Score bug
Encyclopedia
A score bug is a digital on-screen graphic
which is displayed at either the top or lower third bottom of a television screen during the broadcast of a sports game in order to display the current score and other statistics.
, score bugs are commonly known as scorebars. The first major British network to carry scorebars in their televised sports games was Sky
. Other terrestrial networks followed suit, and all football
games on the BBC
, ITV
and Five now use them. As in the United States, the scorebar is traditionally placed in the top left-hand corner of the screen. An exception occurred at the beginning of the 2007–08 football season, when Sky Sports experimented with a bar positioned bottom-left. However, this was not popular and by September it had been returned to the top-left of the screen.
The first television network
in the United States to produce a score bug (digital on-screen graphic
) was ABC
, which used one on the telecast of the 1994
Purolator 500 NASCAR
event. A transparent digit counted down the number of laps remaining in the race. A similar bug was used during ABC's telecast of the 1994 Indianapolis 500
and 1994 Brickyard 400. ABC also incorporated the Sports Bug for their 1994 World Cup coverage, providing the time and score on the game as well as enabling advertiser sponsorship to broadcast games without interruptions. Later that fall, Fox
introduced a full-score bug for its NFL
coverage
, known as the "FoxBox
", as did cable network ESPN
. ABC
expanded theirs to Monday Night Football
in 1997
. CBS
introduced theirs upon returning to the NFL in the fall of 1998
, and NBC
in 2001 during its coverage of the XFL
.
The first score banner, which takes up the top of the screen, was used for minor league hockey broadcasts by SportsChannel New York in their coverage of the Albany River Rats
of the American Hockey League
during the National Hockey League
lockout of 1994-95. It was the brainchild of director Joe O'Rourke, and was implemented by producer Roland Dratch and font coordinator Dave Katz. Fox then used the score banner for its NASCAR coverage in 2001. Fox then expanded the scoring banner to all sports. Fox Sports Net also uses a scoring banner for basketball, hockey, baseball and soccer coverage, as do many other local broadcasters of sporting events.
ABC introduced a Fox-like banner, but along the bottom of the screen, for Monday Night Football in 2005, its last year of the franchise. The network introduced a revised version February 5, 2006, during an NBA game, as well as during that day's presentation of Super Bowl XL
, which quickly became used for all sports on the network. ABC returned to a bug in September when the sports division became ESPN on ABC
. NBC also began using a scoring banner, along the bottom like ABC's, in 2005 for its coverage of Notre Dame football
home game telecasts, which also quickly became used for all sports on the network except for hockey, where the banner runs atop the screen, which have been adapted by Canadian broadcasters, CBC, Rogers Sportsnet and TSN. The networks of Turner Broadcasting System
used the traditional score bugs until they began broadcasting the 2007 Major League Baseball Division Series, in which they converted to a top screen banner. ESPN began using a banner starting with the 2006 FIFA World Cup
and MLB
Home Run Derby
, a bottom-screen banner for NBA and AFL telecasts and in 2007, a top-screen banner for NASCAR and baseball telecasts, plus a center-screen bug for their Monday Night Football
telecasts in 2006 and 2007 before switching to a bottom-screen banner in 2008. Starting in 2007, they added banners for college football and in college basketball telecasts. In addition, ESPN's college sports telecasts added two (lacrosse), three (college football) or five (college basketball) yellow stripes, representing the timeouts the team has left to the banner. Timeout indicators were also added for ESPN's Monday Night Football telecasts, beginning with Week 4 of the 2009 NFL season. In 2006, CBS began using a bottom-of-the-screen banner for NCAA Basketball telecasts but retained the traditional box for all NFL broadcasts, but uses a banner for college football and NFL games at the top of the screen. Sibling network CBS College Sports however, began using a top-screen banner for baseball in 2008, and since expanded to other sports, duplicating bottom screen banners for basketball. The one exception among all the networks is motor racing, as all of them will use scrolling banners for these races. In 2007, TBS began using a top-screen banner for postseason baseball broadcasts, and continued into the 2008 season, returning to a longer bug in 2009.
