The 2026 NFL season kickoff is just around the corner, with the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks gearing up for a Super Bowl rematch on Wednesday, September 9. Ahead of the new season, Sony is celebrating how its technology was used throughout the NFL last year and sharing new details about how it will expand this season.

During the 2025 NFL season, Sony’s broadcast cameras captured over 1,100 hours of NFL action across 300 games. Associated Press photographers used Sony Alpha cameras to capture over 130,000 published photos of NFL games. Sony’s Hawk-Eye video replay and new virtual measurement technology supported 630 different officiating events, and coaches used 2,300 Sony headsets with “zero hardware failures over the entire season.”

That’s a lot of Sony gear involved with the NFL, the wealthiest professional sports league in the entire world by revenue. During Super Bowl LX alone, there were more than 175 Sony cameras on and around the field. Sony specifically notes the use of its high frame rate (HFR) cameras, which delivered high-resolution slow-motion replays to nearly 125 million viewers worldwide.

Last year, the first season in which Sony Hawk-Eye performed all line-to-gain measurements across the NFL, Hawk-Eye was used for 21 measurements. On average, these line-to-gain measurements took about half the time of the old “chain gang” approach to measuring first downs. Two of these virtual measurements stand out, both during the Buffalo Bills vs Jacksonville Jaguars playoff game. Hawk-Eye confirmed two first downs in that game that came down to just two and four inches, respectively.

Sony Hawk-Eye technology also supports replay and officiating efforts with a wide range of camera angles, including 360-degree views at all boundary lines. 12 Sony 360-degree PTZ cameras are installed in every NFL stadium, collectively supporting 322 replay reviews and an additional 141 replay assists.

“Our partnership with Sony is rooted in a shared commitment to strengthening the game through innovation,” says Tracie Rodburg, Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships at the NFL.

“From officiating and coaching communications to game operations, Sony’s technologies have delivered meaningful results and helped us provide a more consistent experience for officials, coaches, players, and fans. As we look ahead, we’re excited to continue building on that success together,” Rodburg continues.

“For more than a decade, we’ve worked alongside the NFL to develop technologies that solve real challenges and support some of the most important moments in the game,” adds Theresa Alesso, President, Imaging Products and Solutions Americas, Sony Electronics.

“The results from the first season reflect what’s possible when innovation is built in collaboration with the people who use it. We’re excited to continue evolving that partnership and exploring what’s next together.”

Looking ahead to this season, Sony says it will utilize AI-enabled Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras to capture dynamic shots from more angles. Sony says footage from its PTZ cameras matches up well with its professional cinema cameras.

Across NFL stadiums this season, Sony imaging technologies will also power new in-venue experiences, including highlight reels for video boards and additional replay perspectives for spectators. Hawk-Eye tracking is also expanding. Planned advancements include greater use of SkeleTRACK data and improved virtual measurement.

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Image creditsSony