THURSDAY, APRIL 3
(All times are in Pacific Time Zone)
12:00 – 1:15 p.m.: SVG Sports Broadcasting Fund Golf Outing Lunch
(LOCATION: Wildhorse Golf Club, 2100 W. Warm Springs Road, Henderson)
1:30 p.m.: SVG Sports Broadcasting Fund Golf Outing Shotgun Start
(LOCATION: Wildhorse Golf Club, 2100 W. Warm Springs Road, Henderson)
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.: Welcome Reception (Sponsored by Ai-Media and Pinnacle)
Green Valley Ranch, 2300 Paseo Verde Parkway, Henderson
(LOCATION: The Pond – *weather permitting*; In case of inclement weather, location will be El Cielo)
FRIDAY, APRIL 4
(All times are in Pacific Time Zone)
7:30 – 9:30 a.m.: Networking Breakfast – HOTEL GUESTS ONLY (Sponsored By Haivision and Techex)
(LOCATION: Del Mar)
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.: Networking Time (Sponsored by Imagine Communications and Synamedia)
* GENERAL SESSIONS LOCATION: Grand Ballroom 1 & 2 *
10:30 – 10:35 a.m.: Welcoming Remarks
Presented by:
Mike Davies, Fox Sports, EVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG U.S. Chairman
Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services
Alessandro Reitano, Sky Deutschland, SVP, Sports Production; SVG Europe, Chairman
10:35 – 11:15 a.m.: Understanding the State (and Health) of the Broadcast Production Business
It’s time to get interactive with Devoncroft’s Josh Stinehour and Joe Zaller and get an understanding of some of the big issues they see facing the industry in 2025. Oh, and this year’s session will very much be a room-wide discussion so be sure to bring questions for Josh and Joe about anything from the broader economy’s impact on the broadcast industry, the future of revenue in the move to Op Ex, and anything else.
Discussion Leaders:
Mike Davies, Fox Sports, EVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG U.S. Chairman
Steve Hellmuth, SVG Chairman Emeritus
Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services
Alessandro Reitano, Sky Deutschland, SVP, Sports Production; SVG Europe, Chairman
Josh Stinehour, Devoncroft Partners, Principal Analyst
Joe Zaller, Devoncroft Partners, Founder
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: The Global Sports Production Business: Challenges and Opportunities
No matter where you are in the world the conversations about the sports production business are very similar. Clients are asking for more from remote production vendors to maximize value of rights packages and remote production vendors are squeezing equipment and service vendors to maximize their margin. Is the current landscape sustainable? Can cloud-based production tools or virtualized hardware help make the industry less capital intensive and raise margins? And what are the risks if things don’t change?
Discussion Leaders:
Casper Choffat, NEP Group, Senior Vice President, Global Product
Mike Davies, Fox Sports, EVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG U.S. Chairman
Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services
Dan Miodownik, HBS, CEO
Alessandro Reitano, Sky Deutschland, SVP, Sports Production; SVG Europe, Chairman
12:15 – 12:30 p.m.: A New Look for the UHD DIGISUPER 122 (Sponsored by Canon)
Canon will be sharing details of the New Look being deployed on their UHD DIGISUPER 122, which will allow an impressive shallow depth of field look and feel utilizing traditional 2/3” broadcast cameras. Mike Davies of Fox Sports will join the Canon team to share the uses of the New Look 122x at some of their recent major events, such as the World Series and Super Bowl.
Presenters:
Mike Davies, Fox Sports, EVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG U.S. Chairman
Rich Eilers, Canon USA, National Accounts Sales Director
Kenji Namiki, Canon, General Manager, IMG 12 Product Marketing Division
Paul McAniff, Canon USA, Senior Technical Specialist
Josh Stoner, Canon USA, Senior Product Specialist
12:30 – 2:00 p.m.: Networking Lunch and Golf Awards (Sponsored by Verizon Business Group)
(LOCATION: Grand Ballroom 3 & 4)
2:00 – 2:45: European Sports Video Update
The European sports production community is coming off a massive Olympics effort in Paris, the return of the Women’s Euros in Switzerland this July, big changes around the EPL in 2026, and much more. Leaders from the UK and the continent share their thoughts on future technology trends as well as the state of the business from the league and channel perspective.
Discussion Leaders:
Mike Davies, Fox Sports, EVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG U.S. Chairman
Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services
Alessandro Reitano, Sky Deutschland, SVP, Sports Production; SVG Europe, Chairman
2:45 – 3:00: Transforming Global Sports Distribution: How Premier Padel Scales with IP and Cloud (Sponsored by Net Insight)
As the global demand for live sports coverage grows, Premier Padel is leading the way in leveraging IP and cloud technology to expand its reach. In partnership with Globecast and powered by Net Insight’s Nimbra Edge, Premier Padel has optimized content distribution, increasing the number of events covered and streams delivered. This session explores how a cloud-based approach ensures high-quality, cost-efficient live broadcasting, enabling sports organizations to engage wider audiences while maintaining operational flexibility. Join us to uncover the transformative impact of IP and cloud solutions in sports media distribution.
