Almost every football game shown on national television this season will employ a virtual first-down line, making use of new systems that radically cut the cost of the technology.
Instead of operating the first-down line from a broadcast truck on-site, the networks now will be able to insert the line from hardware at their studios. This "downstream insertion" method was first tested by Princeton Video Image and CBS for a game last season. Rival Sportvision has since developed a similar system.
The old system cost networks about $25,000 a game, including the cost of having three or more employees on-site. The new systems coming to market cut costs by about 50 percent, and in some cases require only one operator manning hardware at a studio, said PVI and Sportvision representatives.
CBS and PVI are close to signing a deal that will see CBS add first-down lines for as many as six games at a time, said PVI President James Green. While the cost per game is lower, CBS will spend about 40 percent more than last season with PVI to bring the first-down line to every game, Green said.
ESPN Networks will receive an even bigger bill. They'll use Sportvision's "First & 10" line for every college and pro football game on both ESPN and ESPN2 — 131 games in all.
"We know from viewers' feedback that when they watch a game, they expect a First & 10 line to be there and feel something is missing when it's not," said Jed Drake, ESPN's senior vice president of remote production. "We were always working toward the day we would be able to do every game, but up until now, that hasn't been financially practical."
ESPN will use the downstream system for some games and the remote-based system for games also being televised in high-definition, which will include all Sunday night NFL and Saturday night college football games.
Developing the new system has not been easy for PVI or Sportvision. In the test run last year, PVI's system had trouble with zoom-in shots and on artificial turf. Green said that's all been fixed.
Fox Sports Net also will use PVI's new system for its Pac-10 and Big 12 games.
Sportvision CEO Hank Adams said the downstream system still has limitations on tight, zoom-in shots or when there are quick camera movements, and noted that in a system where there is no equipment used on-site, the announcers and directors cannot see the first-down line.
He said Sportvision has tested its system extensively and it's ready for use, but he conceded that the company is in discussions with Orad, an Israel-based company, about integrating some of Orad's technology into Sportvision's new system. He would not elaborate on why.
Sportvision has deals with ESPN, ABC and Fox (which plans to provide first-down lines for up to five NFL games at once, a network spokesperson said)
TFN PUSHES ALL-STAR GAME: The Football Network is making the inaugural Division I-AA football all-star game 
its hallmark event, backing it with a special promotional section in the Dec. 10 issue of Esquire magazine.
The game will be played at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Dec. 30. TFN, a dedicated cable network scheduled to launch this fall, has agreements from 13 conferences to provide players.
The text component of the Esquire preview will be provided by well-known football writers as well as TFN spokesman Pat Summerall. TFN will sell advertising space in the section, likely packaging it with advertising on the network itself.
OLD SPICE TO SPONSOR "COUNTDOWN": Procter & Gamble's Old Spice brand will be presenting sponsor of ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" show, which airs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. The show did not have a presenting sponsor last year. Miller Brewing Co. will return as presenting sponsor of the Sunday night show, and UPS is back as presenter of its Monday night show.
Andy Bernstein can be reached at abernstein@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
