TNT deploys Genius Sports technology to bring the videogame-centric broadcast to life Story Highlights For more than a decade, countless sports-production leaders have opined about the need to make live broadcasts look more like videogames to attract a broader audience. Tonight, TNT Sports is making that vision a literal reality. In collaboration with NBA 2K […]
TNT deploys Genius Sports technology to bring the videogame-centric broadcast to life
Story Highlights
For more than a decade, countless sports-production leaders have opined about the need to make live broadcasts look more like videogames to attract a broader audience. Tonight, TNT Sports is making that vision a literal reality. In collaboration with NBA 2K and Genius Sports, TNT Sports will offer the first of four immersive NBA 2K25 DataCast presentations on truTV and Max during the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup Quarterfinals and Semifinals.
“We are conscious of the fact that many fans today have experienced sports through videogames first and are used to watching the game from that perspective,” says Matt Mosteller, VP, content, TNT Sports. “We’re excited for fans to be able to experience the NBA Cup through this NBA 2K lens. Many fans who have grown up playing NBA 2K will be able to see it come to life in the real game.”
TNT Sports’ NBA 2K25 DataCasts will feature graphic overlays pulled right from the iconic videogame.
The 2K Takeover: Finding the Sweet Spot Between Videogame and Broadcast
The altcasts will blur the lines between the videogame and the real NBA experience with NBA 2K25 overlays, such as the iconic Shot Meter, 2K badges, and official 2K camera angles. In addition, split-second game insights — player tracking, shot probability, shot distance — powered by Genius Sports’ GeniusIQ will be embedded throughout the telecasts via a consistent L-bar graphic on the screen.
“Players will be highlighted on the court with overlays that will showcase shot probability, shot distance, and other things that you wouldn’t see in a normal game — all in the style of an NBA 2K game,” says Mosteller. “You will also see a variety of other graphics, camera angles, and other elements that come right from the NBA 2K game that fans who play the game are used to seeing.”
This marks TNT Sports’ latest data-focused alternative-broadcast efforts following the first-ever NHL DataCast Powered by AWS during the NHL Western Conference Final in May and the MLB DataCast throughout the entire ALCS in October.
“We’ve been doing [altcasts] for a while now and have done a couple [DataCasts] with Genius,” says Mosteller, “but the addition of NBA 2K25 adds a very different vibe. 2K has been such a great partner, and they’re very endemic to basketball so it adds an exciting new layer to that DataCast model.”
Fans who tune into the NBA 2K25 DataCast broadcasts will also have the opportunity to redeem six NBA 2K25 Locker Codes, each unlocking an Amethyst MyTEAM pack and allowing players to choose one of 11 NBA superstars to build the ultimate MyTEAM lineup.
On Hand in ATL: Standalone Production Out of Techwood Campus
All four NBA 2K25 DataCasts (three quarterfinals and one semifinal) will be standalone productions operating out of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Techwood Campus in Atlanta. The DataCasts will be produced out of a dedicated control room with their own director, producer, and graphics operators.
The NBA 2K25 DataCast production team will take in the line-cut from the primary TNT broadcast and insert overlays using Genius Sports technology. In addition, the front bench in the control room will access all the main TNT broadcast’s iso cameras, as well as one unilateral iso camera of its own.
“The most important iso will be that backboard camera that re-creates the iconic NBA 2K game angle,” says Mosteller. “We will bring that camera in from the trucks onsite and roll back highlights from that angle. It’s going to make [viewers] feel like everything is actually happening inside the NBA 2K game.”
The first-of-its-kind alternative experience will feature its own dedicated on-air talent led by host Adam Lefkoe and sports-analytics expert Kirk Goldsberry, with contributions by pro hoops stars Vince Carter, Candace Parker, and Channing Frye.
“Utilizing our own cameras, production, and graphics gives us the ability to craft our own story around the game,” says Mosteller. “And we’ve got some great personalities in front of the camera to help us tell that story as well.”
Genius Sports has set up two of its servers at the Techwood studios — a primary and backup — to insert overlays over the game action. The company uses data from Sony Hawk-Eye’s optical tracking technology at each arena to insert the overlays. A dedicated Genius Sports tech producer will be sitting on the back bench in Atlanta alongside other graphics operators to help manage overlays and L-bar graphics.
“Genius has been a great partner to work with on this,” says Mosteller. “They are very hands-on and volunteered to send one of their own people down to work with us hand in hand as we produce this.”
TNT is also using Ross Video Xpression graphics and the Inside Edge analytics platform for the broadcasts.
Looking Ahead: More Altcasts Are on the Horizon
In addition to previous DataCasts, TNT Sports is teaming up with the NHL, Warner Bros. Games, and Beyond Sports to produce a MultiVersus NHL Face-Off animated broadcast in April. Between these broadcasts and other personality-fueled altcasts, TNT Sports continues to explore new ways to bring live games to viewers.
“We always want to innovate; that’s just in our DNA at TNT Sports,” says Mosteller. “We want to deliver engaging content that ultimately serves the fan so we are always looking for different executions to get fans excited. That can be geared toward the hardcore fans [as with] the DataCasts or the casual fan [as with] the Multiversus [altcast]. Another goal is to attract the younger audience, and I think both the Multiversus [altcasts] and this NBA2K DataCast are great examples of that.
“We look at it with a wide lens,” he continues. “The good thing is, we have additional platforms like truTV and Max, where we can be innovative and can try new ideas and new ways that are different from the traditional broadcasts. We’re certainly still going to deliver the highest quality possible for the main broadcast on TNT, but now we can figure out other creative ways for fans to experience games. It’s fun for us, and, hopefully, the fans at home think it’s entertaining content as well.”
