays, multi-camera sync) sports demand.
Fox Sports Goes Hollywood at Super Bowl LIX
Super Bowl Sunday is always a showcase of broadcast innovation, but Super Bowl LIX (2025) demonstrated just how far the Hollywood influence has come. Fox Sports’ production of Super Bowl LIX was arguably the most "cinematic" live sports broadcast to date. To begin with, Fox deployed an astonishing 147 cameras for the game – compared to ~40 cameras used in a normal NFL broadcast 8.This included a fleet of specialty cameras aimed at creating a blockbuster look and feel. They had multiple 4K and 8K cameras on the sidelines to capture super high-res replays 8.They positioned 27 ultra-slow-motion cameras (some capable of 1000+ frames per second) to dramatize pivotal moments 58. And they brought in cinema-style handheld rigs (the shallow depth-of-field cameras made famous as the "Megalodon") to roam the field during celebrations and timeouts, delivering those creamy background shots of players and coaches that look straight out of an NFL films documentary.
One of Fox’s headline innovations was with the SkyCam, the aerial cable camera that flies over the field. They didn’t just use one SkyCam, but two (a "high" and "low" SkyCam) for the first time at a Super Bowl, each outfitted with cutting-edge tech 59, 60. The high SkyCam carried a brand-new Sony 4K camera capable of 240 fps capture 61.This meant Fox could use the overhead cam not only for sweeping shots, but also to zoom in and extract slow-motion replays from high above – essentially turning the SkyCam into a giant boom camera that could replay a touchdown from directly over the quarterback’s shoulder in slow-mo. The lower SkyCam, flying just 12 feet above the action, was equipped with a special Lidar-based tracking system to enable augmented reality graphics insertion 62, 24. Using Kudan’s SLAM software and Ouster LiDAR, Fox precisely tracked the camera’s position so they could place AR first-down lines, virtual banners, and other graphics on the field that didn’t budge even as the SkyCam swooped around 24,25. This solved a previously tricky problem – AR graphics often jitter or misalign when the camera is moving fast on unpredictable paths (like SkyCam). With the Lidar data, Fox’s graphics stayed perfectly anchored, allowing for more ambitious AR scenes during the broadcast (e.g., massive virtual signage appearing in the end zone, or the down-and-distance markers persisting from the aerial view without distortion 24).
Fox Sports also leaned into HDR and 4K in a big way. The main game feed was produced in 1080p HDR and Fox employed an up conversion pipeline to deliver it in "pseudo-4K" to homes 7. While not native 4K, the approach ensured the broadcast had the expanded color and contrast of HDR on every device. Viewers with 4K TVs on Fox’s streaming app reported that the picture quality was spectacular – richly colored and filmic. Fox deliberately chose this workflow due to infrastructure limits (using 1080p HDR cameras to avoid overload on traditional SDI routers) 7, but from a creative standpoint it showed how HDR imaging has become indispensable for top-tier events. Bright stadium lights, fireworks, and dark shadows under the dome all coexisted beautifully on screen, with none of the blown-out highlights or muddy dark areas that standard dynamic range might show.
Capping off the Hollywood-style presentation, Fox even had a "Tubi Red Carpet" pre-show (integrated with its streaming service) that mimicked an Oscars red carpet – complete with cinematic camera coverage of celebrities on the field 64.This was a cross-promotion and a technical exercise: using shallow-focus cameras and glamour lighting to treat arriving football players and stars like film premieres attendees. It underscored the theme that Fox was selling the Super Bowl as not just a game, but a major entertainment event, akin to a blockbuster premiere.
The result of these efforts was a broadcast that felt "premium" and highly engaging. Viewers noticed the difference – social media was abuzz with mentions of the gorgeous replay shots and the near-video game quality of some angles. Crucially, Fox’s enhancements weren’t just gimmicks; they aided storytelling. The high SkyCam’s ultra-zoom allowed analysts like Tom Brady (in the booth that day) to break down plays with unprecedented clarity, zooming into a 4K overhead shot to isolate how a defense shifted 65,11 The shallow-DOF cameras captured raw emotions – when the coach lifted the Lombardi Trophy, the foreground was tack-sharp on his expression while confetti blurred artistically behind, a cinematic moment that amplifies the emotion for viewers at home. By merging cinema tech with live sports, Fox kept fans glued to the screen, delivering not just a game but a gripping visual story of that championship.
