British Basketball League to test automated TV production

The British Basketball League (BBL) is to test automated TV production in December with a view to introducing the technology for its coverage of games.

If the tests are successful, the League will be the first professional sports league in the UK to use the technology for broadcast purposes.

Over the past 12 months BBL has been working with a number of automated TV providers, testing systems and advising manufacturers on its requirements for basketball.

BBL will cover a game – the DBL Sharks Sheffield v Esh Group Eagles Newcastle on Friday, 14 December - using an automated TV system. The game will be broadcast live on the BBL website (www.bbl.org.uk).

The SmartCourt system has been developed in Israel by technology company PlaySight and is currently being installed for the BBL test at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield, the home of the Sheffield Sharks, in conjunction with BBL media partner, The Perform Group and BBL TV production partner, Televideo.

Using 4K cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) with basketball-specific algorithms, the system has the option to add manned cameras for on-court interviews, includes automated multi-angle cameras with commentators, graphics, integrated scoreboard and clock, video on demand (VOD) and video assistant referee (VAR), automated highlight packages, social media clips, as well as live video for coaching and fans.

“The BBL has been very thorough in their testing of basketball technologies, and we are thrilled that they have gone with our SmartCourt platform for this test,” said the CEO and co-founder of PlaySight, Chen Shachar.

“There is no doubt in my mind that automated TV is going to radically alter the way in which sports are covered for linear television and OTT streaming platforms in the future,” said BBL commercial director Bob Hope.