NBA Entertainment took innovation to a new level for seven recent WNBA playoff games, relying on a combination of a Newtek Tricaster and video feeds from cameras used for the in-arena scoreboard to cost-effectively deliver live game coverage to the Internet. “We’re happy with the results and see where we have some great opportunities to try new things,” says Tim Kane, senior director, broadcasting and international production, for NBA Entertainment.

The Big Ten Network is getting serious about its digital store, which offers access to live streaming of games and on-demand content. The network struck a deal with thePlatform, a provider of white-label video-management services for CBS College Sports, Mobile ESPN, PBS, BBC Worldwide, AP, Travel Channel, and other companies.

Filmwerks International has been providing generator support for ESPN College GameDay for more than a decade, but this year, the company is getting creative. Its latest twin pack, a redundant generator system featuring tier-3 engines and remote telemetry, made its GameDay debut this month, but it is the way Filmwerks is able to pack its truck that makes its offering unique.

Promotion to the top flight of English football brings a lot of money and attention to a club, but there is also the responsibility to match the bigger teams in terms of its stadium and technical facilities. Burnley FC, a newcomer to the Premier League this season, got off to a good start by beating the current champion, Manchester United, a feat partly attributed to the use of new PA system to rally the fans behind the players.

In the (sort of) post–white-spaces era, wireless remains a growth area, and there’s plenty of innovation in the body-pack market. Here is a look at currently available options.

Cowboys Stadium is Super Bowl-ready from television’s point of view. Such detail and effort have gone into making the stadium a giant television studio that Fox could walk into today and produce a Super Bowl. That’s the verdict of Jerry Steinberg, Fox Sports’ SVP of field and technical operations and the network’s point man on preparing for Super Bowl broadcasts. Fox will be the home of Super Bowl XLV from Cowboys Stadium in 2011. Of course, Steinberg may be biased: Fox was charged by the NFL with overseeing the preparations that went into making Cowboys Stadium broadcast-ready. That’s business as usual. Fox, the network of the NFC, prepares new stadiums in NFC markets, while CBS, the network of the AFC, does similar duty for AFC teams…

Harris Corporation has named Michael Arthur to the newly-created position of business development leader, sports and entertainment, for its broadcast communications business. An 18-year veteran of the sports marketing field, Arthur will be responsible for creating unique marketing strategies, identifying prospective clients, managing key customer relationships and growing Harris business in the thriving stadium and arena market.

SAS, one of the largest software companies in the world, has deployed a Utah Scientific UTAH-400 digital routing switcher and SC-4 control software to support the HD upgrade and eventual expansion of its extensive in-house video and live production facility. The new UTAH-400 (V-288 frame loaded 128×128), installed this summer, joins two legacy Utah Scientific routers, one of them 20 years old, that are still in service.

Snell has appointed Paul Gullett as the company’s global sales director, a role in which he will lead continued strategic growth of the company’s sales activities and develop valuable new global capabilities in key account management, partnership management, and solution selling. Gullett’s noteworthy experience within the industry includes management and leadership roles in expanding the global reach of high-profile corporations and increasing adoption of their technologies and solutions.

The Fujian Broadcasting and Television Center ordered a comprehensive Performer Digital Partyline installation from Riedel Communications. The project is handled by Riedel’s Chinese partner Rightway Audio Consultants Ltd and combines Riedel Performer digital partyline equipment and Riedel Acrobat wireless intercom technology.

Crawford Communications’ Satellite Services division now has full-time fiber connectivity to and from Pacific Television Center (Pac TV) in Los Angeles for television network distribution. The OC-3 connection is now available via the Crawford Connect fiber network and joins Pac TV’s existing Points of Presences (PoPs) in Auckland, New Zealand; London, England; Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; Paris, France; Sydney, Australia; Toronto, ON, Canada; and Washington, DC.

Gepco will feature its complete line of fiber cable assemblies at AES 2009, October 9-12. Gepco’s new and expanded fiber optic cable assembly offerings include the Neutrik OpticalCon, Amphenol TAC-4 and TAC-12, Lemo SMTPE 304M hybrid fiber camera cables, ST/SC/LC multi-mode or single-mode snakes, indoor permanent installation cables, as well as tactical and portable-use cables.

Calrec Audio is using the 2009 AES Convention Oct. 9-12 in New York to debut its Artemis audio console in the United States and showcase its Apollo audio console.

Harris received TV Technology Europe magazine’s STAR (Superior Technology Award Recipient) Award at IBC2009 for its X50 frame synchronizer/converter and Broadcast Engineering magazine’s Pick Hit award for its Predator II-GX HD-control and monitoring solution.

Vernon Smith joined EchoStar Satellite Services as senior vice president of business development and head of VIP-TV. The 20-year satellite-industry veteran will be responsible for developing new business opportunities in broadband and expanding EchoStar’s Internet-protocol-TV segment.