For the 2008 college football season, FSN
adopted a new graphics package and reverted to the scoring bug on the top left-hand corner of the screen for football, hockey, and baseball, while on the bottom right-hand corner for basketball. Fox then adopted these graphics for its 2009 Major League Baseball telecasts.
Some type of continuous graphic indicating time, score or standings are now used in every major sport televised in the U.S., except golf
. In that sport, leaderboard
s are still flashed on and off screen at regular intervals, with a full rundown every half hour or so. However, starting in 2008, the ESPN
networks' golf coverage has included consistent use of scoring banners, often alternating between alphabetical scoring, leaderboard-style scoring, and single group scoring (which is often used when multiple notable players are in the same two or threesome).
The score bug used by TNT in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons for NBA basketball games uses a highlight to indicate which team is winning. This feature is rare among in-game score graphics, even though the graphics for scores of completed games generally highlight the team that won.
, as ESPN2
began with its "BottomLine" graphic in 1996.
Digital on-screen graphic
A digital on-screen graphic is a watermark-like station logo that many television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen-area of their programs to identify the channel...
which is displayed at either the top or lower third bottom of a television screen during the broadcast of a sports game in order to display the current score and other statistics.
United Kingdom
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, score bugs are commonly known as scorebars. The first major British network to carry scorebars in their televised sports games was Sky
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
. Other terrestrial networks followed suit, and all football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
games on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and Five now use them. As in the United States, the scorebar is traditionally placed in the top left-hand corner of the screen. An exception occurred at the beginning of the 2007–08 football season, when Sky Sports experimented with a bar positioned bottom-left. However, this was not popular and by September it had been returned to the top-left of the screen.
United States
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
in the United States to produce a score bug (digital on-screen graphic
Digital on-screen graphic
A digital on-screen graphic is a watermark-like station logo that many television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen-area of their programs to identify the channel...
) was ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, which used one on the telecast of the 1994
1994 in NASCAR
The 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Season began on Sunday February 20 and ended on Sunday November 13. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing was crowned champion at season's end, winning consecutive Winston Cups for the third time in his career and tying Richard Petty for the record of most top-level...
Purolator 500 NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
event. A transparent digit counted down the number of laps remaining in the race. A similar bug was used during ABC's telecast of the 1994 Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
and 1994 Brickyard 400. ABC also incorporated the Sports Bug for their 1994 World Cup coverage, providing the time and score on the game as well as enabling advertiser sponsorship to broadcast games without interruptions. Later that fall, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
introduced a full-score bug for its NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
coverage
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
, known as the "FoxBox
FoxBox (sports)
Fox Box is Fox Sports's term for the digital on-screen graphic used during broadcasts of baseball and the National Football League, among other events. The FoxBox displays real-time information such as the current score in the upper corner of the screen...
", as did cable network ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
expanded theirs to Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
in 1997
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
. CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
introduced theirs upon returning to the NFL in the fall of 1998
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
, and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in 2001 during its coverage of the XFL
XFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
.
The first score banner, which takes up the top of the screen, was used for minor league hockey broadcasts by SportsChannel New York in their coverage of the Albany River Rats
Albany River Rats
The Albany River Rats were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center.- Founding to 2010 :...
of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
during the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
lockout of 1994-95. It was the brainchild of director Joe O'Rourke, and was implemented by producer Roland Dratch and font coordinator Dave Katz. Fox then used the score banner for its NASCAR coverage in 2001. Fox then expanded the scoring banner to all sports. Fox Sports Net also uses a scoring banner for basketball, hockey, baseball and soccer coverage, as do many other local broadcasters of sporting events.
ABC introduced a Fox-like banner, but along the bottom of the screen, for Monday Night Football in 2005, its last year of the franchise. The network introduced a revised version February 5, 2006, during an NBA game, as well as during that day's presentation of Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
, which quickly became used for all sports on the network. ABC returned to a bug in September when the sports division became ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
. NBC also began using a scoring banner, along the bottom like ABC's, in 2005 for its coverage of Notre Dame football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
home game telecasts, which also quickly became used for all sports on the network except for hockey, where the banner runs atop the screen, which have been adapted by Canadian broadcasters, CBC, Rogers Sportsnet and TSN. The networks of Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is the Time Warner subsidiary managing the collection of cable networks and properties started and acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting in the mid-1970s. The company has its headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. TBS, Inc...
used the traditional score bugs until they began broadcasting the 2007 Major League Baseball Division Series, in which they converted to a top screen banner. ESPN began using a banner starting with the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
and MLB
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Home Run Derby
Home Run Derby
The Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by State Farm Insurance...
