XFL Recruits SMT for 1st & Ten Line Technology in Inaugural Season

Straight from the Super Bowl, SMT has been selected to provide the 1st & Ten line system to the broadcast partners of the XFL professional football league, kicking off on Saturday.

Throughout the XFL league’s 10-week inaugural season, SMT’s team of onsite engineers will supply XFL broadcasters with the 1st & Ten line platform, which produces virtual graphics such as the first-down line, down-and-distance line, and line of scrimmage. The league’s broadcast and distribution partners include ESPN/ABC and Fox Sports.

The league is divided into two divisions, East and West, each with four-teams. The XFL’s eight teams will play a 10-week regular season and a two-week postseason consisting of two semifinal playoff games and a championship game scheduled for April 26. During the regular season, four games are scheduled each week, with two back-to-back games on Saturdays and Sundays. The XFL schedule also features two primetime Thursday night games in the final weeks of the regular season. The rules have been tweaked for an exciting, faster-paced game with fewer stoppages than found in the NFL; for instance, the play clock, timeouts and halftimes will all be shorter.

Head coaches include names like Jim Zorn for the Seattle Dragons, Bill Stoops with the Dallas Renegades, and Kevin Gilbride, who will coach the New York Guardians. Players like former Steeler QB Landry Jones, former Panthers DE Kony Ealy, and QB Aaron Murray, a former Georgia QB and all-time SEC leader in passing yard and passing touchdowns. The league is owned and operated by Alpha Entertainment, founded by World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Vince McMahon.

“SMT, the ‘yellow first-down line’ company, is uniquely qualified to provide world-class broadcast and production solutions to XFL’s broadcasting partners,” said Robbie Louthan, Sr. Vice President, Business Development, SMT. “Our experienced team of broadcast specialists will be on-site at stadiums across the country providing the same 1st & Ten system we provide for the Super Bowl and every NFL game.”