By Peter Crithary, Arri vice president, live entertainment. In recent years, the sports broadcasting industry has been upping its game. Today’s spectators are looking for an emotional experience when they attend or watch a sporting event and industry players have been delivering in terms of equipment and production value. What we call “the Hollywood look”, which is a way of capturing images and emotions, can be as effective for sporting events as it is for entertainment. Key moments of play can now be captured with the emotional depth and quality of a cinema production. By enhancing various elements of production, broadcasters are redefining how fans experience sports. The Hollywood look in sports coverage isn’t just an aesthetic choice; it’s a way to capture the passion, tension, and drama inherent in athletic competition. In fact, this shift in the way production companies are managing sports targets every aspect of the viewing experience, from enhancing image quality, to immersive audio transmission and even streamlined audience engagement. Film techniques By adopting film techniques – such as slow motion reveals, atmospheric audio cues, and dynamic colour grading – sports networks are creating a richer viewing experience that goes beyond the game itself. Many big events of 2024 already featured elements of cinematic storytelling. In 2028, cinematic storytelling and live sports will symbolically culminate when Los Angeles – the heart of the film industry – hosts the Olympics. Technological advancements are also elevating the standard for live broadcasting, making visual storytelling more lifelike and immersive while bringing spectators closer to the action than ever before. Today’s fans crave immersive experiences, and traditional sideline views no longer suffice. To meet these expectations, service providers and rental companies need to shift their investments toward high definition cameras that can provide a compelling look. The latest camera stabilisers allow for ultra-close-up shots that make viewers feel as if they’re part of the action. They also provide dynamic angles of play and even showcase the spectator’s reaction for a 360-degree immersive experience. Another key area shaping the future is high dynamic range (HDR) which is allowing for more seamless integration across SDR or HDR workflows. HDR delivers a more immersive visual experience in which high-contrast scenes are handled effortlessly. Broadcasters benefit from accurate color reproduction, pleasing skin tones, and image consistency across diverse lighting scenarios. This is a game changer for live sports, concerts, and large-scale productions where team and sponsor colors must be reproduced accurately. While technology like HDR is beginning to enhance broadcasts, more investment is essential to standardize image quality across the industry. For example, automated color grading tools could ensure high-quality visuals without extensive manual adjustments, allowing for more events to be broadcast with a polished, Hollywood-quality finish. Emotional highs and lows These cinematic techniques enable broadcasters to deliver close-up, detail-rich shots that capture the emotional highs and lows of athletes, offering fans a more intimate view of the game. This approach could be especially appealing for younger fans, who increasingly demand personalised, interactive viewing experiences. By 2028, for the generation raised on gaming and streaming platforms, visuals will be an integral part of the Olympic audience. With a Hollywood-inspired aesthetic and options for real-time engagement, these Olympics could set a new standard in sports broadcasting, creating an experience that feels as participatory and exciting as a video game. By bridging sports and entertainment, broadcasters can ensure sports experiences are as dynamic and immersive as any major Hollywood production, engaging modern viewers in ways that traditional broadcasts never could. Imagine an Olympic Games where viewers have control over how they experience each event, from selecting specific camera angles to engaging with real time statistics or choosing personalised streams that follow their favorite athletes – all with a production quality that mimics a Hollywood blockbuster. LA’s infrastructure, with its close ties to both the film and gaming industries, offers an exciting platform that facilitates high-tech elements like augmented reality overlays, interactive streams, and hyper-realistic close-ups. In conclusion, the push toward this kind of aesthetic in sports broadcasting is more than a technological shift; it’s a response to changing audience expectations. Sports broadcasts will be more than just event coverage, they will have developed into immersive, narrative-driven experiences. As sports and cinema intertwine, every game, every play, and every moment will be captured as part of an unfolding story, making fans feel not just like spectators, but like participants. This evolution in sports broadcasting will redefine how audiences around the world experience sports, offering a compelling, emotional connection that rivals the world’s most beloved films. The future of sports coverage is a Hollywood-style storytelling, and it’s as exciting, intimate, and visually stunning as anything Hollywood has ever produced.

