NMT acquires ABC Sports mobile production facilities

National Mobile Television (NMT, Seattle) has purchased the mobile production units of ABC Sports for an undisclosed amount. In addition ABC will contract exclusively with NMT to provide facilities for all domestic ABC Sports production for the next four years.

Equipment is currently being transferred to NMT; the first broadcast under this arrangement will be the FedEx St. Jude Classic, a PGA tournament in Memphis, TN on June 24. NMT will use the facilities to provide on-site production for "Monday Night Football," the AFC Hall of Fame Game, and the 2003 Super Bowl. College football, the Indy 500 and other numerous domestic sporting events are also on the docket over the next four years.

NMTY is purchasing from ABC three large "expando" mobile units, along with seven support units, 12 tractors, and the inventory of the ABC Field Shop in Lodi, NJ. One of the expando units is the digitally equipped unit that ABC used for HDTV production of last season's "Monday Night Football." Panasonic recently sold its mobile production truck to The Ackerley Group of Seattle (see Ackerley Group Purchases Panasonic HDTV Truck). NMT plans to upgrade the other two expando units, adding new switchers, routers and terminal gear, and reconfiguring the control rooms.

To handle the ABC work, NMT has created a new division based in New Jersey, headed by Chris DeLauro, VP of NMT's ABC Operations. DeLauro was most recently director of production planning for ABC Sports.

"This contract is the largest ever for NMT," says Steve Clifford, NMT chairman and CEO. "It reinforces our position as the world's largest provider of mobile TV production services."

Edited by Tom Butts