Sports+

Posted: Sat., Oct. 15, 2011, 4:00am PT

Greenscreen technology and virtual sets even pass the acid test of live TV sports shows, such as ESPN's 'Baseball Tonight.'

TV's pioneers could never have imagined the extent to which greenscreen -- the technique of melding a foreground image with a different background -- would become so integral to production. But now, with advances that have proven both economical and time-saving, the technology, called "chroma key" in TV antiquity, has become ubiquitous.

From news and weather reporting to visual effects-laden shows such as "Game of Thrones," the technique, which largely relies on computer-generated backgrounds, often is cheaper and easier than shooting on location.

Greenscreen for TV got a major boost from the technology developed for use on "Avatar." In the past, anyone directing actors against a such a matte background had to wait until post-production to see if and how the actors blended with the background. On the set of "Avatar," real-time compositing enabled helmer James Cameron to see his actors in the computer-generated environments while he directed. It's a leap that has unlocked greenscreen's potential for increased use for broadcasting -- even for sports, where live action is front and center.

"We started with a virtual monitor in 'Sports Center' that came down from the ceiling," says ESPN vice president of emerging technology Anthony Bailey. "We've expanded into our 'EA Virtual Playbook' and moved to virtual logos, graphics and analysis tools. Shows like 'Sports Nation' are now based on virtual sets. It allows for us to have more in a smaller space and make it feel like it's much bigger. Virtual is the way for us to grow."

John Gross, creative director/vfx supervisor at Eden FX, which provided greenscreen services for NBC's recently cancelled "The Playboy Club," points out that greenscreen offers producers more bang for the buck.

"If you go on location, you need location permits, you need to clear the streets and you need a whole crew," Gross says. "It's always much cheaper to shoot on set."

TV shows interested in greenscreen don't need to look far to find companies that offer it as a service, at TV prices. Zoic Studios' Zeus (Zoic Environmental Unification System) was first used on ABC sci-fi show "V," says owner/visual effects supervisor Andrew Orloff. "It was a technique born out of necessity, because they needed us to create an environment that couldn't be physically or economically built," he says.

This season, Zoic is using Zeus technology on two ABC shows in production: "Once Upon a Time" and "Pan Am." "This is a whole new paradigm for productions," says Orloff. "It changes the way that departments interact with each other. We work directly with directors and cinematographers to match the lighting they want. Before we shoot, we have a fully rendered version of the set."

Stun Creative, an L.A.-based advertising agency that specializes in network branding, series launches and content creation, relied on Light Craft Technology to provide real-time compositing for its work on the recent "Summer by Bravo" promo campaign. "In the past, we would have had to seriously (weigh) the advantages," say principals Brad Roth and Mark Feldstein. "Now it's a viable option."

Advancements in greenscreen are enabling TV's top shows to create the kind of sophisticated effects that were once found only in blockbuster features. On HBO's "Game of Thrones," the men of the Night's Watch guard the ramparts of the Wall, a 700-foot-high ice barrier with a fortress on top, all of it generated in the computer and composited with the actors.

"We were trying to create this fantastical world that was digital greenscreen territory through and through," says Lucy Ainsworth-Taylor, visual effects producer at BlueBolt in London, which created the digital environments for the show. "Ten years ago, I don't know if (these kinds) of visual effects could have been done … certainly not for the budget we had." Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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Posted: Sat., Jan. 21, 2012, 4:00am PT"The Tim Tebow Show" is done for the season, thanks to the Denver Broncos' ouster from pro football's playoffs. Yet the question of how to commercially tap into the evangelicals who flocked to watch the devout quarterback is something of an evergreen, especially since few in Hollywood have mastered the playbook.

As with "The Passion of the Christ," the 2004 Mel Gibson feature whose box office muscle caused salivating studio execs to sit up and take notice, networks couldn't help but gawk at TV ratings for Tebow's playoff games. The stat sheet included 42.4 million viewers for Denver's overtime victory against Pittsburgh -- nearly a 50% increase over last year, and a record for any NFL wild-card game in the quarter-century for which CBS has data.

Some might recall, though, how the hunt for conservative Christians initiated by "The Passion's" success rather quickly fizzled. And a slew of entertainment projects aimed specifically at that market for the most part proved stiff and boring -- either apocalyptic, or as soft and gooey as the center of a caramel sundae.

