
Referee-mounted camera used in German Bundesliga for first time By George Bevir
Tuesday, February 27, 2024 - 10:13
Print This Story
A camera was mounted to a referee during a German Bundesliga fixture for the first time on Sunday (25 February 2024), with the official in charge of the tie between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg equipped with a Riedel-developed camera and microphone.
Referee Daniel Schlager was fitted with the RefCam device to provide viewers with a close-up view of the referee's perspective and to show the challenges faced by match officials.
The content captured by the camera and microphone will be used from 12 March in a monthly 30-minute programme Referees Mic'd up - Bundesliga'. Produced by DFL Digital Sports, the programme will be made available to national and international media partners.
Referee Patrick Kessel with the head unit of Riedel's RefCam
The initiative was authorised by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and required coordination between various stakeholders including the German Football Association (DFB), the DFL Deutsche Fu ball Liga, the participating clubs Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg, and the referees.
Riedel programme manager global events Jan Schaffner explained to SVG Europe that the development of RefCam began in 2020 after the company was initially asked to assist referees in Germany with their training sessions.
It's a completely new development and an entirely Riedel-developed camera, said Schaffner. It is comprised of two components: a head unit which is mounted on the headset, along with comms system head unit connected to a transmission unit. There is a live version and a version with a recording unit, which is what was used at the weekend. And it's possible to mute and shut down the microphone if needed.
Interested in innovation and football production?
SVG Europe's Football Summit takes place on Thursday 29 February in Brussels
For more information, visit svgeurope.org/football-summit-2024
Schaffner said RefCam was developed with referees Patrick Kessel and Nicholas Winter, with whom Riedel has formed a joint venture called In-YS (In Your Shoes).
It's really important to know what referees think, and how they use this kind of technology and to make sure that we are able to address any concerns that referees might have about how RefCam can be used, said Schaffner.
Current IFAB regulations only allow for images from a referee-mounted camera to be recorded rather than transmitted live.
We have used [the live version] in training so we know we can create beautiful broadcast images, but we must respect the IFAB regulations, said Schaffner.
Following its use at the weekend, RefCam will be reviewed by Riedel with the Bundesliga to see if any changes are needed before it's used again in the league.
Looking ahead, Schaffner explained that RefCam would be offered via Riedel's Managed Technology division. Comprised of custom-engineered technologies paired with supervision and support by Riedel-qualified engineers, one of the first projects overseen by the division was the DFL's work with Riedel to design a reliable infrastructure for German Bundesliga referee communications.
Referee Daniel Schlager tested RefCam on 17 December during the match between Arminia Bielefeld and TSV 1860 Munich in the 3rd division.
The use of a ref cam builds on some previous uses of mics in other European countries last season; in April last year, referee Emily Heaslip wore a mic during Chelsea's match against Reading in the Women's Super League. In the same month, Ligue 1 referee Benoit Millot was mic'd up for the fixture between Lyon and Nantes, with Amazon Prime sharing footage on social media.
North America Stories
11/08/2026
Weekly immersive broadcasts will feature 8K 3D video, a 180-degree field of view...
11/08/2026
By Briana Brady, Social Media Manager, Production Hub
Sports content is having ...
11/08/2026
She addresses why media organizations need more than asset storage, how sports t...
11/08/2026
Remote commentary has improved significantly on these broadcasts
At a clip of ...
11/08/2026
A pair of LANTIME IMS M2000 PTP Grandmasters deliver resilient timing infrastruc...
11/08/2026
LTN has announced expanded capabilities for its Live Event Master Control offering, providing sports broadcasters, leagues, rights holders, and content owners w...
11/08/2026
WTA Ventures has appointed IMG as its managed production services partner in a multi-year agreement commencing with the 2027 season. The partnership is the late...
11/08/2026
The New York Jets and CBS New York have agreed to a multi-year extension of their partnership, keeping CBS New York as the official broadcast home of the team. ...
11/08/2026
Nielsen Holdings and DoubleVerify have announced a definitive agreement under which Nielsen will acquire DoubleVerify in an all-cash transaction with an enterpr...
