Sony to use more than 100 broadcast cameras to cover Super Bowl LIX

January 30, 2025January 30, 2025 GaryPageau Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Sony, Super Bowl, Super Bowl LIX

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Sony, an official technology partner of the NFL, will have more technology than ever capturing this year’s Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 9 in New Orleans, Louisiana. In total, more than 240 Sony cameras will be in and around the Caesars Superdome covering your favorite plays, replays, interviews, and celebrations – enhancing the fan engagement experience for the crowd on-site as well as the billions around the world that will watch the game and consume Super Bowl content after it is over. These cameras 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 that The Associated Press and other sideline photographers will be using to create timeless Super Bowl imagery.

“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.”

Sony’s professional broadcast cameras have covered football’s biggest game for over a decade. This year FOX Sports, together with the production company Game Creek Video will 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 fans 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.

“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,” says 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,” says Neal Manowitz, president and COO of Sony Electronics North America.

At Super Bowl LIX, in addition to all the broadcast and production cameras, FOX Sports will use Sony’s HawkREPLAY systems, 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.

On the photography side, Sony has been the exclusive imaging products and support provider for The Associated Press – the definitive source for NFL imagery – since 2020. In total, AP will have 14 photographers and 9 editors on-site at the Super Bowl using Sony equipment to capture and share incredible imagery of the league’s most defining moments. NFL’s in-house photography team “NFL Focus” will also be using a variety of Sony Alpha cameras and lenses to cover the game as well. 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 Sony’s PDT-FP1 transmitter device on-site to deliver photos + videos directly from the camera to editors in real-time, streamlining their workflow and resulting in the fastest possible distribution to the public.

Each year, the size and scope of the Super Bowl Halftime Show get 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 choosing the Sony VENICE 2 as their main camera alongside the Sony VENICE Extension System and the Sony BURANO for a total of 14 cameras.

“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is a challenge unlike any other project we’ve been a part of,” explains James Coker, Head of Engineering and Technical Management at Funicular Goats. “There are less than five minutes to set up and deliver a cinematic concert to millions of people, and the Sony Cinema Line cameras provide the perfect combination of full-frame sensor with broadcast compatibility to work seamlessly within the show’s structure and achieve this challenge.”

Below is a cumulative, high-level outline of all the Sony cameras and related technologies being used to cover Super Bowl LIX.