Drones will help baseball fans get closer to the action in a first-of-its-kind production feat during the MLB All-Star Game in Seattle on Tuesday.
GeekWire went behind-the-scenes Monday at T-Mobile Park with FOX Sports, which is broadcasting this year’s Midsummer Classic from the Emerald City.
FOX teamed up with Los Angeles-based Beverly Hills Aerials, which will fly its custom-made drones and give viewers unique aerial vantage points. It’s the first time drones will be used in a stadium as part of an MLB game.
The drones will quietly zoom out from the left field bullpen and follow players walking out during introductions or heading back to the dugout after an inning, for example. They won’t be used during live action.
Here’s a short clip from the drone during Monday’s batting practice session before the Home Run Derby.
Two people will be in control of a drone — one that pilots the drone and gets it in place, and another who operates a gimbal on the drone itself.
“As a viewer sitting at home, watching on your screen, you’re going to feel more immersed in the game than ever before,” said Evan Turner, a drone operator with Beverly Hills Aerials and Drone Racing League world champion pilot.
FOX started testing drones in 2015, and its first live event usage was at the 2018 Daytona 500 race. Other sports broadcast giants are also using the devices.
Drones are just one of many tech tools helping FOX broadcast this year’s game to millions of fans worldwide.
A helicopter and a wireline camera that runs from home plate to left field will add more aerial angles. There are seven robotic cameras placed near the field.
There’s also the ump cam, which garnered rave reviews during last year’s All-Star Game and provides a behind-the-batter view.
The entire production is a massive symphony of sorts that blends state-of-the-art technology with real-time decision-making. FOX has around 200 people on-site controlling live video, audio, and replay operations, as well as another 30 in Los Angeles providing support.
“We’re producing a feature film — live,” said Brad Cheney, vice president of field operations and engineering at FOX Sports.
FOX uses eight miles of fiber optics with more than 880 connections; 43 cameras; 45 field microphones; and more than 1,300 hours of 4K HDR storage.
New technology helps broadcasters like FOX meet evolving consumer expectations.
“People expect better pictures, better quality, better audio,” said Cheney, a 25-year veteran of the live sports production industry.
Cloud-based TV production, which got a boost during the pandemic, could gain more adoption in the future, Cheney said.
“As we get more interconnected and the infrastructure gets better, everything’s possible,” he said.
Cheney envisions the ability for a viewer to have any vantage point in a stadium, even pretending to be a batter or a pitcher. The viewing experience may get more personalized.
Want to sit behind home plate? Press this button. Want to access the camera on a player’s hat? Press that button.
But even as more tech is adopted and automates some parts of the production, humans will be essential to the process.
“It still takes amazingly talented people to do this,” Cheney said.
Related: Testing T-Mobile’s ‘MLB Next’ app: AR tech adds boost to in-stadium All-Star baseball experience
