SVG Sit-Down: NHL, Sony Execs Dive Deeper into New Technology Partnership for Beyond Sports, Hawk-Eye, and More NHLs Dave Lehanski, Sonys Theresa Alesso, and Beyond Sports Sander Schouten on what the deal means for the future of the NHL fan experience By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Wednesday, June 4, 2025 - 2:42 pm
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Earlier today, Sony and the NHL announced a new multiyear global technology partnership that will see the league expand its use of Sony's Beyond Sports' technology for NHL animated data visualizations and Hawk-Eye measuring and tracking technologies, as well as invest in additinoal Sony products and technologies that will bring NHL fans closer to the game than ever before. It marks the latest chapter in the two companies' ongoing collaboration in recent years.
SVG sat down with David Lehanski, NHL Executive Vice President, Business Development & Innovation; Theresa Alesso, President, Imaging Products and Solutions Americas, Sony Electronics; and Sander Schouten, CEO and Co-Founder, Beyond Sports; to dive deeper into the what the deal means for the future of the fan experience.
Why does this partnership make sense from the league's perspective?
NHL's Dave Lehanski: New Sony partnership is really about where we go next and how we continue to transform.
Lehanski: This is a true partnership with Sony - from Hawk-Eye to Beyond Sports to Imaging and cameras and even beyond that. This is an exciting overall partnership that has us thinking about the future and where we are going next. So it's not just a partnership based on a few products that we knew we wanted; it's a broader canvas that has the entire Sony [portfolio] in mind. Yes, we have a lot of [Sony technology] in place right now and we want to keep using those products and services, but it's really about where we go next and how we continue to transform.
And from a Beyond Sports perspective?
Schouten: In this [partnership], we are never really satisfied and we are always trying to push each other further. The status quo is not accepted; we need to break that status quo to go further. We are always trying to improve - whether it is us coming to the NHL with new product and them always saying yes, let's do it' or it is the NHL coming to us saying that was great, but could you also do this?' That dynamic is such a pleasure to work in and why we are so excited for the partnership that we now have in front of us.
And what about in terms of Sony as an overall company?
Sony's Theresa Alesso: We're really excited about the breadth of what we can do together.
Alesso: We've worked with the NHL for a very long time and we're thrilled that we can finally get to a point to solidify this in a much larger way. I think really the great working relationship we've already established together can now be taken to the next level. Obviously, that includes the great work already being done by the teams at Beyond Sports and Hawkeye. But we are also thinking about NHL staff photographers using our Alpha cameras for still imaging, [the role of] Sony studio cameras that bring all of the supporting engagements into the home, we also have center ice coverage, we have an ability to be able to partner with our cloud services team, and even can create a faster game with our transmitters so that data can be shared in a much quicker way.
But the most magical part of all of it is really the breadth of the entire [portfolio], bringing together our home entertainment, our personal audio, our imaging products, our sports technology products together with the NHL. We hope to be able to evolve the NHL experience for broadcasters and fans at home, fans in the stands, coaches, officials, and players alike. So we're really excited about the breadth of what we can do together.
And how did your existing partnerships - especially using Beyond Sports and Hawk-Eye technology - play into this deal?
Lehanski: We've already had a lot of success and, certainly if things weren't already going really well with Beyond Sports and Hawk-Eye, we wouldn't be establishing this partnership today. But obviously they have overdelivered in every aspect and we couldn't be more excited to continue leveraging those technologies and are excited about where we're going to go using those platforms. It was really a no-brainer.
Sony obviously has a wide-rannging broadcast portfolio - what are some of the key technologies you see the being integrated by the NHL in the near-term?
Lehanski: If you just think about the different components, there are really three key pieces that stick out to me. I'll start with the ability to leverage their technology to capture our game like never before: cameras, tracking systems, and other infrastructure that we can now look at putting into every building. Then there's the processing of everything that we capture and that's where the Big City Green Classic and other [animated data visualizations] that we've done with Beyond sports come into it. How do we take all the assets - the data and the video and the audio - and turn it into entirely new experiences. And then there's distribution: where do we put that content and where do we think creatively about reaching the fan in the future? There are incredible opportunities that we are looking at right now which will go beyond anything that we've done to date.
So that's a high-level overview, but it's really about the breadth of all the products and services and how they can help us create really transformative change for the NHL.
Can we expect more animated broadcasts next season as a result of this deal?
Lehanski: Yes, there will be more animated data visualization content produced with Beyond Sports and in a
