For the 2023 Cleveland Browns NFL Preseason broadcasts, Kitay Productions, Inc., led by Coordinating Producer Joel Kitay, implemented a modern IP based workflow utilizing the BitFire Media Platform. This new distribution model successfully replaced a costly traditional satellite and fiber workflow.
Each of the three game broadcasts aired live across Ohio, including on the Browns primary affiliate WEWS in Cleveland, as well as local affiliates in Toledo, Dayton, Youngstown, and Columbus. BitFire was also the chosen transmission technology for the broadcasts’ national distribution to NFL Network and FOX Sports.
Kitay also noted that BitFire made it simple to integrate a true net-return feed from the primary affiliate (WEWS) back to the truck. This was a major value add that the production team was unable to use in past seasons. WEWS simply had to connect the on-air feed to an open HD-SDI port on their BitFire Engine, which was then transmitted back to the main production truck for monitoring.
“It was a 100% win for my plan to use Bitfire as the transmission method,” said Kitay. “We simplified the transmission process and reduced our cost.”
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