Reaching a happy medium in the uneasy relationship between Hollywood and the Christian faithful is clearly a tall order, especially for those in showbiz like yours truly, who derived biblical learning by way of Cecil B. DeMille's epics, or musicals like "Jesus Christ Superstar." Good shows, but I'm not really sure how true they are to the book.

So I decided to solicit advice from someone with a better grasp of what might be called Team Tebow: Syndicated columnist Cal Thomas, a Fox News contributor, former vice president of the Moral Majority and -- at the risk of destroying his credibility with conservatives and mine with Hollywood -- an occasional pen pal.

Like many conservatives, Thomas sees Hollywood as being uncomfortable with the issue of religion and in many ways hostile toward traditional values. "I am unaware of any other demographic that Hollywood would knowingly reject as a potential income stream," he says.

At the same time, he also acknowledges the existence of a cottage industry consisting of "groups making money off criticizing Hollywood," and says, regarding material produced directly for evangelicals, "There's a lot of this stuff that's an embarrassment. I wouldn't go to it if it was free."

Indeed, hitting people over the head with overt expressions of faith is every bit as irritating, and potentially limiting, as insulting believers. (Granted, one can argue those slights are frequently more perceived than intended, but for the purposes of this discussion, the distinction isn't significant.)

In terms of a model lacking a crucifixion, Thomas harked back to the Oscar-winning "Chariots of Fire," a movie that organically wove religion -- if you'll recall, a lad who wouldn't run in an Olympic event because of commitment to his faith -- into an inspirational story.

At the time, Thomas recalled, "It sent a powerful message to the believing community that Hollywood is not your enemy all the time."

Still, that was 30 years ago, and the relationship has soured in the interim -- in part due to a sharp rift over gay rights between the religious right and Hollywood.

To an extent, the great divide can be overstated, usually for effect by those with political motives. For all the talk about shunning Hollywood's tainted product, plenty flock to big-tent items like "American Idol" or the next Batman movie, and a good deal of mainstream entertainment is inherently conservative in its values.

Where the fracture does exist, however, there are few easy solutions -- in part because stoking Christian indignation and feelings of victimization has, for some, been so good for business.

Thomas maintains each studio ought to employ somebody who can credibly interface with the Christian community, and conversely suggests the faithful who wish to penetrate the media must educate themselves and build relationships if they "want to play in the big leagues."

Notably, CBS Sports reached out to Tebow to participate in this weekend's NFL coverage, recognizing a hot commodity when they saw one. He declined, but the quarterback has already gained ground for his religious brethren -- at least, temporarily. Because like any strained relationship, it takes hard work and commitment to keep the passion alive. Contact Brian Lowry at brian.lowry@variety.com

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Posted: Wed., Dec. 28, 2011, 10:45am PTMSG Network and Time Warner Cable seem ready to duke it out to a bitter year-end deadline, with New York sports fans pawns in the battle between the host of the Knicks, Rangers, Sabres, Islanders and Devils and the New York area's major cable operator.

The two sides have "not had any recent, meaningful discussions" MSG Media president Mike Bair said in a statement Wednesday; their carriage deal expires Dec. 31.

A Time Warner Cable rep said "negotiations are ongoing and we are still hopeful." But insiders acknowledged that while the two sides talk every day, contact hasn't been fruitful.

Pressure is high as the NBA's long-suffering Knicks finally look like a team to cheer about and there's pent-up demand for basketball in particular with the start of the season having been delayed by a players' strike until last weekend.

The fight also comes amid a growing clamor over the cost of sports rights and the dynamics of how they get passed down the chain from programmers to operators to consumers. News Corp. chief operating officer Chase Carey commented recently that the pricetags on sports "make you swallow hard"; a prime example is the multiyear deal signed by Fox, NBC and CBS with the National Football League earlier this month worth nearly $28 billion.

The only winner here may be Verizon's FiOS service, a rival to TWC, which has a strong and growing New York regional presence and carries MSG Networks. MSG itself, in the war of words, has been urging subscribers to dump TWC in favor of other video services, including FiOS, DirecTV and RCN.

A spokesman for Verizon declined to comment on any uptick in sales from the current dogfight but noted, "We continue to sign up new customers each day."

