Sporting Kansas City’s SKCTV Debuted SkyCam Last Weekend

Sporting Kansas City looked to change the way soccer is televised when SKCTV debuted the SkyCam Wildcat system during Saturday’s match against Real Salt Lake at Children’s Mercy Park.

SkyCam, a cable-suspended aerial camera that floats above the playing field, will offer thrilling and dynamic angles of in-game action throughout every SKCTV telecast at Children’s Mercy Park in 2016. Sporting Kansas City becomes the first MLS club to feature a semi-permanent installation of SkyCam at its home stadium.

“Bringing SkyCam to professional soccer will help SKCTV deliver the best television viewing experience in the sport,” Sporting KC president Jake Reid said. “This state-of-the-art addition will showcase the game to supporters in a whole new way and aligns with the club’s commitment to innovation and originality.”

Following a multi-million dollar investment program to further upgrade its already groundbreaking aerial camera platform, SkyCam unveiled its next-generation Wildcat system in July 2015 during the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game. Wildcat blends the best in engineering, automation and broadcast technology, creating the world’s most advanced and flexible aerial camera system. The 4-axis system delivers a stable, rich and varied stream of live-action sports footage and other entertainment programming. Its open architecture also allows for many different enhancements, such as microphones responsible for capturing the on-the-field player conversations and game play sounds; the ability to superimpose on-screen graphics; and built-in anemometers to measure wind force, velocity and direction.

“We are very proud to be the first MLS club to use SkyCam in all of our regular season broadcasts at Children’s Mercy Park,” SKCTV producer Joe Loverro said. “This technology will bring fans closer to the action than ever before and show the game in a more exciting way to better demonstrate the incredible skill, speed and strength of players in MLS. SkyCam will make what is already the beautiful game even more so.”

With the capability of moving at speeds in excess of 25 miles per hour, the lightweight and compact Wildcat camera system can both exceed the speed of play and provide viewers at home with breathtaking views. The new semi-permanent Sporting Kansas City installation at Children’s Mercy Park also includes two elevated robotic cameras positioned behind the goal and above the crossbar to further heighten the fan experience.

“Thanks to our relationship with Sporting Kansas City and the support of Major League Soccer, we’re able to unveil our first-ever semi-permanent MLS installation at this Saturday’s home game,” said Endre Buxton, President and CEO, SkyCam. “Putting the viewer right in the middle of the action, the use of our trailblazing aerial camera – the Wildcat system, along with our other elevated robotic cameras, will significantly enhance the way these soccer games are broadcast by delivering dynamic angles and revealing thrilling perspectives that dramatically boost the quality of the team’s live coverage.”

“Sporting Kansas City is truly a progressive team, and by making a commitment for a season-long installation, we’re leveraging our proprietary technology to change the way stadium sports are experienced on TV and beyond,” Buxton added.