[SatNews] ESPN has selected Grass Valley® production technologies to equip its new HD Digital Center 2 broadcast facility in Bristol, Connecticut, which is expected to be complete in spring 2014.

The deal builds upon the longstanding relationship between ESPN and Grass Valley that spans three decades while strengthening Grass Valley’s position as a leader in the sports production market. Grass Valley is supplying ESPN with three Ignite® Automated Production Systems and three Kayenne® Video Production Centers with K2 Summit® 3G servers for Digital Center 2. Additionally, 40 LDX WorldCam™ camera systems will replace the current LDK models in ESPN’s existing Digital Center 1 facility. A fourth Ignite system was also purchased for ESPN’s new SEC (Southeastern Conference) Network, a 24/7 sports network that will launch in August 2014 in Charlotte, NC.

The new Grass Valley solutions will give ESPN the ability to produce high-quality live sports broadcasts as well as air a variety of sports highlight, talk, and documentary-styled shows. The new 193,000-square-foot ESPN Digital Center 2 will supply programming for ESPN’s HD channel, which is available to direct broadcast satellite and cable TV systems throughout the United States. Digital Center 2 will include six control rooms and four studios — one of which will serve as the new home for SportsCenter, ESPN’s flagship and popular daily sports news television show.