Presenters:
Steve MacMurray, Globecast, Digital Media Development Manager
Jonathan Smith, Net Insight, Solution Area Expert – Cloud
3:00 – 3:45: U.S. Sports Video Perspectives
The U.S. sports production landscape continues to evolve quickly with all forms of REMI productions, cloud-based tools, and of course alternate broadcast and new viewer experiences dialing things up for those in the living room (or on the go). Join us to hear from U.S. league and both RSN and national networks about the current and future state of production.
Discussion Leaders:
Mike Davies, Fox Sports, EVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG U.S. Chairman
Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services
Alessandro Reitano, Sky Deutschland, SVP, Sports Production; SVG Europe, Chairman
3:45 – 4:00 p.m.: Centralized Graphics for MLS Productions – Powered by Vizrt with IMG and AE Live (Sponsored by Vizrt)
Ahead of the 2025 season, MLS Productions and its technology and production partner, IMG, engaged AE Live to reimagine its graphics workflow. Powered by Vizrt’s cutting-edge technology and AE Live’s suite of software control applications, they are delivering a premium on-air experience demanded by a league of the profile and prestige of MLS. The solution combines enhanced official data integration with engaging storytelling across scorebug and associated graphics, an extensive insert package for studio shows in multiple languages, not to mention an interactive touchscreen and Viz Libero technology to create compelling storytelling across every match day.
Speakers:
James Clement, IMG, SVP, Tech & Operations
Stuart Coles, AE Live Group, Chief Commercial Officer
Per von Rosen, Vizrt, Head of Sports, North America
4:00 – 4:30: Clean Freaks: Five Years Later
This week of NAB will signal the fifth anniversary of Clean Freaks, an international effort from SVG and SVG Europe board members and others to get the industry back to work admidst the COVID pandemic. We’ll hear from those who led the effort and discuss the lessons learned and the difference that the weekly Clean Freaks calls made around the globe.
Discussion Leaders:
Mike Davies, Fox Sports, EVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG U.S. Chairman
Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services
Alessandro Reitano, Sky Deutschland, SVP, Sports Production; SVG Europe, Chairman
4:30 – 4:45 p.m.: ATP & SES: Bringing Over 200,000 Hours a Year of World Class Tennis to Fans Worldwide (Sponsored by SES)
Sports organisations and rights holders need to enhance and grow their audience in order to gain the most amount of exposure for their brand, players, sponsors and advertisers. This challenge only increases as the volume of content grows. In this session, we will examine this partnership as SES seeks to help ATP Media engage with truly global audiences with the aid of their innovative sports media platform, SES SCORE, integrated with SES’s hybrid distribution network.
Presenter: Michele Gosetti, SES, Head of Sports & Events
4:45 – 5:00: Break (Sponsored by Imagine Communications and Synamedia)
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.: SVG Chairman’s Forum Reception (Sponsored by Telstra and Kentik)
(LOCATION: Grand Ballroom Foyer)
6:00 p.m.: SVG Chairman’s Forum Dinner – RSVP REQUIRED (Sponsored by TAG Video Systems)
(LOCATION: Grand Hall 3 & 4)
SATURDAY, APRIL 5
7:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Networking Breakfast (Sponsored by Media Links and OpenDrives)
(LOCATION: Grand Ballroom 3 & 4)
9:00 – 9:40 a.m.: Morning Keynote: What Sports Can Teach Us About Problem Solving and Innovation
(LOCATION: Grand Ballroom 1 & 2)
A famous tech founder said that success is about problem solving and that how many, how fast and how well we solve problems determines our individual and institutional performance. Join us for a morning keynote led by noted sports technologist and marketing executive Sam McCleery. During his 45+year career McCleery (who currently works for G3DVu) has worked for ESPN, Under Armour, PVI, Prince Global Sports, and he will teach us about how the non-linear method to problem solving can benefit our careers and lives.
Presenter: Sam McCleery, G3DVU, Head of Sales
9:40 – 9:50 a.m.: Break (Sponsored by Imagine Communications and Synamedia)
9:50 – 11:45 a.m.: INNOVATION WORKSHOP (Sponsored by Mobii Systems and Twelve Labs)
(LOCATION: Grand Ballroom 1 & 2)
Join us for a two-part room-wide conversation looking at how the cloud and generative AI are changing the nature of how production tools are designed and become reality. Simply put, continuing to do what put you on top yesterday will sink you tomorrow and the innovation train is moving faster than at any other time in history, with little to no barriers to entry and costs a fraction of what it was in the past. As the rise of cloud compute and generative AI unleashes a new era of innovation, we will tackle several topics concerning the future of innovation and technology deployment.
