Live From Super Bowl LIX: Inside the SkyCam and Sony Efforts To Make 4K 240-fps Imaging on SkyCam a Reality The dual system will provide more of a tactical view' of the action By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Saturday, February 8, 2025 - 7:49 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
SkyCam's big presence at a Super Bowl is nothing new, but, at Super Bowl LIX, the two SkyCam units flying around the Caesars Superdome will bring something new to the world of cabled camera systems.
The low one will have a Kudan LiDAR sensor mounted on the bottom to improve the stability of the AR graphics inserted into SkyCam shots. The high SkyCam features a new Sony P50A camera, which will capture 4k images at 240 frames per second, providing a new pixel- and frame-rich environment enabling the FOX Sports replay team to do everything from HD cutouts to tracking objects, telestration, and much more.
From left: SkyCam GM/COO Stephen Wharton, Game High Sky EIC Jason Curl, SkyCam Lead EIC Brad Eisele, and SkyCam, VP, Software Tim Demers
It will provide more of a tactical view, says Steve Wharton, GM/COO/CTO, SkyCam, where you can see the routes and a lot of the blocking, especially on the edges of the line. On the low SkyCam, we can show the big pockets and holes from a low perspective, but the high SkyCam can offer a tactical view.
The high SkyCam at Super Bowl LIX is outfitted with a Sony P50A, which will capture 4K images at 240 fps.
SkyCam has about 20 people onsite, including four sets of pilots and operators: one set for the low SkyCam, one for the high SkyCam, a third for the pregame show, and a fourth for the halftime show.
Each of the guys has a set of responsibilities and controls, Wharton explains. The pilots are responsible for flying the SkyCam; you can think of it like flying a fighter jet. The operators are the ones pulling focus.
The SkyCam system comprises three distinct components: the cameras and the pilot and operator controls; the winches and cabling (which will be located on the 600 level at Caesars Superdome); and the truck ties and the AR graphics. Says Wharton, Everything gets orchestrated together.
Getting SkyCam ready for a Super Bowl requires months of planning. The team not only has to figure out where to rig the system but also needs to consider the additional speaker and lighting clusters put in place for the halftime show. This year, integrating the new Sony camera into the SkyCam workflow took some time, as did ensuring that signals were transported properly across fiber connects from the camera to the production team.
From left: High Sky Operator Austin Ellsworth; Low Sky Pilot Alex Milton; Sam High Sky Pilot Walker; SkyCam, VP, Software, Tim Demers; SkyCam GM/COO/CTO Stephen Wharton; and SkyCam, Manager, Technical Operations, Mark StreapyTim Demers, SkyCam, VP Software; Stephen Wharton, SkyCam, GM, COO & CTO; Mark Streapy, SkyCam, Technical Operations Manager
This camera is going to get looks the production team otherwise would not have, says Wharton. It's not like a pylon cam, which is useful only for plays on the goal line. This is useful on every play.
North America Stories
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
Latino Film Institute Fellows Screen Their Short Films at the Egyptian Theatre
The Inclusion Fellowship and Spark Animation Grant uplifts 15 ...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
29/05/2026
Experimental HIV vaccine achieves a long-sought goal In a first for the field, all non-human primates given a new series of vaccines generated antibodies capabl...
28/05/2026
FOX Sports' MLB coverage dominated the night at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy ...
28/05/2026
One of the most memorable postseasons in baseball history would have had no memo...
28/05/2026
NBC's Sunday Night Football is among the most-decorated and most-watched pro...
28/05/2026
The 2026 Sports Emmys marked a watershed moment for Prime Video Sports. After bu...
28/05/2026
Hosted by ESPN Senior Writer Ryan McGee, the ceremony honored winners from athletic departments, conference offices, professional networks, production companies...
28/05/2026
Major rights-holders rolled out their 2026 college football slates today, offering a first look at marquee windows, kickoff partners, and conference distributio...
28/05/2026
The 4 Nations Face-Off, an international competition that launched in February 2...
28/05/2026
Soccer is a truly global sport, and, to match the U.S. viewing audience's in...
28/05/2026
The NFL Today, CBS Sports' top-of-the-line NFL studio show, has a storied hi...
28/05/2026
Prime Video is no stranger to innovation, and, within the realm of live streamin...
Live From Super Bowl LIX: Inside the SkyCam and Sony Efforts To Make 4K 240-fps Imaging on SkyCam a Reality The dual system will provide more of a tactical view' of the action By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