Many big events of 2024 already featured elements of cinematic storytelling. In 2028, cinematic storytelling and live sports will symbolically culminate when Los Angeles – the heart of the film industry – hosts the Olympics. Emotional highs and lows Imagine an Olympic Games where viewers have control over how they experience each event, from selecting […]

Many big events of 2024 already featured elements of cinematic storytelling. In 2028, cinematic storytelling and live sports will symbolically culminate when Los Angeles – the heart of the film industry – hosts the Olympics.
Emotional highs and lows
Imagine an Olympic Games where viewers have control over how they experience each event, from selecting specific camera angles to engaging with real time statistics or choosing personalised streams that follow their favorite athletes – all with a production quality that mimics a Hollywood blockbuster. LA’s infrastructure, with its close ties to both the film and gaming industries, offers an exciting platform that facilitates high-tech elements like augmented reality overlays, interactive streams, and hyper-realistic close-ups.
Film techniques
These cinematic techniques enable broadcasters to deliver close-up, detail-rich shots that capture the emotional highs and lows of athletes, offering fans a more intimate view of the game. This approach could be especially appealing for younger fans, who increasingly demand personalised, interactive viewing experiences. By 2028, for the generation raised on gaming and streaming platforms, visuals will be an integral part of the Olympic audience. With a Hollywood-inspired aesthetic and options for real-time engagement, these Olympics could set a new standard in sports broadcasting, creating an experience that feels as participatory and exciting as a video game. By bridging sports and entertainment, broadcasters can ensure sports experiences are as dynamic and immersive as any major Hollywood production, engaging modern viewers in ways that traditional broadcasts never could.
Another key area shaping the future is high dynamic range (HDR) which is allowing for more seamless integration across SDR or HDR workflows. HDR delivers a more immersive visual experience in which high-contrast scenes are handled effortlessly. Broadcasters benefit from accurate color reproduction, pleasing skin tones, and image consistency across diverse lighting scenarios. This is a game changer for live sports, concerts, and large-scale productions where team and sponsor colors must be reproduced accurately. While technology like HDR is beginning to enhance broadcasts, more investment is essential to standardize image quality across the industry. For example, automated color grading tools could ensure high-quality visuals without extensive manual adjustments, allowing for more events to be broadcast with a polished, Hollywood-quality finish.
By Peter Crithary, Arri vice president, live entertainment.
The Hollywood look in sports coverage isn’t just an aesthetic choice; it’s a way to capture the passion, tension, and drama inherent in athletic competition. In fact, this shift in the way production companies are managing sports targets every aspect of the viewing experience, from enhancing image quality, to immersive audio transmission and even streamlined audience engagement.
In conclusion, the push toward this kind of aesthetic in sports broadcasting is more than a technological shift; it’s a response to changing audience expectations. Sports broadcasts will be more than just event coverage, they will have developed into immersive, narrative-driven experiences. As sports and cinema intertwine, every game, every play, and every moment will be captured as part of an unfolding story, making fans feel not just like spectators, but like participants.
Technological advancements are also elevating the standard for live broadcasting, making visual storytelling more lifelike and immersive while bringing spectators closer to the action than ever before. Today’s fans crave immersive experiences, and traditional sideline views no longer suffice. To meet these expectations, service providers and rental companies need to shift their investments toward high definition cameras that can provide a compelling look. The latest camera stabilisers allow for ultra-close-up shots that make viewers feel as if they’re part of the action. They also provide dynamic angles of play and even showcase the spectator’s reaction for a 360-degree immersive experience.
This evolution in sports broadcasting will redefine how audiences around the world experience sports, offering a compelling, emotional connection that rivals the world’s most beloved films. The future of sports coverage is a Hollywood-style storytelling, and it’s as exciting, intimate, and visually stunning as anything Hollywood has ever produced.
By adopting film techniques – such as slow motion reveals, atmospheric audio cues, and dynamic colour grading – sports networks are creating a richer viewing experience that goes beyond the game itself.
In recent years, the sports broadcasting industry has been upping its game. Today’s spectators are looking for an emotional experience when they attend or watch a sporting event and industry players have been delivering in terms of equipment and production value. What we call “the Hollywood look”, which is a way of capturing images and emotions, can be as effective for sporting events as it is for entertainment. Key moments of play can now be captured with the emotional depth and quality of a cinema production. By enhancing various elements of production, broadcasters are redefining how fans experience sports.