, a bottom-screen banner for NBA and AFL telecasts and in 2007, a top-screen banner for NASCAR and baseball telecasts, plus a center-screen bug for their Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
telecasts in 2006 and 2007 before switching to a bottom-screen banner in 2008. Starting in 2007, they added banners for college football and in college basketball telecasts. In addition, ESPN's college sports telecasts added two (lacrosse), three (college football) or five (college basketball) yellow stripes, representing the timeouts the team has left to the banner. Timeout indicators were also added for ESPN's Monday Night Football telecasts, beginning with Week 4 of the 2009 NFL season. In 2006, CBS began using a bottom-of-the-screen banner for NCAA Basketball telecasts but retained the traditional box for all NFL broadcasts, but uses a banner for college football and NFL games at the top of the screen. Sibling network CBS College Sports however, began using a top-screen banner for baseball in 2008, and since expanded to other sports, duplicating bottom screen banners for basketball. The one exception among all the networks is motor racing, as all of them will use scrolling banners for these races. In 2007, TBS began using a top-screen banner for postseason baseball broadcasts, and continued into the 2008 season, returning to a longer bug in 2009.
For the 2008 college football season, FSN
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
adopted a new graphics package and reverted to the scoring bug on the top left-hand corner of the screen for football, hockey, and baseball, while on the bottom right-hand corner for basketball. Fox then adopted these graphics for its 2009 Major League Baseball telecasts.
Some type of continuous graphic indicating time, score or standings are now used in every major sport televised in the U.S., except golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. In that sport, leaderboard
Leaderboard
Leaderboard is a series of golf simulation video games that was developed by Bruce and Roger Carver, and published by Access Software.-Summary:thumb|left|Teeing off on the first hole ....
s are still flashed on and off screen at regular intervals, with a full rundown every half hour or so. However, starting in 2008, the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
networks' golf coverage has included consistent use of scoring banners, often alternating between alphabetical scoring, leaderboard-style scoring, and single group scoring (which is often used when multiple notable players are in the same two or threesome).
The score bug used by TNT in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons for NBA basketball games uses a highlight to indicate which team is winning. This feature is rare among in-game score graphics, even though the graphics for scores of completed games generally highlight the team that won.
Coupling with tickers
Some networks have infused the aggregation of current sports scores with the ongoing news tickerNews ticker
A news ticker resides in the lower third of the television screen space on television news networks dedicated to presenting headlines or minor pieces of news. It may also refer to a long, thin scoreboard-style display seen around the front of some offices or public buildings...
, as ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
began with its "BottomLine" graphic in 1996.
See also
- Character generatorCharacter generatorA character generator, often abbreviated as CG, is a device or software that produces static or animated text for keying into a video stream. Modern character generators are computer-based, and can generate graphics as well as text...
- Digital on-screen graphicDigital on-screen graphicA digital on-screen graphic is a watermark-like station logo that many television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen-area of their programs to identify the channel...
- IntertitleIntertitleIn motion pictures, an intertitle is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of the photographed action, at various points, generally to convey character dialogue, or descriptive narrative material related to, but not necessarily covered by, the material photographed.Intertitles...
- Lower thirdsLower thirdsIn the television industry , a lower third is a graphic placed in the title safe lower area of the screen, though not necessarily the entire lower third of it, as the name suggests....
- News tickerNews tickerA news ticker resides in the lower third of the television screen space on television news networks dedicated to presenting headlines or minor pieces of news. It may also refer to a long, thin scoreboard-style display seen around the front of some offices or public buildings...
- Screen burn-in, a side effect in some cases of digital on-screen graphics