LBA – Gravity Media

In the Italian Basketball Championship (Lega Basket Serie A, LBA), the Scudetto finals mark the conclusion of the playoffs, following the regular season.

The recently concluded edition featured high-intensity games, tightly contested finals, decisive baskets, and a strongly engaged audience, particularly during the matches involving Virtus Bologna.

According to Anna Pasculli, Sales Manager at EMG/Gravity Media Italy, the company responsible for the television production of the entire championship, the quality of the technical setup and team coordination contributed to enhancing the event, delivering a visual setup that was both effective and coherent with the sports narrative.

Athletic performance was matched by a broadcast production that maintained high technical and narrative standards. From mid to late June, to cover the Scudetto finals, EMG Italy – Gravity Media deployed one of its flagship OB trucks, the Orion 209 unit.

Finals Setup

For the finals series, the production layout was enhanced compared to earlier phases. While semi-finals generally employ seven to eight cameras, the finals feature up to eleven operational units. The OB direction was further reinforced with a Jimmy Jib for dynamic shots and a reverse-side camera (bench side), expanding visual coverage and offering a broader range of perspectives.

One of the newly introduced elements was an RF camera mounted on a Gimbal — a more compact alternative to the Steadicam, capable of delivering fluid movement. This technology, already used in football production, allows for a more cinematic visual result. It uses a Sony camera and is progressively becoming part of the standard equipment for major sporting events.

Camera Layout

The typical finals camera configuration is as follows:

Camera 1: main camera, positioned frontally, for wide shots of play.
Camera 2: close-up for detailed coverage of players and actions.

Both are placed on the stands side, facing the benches.

Cameras 3 and 4: handheld, positioned under the left and right baskets respectively.
Camera 5: central handheld, focused on mid-court action.
Cameras 6 and 7: Marshall-type action microcameras installed on the backboards, fibre-connected.
Camera 8: reverse camera on the bench side, shoulder-operated and cabled, used for time-outs and alternative perspectives.
Camera 9: RF Gimbal for fluid, mobile shots.
Camera 10: additional unit, depending on game configuration.
Camera 11: clock camera, fixed on the game clock for refereeing checks.

All positions are crewed, except for the clock and microcameras (6 and 7).

An Instant Replay system, equivalent to VAR in basketball, is installed at the referees’ table. It includes two ambient microphones to allow on-air playback of official discussions during action reviews.

Graphics and Broadcast

As with the regular season, the finals’ broadcast production is managed by EMG/Gravity Media Italy, which supplies a host feed and customised versions for simultaneous distribution on Eurosport, Discovery+, and DAZN.

Graphics are managed by Boost Graphics, the graphics and virtual production subsidiary of EMG / Gravity Media, specialising in live data integration and fan engagement solutions.

The production team for the finals includes around 30 professionals. Given that the sports arenas are only partially pre-cabled, setup operations are complex. While the regular season typically uses 4–5 cameras, finals coverage extends to 10–11, requiring significant on-site integration with additional equipment.

Broadcast Control and Customisation

Production is carried out entirely on-site aboard the OB Truck Orion 209, although during the season EMG Italy also operates via remote production and centralised Instant Replay from its Cologno Monzese facility.

A second dedicated unit is deployed for Discovery’s coverage. For DAZN, content customisation is handled directly onboard the main OB unit, which is configured with two parallel control rooms, each with independent audio and video compartments. This enables separate productions within a shared infrastructure.

Instant Replay and Operational Workflow

Tommaso Gargàro, EMG Italy – Gravity Media’s technical manager for the finals, notes:

“The new setup required extensive preparatory work. All operations – including graphics and Instant Replay – are carried out locally at the venue.

The Instant Replay is managed by a dedicated computer system that continuously records all camera feeds. When a review is needed, it allows selection of the most suitable angle and enables zooming in on critical details – such as a foot on the line or the moment the ball leaves the hand before the buzzer.

The most sensitive phases of the Instant Replay are also broadcast live using a 2-box layout that shows the same footage as seen by the referee team.

For broadcast replays, two EWS 12-channel systems are installed onboard the OB Truck. Instant Replay, however, is handled separately by a sideline operator, approached directly by referees for action reviews.”

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The Final Eight, the 2025 Italian Basketball Cup, took place in Turin at the Inalpi Arena from 12 to 16 February 2025, with the semi-finals on Saturday, 15 February, and the final on Sunday, 16 February. Won by Dolomiti Energia Trentino, who defeated EA7 Emporio Armani Milano in the final, the Final Eight once again proved to be an event of great spectacle and competition, with an outstanding response from the audience and a record of 46,000 spectators over five days of competition.

