By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Friday, January 17, 2025 – 10:10 am
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Fox Sports this year is handling broadcast duties for Super Bowl LIX, set to be played at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9. And the entire regular season, as well as all the playoff games Fox Sports has and will be producing, are all part of the process that ensures that not only those games sparkle technically but that the production of Super Bowl LIX is all it can be.
“Super Bowl years are always the busiest,” says Ted Kenney, director, field and technical operations, FOX Sports. “With more than 100 NFL games during the regular season we can use many of those games to test new technology, whether it’s a new camera, audio compliment, software, or another component of the technical workflow. These real-world tests during regular-season games allow us to ensure the technology and workflows are fully operational. They also enable our onsite technicians to identify potential issues, address concerns, and make real-time adjustments effectively.”
Topping the list of innovations getting a full work through is the use of a Sony high-speed 4K camera on a second Skycam. Mike Davies, SVP, technical and field operations, Fox Sports, says the overall goal is to get a more tactical overview of the field.
“We can zoom in on certain areas of interest at 120 fps and it’s really an analysts dream and works great for both telestration and highlights,” he says. “And thanks to Skycam and Sony for their support on this project.”
Matt Battaglia, Fox Sports, director, remote engineering, says it has been exciting partnering with Sony, Hawk-eye and Skycam on the use (and debut) of the new Sony HDC P50A 4K HFR box camera for the playoffs and eventually the Super Bowl.
The Sony HDC-P50A mounted on a Skycam is playing a big role for Fox Sports during this year’s NFL playoffs.
“This camera brings a multitude of options to the production that we couldn’t provide in the past,” he says. “We have been testing this camera for the last couple weeks of the season and all through the playoffs on a High Skycam system. With it’s shoebox like form factor it allows us to put it on the Skycam and the 4K resolution allows us to get a wider field of view. We then process that through a Hawkeye server, perform a zoom extract at 1080p HDR for air, and can even do 120 fps which is a big plus.”
The project is also a perfect example of why innovations like this, which is squarely focused on making a difference at the Super Bowl, are at their best for that game when the production team can use it on multiple other games and learn how to really get the most out of it.
“The production team is finding new ways to use the High Skycam every game and if you’ve been watching I believe you’ve been seeing a lot of all-22 style Telestration being done by our lead analyst over the High Skycam.”
Battaglia says the Fox NFL A crew, which will be front and center for the Super Bowl, has been carrying extra tools and toys all season long from the likes of EMG, which is providing RF video, and CP Communications, which handles wireless audio.
“As we get into the first round of the playoffs that’s where camera count jumps up slightly and then when we get to the NFC championship, we add upwards of eight additional cameras plus back-line pylon cameras and goal-post cameras provided by Cosm,” he adds.
As for production units, Game Creek Encore is on playoff duty for the entire run and then at the NFC Championship look for Game Creek Video’s Prime One to be added to the mix to support the two-hour pre-game studio show.
Kenney says that while all of those who have worked on Fox NFL games this season won’t be at the Super Bowl in New Orleans each of them played an integral part in getting the production and technical efforts dialed in.
“I am both thankful and amazed by the talent Fox Sports brings together each week for our remote operations,” he says. “Our crews are consistently prepared to handle any new challenge or request we present throughout the season. Their exceptional technical expertise enables us to innovate and remain at the forefront of cutting-edge technology year after year.”
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