Mixed-Reality Broadcasts: AR Magic in the NBA and NHL
While the NFL and college football have seen many innovations, the NBA and NHL have also jumped into the mix with their own Hollywood-inspired broadcasts. A standout example is the NHL’s Big City Greens Classic, mentioned earlier, which deserves a closer look as a case study in AR broadcast innovation. The inaugural Big City Greens Classic in 2023 was the first-ever live animated sports telecast: a real NHL game between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers was rendered in real time as a 3D cartoon simulation on Disney Channel and ESPN+ 66.For all intents and purposes, it was like watching a Pixar film of a hockey game that was happening concurrently in Madison Square Garden. How was this achieved? Disney’s tech and ESPN worked with a start-up (Beyond Sports) and the NHL’s tracking system to feed live player and puck tracking data into a graphics engine 67.They used a combination of optical tracking and NHL Edge (sensor) tracking to capture both the movement and the finer motions of players 68, 69. That data drove animated avatars of each player within a custom-built Big City Greens 3D world. The cartoon characters on screen moved exactly as the real players did on the ice, with only a second or two of latency. To add personality, the broadcast intermixed characters from the Big City Greens show into the action – for example, when an animated player scored a goal, the show’s characters (Cricket, Tilly, etc.) might celebrate on the bench or a chicken referee might drop the puck 70, 71.
The production also cleverly involved the announcers: the commentary team wore VR headsets to immerse themselves in the virtual arena and were motion-captured so that their animated personas (slightly caricatured) appeared on the cartoon Jumbotron 72,73. This level of integration – blending live data, animation, and human elements – is very much derived from techniques in virtual filmmaking and game development. It’s essentially real-time motion capture and rendering, as used in making CGI-heavy films, but applied to live sports. The second edition of this game in 2024 (Penguins vs. Bruins) went even further, using more advanced tracking to capture limb movements and stick handling with higher fidelity 68, resulting in more realistic skating animations. As one ESPN producer put it, "Big City Greens Classic 2 truly realizes the potential of integrated storytelling utilizing Disney IP… with unprecedented detail", heralding it as the future of these animated telecasts 72,74.
The NBA, too, has dabbled in mixed-reality broadcasts. In May 2021, ESPN presented an "Marvel’s Arena of Heroes" alternate telecast of an NBA game, where Marvel superhero storylines and graphics were overlaid on the live action – players "earned" Marvel hero points, and characters like Iron Man appeared in AR during the game. This was an early attempt to blend pop culture narrative with a sports event, using live compositing of CGI into the feed. While that was largely a one-off, it demonstrated the concept: turn a standard game into a crossover narrative experience to pull in fans who might not otherwise watch basketball. More recently, the NBA has incorporated AR in other ways; for instance, during the 2024 NBA All-Star weekend, TNT Sports used mixed reality stage effects – at one point, an AR slam-dunk contest animation had a player seemingly leaping "out of the arena" on the TV feed, thrilling viewers. The technology behind these stunts is the same as high-end film pre-viz: motion tracking, real-time rendering (often in Unreal Engine), and careful choreography between the virtual and real.
One mixed-reality highlight was an ESPN "Celebrity Cast" for an NBA game where comedian Kevin Hart hosted while live AR graphics augmented the analysis (like giant emojis reacting to plays, etc.). The broadcast had a lighthearted, comic-book aesthetic, essentially packaging the game as entertainment beyond the sport itself – very much what Hollywood has done by wrapping sports in narrative (think of how Space Jam put NBA players in a Looney Tunes story).