To enable a seamless digital workflow, MLB Network has deployed Front Porch Digital’s DIVArchive system. Launched to 50 million households on Jan. 1, 2009, MLB Network adds more than 50 TB of irreplaceable content to its DIVArchive managed system every week during the baseball season, for a total of more than 30,000 hours amassed during the first eight months of the year.

Aspera has announced the immediate availability of the new Aspera Enterprise Server, Connect Server, Point-to-Point, and Client version 2.5 for Mac and Windows platforms. The next generation of Aspera’s desktop transfer suite features a newly-designed graphical user interface, advanced transfer automation and new server management capabilities.

Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and The Comcast Network took home 13 statues from the Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards ceremony this past Saturday, with CSN Philadelphia’s SportsNite winning an Emmy in nine of the past 10 years.

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” was the No. 1 broadcast on Sunday night for the third consecutive week and, for the first time this season, aired against tough competition from season premieres on three networks. “SNF” won the night opposite season premieres of ABC’s Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters, CBS’s Amazing Race and Fox’s Simpsons and Family Guy.

NBA Digital and ESPN inked a unique multi-year agreement that will make ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball, the official commissioner-style fantasy basketball game for both ESPN.com and NBA.com. The collaboration between NBA Digital and ESPN means that fantasy sports players on two of the leading NBA destinations online will now have a single, integrated game and access to the very best fantasy basketball content online and on mobile devices. The companies will also develop cross-platform promotions through a multitude of ESPN and NBA Digital platforms.

Bobby Valentine is returning to the United States and returning to ESPN as an analyst on Baseball Tonight.

Comcast will provide a national “free-view” of NFL Network spinoff channel NFL RedZone to all of its digital-cable subscribers Sunday from 1 p.m.-4:15 p.m. ET, for the National Football League contests scheduled for 1 p.m.

The National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins will honor late longtime play-by-play voice Fred Cusick by renaming the home TV-broadcast booth at the TD Garden the Fred Cusick Broadcast Booth, Chad Finn of The Boston Globe reports.

The only good thing about Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers failing to clinch the National League West in two tries against the woeful Pittsburgh Pirates is that longtime announcer Vin Scully will now be behind the microphone when they finally do wrap up the division, T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times writes.

Time Warner Cable’s systems in the New York metropolitan area rolled out Outdoor Channel HD as part of the carriage agreement between the cable operator and network parent Outdoor Holdings, Multichannel News reported.

Showtime will debut documentary Bud Greenspan Presents: Beijing 2008—America’s Olympic Glory Oct. 19 at 7 p.m., reports Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News.

Sportsman Channel is aiming for the century mark, as the network says it will air more than 100 series targeted toward its audience of hunting, shooting, and fishing fans, Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News reports.

With four New York-area professional sports teams playing at the exact same time Sunday, the National Football League’s New York Jets reigned supreme in the ratings war, topping the NFL’s New York Giants and Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and Mets, Richard Sandomir of The New York Times reports.

ESPN borrowed a page from fellow cable network HBO’s book, and the sports network hopes its 30 for 30 documentaries match up with the award-winning productions of the premium cable network, writes Richard Sandomir of The New York Times.

It’s official: President Barack Obama will be the lead spokesman for Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games when the delegation representing the city presents to the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen, Denmark, Friday, Vicki Michaelis of USA Today reports.

ESPN reached an agreement with Cox Communications for the cable operator to carry its ESPN360.com broadband sports network, John Ourand of SportsBusiness Journal reports.

Comcast is expected to enter the arena of National Basketball Association live-game streaming with the Philadelphia 76ers this season, and FSN may follow suit in other NBA markets, report John Ourand and John Lombardo of SportsBusiness Journal.

The Rev. Al Sharpton will enter the World Wrestling Entertainment ring as guest host for WWE Monday Night Raw, and Phil Mushnick of the New York Post is flabbergasted at the latest coup for the controversial wrestling organization.

The team pushing Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will take its final shot at impressing the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen, Denmark, Friday, and the effort will include an emotional speech from first lady Michelle Obama and, perhaps, an appearance by her husband, report Kathy Bergen, Phillip Hersh, and Katherine Skiba of the Chicago Tribune.

"Hockey Night in Canada" loudmouth Don Cherry will be among the celebrity judges assessing the axel jumps and death spirals that former figure skaters and NHL players plan to unleash on the reality series, "Battle of the Blades," says "Blades" co-host Ron MacLean.

Ten members of the New York Rangers will present the Top Ten List on the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Wednesday, Sept. 30 (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The 2009-2010 National Hockey League regular season kicks off Thursday, Oct. 1, with the Rangers playing their first game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, Oct. 2.