Once again this year, all phases of the competition were covered thanks to the well-established TV production by EMG / Gravity Media Italy. However, this edition introduced several innovations, particularly in indoor graphics, as explained by Alessandro Curti, Head of Graphics.

“We have certainly introduced an innovative service,” confirmed Alessandro Curti, “introducing for the first time graphic contributions and statistics on the LED walls inside the arena, for the benefit of the audience and fans present. The content was displayed across three different platforms: the side columns, the central cube—usually reserved for match data—and the LED walls around the court. The generated graphics were not broadcast simultaneously on all platforms but were strategically distributed using a system we specifically developed. Most of the information was displayed on the new large vertical screens at the sides of the arena, almost like visual columns, providing constant updates on team statistics, individual player performances, and comparisons, enhancing the entire dataset we manage.”

These data, collected directly by Boost Graphics through proprietary systems, were provided to LBA (Lega Basket Serie A) as part of a season-long agreement. Additionally, during three key moments defined by the LBA as “dominance”, all graphics were displayed simultaneously on all platforms: side columns, central cube, and LED walls around the court, creating an integrated and dynamic visual experience.

These three key moments were:

Instant replay, the basketball equivalent of VAR in football, used for controversial referee decisions.
Crunch time, the final two minutes of the game.
Time-out calls, during which dedicated graphic effects and team logos of the requesting team were displayed.

“The launch of this new service,” continued Alessandro Curti, “was an absolute first, allowing us to enhance our in-house data management expertise. Thanks to this knowledge, we were able to distribute graphics in real time across multiple platforms—a specialisation that LBA acknowledges and entrusts to us as a highly qualified operator, not only in the management of live broadcast graphics but also in understanding the narrative dynamics and specific characteristics of this sport.”

The project was developed to meet the specific needs of LBA, with EMG / Gravity Media Italy working intensively to achieve the desired results, to the great satisfaction of the client. The public responded positively to this new set of information, further enhanced by the collaboration with the official event speaker, who highlighted key stats.

Particularly in the pre-match phase, curiosities and statistics were shared, enriching the spectator experience and engagement. This collaborative approach between Lega, the graphics content provider, and the live speaker led to excellent results, as during the dominance moments, the entire arena reacted in an immersive atmosphere, amplifying the mood of the situation and enhancing both the graphics and the game environment. For home viewers, the match was enriched with 2D graphics, augmented reality elements, and large screens visible in the broadcast footage.

Virtual Graphics

Following its debut in the previous edition of the Final Eight, the decision was made to continue developing and implementing 3D graphics live, created by the Boost Graphics team. Real elements, such as the trophy or player photos, were integrated into the official LBA look & feel, enhancing statistical data through individual player cards, numerical comparisons, and leaderboards for the top three scorers and rebounders.

The selection and placement of these contents were agreed upon with the LBA, both in editorial and graphic terms, in full coordination with the production team, which further enhanced the 3D elements through carefully planned camera movements. EMG / Gravity Media Italy also utilised the Robycam, a highly manoeuvrable cable camera system capable of executing three-dimensional movements in space.

This system enabled the capture of dynamic aerial shots, perfectly integrated with 3D virtual graphics, delivering a visually striking impact throughout the Final Eight matches. Among the most appreciated graphic elements was the 3D model of the trophy, based on the actual cup won by the victorious team. Great attention was also dedicated to the scoreboard and the award ceremony, which celebrated the values of the winning team.

Additionally, the starting five lineup presentation was enhanced with 3D elements, featuring player photos and individual cards with real-time statistical data and detailed information on the key players, constantly updated. During half-time, the statistical collection of shooting percentages was represented using scenic 3D shot maps.

These maps, structured as three-dimensional steps, recreated the court layout, highlighting each team’s shooting efficiency in different zones: the higher the column, the better the shooting percentage from that area. Some of these aesthetic solutions had already been introduced in the previous edition, but this year, they were expanded with player-to-player comparisons, top three scorer and rebounder leaderboards, and an updated graphic layout in line with this edition’s style.

A Step Forward in On-Site Fan Engagement

“This year,” concluded Alessandro Curti, “the focus was particularly on fan engagement, thanks to the introduction of the described LED screens, where we brought statistics to life with visible and functional elements, going beyond the mere spectacle of the game. The real contribution of Boost Graphics lies precisely in this: transforming data into an accessible experience, offering an innovative visualisation of technical content. These are insights often reserved for TV audiences, but now we have made them available inside the arena as well, with highly positive feedback from both LBA and the fans.”

