Tag: Byu football

_{By Mike Romero}

BYUtv Sports made a name for itself during the independence era of Brigham Young University Athletics. As a college sports team unaffiliated with a major conference, the school had to build out the resources and connections that would allow their games to reach BYU fans all over the world. One of the ways they did that was by investing heavily in the sports production arm of BYU Broadcasting. And boy has it paid off.

Recently, the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences nominated BYUtv Sports for 2 Emmys. These regional awards recognize the best television broadcasts in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Southeastern California.

BYU Broadcasting was nominated for Best Live Sporting Event / Game (Single Game or Series). The team members nominated include producer Harrison Collier, director Michael Hunter, play-by-play announcer Spencer Linton, and analyst McKell Merkley. The group was nominated for their broadcast of the Best of Utah Gymnastics Meet. Gymnastics meets are notoriously difficult to cover because of both the variety and the sheer number of sub-events all happening simultaneously. Other organizations nominated include The Utah Jazz and Pac-12 Networks.

BYU Broadcasting was also nominated for Best Live News Producer / Sports Producer. The nominee? BYUtv Sports producer Harrison Collier – his second nomination of 2023.

“I am grateful for the incredible talent I get to work with day in and day out at BYUtv,” says Collier. “Their commitment to telling the stories of the student athletes that we cover is second to none. Not many broadcast companies will do a four team gymnastics meet live. I’m grateful that we are being recognized for taking such risks.” In addition to his two nominations this year, he was a 2022 Emmy-nominee for Best Live Sporting Event. Collier is also a 4-time SVG award winner for live event production.

For BYUtv and BYU Athletics, the independence era began in 2011 and ended in 2022 (notably with a bowl victory over SMU in the New Mexico Bowl during the football season). During that time, BYU played in front of millions on national television. They took on the likes of Baylor, Oregon, Notre Dame, Arkansas, and more.

Independence was a huge win for the university. It put BYU in the national spotlight and was also a resounding financial success, according to publicly available earnings and expense data from the US Department of Education.

By setting the highest standards for their sports broadcasts, BYUtv Sports was able to land a deal with ESPN in 2011. ESPN became the official broadcaster for most BYU Football games. As part of that deal, one home game per season would air live on BYUtv along with reruns of home games that were broadcast on ESPN’s networks. That coverage also included the BYUtv Sports-produced pre-game and post-game shows like Countdown to Kickoff. BYUtv Sports and ESPN have a close working relationship to this day, even after joining the Big 12 Conference.

BYU Broadcasting’s reputation for quality extended well beyond football and basketball. BYUtv Sports consistently broadcasts sporting events for baseball, gymnastics, soccer, softball, and volleyball. In addition to this year’s nominations, their efforts have led to several regional Emmy nominations in preceding years.

Winners for this year will be announced at a black tie event on Saturday, November 4th 2023 at the Chateau Luxe in Phoenix, Arizona. Make sure to follow BYUtv Sports on Instagram. You can watch the broadcast of the 46th Annual Rocky Mountain Regional Emmys Nominations below.