Image via newscaststudio.com
As a part of the digital rights partnership between the NHL and MLB Advanced Media, MLBAM has renovated the NHL Network by unveiling a new studio—“The Rink”—for the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Rink is a part of MLB Network’s Studio 21.
Studio 21 was named after Roberto Clemente, the Pittsburgh Pirate Hall of Famer. MLB Network overtook a vacant area of Secaucus to create the studio. As of May 2015, the studio utilized 11,000 feet of power cable and 12,500 feet of data cable. Due to the close proximity of a UPS depot, acoustical floating floors were installed. With an increasing demand for more original programming, MLB Network built this studio.
Prior to the start of the 2015-2016 season, MLB moved NHL Network’s studios from Toronto to Secaucus, New Jersey. Here, the NHL Network was originally utilizing modified MLB Network sets for the 2015-2016 regular season. In addition to moving and designing the NHL Network’s studio, MLBAM has reinvented NHL GameCenter to NHL.tv and NHL.com thus far.
Susan Stone, SVP of Operations and Engineering at MLB Network, spoke about The Rink, “[This season] has been a process and we have gone through a lot of changes with new talent and programming. So this was the next logical step to make sure that the NHL had its own home.”
“The Rink” will primarily be used for NHL Tonight on NHL Network. Bryan Higgason of HD Studio led the designing of the NHL Network studio. Ross Video Furio robotic camera configuration films shows like NHL Tonight, with a three camera track system. FLDA Lighting Design worked on the lightning for the studio. The floor of the studio was designed to resemble an NHL ice surface.
Also included in the 1,200-square feet set is an AV Design Services 20-foot wide, 12-foot high, 2.5mm LED display. The display is set on the back wall of the studio and shows footage from live games, arenas, and other graphics.
In addition to the display on the back wall, the renovated studio also has a 98-inch Philips monitor to the right of the main anchor desk. The monitor was placed on a 7-foot goal that is decorated with five goal lights on the cross bar above the monitor. To the left of the desk is an additional 84-inch Philips monitor.
Susan Stone added that the technology used in this studio, “Gives a wonderful backdrop to the desk and gives us so much flexibility of what we can put in there. It gives us a dynamic look and really changes how the studio feels and looks depending on what’s in that wall.”
A control room for the NHL Network’s studio was created earlier this season and connects to The Rink. Here, a Grass Valley Cayenne K-Frame switcher is utilized, along with a Calrec Apollo audio console. The switcher has a multi-format capability that supports 1080p and 4K. Also featured in the control room is a Vizrt graphic infrastructure.
Another decorative touch added are the 30-foot wooden arches that frame the walls and ceiling. Between the wooden arches, the 14-foot high walls have the last 10 Stanley Cup champions’ names etched in.
Dave Patterson, Senior Vice President of Production for both the NHL Network and MLB Network, discussed the renovation, “Our first objective was to relaunch NHL Network and get it off the ground again, then we started to think about another area for them. We worked on it during the winter and during the early spring to get it ready.” Patterson also mentioned how the priority was to have a functional set that could allow the commentators to “do demos and to move around and give it a different look.”
With baseball starting, the NHL Network needed a space dedicated to hockey. Now, the NHL Network has a set specifically devoted to hockey and the network finally has a major network quality that the NHL was looking for when partnering with MLBAM.
