Sony Levels Up Super Bowl
Sony Levels Up Super Bowl LX With Its Most Leading-Edge Tech Deployment Yet
When Super Bowl LX kicks off in San Francisco with my hometown team playing, the NFL’s biggest stage will be powered by Sony more than ever before. As an official technology partner of the league, Sony is rolling into game day with a deep bench of audio, imaging, and sports‑tracking systems—marking its most expansive Super Bowl presence to date. Ahead of the game, they sent out a press release with details of their presence and behind-the-scenes photos. Go Hawks!
Read more about the Sony/NFL partnership in this story from last year.
Coach-to-Coach Communication, Reinvented
For the first time in Super Bowl history, every communication will run through Sony’s NFL Coaches’ Headsets. Introduced league‑wide at the start of the 2025 season, the system—based on Sony’s 1000X headphone technology, which emphasizes noise cancellation and audio clarity—is designed for clarity, durability, and comfort in the loudest environments. After another season of league-wide use, the headsets are in play for the sport’s biggest night.
175+ Cameras Capture Every Angle of the Action
According to Sony, their imaging footprint at Super Bowl LX is massive—more than 175 cameras will be deployed across the field, sidelines, broadcast positions, and aerial platforms. NBC Sports uses Sony’s HDC broadcast systems (high-definition cameras designed for live television), Alpha mirrorless bodies (compact digital cameras without a reflex mirror), and G Master lenses (Sony’s premium, high-resolution camera lenses) to provide the definition and speed needed for the nation’s most-watched broadcast.
What you’ll notice, compared to previous seasons, is that Sony has brought cinematic shallow-depth-of-field shots to high-frame-rate replays. Sony’s imaging tools shape the fan experience in the stadium and beyond. In other words, the bokeh keeps the focus on the game and not what’s going on in the stands. The Associated Press, NFL photographers, and production crews will also use Sony gear to capture every moment. Sony hasn’t taken over the sidelines, though you’ll still see their competitors. And, a LOT of Sony
Hawk‑Eye Makes Its Super Bowl Debut
Arguably, the biggest news in this story, besides deploying the ILX‑LR1 (Sony’s industrial sensor), this year marks the first Super Bowl to use Sony’s Hawk‑Eye Virtual Measurement system—a significant step for officiating accuracy. Once the ball is spotted, Hawk‑Eye quickly generates a consistent Line to Gain measurement, providing clarity at key moments.
Hawk‑Eye’s replay and video review technologies—systems that use high-speed cameras and software to help referees review plays—will also support officiating on all eligible plays, bringing the same trusted system used in global sports like tennis and soccer to the NFL’s championship stage.
The technology also supports officiating in tennis, golf, basketball, and World Cup soccer.
Next‑Gen Player and Ball Tracking
Super Bowl LX will also showcase the league’s first fully integrated optical tracking environment. Sony’s Hawk‑Eye SkeleTRACK system, which uses cameras and computer vision to follow 29 key points on each player’s body, delivers 3D ball tracking for precise real-time data. With Zebra Technologies’ RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) wearables, the NFL will get the most data-rich view yet of player movement and ball position. This is a new technology that I haven’t heard about from Sony. It sounds like it’s a crossover from the film and gaming industries.
Behind the Scenes: A Massive Gear List
Nerd ALERT. Sony brought truckloads of imaging gear from every corner of its production ecosystem. See the list below, including the ILX‑LR1.
NBC Sports Broadcast
- Thirty-seven Sony HDC system cameras
- Eighteen HDC POV cameras
- Five cinema cameras (FX9 and F55)
- Two PTZ cameras (FR7 and BRC‑AM7)
- Three aerial/specialty cameras, including ILX‑LR1 units
Halftime Show
- Eleven VENICE 2 digital cinema cameras
- Three BURANO digital cinema cameras
- One FR7 PTZ industrial sensor
In‑Venue Imaging at Levi’s Stadium
- Ten Sony UHD cameras across hard, RF, and HFR positions
- AP photographers: 55 Sony bodies like the A1 ($500 off at B&H), 80 lenses, 15 PDT‑FP1 transmitters
- NFL Focus team: 8 Sony cameras, 20 lenses
- Sony Imaging PRO Support: 45 mirrorless bodies, 90 lenses, 12 transmitters
It’s a staggering amount of technology to see and discuss. Remarkably, it’s all planned to work in sync to deliver the clearest, fastest, and most immersive Super Bowl production to date.
Now that I know about this tech Sony dropped, I’ll be waiting to see if there are any bugs. If a tech failed, would we notice? Also, Sony is not working with the halftime performer Bad Bunny? Is that next? I don’t know, but Sony has a music business too.
Sony’s Partnership is Built on Innovation
NFL Deputy CIO Aaron Amendolia summed it up: “Sony’s integrated systems help us deliver a faster, clearer, and more consistent experience on our biggest stage.” Sony’s Theresa Alesso echoed the sentiment, underlining how data, communication, and imaging now work together to support every moment of the game.
For fans, broadcasters, and the league itself, Sony’s technology isn’t just behind the scenes—it’s defining how the modern NFL is seen, analyzed, and remembered.
As a member of the press covering Sony, this is extremely gear-forward news. The news reads like they’re throwing everything they have at the Super Bowl.