Infront wears many hats as the Official Advisor of Lega Basket (LBA).From the management of international media rights, sponsorship and event organization to supporting communication projects and the creation of all TV and digital content created for the Lega Basket channels. The scope is vast but continues to be capably managed by the team.
Infront Productions, Infront’s production unit dedicated to live production, post-production, live commentary and a full array of technical services, forms a large part of the services provided to LBA. These are split into three areas: "First Wave" and "Second Wave" – which both deal with the action from the court – as well as the creation of original content. On top of this, thanks to its content archive and indexing system, it also offers immediate and simple use of content from past seasons in a safe and immediate manner.
First Wave – One hour after the final whistle
The "First Wave" covers everything that is produced in the hours immediately following each event. By adopting a hybrid approach, which combines manual work and videos generated through automation, Infront Productions is able to distribute a huge range of content for broadcast, clubs, LBA social media and strategic partners within an hour of the end of each match. This includes highlights, short summaries, performances of the best players, short videos of the best action, dynamic infographics and graphics dedicated to sponsors and clubs, in conventional, vertical and square formats.
Furthermore, streaming and full recordings of the matches are also distributed in the formats requested by Lega Basket's partners.
Second Wave – The morning after the night before
The "Second Wave" comes the day after the game. At Infront Productions’ in-house technical facilities, expert editors use the images produced to create different pieces of content. This could cover videos like MVP, Best Italy, Top10 and promos for the following week. The type of content is designed to keep attention on the Italian championship throughout the week; a period where many rights holders have trouble maintaining eyeballs. Each week Infront Productions also designs and produces promotional videos for sponsors, fantasy basketball, event launches and communications of various kinds.
After 48 hours, when live rights become archive rights, matches are available to eligible holders in our digital archive, enabling vertical and specific searches to meet their most detailed needs.
Original Content – Beyond the court
Finally, the production of original content aims to broaden the fan base. Infront Productions designs, shoots, edits and distributes formats that find the right balance to attract both enthusiasts and the curious. This year, a great success was the "Basketball & Conversations" format, in which Andrea Trinchieri, coach of European fame and currently coach of Zalgiris Kaunas in the Euroleague, met and talked with some of his Italian colleagues.
Archive – Media Asset Management
During the 2023/24 season, over 300 Serie A, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa and NextGen matches were archived and uploaded to Infront Prodcutions’ Media Asset Management system. All content (full match, highlights and additional content) were indexed to allow a quick and timely search for all requirements. The system, with over 140,000 seasonal clips, 5,000 archived matches and 250 Terabytes of space, represents a precious resource to guarantee the security of the material and its immediate use for the benefit of the League, Club, broadcasters and all rights holders.
Live streaming
Last but not least, Infront Productions managed the live streaming in the dark markets on the LBA YouTube channel for all PlayOff matches.
As content remains vital in the battle for attention, having a fully holistic approach which provides enough for fans to gorge on between games is crucial for rights holders.
Photo Credits: LBA/Ciamillo&Castoria
