SHAQ Presents All Stars League III at Atlas Arena – full OB van production of a basketball all-star show in Poland
On 3 October 2026, Atlas Arena in Łódź hosted SHAQ Presents All Stars League III – a basketball show headlined by Shaquille O’Neal, featuring the Dunkman World Dunk Championship (its first edition in Europe, according to the organiser). Marcin Prause was responsible for the entire TV production: planning, a crew of about 30, the OB van, the production handbook and coordination with the organiser, the venue and the streaming provider. The result: a pay-per-view broadcast in two languages, 17:45–22:00, rigged in a single day in a venue vacated by a concert the night before.
Client and brief
Client: All Stars League Sp. z o.o. – a regular client; Marcin Prause produces all of the league’s events, including the previous edition, ASL 2 (PreZero Arena Gliwice, 10 January 2026). The brief in Łódź: a full broadcast production of an NBA-star show – four teams, a third-place game and a final, a dunk contest, Dunking Devils shows and crowd games (kiss cam, dance cam, noise meter, tic-tac-toe, a PLN 50,000 half-court shot) – delivered as a ready PPV feed with Polish and English commentary.
Challenge
- One day to rig. The arena was occupied by a concert until 2 October; the trucks arrived on the morning of the 3rd, and 9 camera sources, court cabling, microphones, commentary positions and monitors were in place in about 5.5 hours – while other crews were still building the court and the set.
- Two-language PPV. Separate mixes, commentary and audio tracks for the Polish and English versions, with no impact on the venue PA.
- A show, not just a game. Countdown and intro on the LED cube, a dropping curtain with projection, heavy smoke across the court for Shaq’s entrance, the button that opens the event, streamers, confetti and pyro at the trophy – every effect has its moment in the script and has to be on camera.
- Concert-venue infrastructure. A 125 A power feed about 80 m from the truck (extra cabling) and an internet link from the venue to the truck, among others for the statisticians’ desk – set up with the arena’s IT team.
- Many companies, one event. Organiser, venue, video screens, lighting, PA, streaming and the TVN truck crew – tied together by one production handbook and shared comms.
Solution
| Area | What we did |
|---|---|
| Truck and crew | TVN S.A. OB VAN 3 HD with a support truck; about 30 people (13 on Marcin Prause’s side, 17 truck crew) |
| Signal | 1080p50, 3G SDI Level A |
| Cameras (9 sources) | wide camera 14×; close-up camera 101× on a riser; hi-speed ×6 on a rolling tripod along the LED board; two handhelds under the baskets (super slow motion ×3); RF Steadicam with the operator on a Segway covering the whole arena; unmanned beauty shot from the stands; 2 mini cameras 120° on the backboards. Sony HDC-4300 and HDC-P50 with a Vislink HCAM link |
| Replays and playout | 2 EVS XT4 servers (one high-speed), 3 operators: slow motion, bumpers, intros, spots, music, highlights |
| Recording | 9 ISO feeds in ProRes 422 (245 Mbit/s) plus EVS clips; an independent programme backup recorder |
| Audio | two separate mixes: the lead sound engineer (PL) and a second engineer for the English version with independent monitoring; two commentary positions courtside; mics on the backboards (net and board), on players in 1-on-1 duels, on cameras, shotguns courtside, three stereo pairs on the crowd; split from the venue PA; IFB for the hosts, the announcer and the league owners |
| Graphics | graphics operator in the truck, vMix / CasparCG; live data from the statistics system over the network; interactive elements on air and on the LED cube |
| Comms | Riedel Bolero (14 beltpacks) and 7 external panels; the show director sat in the truck next to the TV director; shared comms with lighting, video screens, DJ, statisticians and streaming |
| Delivery | 4× 3G SDI to the streaming provider: PGM PL, PGM EN and two backups, each with an extra international-sound pair (court + PA, no commentary); PGM, CLEAN and fill/key graphics for the LED cube; programme monitors for lighting, DJ, commentators and the dressing rooms. Pay-per-view, with the opening (until about 18:30) also on YouTube |
On the day
Preparation started in mid-September: a production handbook in three versions (15 Sep → 1 Oct), a camera plan on the arena layout, a microphone plan, intercom and EVS configuration, a crew route map, accreditation, hotel and contact lists. Show day: rig 09:00–14:30, link test with the streaming provider at 14:00, camera alignment 14:30, camera rehearsals 15:00–16:00, doors 16:30, on air 17:45, off air around 22:00, de-rig overnight.
Watch the broadcast
Full recording on the All Stars League channel (3 h 20 min, Polish commentary):
Team and partners
Production and direction of the broadcast: Marcin Prause with a team of 13. OB van and a technical crew of 17: TVN S.A. Client: All Stars League. Thanks to the organiser, the Atlas Arena team and the video, lighting, PA and streaming crews for a smooth collaboration.
FAQ
Can an arena show be produced in 4K? Yes, with the TVN OB VAN 1 UHD; for Atlas Arena the client chose HD 1080p50.
How long does the rig take? About 5.5 hours for 9 camera sources, plus 1.5 hours of rehearsals – at Atlas Arena in parallel with the court build.
Do you deliver straight to a streaming platform? Yes: SDI on site or LiveU/SRT to any server.
Planning a sports event or arena show in Poland?
We produce it from an HD or 4K UHD OB van, with live graphics and commentary in two languages, in any arena in Poland. Call +48 792 772 873 or email marcin@prause.pl.