Augmented reality and special filming supports for the Lega Basket Serie A event thanks to EMG Italy

The Frecciarossa Final Eight was held from February 14 to 18, 2024. This event awards the Italian Cup and involves the top eight teams qualified at the end of the first round of the Serie A basketball championship. The winner of the tournament was Generazione Vincente Napoli Basket, which won its third Italian Cup by defeating Olimpia Milano in the final with a score of 77-72.

The event, held once again at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, was a great success with the public, with over 40,000 spectators and a series of side events such as concerts, exhibitions and food tastings that enriched the five days of sport. This confirmed the importance of the event itself both for the city of Turin and for all of Italian basketball.

TV production

The success of the event demonstrated the great passion for basketball in Italy and confirmed Turin’s ability to host major sporting events. EMG Italy, commissioned by LBA for the television production, contributed to underlining the spectacular nature of the entire event. They managed the filming and the generation of the international feed for all the men’s matches, the Final Eight, and also for the women’s teams, the Final Four. The women’s competitions were played on the day when the men’s teams were not playing, Friday, February 16. All the finals, both men’s and women’s, were played on Sunday, February 18.

The production of the event, considered very important by the Lega Basket, required two days of set-up, with all the matches broadcast live on Dazn and on the channels of the Warner Bros. Discovery group (Eurosport and free-to-air Dmax and Nove), the rights holders. EMG Italy, therefore, decided together with LBA to put in place a major production structure with some special filming support, starting with a Robycam, which was used in all the matches and not only in the finals.

Special filming

“This is the first time a Robycam has been used in basketball,” says Anna Pasculli, Sales Manager of EMG Italy. “The cables were stretched in an “X” shape at the four highest corners of the PalaOlimpico. The broadcast-class camera that ran on these cables, in addition to following the game action from this very spectacular, privileged and elevated position, provided overhead shots of the arena packed with fans and several replays. We started from the consideration that the use of aerial cameras allows us to obtain spectacular images and to greatly enrich the viewing experience for the public.
Suspended on a system of trolleys and cables, the camera offers stable and precise shots and can reach otherwise inaccessible shooting points, giving the public a unique perspective of the event and fully restoring the dynamics of the action as a whole.”

There were also other shots that the director, Max Ceriani, proposed with unique perspectives on dunks and three-pointers from above, always underlining the emotions of the players and the public.

“With a proven experience in the use of innovative technologies,” Anna Pasculli continues, “we at EMG Italy were the production hub for this great basketball television show. We brought in technical equipment and a specialized crew, and we generated all the filming and television feeds for all the takers, starting from the international host feed for the Lega Basket Serie A, and also the integrations, or unilateral customizations, created for Warner Bros. Discovery and for Dazn on the occasion of the final.”

Technical setup

The Orion 209 mobile regia worked in Turin, alongside another smaller mobile unit for the customization of Warner Bros. Discovery. The 12 broadcast-class cameras used throughout the event were positioned in such a way as not to miss even a single detail of the game or the reactions of the public: 1 and 2 on the upper stands, as usual, used to follow the long shots and details; 3, 4, and 5 on the sidelines; 10 on the shoulder on the opposite side to cover the benches; 11 and 12 above the backboards, 8 and 9 in radio frequency, of which one was a steady cam and one a gimbal on the sidelines with freedom of movement; 7 on the Robycam, while 6 was on a jimmy jib placed vertically above the basket. For the integration, Dazn set up a position on the sidelines for Diletta Leotta, Dazn’s face and master of ceremony for the final.

A step forward in the television language of basketball

The Final Eight of the Italian Basketball Cup in Turin, therefore, was not only a great sporting event, but also a moment of innovation in the television language applied to basketball. A further strength of this edition was the use of Augmented Reality in the final – and for the first time ever in Italian basketball – applied to the shots from above of the Robycam.

In fact, the players’ cards with their scoring statistics, the team lineups, the scoreboard of the event and the results of the matches were all shown, personalized with the sponsorships.
In addition, a special visualization of the shooting and scoring statistics from different positions on the field was developed, as well as a special 3D model of the Italian Cup.

Screenshot

Augmented Reality, developed by the graphics department of EMG Italy, which curated all the live graphics of the event, has therefore shown all its remarkable expressive possibilities even in basketball. With the right creative development, it is in fact possible to enhance the spectacular nature of the images and capture the attention of the public.
Starting from a style similar to that of gaming, statistical data can be conveyed in an increasingly immersive way, with a style that particularly appeals to the new generations.