9:50 – 10:40 a.m.: Part One: The Stealth Game Changers
Hear directly from today’s stealth game-changers from around the world to where the puck is moving and get there first. Explore the changing landscape and how you can capitalize and leverage this new frontier through the right partnerships, investments and even acquisitions, at the exact right time.
Moderators:
Mike Davies, Fox Sports, EVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG U.S. Chairman
Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services
Discussion Leaders:
Roderick Barrett, Mobii Systems, COO
Manas Mati, Tessact, Co-Founder
Kevin McClave, Advanced Image Robotics (AIR), CEO
Ben Reynolds, Spalk, CEO & Co-Founder
10:40 – 11:45 a.m.: Part Two: The Great Debate Around the Future of Product Design and Manufacturing
How are the cloud and gen AI fundamentally altering how companies big and small will create new products and services? How are start-ups and established vendors taking advantage of this new paradigm to save costs and come to market with products more quickly and that are also more affordable? And how will cloud and generative AI redefine how internal software and R&D teams operate and respond to the needs of sports production professionals around the globe? Is the concept of hardware designed to go the way of the tape deck or the floppy disk? Join us to close out the 2025 Forum with a lively debate and discussion about the future of our industry.
Moderators:
Mike Davies, Fox Sports, EVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG U.S. Chairman
Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services
Discussion Leaders:
Daniel Evans, Optikka, CEO and Co-Founder
Alex Redfern, EVS, CTO
Chad Rounsavall, Twelve Labs, Head of Media & Entertainment
Pablo Garcia Soriano, Cromorama, CEO/CTO
Miheer Walavakar, Livelike, CEO and Co-Founder
9:50 – 11:45 a.m.: SPORTS CONTENT MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP: MAM, Storage, AI, and Cloud-Based Workflows
(Spotlights by Reuters Imagen, Spectra Logic, Scoreplay, & Seagate)
(LOCATION: Del Mar 1)
This intimate roundtable workshop is designed as an open forum for individuals responsible for managing, archiving, and protecting sports content. Led by SVG’s Sports Content Management Advisory Committee, this off the-record roundtable discussion will provide media-management leaders from broadcasters, leagues, teams, digital outlets, and vendors with an opportunity to address a variety of hot-button issues currently facing the industry.
** Spotlight by Reuters Imagen **
TOPIC 1 | KUMBAYA, MY VENDORS:
Integrating Various Technologies Into Your Workflow
How can sports-media organizations integrate the myriad technologies in their ecosystem to make everything feel like one cohesive workflow? While vendors excel in selling their technology and offering APIs, many customers feel left hanging when it comes to the best way to integrate it all. How can you get the best out of your vendors, and how can customer-support managers lower the stress level for their customers?
** Spotlight by Spectra Logic **
TOPIC 2 | AI & TOMORROW’S MEDIA SUPPLY CHAIN:
The Role of AI in Workflow Automation and MAM
AI-driven automation is transforming sports-media workflows, from live clipping and metadata tagging to media discovery and content distribution. How can organizations leverage AI without introducing bottlenecks or losing creative control? What infrastructure is needed to support these innovations at scale? And how has AI improved your media supply chain or workflows?
** Spotlight by Seagate **
TOPIC 3 | ARE YOU RUSHING TO OR RETREATING FROM THE CLOUD?:
A Reappraisal of Private, Public, and Hybrid Ecosystems
After rushing to embrace the public cloud, many] sports-media organizations are reevaluating their workflow and infrastructure and exploring more-private on-premises or hybrid ecosystems. With rising demands for real-time collaboration and remote production, how are sports broadcasters balancing on-premises performance with cloud scalability? And what are the best strategies for hybrid workflows that maximize efficiency while keeping operational costs in check?
** Spotlight by Scoreplay **
TOPIC 4 | MAM TREK – THE NEXT GENERATION:
Recruiting and Creating New Entry-Level Jobs
We’re back with the same question — Where will the media managers of tomorrow come from? — but no more answers. Since we’re losing so many entry-level jobs — such as logging — to automation, what’s your plan to recruit, train, and promote the next generation? Where are you looking for new people, and how are you training them?
TOPIC 5 | LIGHTNING ROUND!
As part of this year’s Chairman’s Forum attendees were asked to submit their most pressing questions and concerns — let’s answer them here!
CLOSING TOPIC | CRYSTAL-BALL PREDICTIONS:
Five Years, 10 Years, and 20 Years Ahead
In what has become an annual tradition at the roundtable, the morning closes with an interactive exercise in which each roundtable participant will write three predictions on colored sticky notes — a different color for five years, for 10 years, and for 20 years in the future. The predictions will be assembled on a whiteboard and reviewed by the entire group, providing a glimpse into the future of media-asset management and storage — and garnering a few laughs in the process.
12:00 p.m.: Shuttle Service to Las Vegas Strip – *Space is limited*
(The shuttle will make stops at Horseshoe / Paris and Westgate / LVCC)