Super Bowl from the sidelines: Tech readiness is priority No. 1
CBS CMO George Schweitzer discusses how the CBS team prepares for the biggest broadcast event of the year.
It's always a treat to watch the game coverage by the peerless NFL on CBS team, which is the very best in the business. And backing up our amazing group of analysts and experts in front of the camera is a trained crew of CBS Sports production and technical pros behind the scenes.
Their No. 1 priority is to deliver the perfect angle of every play, along with the sophisticated replays, zoom, and hyper-broadcast detail that TV viewers have grown to love. The production logistics and technical complexity associated with broadcasting the Super Bowl are astounding. This year, CBS Sports will have 62 cameras at the Superdome covering the game, along with dozens of replay devices. When you are able to capture virtually every detail of the action, the hard part becomes choosing the angles and replays wisely and making sure you don't interfere with the broadcast.
In the mix will be some 4K cameras, which allow for stunning zooming capabilities, as well as the CBS sky cam, which glides over the field on a cable, capturing all. Orchestrating and syncing all the associated gear -- including switchers, audio consoles, graphics gear packages, servers HD cam decks, and a whole lot of cable -- is a massive undertaking. Beyonce is not the only one rehearsing ahead of Sunday -- there have been production rehearsals every day this week to get ready.
I'm in awe of the process and all of my colleagues at CBS Sports who make the magic happen. The final countdown has begun, so follow me on Twitter at and stay tuned!