How many cameras will be used on Super Bowl LIX?

Preparations are well underway for Super Bowl LIX next weekend in New Orleans, with a huge amount of cameras lined up to broadcast the game to the US and worldwide.

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events held annually in the world. It dominates the US broadcasting schedules and buoyed by spectacular half-time shows and some of the highest-profile ad work of the year, manages to create news around the world. 

This year FOX Sports is next in the list of rotating broadcasters to host the English-language US broadcast (it will also be available in Spanish on Fox Deportes and Telemundo, and be streamed on Tubi). It will pull in over $7m for each 30-second ad slot. 

Interest in the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles is high enough that even pre-game slots are going for around $4.5 million, double their usual amount. Back when it last broadcast the Super Bowl in 2023, Fox raked in around $600 million in total ad revenue. This year it is on course to top even that, with 67 hours of week-long content that will culminate with 5½ hours of build-up live from New Orleans. That means it has been able to invest heavily in coverage.

Super Bowl LIX: The broadcast load out

Sony is an official technology partner of the NFL and the company says it will have more technology than ever capturing Super Bowl LIX. Given that Super Bowl LVIII was a hugely impressive production, that is an impressive bar to clear. 

In total, more than 240 Sony Cameras will be in and around the Caesars Superdome. These cameras cover a huge gamut too, everything from Sony’s professional broadcast models used by FOX Sports to the various Alpha interchangeable lens cameras and E-mount lenses including G Master that The Associated Press and other sideline photographers will be using..

Let’s break that down.

Sony’s professional broadcast cameras have covered football’s biggest game for over a decade. This year FOX Sports, together with the production company Game Creek Video will deploy more than 100 cameras on-site for pre-game, in-game, and post-game action as well as additional studio shows. FOX will also have Sony BVM reference level monitors on-site used for color gradation to bring the most accurate imagery to fans around the world.

Sony’s cameras will be positioned in each end zone, along both sidelines, and in multiple positions throughout the stadium, including the SkyCam over the field. There will also be 14 Sony cameras specifically handling content for streaming.

In addition to all the broadcast and production cameras, FOX Sports will use Sony’s HawkREPLAY systems, a remote production and instant replay broadcast solution, to support the overall broadcast experience. Hawk-Eye technology will also be supporting in-game officiating and replay services, as well as the overall production.

FOX Sports

• 97 Sony HDC Series Broadcast System Cameras
• 1 Sony FR7 Cinematic PTZ Camera
• 3 Sony FX6 Full-Frame Cinema Cameras
• 1 Sony Alpha 7 III Mirrorless Camera
• 1 Sony VENICE 2 Digital Cinema Camera

Super Bowl LIX: Press photography

On the photography side, Sony has been the exclusive imaging products and support provider for The Associated Press – the contracted source for NFL imagery – since 2020. In total, AP will have 14 photographers and 9 editors on-site at the Super Bowl. Added to this effort, the NFL’s in-house photography team, NFL Focus, will also be using a variety of Sony Alpha cameras and lenses to cover the game as well. Sony’s Pro Support team will offer a pro photographer depot on-site to help service and support the professionals working the game, including offering loans of the brand-new flagship Alpha 1 II camera.

Both the Associated Press and the NFL in-house photography are also planning to utilize Sony’s PDT-FP1 transmitter device on-site to deliver photos + videos directly from camera to editors in real-time, streamlining their workflow and resulting in the fastest possible distribution to the public.

Associated Press

• 55+ Sony cameras and a variety of lenses

NFL Focus Photography Team

• 8 Sony cameras and a variety of lenses

Sony Pro Support

• 65 Sony Full Frame Mirrorless Cameras
• 140 Professional Lenses including 14x 600mm, 10x 400mm, 6x 300mm super telephoto lenses

Super Bowl LIX: The Halftime Show

This year’s Halftime Show (officially now dubbed the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show) stars Kendrick Lamar and is being produced by the experienced team of longtime halftime show production lead RocNation and director Hamish Hamilton. That experience extends to the technical side as well, as for the fifth year in a row, Funicular Goats will technically produce the Halftime Show.

For the fourth straight year, the Goats are choosing the Sony VENICE 2 as their main camera alongside the Sony VENICE Extension System and the Sony BURANO for a total of 14 cameras.

“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is a challenge unlike any other project we’ve been a part of,” explains James Coker, Head of Engineering and Technical Management at Funicular Goats. “There are less than five minutes to set up and deliver a cinematic concert to millions of people, and the Sony Cinema Line cameras provide the perfect combination of full-frame sensor with broadcast compatibility to work seamlessly within the show’s structure and achieve this challenge.”

Funicular Goats – Super Bowl Halftime Show

• 13 Sony VENICE 2 Digital Cinema Cameras
• 1 Sony VENICE Extension System
• 1 Sony BURANO Digital Cinema Camera (for ASL camera)

Where and when?

Super Bowl LIX starts at 6.40pm EST on Sunday February 9. FOX Sports is the host broadcaster this year in the US, with native Spanish coverage on Fox Deportes and Telemundo. It will also be streamed free on Tubi. The worldwide broadcast is a patchwork of different rights in different countries; more info on how to watch worldwide at www.nfl.com/international/

tl;dr

• Preparations for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans include over 240 Sony cameras deployed by FOX Sports for comprehensive coverage, aiming to set new ad revenue records with $7 million per 30-second slot and $4.5 million for pre-game ads.
• FOX Sports will utilize Sony’s HawkREPLAY systems and Hawk-Eye technology to enhance the broadcasting experience, ensuring in-game officiating and seamless production.
• The Associated Press, as the official imagery provider since 2020, will have 14 photographers and 9 editors on-site using over 55 Sony cameras, including real-time photo and video transmission through the PDT-FP1 transmitter device.
• The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show will feature Kendrick Lamar and will be produced with 14 cameras, mostly Sony VENICE 2s, and extensions managed by the experienced production team Funicular Goats.