The NBA franchise on the value of reaching fans quickly

LA Clippers NBA basketball Atomos

NBA franchise the LA Clippers has installed a new workflow to get content to fans more quickly, capitalising on memorable moments to make an impact on social media.

Atomos LA Clippers basketball

Speaking to Broadcast Sport, Clippers head of content Tommy Zweibel said, “We are constantly trying to keep up with the athletes and grabbing those memorable shots, so we must move quickly and share these moments with fans.” This includes a variety of content for social channels including highlights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage.

In order to do this, the team uses Sony FX and FS camcorders to capture content at the stadium, which is then sent through the Atomos Ninja Ultra monitor-recorder’s 4K H.265 upload facility and AtomOS 11 to Frame.io in the cloud to be edited even as it is being captured. Zweibel said, “Our editors who are working on a variety of software applications have instant access, and once edited, content gets uploaded to social for our fans to have real-time Clipper updates.”

LA Clippers basketball editing

The Ninja Ultra also provides frame guides for social media, further accelerating the process. Zweibel added, “We no longer wait for camera cards to download – the footage is ready to go into editing after each take, helping us work in tandem,” and mentioned the importance of 4K, “With 4K our editors can punch in and crop the part of the image they want to use for different social media platform.”

This workflow has become a key part of the basketball team’s marketing strategy, allowing it to provide fans with content on demand. Zweibel summed up, “Whether we’re instantly populating our social feeds, or producing a team story, this way of working has enriched our creative output, not to mention our productivity.”