The high quality of the television production and the use of Augmented Reality that viewers were able to enjoy from home contributed to making the Final Eight of the Italian Cup a very successful event.

Once again this year the Serie A basketball championship ended with the playoffs between the strongest teams of the season and with the best-of-seven championship final formula. The final clash, between Olimpia Milano and Virtus Bologna, saw the Milan team triumph only in the last match, held at the Assago Forum on 23 June in a very spectacular way, both from a sporting point of view and from a tv filming point of view .

EMG Italy, which has been collaborating with the LBA for broadcast services for about 6 years, in the last season took care of the TV production of the major basketball championship, with particular attention to the filming of the Playoff matches, broadcast free to air on channel Nove, on pay-TV on Eurosport and, in streaming, on the Eleven Sports and Dazn platforms.

Production methods

“For EMG Italy I follow basketball, Serie C, volleyball and youth football and coordinate a series of producers who deal directly with the various championships”, says Paolo Sassano, Sports Production Coordinator of EMG Italy. “I can say that the whole LBA basketball championship this year was exciting and the final was “very tight” and decisive, also because it went all the way to the last match, with a “3 to 3” on game 7, the race that was supposed to award the title”.

This season was managed in a hybrid mode, partly with mobile vehicles on site in the various arenas and partly in remote production for a certain number of matches.

Paolo Sassano says: “This season we have redesigned the basketball production set-up, trying to standardize the final product as much as possible for the user and, in agreement with the LBA, we have chosen to produce two or three games remotely out of the eight played every weekend”.

The EMG Italy Broadcast Center in Cologno Monzese, unique of its kind in terms of reception and distribution capacity, has already had an operational and technical structure for the remote production of many sports for some time and from this year, thanks to new investments, it was also expanded into basketball.

An Instant Replay Center dedicated to the LBA has also been created here, with 8 stations connected to the pitches, which allows the instant replay service to be centralized: upon request, the referees can review dubious game actions from different angles, at reduced speed, frame by frame or zoom.

Regular Season and Finals

EMG Italy has also created the host feed of all matches, eight rounds for thirty rounds in the Regular Season, for a total of 240 matches. To these were added another thirty play-off matches, to reach 270 games this season alone.

For the finals, which were all produced on site, some innovations were introduced to make the game on the pitch even more spectacular. The most important change concerned the refereeing, since for the first time the referees allowed to broadcast their audio commentary of the instant replay analyses.

The audio of these particular moments was recorded by a dedicated sound engineer, equipped with a microphone boom who accompanied the operator with a shoulder camera during the game. In the event of an instant replay call, the sound engineer was therefore able to hear the audio of the two referees on the pitch, their arguments and requests to the instant replay operator.

The same sound engineer-operator pair was also busy capturing the images and audio of the coaches during the time out.

Ten cameras

The camera plan of the finals was particularly accurate, as the EMG director Max Ceriani supervised the positioning, together with LBA, with new proposals based on a higher number of cameras, precisely to improve the spectacularity of the images. The layout was therefore composed of ten cameras: the main one which followed the game with a total from the terraces of the stands above, flanked by camera 2 which covered the details and narrow pitches of the game.

The setup also included three shoulder cameras, one central and two positioned under the basket as well as 2 remote micro-cameras high up on the basket backboards. A 13-metre jimmi-jib positioned behind one of the baskets (based on the available space and escape routes) created new and dynamic shots, following the entire match and creating horizontal and vertical movements.

A reverse camera filmed the benches, close-ups of the referees and close-ups of the VIPs in the opposite grandstand. Finally, a further handheld camera with cinematic optics, mounted on a gimbal support with an RF system was free to move around the court and in the stands to capture filler shots and as many details as possible.

The TV Compound

All television production was entrusted to EMG Italy, whileand Infront, a partner of Lega Basket Serie A, was responsible for distributing the signals abroad by adding a commentary in English created in the production center in via Deruta in Milan.

The main direction of EMG Italy equipped with 4K HDR cameras created, in this case, an HD feed. In addition to the host signal, an integration was also produced for the Warner Bros. Discovery group channels (Eurosport and Nove). The TV compound also included another truck as a support means, a generator set and the integration mobile van for Warner Bros. Discovery. The graphics, created by EMG BOOST Graphics division, provided for a station located on the long side of the field, and developed a new presentation of the starting quintet of the players before the start of the game with the line-up on the field.

