Broad-ranging partnership includes expansion
of Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations' sports technology,
Sony as the official headphones of the NFL and more
NEW
YORK and SAN DIEGO,
July 31,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Football
League and Sony announced today a partnership naming Sony as an
official technology partner of the NFL, as well as the new official
headphones of the NFL.
Through this partnership, Sony and the NFL will be working
collaboratively with coaches, players, teams and leadership across
the organization to transform the future of football. This includes
an expansion of Sony's sports technology through Hawk-Eye
Innovations to support officiating and the development of on-field
and sideline technologies, including a new coach's sideline headset
that will debut in the 2025 season.
The NFL and Sony will work closely to develop this new headset
supporting coach-to-coach communication on the field. These will be
powered by Verizon Business' Managed Private Wireless Solution
running on Verizon's reliable 5G network.
Sony's Hawk-Eye tracking services will be utilized to further
enhance the accuracy of game-critical items like line-to-gain
measurement. Additionally, Sony's Beyond Sports and its expertise
in real-time visualization provides an opportunity to help engage
the next generation of NFL fans.
"Building upon a long-established relationship, the NFL looks
forward to embracing prominent industry leader, Sony, as an
official technology partner," said Gary
Brantley, chief information officer at the NFL. "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."
The new partnership is the latest example of Sony's deep
integration throughout NFL games, ranging from sideline photography
to broadcast cameras and production, to technology that supports
officiating, enhancements for in-stadium fan experiences and
more.
"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," said
Neal Manowitz, president and COO of
Sony Electronics North America. "From best-in-class professional
photography and 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."
Sony's extensive technology solutions capture some of the most
memorable moments of the NFL, bringing fans the excitement and
unpredictability of the game with world-class precision. Within the
game itself, Hawk-Eye's technology has supported the NFL
Officiating Department to review and make critical rulings on
plays. 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. Additionally,
the technology and data captured by Hawk-Eye paired with player
tracking data from the NFL's Next Gen Stats powered by AWS and
Sony's Beyond Sports' visualization technology will create new
avenues for real-time content creation like ESPN, Disney and the
NFL's Emmy-award winning "Toy Story Funday Football" alternate game
presentation during the 2023 season, which brought a younger and
more global audience to the game and is the biggest live event
to-date on Disney+.
Since 2020, Sony has been the exclusive imaging products and
support provider for The Associated Press, a trusted global news
organization and the definitive source for NFL imagery. Sony's
imaging ecosystem has been AP's exclusive camera choice for all NFL
coverage, producing many incredible images of the league's most
defining moments over the course of the last four years.
Sony cameras have also been used by NFL broadcast partners
including CBS Sports, ESPN, FOX Sports and NBC Sports for decades,
including coverage of the league's biggest games and the Super
Bowl.
Sony products and technologies are also used extensively in many
NFL stadiums across the country, with opportunities to expand
further as teams and organizations continue to evolve their in-game
experiences for fans. Additionally, the new NFL Network studios in
Inglewood, California have
recently shifted many of their key operations and cameras over to
Sony technology. These studios are used as the primary production
location for many NFL Network shows including "Good Morning
Football," as well as "NFL GameDay Morning" and "The
Insiders." Sony Pictures Television handles U.S. distribution for
"GMFB: Overtime," a new extension of NFL Network's Emmy
Award-winning "Good Morning Football," currently streaming on The
Roku Channel Monday-Friday from 10
a.m. – noon ET and airing
in syndication on local TV stations beginning Sept. 2.
With this new partnership, the NFL and Sony will continue to
work together to create new opportunities within football through
the power of technology and remain committed to evolving the game
to maximize engagement and enjoyment for fans, coaches and players
alike.
About Sony Corporation
Sony Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group
Corporation and is responsible for the Entertainment, Technology
& Services (ET&S) business. With the mission to "create the
future of entertainment through the power of technology together
with creators," we aim to continue to deliver Kando* to people
around the world.
For more information, visit: http://www.sony.net/
*Kando is a Japanese word that roughly translates to the
sense of awe and emotion you feel when experiencing something
beautiful and amazing for the first time.
About Sony Electronics Inc.
Sony Electronics is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America
and an affiliate of Sony Group Corporation, one of the most
comprehensive entertainment companies in the world, with a
portfolio that encompasses electronics, music, motion pictures,
mobile, gaming, robotics and financial services. Headquartered in
San Diego, California, Sony
Electronics is a leader in electronics for the consumer and
professional markets. Operations include research and development,
engineering, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service.
Sony Electronics creates products that innovate and inspire
generations, such as the award-winning Alpha Interchangeable Lens
Cameras and revolutionary high-resolution audio products. Sony is
also a leading manufacturer of end-to-end solutions from
4K professional broadcast and A/V
equipment. Visit http://www.sony.com/news for more
information.
About Hawk-Eye Innovations
Hawk-Eye Innovations has been at the forefront of sports
officiating and broadcast enhancement technology since 2001. The
world's biggest sporting events trust Hawk-Eye to make the right
call, when it matters most. Hawk-Eye's vision-processing, video
replay and creative graphic technologies make sport fairer, safer,
more engaging and better informed. Our innovations are constantly
changing the face of sports officiating, production, content
management, fan engagement in every sport.
Hawk-Eye Innovations, a Sony Group company, has the mission to
unlock the power and emotion of sport. We focus on delivering
best-in-class officiating, broadcast and digital solutions to the
sports world.
Website: https://www.hawkeyeinnovations.com/
Follow Hawk-Eye on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hawkeye_view
Follow Hawk-Eye on Instagram:
www.instagram.com/hawkeyeinnovations
About Beyond Sports
Beyond Sports is an AI-based data analysis and visualization
company that offers a new way of experiencing sports. Our Emmy
Award winning visualization platform enables real-time digital
sports engagement solutions for leagues, broadcasters, brands and
ultimately the consumers. We deliver never before seen sports
content spreading from traditional media all the way to the
Metaverse. Beyond Sports is one of Sony's sports businesses aimed
at innovating the industry through data and content.
Website: https://www.beyondsports.nl/ ⎸ Instagram:
@beyondsports ⎸ TikTok: @lifeofblocky
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SOURCE Sony Electronics, Inc.