NBC Sports Delivers Cine-Quality Camera-to-Cloud with Teradek and AT&T at the Kentucky Derby

For years, NBC Sports has pushed the boundaries of live production by introducing cinematic-style visuals to broadcast television. But achieving that elevated look comes with a tradeoff: larger video files that strain traditional workflows and limit the speed of editorial teams. The problem becomes especially pressing in massive venues like Churchill Downs, where more than 145,000 spectators connect to public cellular networks, leaving little bandwidth for mission-critical camera-to-cloud transfers.

Under typical conditions, NBC relied on proxy uploads in the 10–16 Mbps range. While sufficient for lower-resolution workflows, these speeds fell short of the cinematic-grade quality demanded by today’s audiences. For the Kentucky Derby, NBC set a new benchmark—tripling its standard upload target to a 40 Mbps HEVC stream. This higher bitrate would allow remote editors in Stamford, Connecticut to access near real-time, 4K-quality footage captured in Louisville, Kentucky. The challenge was clear: deliver massive files with speed and stability in one of the most congested network environments in sports broadcasting.

To achieve this, NBC turned to a joint solution from Teradek and AT&T. By combining Teradek’s advanced bonded encoding technology with AT&T’s private 5G network, the production team bypassed the limitations of public LTE/5G and secured a dedicated high-throughput pipeline. The result: mezzanine-quality files moved seamlessly to a global video management system (VMS) cloud infrastructure, ensuring editors had immediate access to content—even with a stadium full of competing devices.

To overcome the network congestion at Churchill Downs, NBC Sports deployed AT&T’s Global Video Solutions (GVS) Private 5G Network—a purpose-built system designed specifically for video contribution. Unlike public cellular networks, which buckle under the demand of more than 145,000 connected devices, this lightweight private 5G node created a dedicated, interference-free uplink exclusively for NBC’s production team.

At the camera level, Teradek’s Prism Mobile served as the encoding backbone, efficiently bonding multiple connections to deliver high-bitrate streams from RED’s cine-broadcast cameras. Instead of relying on traditional handoffs and transfers, the footage was securely pushed directly into an Amazon S3 cloud bucket.

This streamlined pipeline gave NBC Sports Group’s remote editors in Stamford, Connecticut near-instant access to the material. Within moments of capture, production staff could begin building highlights, replays, and graphics packages—creating a workflow that felt as seamless as in-studio editing, but with the flexibility and scalability of the cloud.

The success of NBC Sports’ camera-to-cloud workflow at the Kentucky Derby came down to a tightly integrated set of tools and technologies, each designed to eliminate bottlenecks and maximize editorial speed:

• RED Cine-Broadcast Cameras – Delivered cinematic-quality visuals directly from the track.

• Teradek Prism Mobile – Acted as the encoding powerhouse, transmitting high-bitrate video without compromising reliability.

• AT&T Global Video Solutions (GVS) Private 5G Network – Provided a dedicated uplink path, immune to the congestion of public networks overloaded by 145,000 spectators.

• Amazon S3 Cloud Storage – Served as NBC’s secure media hub, enabling editors across the country to access footage within moments of capture.

With this workflow in place, NBC’s production team could turn RED camera footage into polished deliverables in record time. From high-impact social media content to broadcast interstitials and commercial bumpers, editors worked almost in real time—ensuring viewers experienced the Derby with unprecedented immediacy and cinematic clarity.

The Kentucky Derby pilot proved that broadcast-ready, camera-to-cloud workflows over private 5G are no longer a future concept—they’re a real, scalable solution for live sports production.

• High-Bitrate Success – NBC Sports achieved consistent 40 Mbps mezzanine-quality streams, transmitting directly from RED cameras to the cloud without bottlenecks.

• Near Real-Time Editing – Remote editors accessed and cut cinematic-grade footage almost instantly, working directly from cloud-based storage.

• Scalable Workflow Model – The deployment established a new standard for remote post-production, one that can easily be adapted to other large-scale live events where speed, reliability, and visual impact are critical.

By combining Teradek’s bonded encoding technology with AT&T’s private 5G network, NBC Sports not only elevated its Derby coverage but also set a precedent for how live broadcasting can evolve—streamlined, cloud-first, and ready for global scale.

The 2025 Kentucky Derby showcased more than world-class racing—it demonstrated a groundbreaking shift in how live broadcasts can be produced. By pairing Teradek Prism Mobile with AT&T’s Global Video Solutions (GVS) private 5G network, NBC Sports successfully pushed high-bitrate video directly to the cloud at the moment of capture. The result was real-time storytelling with uncompromised cinematic quality, available to editors the instant the action happened.

For broadcasters striving to meet the growing demand for fast, digital-first content, this pilot proves what’s possible when private 5G and camera-to-cloud workflows converge. Faster file delivery, higher visual fidelity, and the freedom of remote post-production are no longer on the horizon—they’re here today.

If your organization is ready to future-proof live production with 5G private wireless contribution and camera-to-cloud technology, reach out to sales@creationnetworks.net to explore custom solutions.

For more innovations in broadcast and AV technology, discover the full range of Teradek solutions.