11/08/2026
The Audio Engineering Society has announced the results of its 2026 Board of Dir...
11/08/2026
The CSN co-founder details its network and affiliate' model, how creator wi...
11/08/2026
Gravity Media is providing host broadcast operations for the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026, supporting ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) in delivering the tournament to glo...
11/08/2026
TAG Video Systems has released a memory usage optimization for its MCM software that reduces the cost per channel by up to two-thirds for compressed workflows. ...
11/08/2026
SMT is expanding its technology partnership with the Cincinnati Open this year, adding new LED displays, production capabilities, and fan-facing experiences at ...
11/08/2026
The Pac-12 has announced that home Olympic sports broadcasts throughout the fall season will be available free on the conference's YouTube channel at youtub...
11/08/2026
Spreading a message of faith requires both widespread accessibility and uncompromising visual quality. Real Life Network (RLN), a free, faith-based digital stre...
11/08/2026
Taking the synergy of sports and entertainment a step further, the NFL venue in Nashville will house iterations of two iconic music clubs
The marriage of Taylo...
11/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/08/2026
farmerswife and Cirkus will return to IBC 2026 to showcase new tools designed to help broadcast, media and post-production teams manage workflows with greater s...
11/08/2026
LiveUs LU900Q intelligent production unit played a central role in the host broadcast operation for the Games in Glasgow (July 23 to August 2, 2026). The host b...
11/08/2026
Jigsaw24 has appointed James Morse as Client Director, Media Sales, as it deepens its focus on sports, live events and integrated production. His appointment co...
11/08/2026
Net Insight today announced that DMC Production Norway has selected its Open Live Media solution to centralize the production of Blinkfestivalen 2026. Combining...
11/08/2026
Modular HEVC and JPEG XS workflows enabled resilient, ultra-low-latency delivery for leading linear and digital media platforms across all 104 matches
Appear A...
11/08/2026
Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Fabiola M ndez The first cuatrista to graduate from Berklee talks about the community that shaped her career ahead of her Homecom...
11/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced Dalet Solution Suites, a new portfolio of cloud-native solutions ...
11/08/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, will showcase how media companies can prep...
11/08/2026
Every new generation of accelerated computing demands more from the infrastructure underneath it - more compute performance, higher rack density and more effici...
11/08/2026
As AI shifts from chatbots to autonomous agents, open models are serving market ...
11/08/2026
The open source ecosystem is making it easier for AI enthusiasts and developers to build, customize and run increasingly capable agents locally.
Throughout Au...
10/08/2026
Weekly immersive broadcasts will feature 8K 3D video, a 180-degree field of view...
10/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/08/2026
Students in the Technology and Applied Composition (TAC) program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) gain rare, real world experience in professio...
10/08/2026
FOR-A is using its presence at IBC2026 (stand 2.B53, Amsterdam RAI, 11 14 September) to show how its products deliver the answers to the real challenges faced...
10/08/2026
Frontier EU, official Peplink distributor for Europe, will exhibit at IBC 2026 in Amsterdam from 11 to 14 September, presenting live demonstrations of how Pepli...
10/08/2026
Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage Premiere Pro
Michael Cioni August 10, 2026
0 Comments
This is a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to setup...
10/08/2026
Stunning Pixelated ASCII Effect for Apple Motion
Simon Ubsdell August 10, 2026
0 Comments
Apple Motion is perfect for building this popular ASCII unic...
10/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/08/2026
A major unconventional operator increased monthly pumping hours by more than 30% by automating critical frac completion processes and eliminating common sources...
09/08/2026
COW Jobs: Documentary Editor - Remote
Brie Clayton August 9, 2026
0 Comments
Documentary Editor
July 31, 2026COW Jobs: Lead Generation Representativ...
08/08/2026
Star Wars Hyperspeed Tutorial: The No-Echo Method in After Effects
Graham Quince August 8, 2026
0 Comments
The Echo Effect to create long streaks is n...
08/08/2026
Chyron Releases AXIS 4.0 With Expanded News Workflows and Richer Map Storytellin...
08/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...