“The personnel of these productions”, continues Paolo Sassano, “usually are engaged in the setup from the day before the match. However, we often find ourselves creating a setup that would require eight hours of work less than four, because the arenas are always busy. On average, we usually need at least six hours of setup with a 25-person crew.”

Anna Pasculli Sales Manager of EMG Italy: “It was certainly a year of great success and great changes for basketball TV production, where we introduced several important variations. For the first time in Italy, on a sport other than football, we launched the centralized and remote service with the Instant Replay Center in Cologno Monzese. It is extraordinary, because from a centralized location it is possible to supervise everything that is managed by the on-site referees. Just as the main international broadcasters around the world are exploiting cloud-based remote production every day for high-value content – centralized and in real time – also EMG Italy, thanks to our remote production hub in Cologno, is today a consolidated reality.

We started with the “remi” from the lower standard to then extend it to basketball in standard A and we are confident that we will continue to carry out this project which will allow us to control and manage all the productions from the courts. The idea of the “remote” for EMG Italy is precisely this, to have centralized control and a much greater fluidity of the processes. These are tangible advantages that translate into greater uniformity of productions, greater standardization and therefore a less artisanal and more complete product possible, usable for the passionate television audience.

In this way it is possible to create a “running order” which is respected on all lots: there is a global vision and the customer, being comfortable in the production center, is able to see all the fields and if necessary can make changes, when and where necessary, while we can supervise the product and meet continuity expectations”.

Innovation technology chosen by LBA and Eleven Sports has been realized by EMG Italy

Starting with the return round of Serie A UnipolSai, a fully remoted Instant Replay Center has been launched at the EMG Italy production center in Cologno Monzese, at the service of the basketball teams of LBA and the Italian Referees Committee of FIP.

Remote solution is now possible thanks to important investments on infrastructure made by Eleven Sports and on optic fiber connectivity made by LBA in all sport arenas. Network bandwidth capacity accomplished by Fastweb, sponsor and partner of LBA, has been increased by 5 times, as compared to the previous seasons.

The technology project, developed by EMG, has been appreciated and supported also by Eleven Sports. As exclusive rightsholder, they will use it also for producing and broadcasting LBA championship matches.

Each workstation at the Instant Replay Center is dedicated to one match and has an IR operator connected in remote mode with the field and directly with the referee, when the game actions require it. Real-time communication between the parties will allow the referee to give specific directions to the operator about the choice of images to view and review.

In fact, the system requires that all the cameras recording the match are available on two monitors (the one on the field for the referee and the one in Cologno for the operator) and they play the same images with minimum latency. It will therefore be possible to choose the best points of view from the mosaic: the operator could go full screen, zoom in on the actions, review them at reduced speed or frame by frame. The selected images could also be broadcasted live.

Instant Replay at Cologno Monzese, Milano Foto A.Travaglioli / Ciamillo-Castoria

“After being the first European basketball league to use Instant Replay in all matches starting from the 2014-15 season – says the President of Lega Basket Umberto Gandini – in agreement with the Italian Basket Federation, we continue in the process of technological improvement to guarantee clubs and referees increasingly advanced tools capable of giving certainty and uniformity of decisions to each match”.

“The new system – states the Commissioner of Italian Referees Committee Luigi Lamonica – will facilitate the work of the referees above all by speeding up the decisions about the actions subject to verification. The hope is that this work will continue and, thanks to technology, further possibilities may be developed to facilitate choices made by the referees”.

“We are very happy to collaborate with LBA in this innovative project and to have chosen EMG as technologic partner. This venture is in line with our strategy of growth, as we want to invest in favor of sports and supporters to enjoy what they love” – commented Giovanni Zurleni, CEO of Eleven Sports Italia.

Instant Replay at Cologno Monzese, Foto A.Travaglioli / Ciamillo-Castoria

Francesco Donato, CTO of EMG Italy, explains the project: “The technological solution that we have set up in our production center is one of a kind and the first ever in Italy, both for basketball and for indoor sports. We designed and implemented the IRC as part of a larger remote production project, laying the foundation for extending the project to all Italian sports”.

The choice of remote production, increasingly frequent in Serie A matches, follows a precise choice of LBA, in agreement with Eleven and EMG that produces all matches in the championship. This has the aim of improving the quality of product, facilitating distribution on multiplatform, but also to make a more sustainable choice for the environment: lighter mobile unit on the street and outside sport arenas, less movement of personnel and greater overall energy savings are all points in favor of this new technological solution also in the next future of tv production.