NFL: Sony’s Hawk-Eye In Place For All Stadiums, Overseas Games Beginning ’25

NYSJ Sports-Entertainment Business News Service

Photo: SonyApril 1, 2025: Following a year of what was called “extensive testing,” the NFL said today that Sony's Hawk-Eye technology would be used by “as the primary method for measuring the line to gain,” beginning with the 2025 season.

Hawk-Eye will be deployed across all 30 NFL stadiums and the international venues hosting NFL games,

According to the NFL, “Sony's Hawk-Eye virtual measurement technology will serve as an efficient alternative to the process of walking chains onto the field and manually measuring whether ten yards have been met after the official has spotted the ball.

“The chain crew will remain on the field in a secondary capacity.”

"The NFL and Sony are integrating world-class on-field officiating with state-of-the-art technology to advance football excellence," Troy Vincent, NFL evp-football operations, said via the league.

"Combining the art of officiating with Sony's trusted Hawk-Eye system is a healthy recipe for success in our commitment to raising the standards of accuracy, consistency and efficiency. Replay technology and data-driven insights from Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations aid us in advancing our efforts toward the future of football.”

Sony, a technology partner of the NFL said it has “long provided the league with innovations that elevate the game and foster engagement for fans. Sony's virtual measurement solution expands this relationship, as it helps to modernize the game.”

The NFL said Sony's Hawk-Eye virtual measurement system allows the league to “accurately and efficiently measure the distance between the spotted ball and the line to gain.

“The technology, tested extensively last season, will bring a new level of precision and speed to NFL officiating.”

Hawk-Eye consists of six 8K cameras for optical tracking of the position of the ball. The system is operated from the NFL's Art McNally GameDay Central Officiating Center in New York and is integrated with the league's existing replay system.

According to the NFL, as on-field officials are notified of the measurement outcome, virtual recreations of measurements are produced in real time for the in-stadium and broadcast audience. The full operational process takes around 30 seconds, saving up to 40 seconds from a measurement with the chains.

In addition to Sony's virtual measurement technology, during the 2025 season, Sony and the NFL will deploy a new coach's sideline headset for coach-to-coach communications.

Sony’s Hawk-Eye is used by leagues including MLB, the NHL, English Premier League, MLS, ATP, WTA, PGA Tour, FIBA and FIFA.

"Sony's longstanding relationship with the NFL is built upon our joint desire to innovate and bring audiences closer to the action, and Sony's Hawk-Eye virtual measurement system further activates on those commitments," Neal Manowitz, president and COO of Sony Electronics, North America, said via the company.

"We look forward to providing more excitement to passionate fans as we help transform the game in ways that are only possible through the power of creativity and technology."

Sony's collaboration with the NFL on this technology originated with the league's adoption of Hawk-Eye's Synchronized Multi-Angle Replay Technology (SMART) in 2021, a system used to combine video feeds from all of the NFL's broadcast partners in one place. This allowed replay officials at the stadium and AMGC to synchronize up to four camera angles at one time during a review and select the best option.

Back to Home Page