Ole Miss Sports Productions Raising the Bar with SEC Network+

There’s never been a better time to be an Ole Miss Rebel. There’s also never been an easier time to follow the Rebels thanks to the Ole Miss sports productions team, the SEC Network and its digital counterpart, SEC Network +.
SEC Network + is only available through WatchESPN (accessible through the WatchESPN app and on SECNetwork.com). Currently, the Ole Miss sports productions team has broadcast five soccer games and four volleyball matches on SEC Network + this year, but even more coverage is on the way, as three more volleyball matches will be produced on the digital platform by Saturday.
“With the arrival of the SEC Network and our involvement with the network, we are able to provide network television quality coverage to our sports like never before from our own control room environment that is distributed through the ESPN family,” said Shane Sanford, manager of creative services. “In the past, our four-camera productions were mainly focused on those sports with video boards (football, basketball and baseball); however, we now have the infrastructure in place at not only those venues, but soccer, volleyball and softball as well. These are three sports we’ve never covered from our control room in a broadcast scenario, and now we will be broadcasting all of these for the SEC Network on their SEC Network + digital tier.”
When the Rebel volleyball team takes on South Carolina on Nov. 2 Ole Miss sports productions will make history for Ole Miss and broadcast its first ever linear televised event from Ole Miss’ very own control room on campus, which will be broadcast on the SEC Network. ESPN will be bringing in the TV on-air talent, but the Ole Miss sports productions crew will be handling the actual televised production of the game.
“This is a testament to the level of talent we have working on our broadcast production crew, and I can’t tell you how excited and humbled we are that ESPN has the confidence in our crew to pull this off,” Sanford said. “This has been an awesome journey so far with the SEC Network and we are barely two months into it. The sky is the limit as far as I’m concerned for us here at Ole Miss and we’ve barely scratched the surface of where I think we can go. It’s definitely a great time to be an Ole Miss Rebel.”
“There’s no question we’ve gotten off to a strong start with our SEC Network + coverage, and what can’t get lost there is the impact Shane has had on this launch,” said Micah Ginn, associate athletics director for sports productions and creative services. “From all the way back to last winter, he has been working to make this go smoothly. I can’t imagine there’s a school that has had a smoother start to their broadcasting than we have, and it’s 100 percent due to Shane’s diligence, preparation work and also his work with other departments on campus, specifically IT and facilities – and our IT and facilities people have been unbelievable and gone out of their way to make all of this stuff happen. Again, I’m extremely proud of the job Shane has done, and impressed with the job he’s done. You’re talking about a network launch, and he has been that bolt holding the whole apparatus together, and he continues to do that week-to-week.”
The SEC and ESPN signed a 20-year agreement through 2034 to create and operate a multiplatform network that launched Aug. 14. The new network and its accompanying digital platform air SEC content 24/7 including more than 1,000 events in its first year. The network will televise 45 SEC football games, more than 100 men’s basketball games, 60 women’s basketball games, 75 baseball games, and events from across the SEC’s 21 sports annually. Programming also includes in-depth commentary and analysis in studio shows, daily news and information, original content such as SEC Storied, spring football games, and more. Hundreds of additional live events from various sports will be offered exclusively on the digital platform.
For more information on the SEC Network and SEC Network +, go to SECNetwork.com. For all Ole Miss Athletics information, go to OleMissSports.com, and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSports.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports Information