FanDuel Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports, and originally Fox Sports Networks) offers unparalleled coverage of local sports across North America. Owned and operated by Diamond Sports Group, it boasts extensive regional media rights, bringing fans action from MLB, NBA, and NHL teams, plus top collegiate and high school sports. With over 4,500 events broadcast annually, FanDuel Sports Network reaches 85 million US households with high-quality, engaging sports programming.
As a prominent player in the sports entertainment industry, Diamond Sports Group has witnessed an increasing demand for their world-class production and vast portfolio. In response, they expanded their operations in 2020 to include digital and on-demand broadcast and scaled their delivery to fans across the country.
Cue sheet challenges at Diamond Sports Group
Diamond Sports Group faced unique cue sheet challenges with live sports in local markets, with varied coverage across numerous states including a mixture of music commissioned and owned in-house as well as from other rights holders, they needed a system that could be adapted to the complexities of their business to ensure continued high-value coverage.
Cumbersome & disconnected cue sheet processes
Before adopting Soundmouse by Orfium, their cue sheet process was manual and disjointed. They faced the daunting challenge of producing and managing a large number of cue sheets on a daily basis. Broadcasts feature multiple songs from various rights owners internal and external, adding complexity to their cue sheets. Each in-house produced broadcast requires its own unique cue sheet, outlining the precise timing and sequence of shots and track usage information.
For years, those responsible for cue sheets had to navigate a web of emails, Excel spreadsheets, repetitive memos and manual cross-checking. The processes were laborious, and time-consuming, posing a significant challenge for production editors and the music department.
If managing this colossal volume of cue sheets manually wasn’t demanding enough, the addition of digital and online broadcast introduced thousands of new data points worth of work. The FanDuel Sports Network Music Department recognized the need for a more efficient solution, one that would streamline operations, alleviate their cue sheet headaches and enable them to grow.
Manual, inaccurate cue sheet creation
The previous nature of cue sheet processing was cumbersome and error-prone. Until a few years ago, the process was essentially carried out with pen to paper with a stopwatch in hand and an ear in the stadium. Time-consuming and plagued with inaccuracies and inefficiencies, cues were compiled by dedicated editors present at each sporting event. The editors had to document each cue’s and email them to the Music Department where they were compiled, completed, cross checked and input into various spreadsheets to be sent to stakeholders. A status-quo that had always existed, but was never efficient.
Occasionally cues were missed, which meant we’d have to chase them, and still find human errors in timings. We were never sure if it was a hundred percent correct accurate.
Janine Kerr, VP Music at FanDuel Sports Network
Siloed, manual processes led to errors and delays
A siloed and manual process, the workflow was also prone to delays and errors. Valuable team hours were often wasted following up on overdue cue sheets and rectifying inaccuracies. Janine Kerr, VP of Music at FanDuel Sports Network recognized the urgent need for a more streamlined and automated solution to ensure accurate and timely cue sheet management to enhance operational efficiency.
The Solution: Soundmouse by Orfium
After evaluating several different options, Janine drove the strategic decision for FanDuel Sports Network to implement Soundmouse by Orfium. Its cost efficiency, usability and superior customisation offering were key factors which resulted in Janine’s choice of solution. In October of 2023, Diamond Sports Group moved from manual cue sheet processing to automation, using Soundmouse by Orfium’s audio recognition technology and workflows to create and process cue sheets.
With Soundmouse’s market-leading audio recognition technology, FanDuel Sports Network transformed their cue sheet workflow end-to-end – from creation through to Performance Rights Organizations (PRO) reporting.
I can’t believe how easy it is now, and my department is really happy because literally everything happens painlessly, with minimal manual input.
Janine Kerr, VP Music at FanDuel Sports Network
The Results
Faster cue sheet creation & processing
Soundmouse by Orfium has greatly streamlined and expedited the cue sheet creation process at FanDuel Sports Network. With the help of audio-recognition, cue sheets are accurately and automatically created. By automating this previously manual workflow, as well as stakeholder follow-ups, the speed of cue sheet creation, processing, and information collating has significantly improved while eliminating arduous manual tasks.
It’s made everyone’s life so much easier. No guesswork, no waiting on anybody to get back to us.
Janine Kerr, VP Music at FanDuel Sports Network
Accurate, error-free music reporting
With Soundmouse by Orfium’s workflows and audio recognition accurately identifying music and other audio content, the possibility of human error has been removed. As a result, delivery times have been drastically reduced, ensuring PROs receive precise, complete and timely information. This automation has also led to notable enhancements in stakeholder synchronization and delivery of cue sheets.
By streamlining the cue sheet process and associated administrative tasks, the team is able to refocus on work that directly impacts production quality. This has reduced reliance on a dedicated team of processors and part-time assistance from elsewhere in the company. The editing team and music department are now able to dedicate more time and energy to their primary roles, leading to improved productivity and a more collaborative and creative work environment. A win for efficiency, and team morale.
The producers and editors are just so happy they don’t have to do anything anymore. The music department is happy because they know it’s all correct. And we don’t have to go back to editors ever and ask ‘what happened here?’.
Janine Kerr, VP Music at FanDuel Sports Network
Improved royalty tracking
Soundmouse by Orfium has also improved FanDuel Sports Networks’ royalty tracking, ensuring precise submissions to collecting societies and when it comes to library blanket deal negotiation time, the facts are there. The improved efficiency and reliability of this system have been praised by Janine Kerr, who highlights that the hundreds of hours per year saved easily offset the cost of implementing Soundmouse by Orfium.
Soundmouse by Orfium has already saved us hundreds and hundreds of man hours in the past year.
Janine Kerr, VP Music at FanDuel Sports Network
With its simplicity and precision, the Soundmouse cue sheet system has transformed what was a laborious task of cue sheet processing into a seamless procedure, which now runs in the background available for the Music Dept to check, while the Producers & Editors focus on the work they love, creating productions to please and enthrall fans across the country, no matter how, where or when they’re tuning in.
To find out more about how Soundmouse by Orfium could help you with your cue sheet creation, collaboration processes and delivery, speak to our team today.