This spring, TNT Sports made its ambitious debut at Roland Garros, aiming to establish immediate credibility in tennis broadcasting. Their strategy involved deploying three flypack control rooms, providing 300 hours of planned coverage, and balancing innovation with respect for the sport’s traditions. “This being our first Roland Garros event, we’re throwing everything at it,” said Jordan Shorthouse, VP and creative director, highlighting their commitment to bringing new technology and innovation to tennis coverage.
This extensive coverage launched the first year of TNT Sports’ decade-long media rights agreement with the Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT). The agreement encompasses full tournament coverage on TNT, qualifying rounds streamed on Max, and “The Rally at Roland-Garros,” a whiparound show on truTV hosted by John McEnroe and Mark Petchey. This undertaking showcases both the opportunities and challenges TNT Sports faces while navigating tennis broadcasting alongside other sporting commitments.
Chris Brown, VP of production technology, centered the technical operation on “ultimate flexibility.” The three flypack control rooms, created with partner EMG/Gravity Media, were designed for instant transitions between traditional match coverage and weather-delay programming, proving crucial during rain-interrupted early rounds. “There was a desire to make sure that they were all flexible and capable of flexing into any type or style of coverage that was necessary,” Brown explained, encompassing everything from individual match coverage to truTV's whiparound production. The control rooms utilized Grass Valley Kayenne K-Frame production switchers, Ross Video XPressions graphics, and Calrec Artemis audio consoles, replicating TNT’s Atlanta setup.
The premium locations of Court Philippe Chatrier and Court Suzanne Lenglen at Roland Garros necessitated technological solutions to supplement the world feed cameras. TNT Sports deployed compact camera systems to overcome space constraints. “We recognized that space is of a premium on the two main courts,” said Steve Fiorello, VP and coordinating director. “So working with Chris and various vendors, we kind of knew that if we were gonna get cameras in those areas… we would have to come up with small footprints.” This included Nucleus cameras, Panbar robotic cameras, and RF cameras.
The studio, situated in what Fiorello called Roland Garros’ equivalent of Wimbledon’s Henman Hill, the Plaza de Mesquitere, immersed TNT Sports’ coverage in the main fan area, fostering authentic atmosphere. “The passion that this fan base has for tennis, especially the home tennis players, it’s unlike any of the four majors,” Fiorello commented. Sharing space with Eurosport presented construction challenges, but the final design, incorporating natural elements and removable glass panels, successfully integrated the studio with the fan zone.
The integrated studio incorporated a central desk, a stand-up area, and a movable LED wall. A 30-foot jib enhanced atmosphere and scenic coverage. Big Studios in Toronto created motion graphics blending Parisian sophistication with tennis’ fast pace. The graphics palette, incorporating yellows, oranges, whites, purples, and blues, avoided a “stagnant and royal” feel, opting for a more “fun and creative” approach, according to Shorthouse.
TNT Sports created detailed 3D models of the entire Roland Garros grounds using Black Shark technology, powered by Pixotope and rendered in Unreal Engine. This virtual environment facilitated transitions between courts and provided content options during weather delays. The custom musical score was composed by Mark Willott, orchestrated by Michael Doherty, and performed by Four For Music.
A key innovation was conducting live interviews with coaches during matches, a first for a major tournament, with coaches wearing microphones. “Getting the opportunity to get a coach to wear a microphone and talk to our booth during the match is a very unique experience for viewers,” Fiorello noted. This reflects TNT Sports’ broader approach to applying interactive techniques common in other sports to the traditionally formal tennis broadcast environment.
The overarching goal was to deliver a compelling broadcast while respecting the sport’s sophistication. “Our approach is always to compliment the sport. Compliment the sport, be credible, and have fun. And that was our approach here,” Shorthouse concluded.