The benefits of these AR-infused broadcasts are multifold. For one, they create eventized content –something special that generates buzz and is replayed on social media. People still talk about "that Toy Story NFL game" or share clips of the Big City Greens hockey goal with cartoon characters rejoicing. This extends the reach of the sport into cultural conversation. Importantly, it attracts younger viewers who grew up on animation and might find a standard broadcast less engaging. It also offers new sponsorship opportunities (imagine superhero-themed ads or animated product placements). Technologically, these case studies push the envelope for real-time graphics, which has a feedback loop: improvements here will trickle down to regular broadcasts (making simpler AR graphics more robust and common). And creatively, it opens broadcasters to story-first presentation – a game can be presented not just as competition, but as part of a narrative or universe, increasing viewer emotional investment.
The Payoff
All these Hollywood-inspired tools – cinematic cameras, HDR colors, virtual studios, AR effects, AI assistants – ultimately serve a strategic purpose: to deepen the emotional and narrative impact of sports broadcasts. In an age of fragmented attention and endless entertainment options, sports producers are leveraging these techniques to make live games as compelling as scripted dramas or blockbuster movies.
The payoff is evident in audience engagement. By using shallow focus and dramatic slow motion, a broadcast can capture genuine emotion – the strain on an athlete’s face, the joy in a fan’s eyes – and present it in a visually poetic way that resonates with viewers. This helps turn games into human-interest stories, not just displays of athletic skill. As one industry observer noted, these cinematic touches let producers "build additional value by increasing their output – so long as it aids deeper storytelling" 75,32. In other words, the technology is most powerful when it amplifies the narrative: a long-lens close-up of a coach after a championship win tells a story of triumph; an ultra-slow-mo replay of a gymnast sticking the landing invites the audience to feel the moment of victory. Broadcast executives report that viewers are more likely to stay through a telecast when it feels rich and premium – much like how high production values in a film keep audiences glued.
Moreover, these innovations are helping sports broadcasts attract younger and global audiences in a fiercely competitive media landscape. Alternate presentations like the NFL Toy Story game or NHL Big City Greens aren’t just gimmicks; they’re strategic funnels to get kids and new fans invested in the sport’s narrative universe. When the NHL’s cartoon game flipped its gender demographic and pulled in families who normally wouldn’t watch hockey 23, it demonstrated a new model of outreach. A teenager who might find a normal broadcast "boring" could be drawn in by an AR-powered Marvel or anime-themed telecast –and once hooked by the characters and visuals, they might become a long-term fan of the actual sport. Broadcasters are essentially meeting new viewers where they are, using Hollywood-caliber content to bridge generational and cultural gaps. AI plays a role here too: personalized highlights and AI-translated commentary mean a fan in Indonesia or Brazil can follow the NBA or Olympics in their own language and on platforms they prefer, lowering barriers to entry. For example, the Eurovision AI commentary trial noted the "huge appetite for commentary in [fans’] own languages", which can now be met without hiring dozens of announcers 47,76. The result is a more inclusive, worldwide storytelling approach – a basketball game becomes a story that anyone can partake in, not just those speaking the host broadcaster’s language.
There’s also a clear branding and retention benefit. Premium production differentiates broadcasts in an era when many viewers get highlights from TikTok or streams of dubious quality. Networks like Fox, ESPN, and NBC are investing in Hollywood techniques to make their live broadcasts feel special – something you can’t quite get from a quick highlight clip or unofficial feed. If a viewer knows that watching Monday Night Football on ESPN means not only the game, but also a visually stunning, story-driven experience (perhaps with an AR Iron Man flying through the stadium or a super slow-mo of their favorite player), they have a reason to tune in live rather than just catch clips later. The emotional resonance built through these techniques can boost ratings and dwell time. As one Fox Sports exec put it after deploying new tech in a big game, it gives viewers "a reason to lean forward… and not look away during breaks," because the broadcast itself is entertaining beyond the core sports action.