Smaller satcaster Dish dropped MSG networks in 2010 after its own spat over carriage fees.

"Sooner or later Verizon and DirecTV will have to renew their deals" too, warned a person close to TWC -- meaning that switching providers may not be the solution longer term.

The question is whether it could be one short-term answer for subscribers who want to see the Knicks play the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 2 -- the first game of the new year.

MSG claims that Time Warner Cable has "rejected every one of our fair proposals for nearly two years and are unwilling to value our programming in the same manner as other distributors or even engage in good faith negotiations on behalf of their customers."

Time Warner Cable says it won't pull the channels, but neither will it pay a 53% rate hike MSG demands. The cabler said it's willing to abide by a previously discussed 6.5% increase while the two sides continue to talk. If the network goes dark, TWC insiders have indicated, it will be MSG pulling the plug. The cabler has said that the requested increase would make MSG the costliest sports network in the country -- above even Disney's mighty ESPN.

MSG has insisted that TWC "grossly mischaracterized its demands."

Bair noted Wednesday that "early ratings have already shown tremendous enthusiasm for the Knicks, the Rangers have one of the best records in the league, and there are passionate fanbases for the Sabres, Islanders and Devils. Given the approaching deadline of Dec. 31, we continue to urge fans to find alternate providers so they won't miss their favorite teams."

MSG lamented Time Warner Cable's recent deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, said to be worth as much as $3 billion, to launch several regional sports networks. It makes a good rallying cry. "They spent billions to acquire the Lakers' rights. In New York, their own backyard, they don't seem to value the Knicks as they do the Lakers," said a person close to MSG.

MSG was very unhappy as well when the cabler yanked MSG's music network Fuse from its lineup this month. Fuse's contract had expired, and TWC refused to bundle it into current negotiations for the sports nets.

But "Fuse is a footnote to the conversation," an MSG rep said. "This is really about sports and Time Warner Cable not willing to value MSG sports programming the way all the other operators do. Nothing more, nothing less." Contact Jill Goldsmith at jill.goldsmith@variety.com

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Posted: Thu., Jan. 26, 2012, 10:48am PTThe FCC's enforcement bureau says Comcast should be ordered to comply "immediately" with a ruling that the cable operator place Tennis Channel on equal footing in its lineup with channels in which it has a stake, including the Golf Channel and Versus.

Last month, an administrative law judge ruled that Comcast had violated program carriage regulations when it refused to place Tennis Channel in a position similar to those of sports channels it owns. Tennis Channel argued that its placement cost it advertising revenue, and that it was placed in upper tiers even though its ratings consistently beat those of the Comcast-affiliated networks.

After the ruling, Comcast argued that it did not have to comply until its appeals to the full FCC and to the Court of Appeals were exhausted.

But in comments released Thursday, the FCC's enforcement bureau said that carriage laws "unambiguously" show that orders from administrative law judges are effective "upon release" of the ruling. Their comments are recommendations to the full commission.

At the time of Administrative Law Judge Richard Sippel's ruling last month, Comcast said that it "has the contractual right to distribute Tennis Channel as it does currently, and Comcast firmly believes that the exercise of that right to minimize costs to consumers is not discrimination."

After Comcast's merger with NBC Universal, it rebranded Versus as NBC Sports Network.

Tennis Channel said in a statement that "the rules are clear that Comcast now has to give us the same carriage that it gives to its own Golf Channel and the NBC Sports Network." Contact Ted Johnson at mailto:ted.johnson@variety.com?subject=FCC: Comcast should comply with Tennis ruling

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Posted: Sat., Dec. 17, 2011, 4:00am PT

Bell Canada and Rogers Communications' purchase of the Maple Leafs leaves pubcaster CBC playing defense.

MONTREAL -- Hockey rules Canadian ratings, so when rival broadcasters and telcos Bell Canada and Rogers Communications teamed to buy the Toronto Maple Leafs, the TV world predicted a big sports rights shakeup, both on the smallscreen and in the digital realm.

But Bell Canada's plan to air sports exclusively on its cell phone service has been smacked down by the country's media watchdog, while the rich deal puts the future of hockey on pubcaster CBC in doubt when its NHL contract ends following the 2013-2014 season.

