Behind the scenes at TNT Sports' Premier League coverage

Behind the scenes at TNT Sports’ Premier League coverage: Getting out of the studio, Ange Postecoglou’s viral moment…and Peter Crouch interviewing fans in the stands

• Mail Sport was invited to take a peak under the hood of TNT Sport’s coverage of Bournemouth vs Tottenham
• Broadcaster recently took over Premier League rights in the UK and is keen to shake up usual programming
• TNT gave behind-the-scenes access to their extensive operation for the early kick off at the Vitality Stadium
• Would Mohamed Salah ‘do the dirty’ on Liverpool by leaving? And what about Man United ‘diving’?: Listen to It’s All Kicking Off, Mail Sport’s new podcast 

BT Sports’ exit from the UK’s sports broadcasting scene at the end of last season came as some surprise to the general public. 

Though, a lot of viewers have become accustomed to a certain degree of churn in that ‘second’ slot over the years. Sky Sports, the company whose entrance into the market in 1992 helped birth the financial juggernaut that is the Premier League, have long had their grip on the vast majority of league games. 

While various contenders have sought to make hay with their measly solitary fixture every match day. It means the likes of Setanta, ESPN, BT and now TNT, have had to employ various strategies to make an impression. 

Airing the first fixture every weekend certainly helps in this regard, as does owning the broadcasting rights for the Champions League, in the case of the latter two. 

But a peak under the hood, which Mail Sport had the opportunity of doing during last Saturday’s game between Bournemouth and Tottenham, reveals an operation apart from the others. One committed to innovation, comfortable with risk and determined to make each show unique, must-see-TV. 

Peter Crouch’s interview segment, where he was in among the Spurs fans was a roaring success, though not without its risk

TNT Sports gave Mail Sport behind-the-scenes access to their extension operation for the early kick off at the Vitality Stadium

Delivery of the show is dependent on the crew, housed in the companies two TV trucks, and accompanying support vehicles

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The tight surroundings of Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium was in stark contrast to the Emirates and Etihad, which had served as the proving ground for TNT’s first two attempts at Premier League coverage. 

In truth, to call their efforts an attempt does the legion of crew and support staff, most of whom worked under its previous guise, a massive disservice. 

A lot of the background faces may be familiar but the vision is very different. 

Take for example the campus in which the Vitality sits. An area that can be traversed in little over 10 minutes and results in a much more intimate feel as the match day public begin to assemble. 

‘We want to try and give people an idea of what [the stadium] looks like to try and show what people at home wouldn’t see.’ says Sam Trusty, executive producer. ‘And we’re not that worried about it looking untidy.’

Saturday’s broadcast included a quasi guided tour by presenter Jules Breach, who made her way through the gathering punters and then into the stadium itself before leading onto the next segment.  

‘The studio environment gives you that polished feel,’ Trusty continues. ‘You can monitor sound properly, you’re not going to get anyone running through your shot. 

‘And it’s traditionally how we did made TV, but now the demand is to be pitch side, to be live and to be closer. Everyone’s doing it, we just want to do it better and bigger.’ 

Executive producer Sam Trusty leads the team as they bring together the elements required for their over four hour broadcast

The two main TV trucks (right) act as the main hub of operations with teams ensuring the show goes of without a hitch

Long before kick-off at 12:30pm or the first of its Saturday shows at 11am, the crew are making sure everything is in place 

Command centre, located in one of the two main trucks, refines precise details in the minute-by-minute running order

Delivery of that product into the homes of the millions who tune into the show is dependent on the crew, housed in the company’s two TV trucks and accompanying support vehicles. 

Long before kick-off at 12:30pm or the first of its Saturday shows at 11am, the teams are on site on the south coast testing, rehearsing, figuring out what will – and won’t – go as was previously planned. 

Command centre, located in one of the two main trucks, refines already precise details in the minute-by-minute running order. While the on-screen team get camera ready in the Winnebago. 

Saturday’s quartet featured lead presenter Lynsey Hipgrave, Breach, Peter Crouch and Joe Cole. The two ex-pros played their part in both shows airing that morning. The first, led by Breach, getting underway 90 minutes before match referee Tim Robinson blew his whistle to begin proceedings, is appropriately named  ‘Early Kick-Off’. 

