NBC Debuts Golf 'Cable Cam'

TV viewers will get a birdie's-eye view of the famed island 17th green at Sawgrass thanks to a new "cable cam" being employed by NBC and ESPN, which are sharing coverage of The Players Championship March 24-27.

Tom Roy, NBC Sports' executive producer and golf producer, is producing the coverage for both NBC and ESPN.

ESPN has the frist two rounds, NBC the final two. Both will use a camera tracking along a cable in a designated out-of-play area to give viewers a better view of the knee-knocking tee shot to the par three hole surrounded by water.

NBC has used the cam at the Breeders Cup horse race, but this is a first for its golf coverage.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.