On Dec 9, Bell Canada and Rogers paid C$1.3 billion ($1.2 billion) to acquire a 75% stake in Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, which owns the National Hockey League franchise and National Basketball Assn.'s Toronto Raptors, from the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund. Both companies want the properties to feed free-to-air networks and pay TV channels, notably Bell's TSN (The Sports Network) and the Rogers-owned Sportsnet.

The Maple Leafs draw the highest sports ratings because the team is located in the country's most populated area.

"Bell and Rogers are mortal enemies, but what brought them together was a common interest in securing content, and their fear that an unfriendly media competitor would get it," says Ian Morrison, spokesman for the watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.

CTV has long coveted these hockey rights, and Bell made it clear from the moment it took over the commercial broadcaster in fall 2010 that picking up prime sports properties was a key part of its plan for the web. The team ownership puts Bell and Rogers in a prime position to snare national rights to NHL games once the CBC deal expires.

The loss would be a major financial blow for CBC. The pubcaster pays a hefty sum for the property -- industry insiders suggest an annual fee in the range of $100 million -- but its "Hockey Night in Canada" on Saturdays is consistently its top-rated program. The CBC uses the ad money it rakes in from the NHL playoffs to fund pricey local drama fare.

In a statement, CBC executive VP of English services Kirstine Stewart congratulated Bell and Rogers, and noted that CBC has partnered with Rogers for the 2014 soccer World Cup and is preparing a bid for the 2014 and 2016 Olympics with Bell. Tellingly, she made no mention of NHL rights.

But Bell's strategy of spinning sports content to fans via smart phones and laptops has taken a blow. A couple of days after the Maple Leafs deal was announced, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission ordered Bell to cancel its exclusive deal to stream NHL and NFL games to its Bell Mobility subscribers and open up the properties to competitors within a month.

"Canadians shouldn't be forced to subscribe to a wireless service from a specific company to access their favorite content," says CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein.

The CRTC examined the deal after cell-phone service provider Telus complained it was unable to negotiate with Bell on rights to hockey and football games. In September, the CRTC ruled that big media firms would not be allowed to control exclusive access to content on different platforms, and that they would have to make this content available to their competitors. "You shouldn't have to go to one supplier to get a particular type of programming," Morrison says.

BCE, banking on sports to drive its mobile service, says it likely will challenge the ruling. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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Posted: Tue., Jan. 31, 2012, 2:01pm PTFormer Reveille and Warner Bros. exec Eric Pankowski has entered the ring at WWE as senior veep of creative and development.

Pankowski had joined Reveille in September as SVP of creative affairs, overseeing syndicated programming. In his new role with WWE, he will be responsible for all TV creative development, including reality and kids programming.

He will also manage WWE's creative writing teams and oversee the sale of programming to networks, studios and other distributors.

"Eric is a creative veteran whose knowledge and experience will be a tremendous asset in both the creation of new WWE content as well as enhancing our core product," said WWE exec veep of creative Stephanie McMahon, to whom Pankowski will report.

Pankowski spent 12 years at Warner Bros, culminating in his role as SVP of production company ParaMedia ("Lopez Tonight"). He has also been director of programming at Telepictures ("The Ellen DeGeneres Show"). Contact Jon Weisman at mailto:jon.weisman@variety.com?subject=WWE pins down Pankowski

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Posted: Sun., Dec. 18, 2011, 9:00pm PT

'Red Bull Signature Series'

NBC Sports Group will add a new action-sports package to its programming portfolio with "Red Bull Signature Series."

NBC and NBC Sports Network, the new name for cabler Versus, will divvy up 35 hours of shows from Red Bull Media House, the content arm of the energy drink brand that has built up a formidable business making programming out of events including snowboarding and mountain biking.

"Signature" brings another property to the combined assets of Comcast and NBCUniversal, which includes rights to NFL, NHL and the Olympics.

"This partnership is an amazing opportunity to create a new global property with a terrific brand in Red Bull, which already produces premium events and world class content," said Wade Martin, president of Alli Sports, NBC Sports Group's extreme sports division.

Since launching out of Austria in 2008, RBMH has assembled a deep roster of partners for cutting-edge sports programming including Nintendo, 3net and theatricals like "The Art of Flight." RBMH opened offices in Santa Monica earlier this year.

"Signature" kicks off Jan. 21 on NBC with Crashed Ice, a showcase for a new sport known as ice cross downhill. Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com

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