For eight years, NFL fans got used to seeing the familiar Bose logo on coaches’ sideline headsets. However, Bose chose not to renew its licensing deal for the 2022 season, and the league’s headsets have featured the generic NFL logo ever since. That’s about to finally change now that Sony has stepped into the role of official headphones of the NFL.
The announcement is part of a much larger technology partnership between the two entities, one that will see Sony cameras and Hawk-Eye tracking services, plus other equipment in key roles during games. One of the biggest changes will be new sideline headsets designed by Sony that will make their first appearance during the 2025 season. The headsets will also be powered by Verizon Business’ Managed Private Wireless Solution running on Verizon’s 5G network.
“Advancing technology on and off the field is a top priority for the NFL,” said NFL chief information officer Gary Brantley, “and this partnership will fortify Sony’s role in the NFL’s ever-growing technology ecosystem, elevating various dimensions of our sport and bringing fans closer to game-day action. From broadening Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology within the game to utilizing Sony’s suite of advanced imaging products, to the deployment of new coaches’ headsets in 2025, the NFL will harness Sony’s expertise to drive innovation and further solidify the league’s status as a premier sports organization.”
Sony is no stranger to the NFL. Its past contributions have included sideline photography, broadcast cameras and production, technology that supports officiating, and enhancements for in-stadium fan experiences.
For the coming seasons, Sony Electronics says that its Hawk-Eye subsidiary and NFL will collaborate in the development of a next-generation officiating technology leveraging Hawk-Eye’s line-to-gain optical tracking technology to review and make critical rulings on plays.
Additionally, the technology and data captured by Hawk-Eye paired with player tracking data from the NFL’s Next Gen Stats powered by AWS and Sony’s Beyond Sports’ visualization technology will create opportunities for real-time content creation like ESPN, Disney, and the NFL’s “Toy Story Funday Football” alternate game presentation during the 2023 season, which brought a younger and more global audience to the game and is the biggest live event to date on Disney+.
