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Mike Davies charts Fox Sports’ production & broadcast future!
Mumbai: The Sports Video Group, admirably known as “SVG”, was formed in 2006 to support the professional community that relies on video, audio, and broadband technologies to produce and distribute sports content. Formed in the U.S, the organisation has expanded to include a European division and also has hosted events in Australia, Japan, and Singapore.
Their aim is to advance the creation, production, and distribution of sports content along with providing knowledge for the growing community of sports video professionals working for broadcast and broadband organisations, schools and leagues, followed by facilitating a dialogue with manufacturers, suppliers and technology developers that improves the quality and profitability of sports programming.
Star Sports hosted the SVG Summit in Mumbai, marking the first time this event was held in India. The event brought together top-level executives from the TV sports production community for a day of networking, tours, panel discussions, technical presentations etc.
Indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of the event, caught up with Fox Sports, EVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG U.S., Mike Davies. During this interview, Davies shared some valuable insights ranging from collaborative efforts between the US and Indian ecosystems to the exciting future of production and broadcast.
Edited excerpts
On collaborations between the US and India ecosystems playing a role in Fox Sports’ production strategies
There are a lot of passionate people in India. In fact with Star and Fox, we used to be the same company and would have formal gatherings to collaborate. We would obviously learn a lot from each other. There’s a lot of similarities between cricket and baseball, also a lot of similarities between the studio shows we do. Its really about seeing what has worked, and what hasn’t worked at each other’s network. It’s just about collaboration and sharing. It doesn’t happen without the people like Sanjog and PK, and some of the people on my team. The bottom line is we just get along.
On balancing traditional broadcasting methods with emerging digital platforms as consumers are switching their preferences from cable TV to OTT services
Well I think the emerging services can help to support linear and cable offerings in a couple ways. They certainly are more dimensional than it can be donated to a given program or sport, athlete etc. But in terms of live sports on digital, it does allow us to go that much deeper. In the United States, we got college sports like field hockey, softball and different things. Hopefully, those types of sports will become sports that you can watch on linear television in the future.
On some of the biggest challenges you face in maintaining high-quality production standards across diverse sporting events
The challenges are basically balancing cost to quality. In general, technology is supplied and hence good methods have been able to achieve them. For instance, we talked a lot about remote productions, cloud productions etc. Applying these technological tools can solve doing programs that commensurate with the audience for which they apply. For instance, a small college basketball game doesn’t get the same production budget as a major league game does. But you’re still able to make it look good and you don’t have things that look great on your network, things that look garbage. They may not have as many cameras that look good because of this kind of technology.
On data analytics and AI impacting the sports broadcasting, particularly at Fox Sports
If you talk about what goes on the screen, we at Fox Sports certainly get into the sports analytics, but not at the expense of telling actual stories or drama of what’s going on. We like visuals. We use analytics to form visuals that can help our audience to extract more data points out of the story, but not at the expense of becoming too techie or too statistically oriented. Now that’s not true for everybody, that’s just our take.
On trends that would shape the future of production and broadcast media
Well Sanjog said a lot about it during the event and I think this is why we are so aligned. You got several trends in quality meaning high dynamic range in 4k which is a big one. Trends in personalisation, and customisation is that adds something that we could achieve to bring individual fans closer to our sports and being able to constantly evolve to meet the needs of our audience, because if you look at a game, say for example an American football game this season and then you look at one five years ago or ten years ago, you will see all the changes whether be in presentations, graphics etc. Also I think that our audience, especially our younger ones, hopefully can tolerate a little bit of information on screens, a few more quicker cuts or maybe multiple windows replaced on more screens etc, and those were some things which we never even can think about in the last five to ten years.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
