SVG Sit-Down: Brad Cheney of Fox Sports Discusses the Evolution of Drone Coverage Heavier payloads, faster speeds allow more-versatile deployment By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Monday, February 22, 2021 - 1:51 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The 2021 NASCAR season on Fox Sports has been highlighted by the use of two drones, giving a new look and feel to the productions. The use of two drones is the culmination of a process that began in 2014 and has seen drones used at Supercross, golf events, NASCAR, and more. Sitting down with SVG, Brad Cheney, VP, Field Operations and Engineering, Fox Sports, discussed its evolution, key developments, and what's next for the use of drones in live sports production.
Fox Sports is using two drones for its NASCAR coverage.
Brad, let's go back to the beginning of your work with drones.
I think the amazing part is how fast everything evolves. Back in late 2014, we were launching our USGA efforts and getting ready for the next NASCAR season. And drones were on the scene because they were legalized [to fly], and that was the biggest thing for us because being able to legally fly was the biggest challenge.
What was your first use of drones?
It was at the Franklin Templeton Shootout in 2014, and it was a big, massive drone that could stay up for, like, eight minutes. It gave us beauty shots as it was really like a high camera. For a good period of time, that is how drones were used: as high-camera coverage with movement, which was still really cool.
What was that system like?
It was loud and noisy because there were more engines on that thing than on most airplanes. We took multiples of them to Supercross, and that was probably the biggest eye-opener because even the big drones were able to keep up with the bikes. The drones could do about 35 mph, and we could race along with the riders and get dynamic shots that showed the speed and agility of what those riders were doing.
That took things to the next level, where we said, How do we get the drones off the track and find places to use them? For us, NASCAR was the biggest opportunity.
https://www.sportsvideo.org/new/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/DRONE_SIZZLE_1.mp4
What was the challenge during the early days of NASCAR drones?
We still had very limited space to fly, because there are so many people and we had to have a safety zone of 200 ft. between the drone and people. But NASCAR and the racing community have always been great with us, and NASCAR and the drivers wanted to do it as much as we did.
The challenge was finding the spots at a track to fly when you have a quarter of a million people wanting to be as close to the track as possible. We managed to find some spots, flew, and it was beautiful.
What was next?
It wasn't able to get dynamic [shots], so we asked ourselves, How do we change that? We had only eight minutes to fly. How can you fly when you know it's going to matter and then come down and get back up again? You never know when somebody's going to wreck into the wall, so you're not necessarily there to catch it unless you can stay up longer. In 2018, we tethered a drone that could fly for long periods of time, but again, it was a high, wide shot as it couldn't hold a large zoom lens.
Heading into last year, there was a really big jump as racing drones started to be able to carry camera and transmitter payloads that were ready for broadcast. These pilots were flying them with goggles that gave them and us a first-person view. These pilots were amazing, using these FPV drones for promotional things like scaling a tall building, and, suddenly, we had the speed and dynamics in drones we needed for racing. We got together with Beverly Hills Aerials, who can fly the really big drones, but they also build their own FPVs. Now we had the speed and the video, so we knew it would be amazing to bring that to the Daytona 500.
What did those smaller drones bring to the show?
We had them whipping around and saw that they provided amazing shots as they were flying up to 90 mph. But they weren't able to get those beauty shots along the backstretch. And then, when the pandemic hit and everything shut down, we suddenly could fly literally everywhere but over the track itself.
That propelled this forward. We could have the access to do things like having the drone spin around the winner doing a burnout and keeping up at the same speed as the car. But we also still needed the bigger drone for the middle of the race.
How should people evaluate whether drones are good for their show?
There isn't just one type of drone, so you need to find the right one. They keep changing, and they do get twice as good each year. What you can do with them changes. At Daytona, we had a Sony P50 camera with a Canon 22X lens. That wouldn't be possible without the drone improving lift capabilities and run time.
We have massive and powerful drones and others that are very sleek and fast, so it's about being able to utilize all those pieces.
What else are you hoping to do with drones this year?
We can't wait to show you what we can do outside of racing again with the Westminster Dog Show and then later in the summer for MLB's Field of Dreams game being played in Iowa.
Where are we with respect to flight times?
It's getting a little bit better, about 10% better each year, and we're at about 14-15 minutes depending on the load and the speeds the drone flies. As for the smaller drones, they can do up to 20 minutes unless you start ripping it at 90 mph for the run.
What happens when fans get back?
Safety is the continuous conversation that exists; the laws and venue rules always change as time moves on. To that point, there are technically no laws limiting flying over people, which used to have a 200-ft.-plus buffer. It is all abo
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
01/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for its Dec. 18 Open Commission Meeting that will include a vote on a report an...
01/12/2025
In most years, a graph of annual local TV ad spending is about as predictable as an electrocardiogram of a reasonably healthy patient in a doctor's office. ...
01/12/2025
Many industries have seen big-ticket hardware turn into software. Switchers, though, demand a combination of real-time performance and sheer bandwidth that has ...
01/12/2025
GENEVA Shanghai will host the next quadrennial Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), Oct. 11-Nov. 12, 2027. This...
01/12/2025
NEW YORK Just in time for Giving Tuesday tomorrow (Dec. 2), the Broadcasters Foundation of America is seeking out donations to help television and radio industr...
01/12/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson has informed the company's board that he will retire from the video transport and media cloud technology ...
01/12/2025
As the festive season approaches, RT Supporting the Arts is proud to showcase a...
01/12/2025
Researchers worldwide rely on open-source technologies as the foundation of their work. To equip the community with the latest advancements in digital and physi...
01/12/2025
Festive specials of Christmas in Kilmainham presented by Marty Whelan, High Road Low Road, Callan Kicks the Year and Keys to My Life
Ring in the New Year with ...
01/12/2025
Architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace, best known to RT audiences as a long-serving judge on Home of the Year, has died at the age of 68.
In a state...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
SVG Sit-Down: Brad Cheney of Fox Sports Discusses the Evolution of Drone Coverage Heavier payloads, faster speeds allow more-versatile deployment By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