That is followed by the match coverage itself and the Hipgrave-conducted ensemble with contributions from new Bournemouth signing Tyler Adams, Spurs head coach Ange Postecolgou and a slew of other faces. 

‘The funny thing is that the stuff that I do you almost can’t even rehearse it,’ Breach says. ‘We’re at the mercy of when a player gets brought over or when something is supposed to happen but it doesn’t necessarily happen at that time. 

‘You know what’s going to go in the half hour, but no idea what order it’s going to go.’

‘You need to be able to react to what’s going on around you,’ Hipgrave adds. ‘You have the best plans but you don’t know when people are going to turn up. It’s just about being flexible.’

Jules Breach hosts ‘Early Kick-Off’ which airs from 11am and seeks to give viewers access to unseen parts of a ground

Crews are back in the TV trucks monitoring the transmission, preparing the following segments and addressing any issues

TNT sports are keen to bring viewers closer to the action by conducting interviews in and around the ground and main elements pitch side

Lead presenter Lynsey Hipgrave takes the reins from 11:30am as the show morphs into its match coverage ahead of a 12:30pm kick-off

The team got hold of Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou as his side completed their pre-match preparations for the game 

With kick-off approaching, the teams warming up and interviews in the bag, the format becomes rather formulaic. After all, no matter the bells and whistles, the football is what all have come to see. 

But there is one more trick up their sleeve. In keeping with their commitment to risk taking and fan engagement, TNT had planned for Crouch to conduct a half-time interview with supporters in the Spurs end.  

Not only would the fans need to be vetted and the former England international slotted into position without much fuss, the stunt would only be possible if the result was going right for the away side; such is the nature of negotiations with Premier League clubs. 

James Maddison’s 17th-minute opener sent those involved in capturing the segment to their mark. As Trusty explained earlier, coming up with the idea is one thing. Planning a set up that allows you to actually capture the ‘chaotic’ moment is another entirely. 

‘If we can’t actually record it or do it live then it’s not as [useful]’, he notes. ‘It’s that prep, not just the running order but bringing in your production manager to say “I want to deliver this, how can I do it?”

‘It’s two or three weeks out the planning for one of these shows, if not more in terms of trying to get it off the ground.’ 

Late Bournemouth chances at the end of the first period threatened to scupper the segment, but when Robinson called time on the first period and the broadcast cut to a commercial break, all actors assumed their positions. 

James Maddison’s goal gave Tottenham a first-half lead against Bournemouth and meant plans for the break could go ahead

Crouch (right) appeared in the away end and conducted a couple of interviews in an exciting segment which looked impromptu but had been planned to a tee

The flurry of activity in the away end was unmissable as Crouch excited the already jubilant Spurs fans with his ‘surprise’ appearance. It was the perfect example of the type of show TNT are keen to produce. 

Raw. Unpredictable. The former frontman’s struggles to escape the host of supporters clamouring for a selfie showed the jeopardy, but – mitigated by thorough planning – the product is worth the risk. 

Postecolgou’s side eventually ran out 2-0 winners against their hosts to continue their impressive unbeaten start to the year. Dejan Kulusevski’s first goal of the campaign sealed a great day all round for the north Londoners, who moved into the top three in the season’s early knockings. 

Reward for the winning boss was to make his second appearance of the afternoon in front of the TNT cameras, this time in the studio after inclement weather had put pay to plans of hosting the post-match show on the turf. 

‘That Ange interaction we had at the end was actually lovely in the studio and worked really nicely,’ adds Trusty following the Australian’s viral moment. 

‘Introduce yourself first mate’, Postecolgou had joked after a member of the production crew got hands-on while fitting his microphone for the interview. 

Trusty concludes: ‘The driving force is to make it as live and as real and as relatable to the fans as possible. Their match day experience should be similar to what we’re doing. 

‘Obviously we’re not always going to be able to nail it, but I’d always encourage the producers and the production team to push rather than aim for safe mediocre TV.’ 

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.

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