Former ESPN executive Norby Williamson is reshaping FanDuel Sports Network in a big way.
Williamson, who departed ESPN last year after nearly 40 years at the network and subsequently became president of production and programming at Main Street Sports Group, the parent company of the FanDuel-branded regional sports networks, is moving to centralize production for the stations.
According to a report by Sam Blum and Evan Drellich in The Athletic, Main Street is building a centralized production facility in Denver to handle vast aspects of live game production for the FanDuel Sports Networks. “The changes are a cost-cutting measure that threaten the quality of nightly telecasts,” nine FanDuel Sports Network employees expressed to The Athletic, a notion Williamson disputes.
“We’re trying to make a modernization hub,” Williamson told The Athletic. “More technology, more personnel, more bells and whistles, more live cut-ins right through the new facility in Denver which they didn’t have before. Everything about it, you’re absolutely right: they’re going to change. And they’re going to be improved.”
FanDuel Sports Network employees disagree. “I truly believe it will affect the quality of our broadcasts in a significant way,” one graphics operator told The Athletic. “That won’t be welcomed by our viewers.”
Per the report, eight teams’ telecasts will be impacted by the changes: the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs of the NBA, and the Minnesota Wild, Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators of the NHL. However, it’s expected that other teams will be rolled into the new production workflows in the future.
Centralization and remote production have become more common practice within the industry as technology has improved hurdles like latency. ESPN frequently produces low-priority events from its Bristol headquarters rather than an on-site truck. A transition to this type of production can allow Main Street to more efficiently allocate resources nearly one year after the company, formerly Diamond Sports Group, emerged from a protracted bankruptcy procedure.
Of course, the move risks a degradation in broadcast quality. With fewer employees on-site, there are more possibilities for mishaps.
Williamson would suggest otherwise, seeing the investment in a streamlined workflow as allowing for more integration. The executive stressed that the company is “spending rather than trimming costs,” pointing to initiatives like adding more camera operators.
Ultimately, the quality of the broadcasts will determine whether this initiative is a success or not.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.