Sony Cameras Are Finally Replacing NFL’s Old-School ‘Chain Gang’

Jul 31, 2024

Jeremy Gray

A photographer wearing a Kansas City Chiefs cap and holding a large camera lens takes photos from the stands while the crowd celebrates in the background during a football game. Players and personnel are visible on the field.

The National Football League and Sony have announced a partnership, naming Sony the NFL’s official technology partner.

Through this partnership, Sony and the NFL will work with coaches, players, and other team members to determine new ways to implement diverse Sony technology to “transform the future of football.” This partnership includes expanding Sony’s sports technology, including Hawk-Eye Innovations to help officiating and on-field and sideline technologies.

A photographer wearing a cap and lanyard uses a large telephoto lens to capture images at a football game at Allegiant Stadium. The field is visible in the background along with stadium lights and a full audience in the stands.

As part of being the NFL’s official technology partner, Sony will also be the new official headphone supplier for the NFL. As part of the audio part of the partnership, Sony will also offer a new coach’s sideline headset, debuting in the 2025 season. The headset will improve coach-to-coach communication during practices and games.

An image with a black background featuring two logos: on the left, the Sony logo in white text, and on the right, the NFL shield logo. Below the logos, white text reads "A Technology Partner of the NFL.

Back to camera tech, Sony’s Hawk-Eye tracking will improve the accuracy of game-critical items, including line-to-gain measurement. Reports surfaced earlier this year suggesting that the NFL might finally move on from using chains to measure first downs, and it sounds like the NFL will finally embrace modern technology thanks to Sony.

“For the coming seasons, Hawk-Eye and NFL will collaborate in the development of a next generation officiating technology leveraging Hawk-Eye’s state-of-art line-to-gain optical tracking technology to review and make critical ruling on plays, helping to achieve the highest level of integrity for the game,” Sony explains in its press release.

NFL senior vice president and chief information officer Gary Brantley tells The Associated Press that the Hawk-Eye system will be tested during this coming preseason, although it may not be fully implemented across the entire NFL for the 2024 season.

“We’re in the installation phase for all of our stadiums, really getting them calibrated and up to date,” Brantley explains. “We’re just really getting to a place where this system is as accurate as possible and really calibrating across our multiple stadiums… We have multiple stadiums with multiple dimensions inside of those stadiums with different age. So we’re really just going through the installation of putting in the infrastructure and making sure these cameras are installed.”

Beyond using Hawk-Eye imaging for officiating, the NFL and Sony will also use the visual data to help drive content creation for NFL broadcast partners, including as part of the Emmy award-winning Disney and NFL “Toy Story Funday Football” collaboration.

A photographer with a black cap and shirt uses a large telephoto lens on a monopod, aiming at a subject outdoors. Another photographer in the background takes pictures. An LED scoreboard displaying the number 4 is visible nearby. Trees and a blue sky are in the background.

“Building upon a long-established relationship, the NFL looks forward to embracing prominent industry leader, Sony, as an official technology partner,” Brantley adds.

“Advancing technology on and off the field is a top priority for the NFL, and this partnership will fortify Sony’s role in the NFL’s ever-growing technology ecosystem, elevating various dimensions of our sport and bringing fans closer to game-day action. From broadening Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology within the game to utilizing Sony’s suite of advanced imaging products, to the deployment of new coaches’ headsets in 2025, the NFL will harness Sony’s expertise to drive innovation and further solidify the league’s status as a premier sports organization.”

A close-up shot of several Sony α9 cameras neatly arranged in rows. The cameras' camera bodies are prominently displayed, showcasing their sleek design and multiple dials and buttons. The Sony logo and α9 models are clearly visible on each unit.

This new official partnership continues years of connection between the NFL and Sony. At the recent Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Nevada, there were 165 Sony cameras used as part of CBS’ record-setting Super Bowl broadcast. Other NFL broadcast partners, ESPN, FOX, and NBC have also used Sony cameras for decades.

“We are committed to creating the future of sports with technology, and constantly driving innovation to positively impact the world of athletics for players, coaches and fans alike,” says Neal Manowitz, president and COO of Sony Electronics North America. “From best-in-class professional photography and the the broadcast capture of the game to some of the world’s most advanced line-to-gain optical tracking, to upgraded in-stadium experiences and more, we remain focused on this commitment. This partnership stems from years of integration into the NFL across these many different areas, and we are excited to officially join forces and pursue our passions together with one of the largest sports organizations in the world.”

Manowitz adds that Sony’s optical line-to-gain technology is accurate to less than half an inch. Further, by relegating the “chain gang” to a backup role, Sony’s technology can reduce the time it takes for each measurement by 40 seconds. It may not sound like much, but every second counts when it comes to momentum and the flow of an NFL game.

Sony notes that as the exclusive imaging products and support partner for The Associated Press (AP), Sony cameras and lenses have been a significant part of photographic NFL coverage for the past four years.

Image credits: Sony and the NFL