From a creative standpoint, the convergence of Hollywood and sports is empowering producers and directors to think more like storytellers and world-builders, rather than just event coverage teams. The tools of cinema and virtual production encourage deeper thematic packaging of events – a Super Bowl can be framed as the finale of a season-long epic (with filmic recap montages and dramatic visuals), a soccer final can be presented with the grandeur of a blockbuster (with orchestral music and AR choreography in the stadium), and an ordinary regular-season game can be spiced up with AI-driven storylines (imagine an AI graphic that pops up: "comeback probability now 15% – time for a hero?" engaging fans’ imaginations). In short, the story comes first, enabled by technology. This philosophy is very much Hollywood’s bread and butter, now being applied to live sports. finally, the bottom line payoff: audience loyalty and expansion. By creating more engaging, narrative-rich broadcasts, networks hope to retain viewers longer and draw in segments who might not otherwise watch. Younger viewers who grew up on Marvel, Pixar, and FIFA video games now see elements of those in sports broadcasts – making them more likely to stick with linear sports content. Global audiences can follow along in HDR on their 4K screens or mobile phones with tailored feeds, feeling the same excitement as local fans. All this translates to sustained or growing ratings, which in turn justifies the massive rights fees and advertiser investment in sports. Early indicators are positive: for instance, alternate broadcasts and enhanced feeds often trend on social media and sometimes draw additional viewership on streaming platforms (without cannibalizing the main telecast). The Super Bowl LIX on Fox, with its cinematic presentation, not only garnered over 100 million traditional TV viewers but also drove a record digital audience on streaming 77,78, suggesting that the fresh production techniques helped capture cord-cutters and on-the-go viewers looking for a high-quality experience.
In conclusion, the cross-pollination of Hollywood production techniques into sports broadcasting isn’t just a tech fad – it’s a strategic evolution. It allows sports to be presented as compellingly as prestige drama, with better visuals, immersive environments, and smarter storytelling through AI. The ultimate winner is the audience, who gets to enjoy their favorite games in a more emotionally engaging way. As these trends mature, expect sports broadcasts to continue pushing the envelope – perhaps one day soon you’ll watch a live championship game that feels indistinguishable from a Hollywood film, complete with dynamic story arcs, virtual cameos, and AI-personalized narrative touches just for you. That is the new playbook for sports media: Hollywood magic on the field, and an emotional payoff well beyond the final score.
Sources: The insights and examples above are drawn from a range of authoritative industry sources, including Sports Video Group reports on recent broadcasts 11, 5, SVG Europe technology features 51,48, official Olympic media guides 6, ESPN press materials 21 , and expert commentary on AI in sports from tech outlets 43, 30. These illustrate the current state of innovation as of mid-2025 and underscore how broadcast leaders are embracing cinematic and AI tools to enrich sports storytelling.
Footnotes
1 - The American Society of Cinematographers | A Whole New Ballgame [August 21, 2021], https://theasc.com/articles/whole-new-ballgame
4 - Live From NBA All-Star 2024: TNT Sports To Deploy 120 Cameras [Feb, 17, 2024], https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/02/17/live-from-nba-all-star-tnt-sports-puts-120-cameras-in-use-across-two-venues-two-compounds
5 - NBA finals 2024: ESPN Rolls Out Skycam, Shallow Depth of field, Live Drone in Both Boston and Dallas - SMT (SportsMEDIA Technology) [June 6h, 2024], https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/06/06/nba-finals-2024-espn-rolls-out-skycam-shallow-depth-of-field-and-live-drone-in-both-boston-and-dallas
6 - Prepping for Paris 2024 [May 10, 2024], https://feedmagazine.tv/features/prepping-for-paris-2024
7 - Fox’s 1080p to 4K Upscaling Workflow for Super Bowl 2025: An Engaging Debate - Streaming Learning Center [January, 19th 2025], https://streaminglearningcenter.com/codecs/foxs-1080p-to-4k-upscaling-workflow-for-super-bowl-2025-an-engaging-debate.html
