Fox lead play-by-play man, Joe Buck, says networks are considering adding fake crowd noise to NFL telecasts if games are played without fans this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think Fox and these networks have to put crowd noise under us to make it as a normal viewing experience at home,” Buck said.
“It’s pretty much a done deal. I think whoever’s going to be at that control is gonna have to be really good at their job and be realistic with how a crowd would react depending on what just happened on the field,” he continued.
“On top of that, they’re looking at ways to put virtual fans in the stands so when you see a wide shot it looks like the stadium is jam-packed when in fact it will be empty. It doesn’t have to be over the top.”
“But, something has to be there,” Buck said . “Crowd reactions are an enormous piece of the TV puzzle. All reactions by a crowd are valuable and to be used — as far as I know.”
Buck also indicated that Fox is also thinking about adding virtual fans in the stands if real fans cannot attend games. “They are working every day on ANYTHING to make our shows the best on TV.”
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