The NFL has secured a collaboration with tech giant Sony, specifically their subsidiary Hawk-Eye Innovations system, in a bid to improve the accuracy of line-to-gain tracking. The tech giant has also become the league’s official headphone sponsor moving into 2025. Once implemented, Sony’s new technology could spell the end of the NFL’s chain gangs.
How Technology Shapes the Sport
It wouldn’t be the first time that technology changed gridiron football. Far from it, as the NFL uses more tech than any other league. They pioneered the instant replay back in the ‘60s and today, they have a whole department for clipping those replays and posting them on social media. When those moments go viral, they can gather millions of views. They’re also partnered with Amazon Web Services to supply personalized marketing to fans, amidst other internet marketing strategies.
Even outside the NFL, secondary markets drive interest in games through sports betting. They adopt popular internet marketing practices that are commonly used in e-commerce or iGaming. Using them, newcomers can often get discounts or casino rewards free spins that encourage them to interact with the business or industry at large. The NFL doesn’t and cannot run those kinds of promotions themselves, but each game is helped by an interactive community of third-party sportsbooks that wouldn’t be as popular without the internet.
As we move into the future, there’s no doubt that more technological advancements will make their way onto the field. While the game will stay the same, gridiron football will become more accurate, safe and entertaining for everybody involved. The NFL’s deal with Sony is only the latest story of new tech shaping the sport.
Details of the NFL-Sony Contract
The NFL’s deal with Sony can be summarised into four basic points. The first and most notable is Hawk-Eye Innovations adoption. This is a camera and data-gathering technology that is already used in tennis and many other ball sports. When recording a play, it can determine everything from ball speeds to shot trajectories and other pertinent information related to the game.
According to the deal, it’ll be used to enhance ball tracking while also providing line-to-gain measurement services. It could effectively automate first-down measurements, so there’s no need for the so-called chain gang to walk onto the field and painstakingly measure the ball’s travel distance themselves. Some regard them as a tradition, while others like commentator Warren Sharp have joked that they are the most antiquated part of the game.
we thought we’d have flying cars in 2024… and instead we still have chain gangs pic.twitter.com/tX8GJ9yl1N
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 2, 2024
Per the other points of the deal, Sony will develop a new sideline headset in 2025 that’s custom-made with the NFL in mind. They’ll also put their camera expertise into enhancing sideline photography and the overall quality of NFL broadcasting.
The last point concerns a different Sony subsidiary – Beyond Sports. Their focus is on real-time visualization tech that can bring sports to places it’s never gone before, like the metaverse. If the world is going to become more digital, it makes sense the NFL wants to have a spot in it.
Speaking on the whole deal, Chief Information Officer Gary Brantley said: “Advancing technology on and off the field is a top priority for the NFL.” He emphasized that the new partnership will play a role in “elevating various dimensions of our sport and bringing fans closer to game-day action.”
As this partnership matures in 2025, fans can expect to see these changes reflected in the playing season. In the meantime, Sony will test drive their Hawk-Eye Innovations camera tech in the upcoming pre-season.
