Case Study
RPS and Intersport in partnership to elevate APP events
SECTION 1
Introduction
Intersport, a sports media and production company based in Chicago, has a long-standing reputation for producing top-quality sports broadcasts for a wide range of sports.
Their latest project with the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) marks an exciting new chapter in the partnership. Based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the APP is dedicated to growing the sport of pickleball, which is rapidly gaining popularity. With nearly 50 million adult Americans playing pickleball at least once, the APP aims to bring the sport to a broader audience through innovative and engaging broadcasts.
Section 2
The Challenge
The APP鈥檚 season-long series of events, featuring nearly a thousand players competing in venues like Highland Park, Chicago, demands top-tier production quality and flexibility.
Their events air on linear broadcast networks and stream extensively on YouTube to cater to a growing fan base eager to watch pro pickleball anytime, anywhere.
The challenge was maintaining high production standards and creating a broadcast that connected with the passion of amateur pickleball players while maximizing value for sponsors. To achieve this, Intersport needed a reliable and innovative production partner.
Another big challenge for APP was the time and expense of painting sponsor logos on every court and every competition. The courts couldn鈥檛 be used while they were doing that, and with an ever-changing roster of sponsors, APP was looking for a way to maximize the value they could bring them.
The challenge was finding a vendor that fit our needs, provided the level of production quality that we needed for our events, and that fit within our budget but still kept us at the quality level we needed.
Patrick Gulotta
SVP Technical Operations, Intersport
Section 3
The Solution
As an existing Ross Production Services (RPS) partner since 2016, Intersport knew they had the right partner to tackle this challenge.
RPS brought a full suite of production services to the APP project, including virtual advertising solutions, advanced instant replay systems, and tools for creating dynamic, engaging graphics. Reliable replay technology was especially crucial, and the Ross team worked closely with Intersport to build the system the APP uses now
Ross Production Services also collaborated with Intersport and APP to implement a virtual advertisement graphics solution using the PIERO graphics system. The system can be calibrated to a new court in under two minutes, and pre-agreed graphics templates with sponsor logos can be rearranged and rotated during live broadcasts without interrupting the feed.
I don鈥檛 try to find just vendors. I want to build a relationship, and that鈥檚 been Ross for us. So it was a pretty easy choice to come to Ross. We needed a partner that can not only provide us with high-class production but can also be flexible to meet our needs as they change from event to event.
John Paquet
Executive Producer, Intersport
Section 4
The Impact
The collaboration between Intersport, the APP, and Ross Production Services has elevated the broadcast quality of APP events enhancing viewer engagement and increasing sponsorship opportunities, helping to lay the foundation for continued growth and innovation as the sport expands to wider international audiences.
By reducing the need for physical advertising and allowing for rapid changes in sponsorship messaging, RPS鈥檚 virtual signage solution with PIERO has provided the APP with a scalable, cost-effective solution that helps them deliver the most value to their sponsors.
鈥淭he relationship with Intersport and Ross is one of trust and respect. And it鈥檚 one where I know that as we expand our production, whether in size or scope, Ross will be up to the task to help us get there.鈥� — Hank Greening, Broadcast Producer, APP
PIERO plays an incredibly important part in our ability to maximize value for our sponsors and being able to use all the space available to us on the TV screen. It allows us to introduce new technology into pickleball and give our sponsors much-enhanced brand visibility on prime court real estate with sharp, highly visible logos. It鈥檚 a win for them, a win for the APP, and a win for pickleball overall. We couldn鈥檛 have done that without our partnership with Ross and PIERO.
Tom Webb
Chief Marketing Officer, APP