8 - The 2025 Super Bowl Had 147 Cameras [2025], https://www.alvareztg.com/super-bowl
58 - Super Bowl 2025: Fox will Feature Over 100 Cameras And Other New Technology [Feb, 7 2025], http://forbes.com/sites/jefffedotin/2025/02/07/fox-broadcast-of-super-bowl-lix-to-showcase-exciting-new-technology
11,24,25,26,27,59,60,61,62 - Fox Sports’ innovations for Super Bowl LIX are for ‘most important camera in a football game’ [ Feb, 2, 2025], https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/02/05/flying-high-and-low-with-fox-sports-at-super-bowl-lix
14 - OBS and the 2024 Paris Olympics: challenges solved [Jan 17th, 2025],
17,23 - NHL ups tracking technology for 2nd 'Big City Greens Classic' - ESPN [Feb 16, 2024], https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39538479/nhl-ups-tracking-technology-big-city-greens-classic-2
18,19,20 ESPN embraces virtual production with Catalyst Stage - NewscastStudio [June, 27 2023], https://www.newscaststudio.com/2023/06/27/espn-virtual-production-catalyst-stage/
21 - "To Infinity and Beyond!" ESPN, The Walt Disney Company, and the Nfl are Bringing Fans a first-of-its-Kind, Fully-Animated Alternate Nfl Game Presentation of the Falcons and Jaguars in Pixar’s Iconic "Toy Story" Universe - ESPN Press Room U.S. [Sep 11, 2023], https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2023/09/nfl_toystory_fundayfootball
22,66,67,70 ‘Toy Story’ live football broadcast brings animated version to viewers [Oct 3, 2023], https://www.news4jax.com/features/2023/10/03/toy-story-live-football-broadcast-brings-animated-version-to-viewers
29,30,31,32,33,34,35,75 - WSC Sports: How AI Has Led the Highlights Revolution [March 10, 2023], https://www.sportcal.com/features/wsc-sports-how-ai-has-led-the-highlights-revolution
36,37,38,39 - AI and machine learning - Vizrt [July 26, 2023], https://www.vizrt.com/community/blog/5-ways-artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning-will-make-sports-broadcasting-smarter
40 - AI-generated Al Michaels to provide daily recaps during 2024 [June 27, 2024], https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/06/ai-generated-al-michaels-to-provide-daily-recaps-during-2024-summer-olympics
41 - NBC is launching 10-minute AI-generated Olympic recaps with an AI [July 30, 2024],
42,43,44,45 - IBM's Generative AI technology now being used for sports play-by-play, on display at Dreamforce 2024 - ABC7 San Francisco [Sep 24, 2024], https://abc7news.com/post/ibm-generative-ai-technology-sports-commentary-play-by-play-dreamforce/15347312
46,47,48,76 - Eurovision Sport teams up with CAMB.AI for live AI-generated translated commentary at 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships [Aug 30, 2024], https://www.svgeurope.org/blog/headlines/eurovision-sport-teams-up-with-camb-ai-for-live-ai-generated-translated-commentary-at-2024-world-athletics-u20-championships
51,52,55,56 - MPTS 2025: RED Digital Cinema’s Cine-Broadcast solution with EVS integration to debut [May 12th, 2025], https://www.svgeurope.org/blog/news-roundup/mpts-2025-red-digital-cinemas-cine-broadcast-solution-with-evs-integration-to-debut
53,54,57 - RED Digital Cinema's Cine-Broadcast Demos Include EVS XT-VIA at MPTS [May 15, 2025], https://www.digitalmediaworld.tv/cameras/red-digital-cinemas-cine-broadcast-demos-include-evs-xt-via-at-mpts
64 - Live From Super Bowl LIX: FOX Sports Highlights Celebrity Fashion [Feb 9, 2025], https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/02/09/276095
68,69,71,73 - Disney Channel Shares Highlight Reel From Recent "NHL Big City Greens Classic 2" - LaughingPlace.com [March 12, 2024], https://www.laughingplace.com/w/disney-entertainment/nhl-big-city-greens-classic-2-disney-channel-wrap-up
72,74 - Big City Greens Classic 2: How Disney Branded Television, ESPN, Beyond Sports and Meta animate NHL action in real time - ESPN Front Row [March 7, 2024], https://www.espnfrontrow.com/2024/03/big-city-greens-classic-2-how-disney-branded-television-espn-beyond-sports-and-meta-animate-nhl-action-in-real-time
77 - Where to Watch Super Bowl 2025 on TV & How to Live Stream Online [2025], https://entertainmentnow.com/news/watch-super-bowl-2025-on-tv-livestream/
78 - For Each Measurement Provider, Super Bowl LIX Delivered Strong [Feb 12, 2025], https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2025/02/12/for-each-measurement-provider-super-bowl-lix-delivered-strong-ratings
Comments