By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor, SVG
Thursday, August 2, 2018 – 2:52 pm
After a move from Los Angeles to Madison, WI, prior to last year’s event, the CrossFit Games production operation has continued to grow prodigiously. The “Woodstock of Fitness” has grown from a production comprising 35 crew members working out of a single mobile unit just six years ago to one of the largest live productions on the annual sports calendar: more than 10 NEP mobile units, a crew of more than 300, and 50-plus cameras. Add in the fact that the CrossFit competitions change from year to year, and it becomes clear just how challenging the event can be for the production team.
This year’s CrossFit Games — Aug. 1-5 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison — are being streamed on Facebook, CBSSports.com, and the CBS Sports App and televised live on CBS (one-hour live look-ins on Saturday and Sunday plus a recap show) with a daily highlights show on CBS Sports Network.
CrossFit has its own live-streaming team onsite and handles in-house production for the videoboards at Alliant Energy Center. SMT, which is CrossFit’s scoring partner, provides a wealth of presentation options for the boards as well.
CrossFit has used TVU Networks bonded-cellular and IP systems for several years for point-to-point transmission. This year, CBS Digital also used a TVU system to take in streams from the CrossFit Regionals earlier this summer. That success led to a similar partnership for the Games, with CBS Digital receiving all the live competitions on two streams via TVU receivers.
As CrossFit Games’ Footprint Grows, So Does the Live Production
The Games themselves have expanded and become more complex. The production team is tasked with covering multiple venues throughout Alliant Energy Center, primarily The Coliseum and North Park Stadium. This year, the stadium has been expanded to 10,000 people (nearly 50% more than for the 2017 edition) and has added a new videoboard.