Have you ever wondered what goes into the video production behind the Super Bowl? Sony, being one of the many official technology partners of the NFL, is offering a sneak peak into the sheer magnitude of production behind such a game by highlighting the imaging technology they’ll be providing for Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles on February 9 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“The Super Bowl is the most watched event of the year, and delivering an authentic and immersive experience for coaches, players, and fans requires a wide array of advanced technologies,” comments Gary Brantley, chief information officer of the NFL. “Sony has been instrumental in enhancing the game-day experience with its innovative solutions, and we are proud to have Sony play a key role in making Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans unforgettable.”
“We are proud to play a critical role in Super Bowl LIX, drawing on our decades-long record of imaging innovation and production expertise to ensure that every fan watching on-site or at home has the best seat in the house,” notes Neal Manowitz, president and COO of Sony Electronics North America.
In total, Sony says more than 240 of its cameras will be positioned throughout the Caesars Superdome covering gameplay; delivering instant replays, as well as team interviews, and the post-game celebrations. Some of the cameras in use for the big game range from Sony’s professional broadcast models used by FOX Sports, the official broadcaster, to the various Alpha interchangeable lens cameras and E-mount lenses including G Master The Associated Press and other sideline photographers will use to create those memorable Super Bowl images.
“The Super Bowl is not just the biggest game of the year, it is also the biggest production,” says Michael Davies, FOX Sports EVP Field Operations. “Our job is to tell the story of the game, capturing the energy within the stadium and keeping billions of viewers engaged, and Sony is a key tool in reaching that goal.”
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This year FOX Sports, together with the production company Game Creek Video will also deploy more than 100 cameras on-site for pre-game, in-game, and post-game action, as well as additional studio shows. FOX will also have Sony BVM reference level monitors on-site used for color grading to bring the most accurate imagery to the millions of viewers around the world.
Sony’s cameras will be positioned in each end zone, along both sidelines, and in multiple positions throughout the stadium, including the “SkyCam” over the field. There will be 14 Sony cameras specifically handling content for streaming.
In addition to all the broadcast and production cameras, FOX Sports will use Sony’s HawkREPLAY systems, a remote production and instant replay broadcast solution, to support the overall broadcast experience, and additional Hawk-Eye technology will also be supporting in-game officiating and replay services, as well as the overall production.
Below is a cumulative outline of all the Sony cameras and related technologies that that are being used to cover Super Bowl LIX.
Fox Sports
Associated Press
Funicular Goats Super Bowl Halftime Production
Sony Pro Support
On the photography side, Sony has been the exclusive imaging products and support provider for The Associated Press (AP) since 2020. In total, AP will have 14 photographers and nine editors on-site at the Super Bowl using the company’s equipment to capture the league’s best moments. NFL’s in-house photography team “NFL Focus” will also be using a variety of Alpha cameras and lenses to cover the game, and Sony’s Pro Support team will offer a pro photographer depot on-site to help service and support the professionals working the game, including offering loans of the brand-new flagship Alpha 1 II camera.
Both the Associated Press and the NFL in-house photography are also planning to utilize the company’s PDT-FP1 transmitter device on-site to deliver photos + videos directly from camera to editors in real-time, streamlining their workflow to help enable what the electronics manufacturer claims is faster, more efficient distribution to the public.
The global electronics company points out that each year the size and scope of the Super Bowl Halftime Show gets larger, including its production elements. For the fifth year in a row, the Funicular Goats will technically produce the Halftime Show and for the fourth straight year, the Goats are set to use Sony VENICE 2 as the group’s main camera alongside the Sony VENICE Extension System and the Sony BURANO for a total of 14 cameras.
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