NBC Sunday Night Football Serves Up New Overhead Replay Angle With C360 Camera

NBC’s Sunday Night Football will present viewers with a unique overhead replay perspective this season with the innovative C360 camera, which is expected to yield looks at everything from the techniques of linemen along the line of scrimmage to plays along the sidelines.

Beginning with the NFL Kickoff Game on Thurs., Sept. 10 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, and continuing throughout the NBC SNF season, the camera will provide for the first time on an NFL broadcast an immersive overhead replay experience.

“We are excited to provide some of the most compelling overhead replays that football fans have ever seen, and look forward to working with C360 Technologies on this presentation,” says Fred Gaudelli, executive producer of NBC Sunday Night Football.

The C360 camera will fly attached to the bottom of SkyCam to provide up-close and intimate replays of the game inside the tackle box, illuminating the talents of stars like Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Dallas Cowboys guard Zach Martin in a way not previously seen on NFL telecasts. In addition, because the camera shoots in 8K and records in a 180-degree immersive field of view, production can go back in time to reframe a play to better provide definitive views from C360.

If there’s a question about a receiver catching a pass on the sideline, the technology can freeze the entire image, zoom in and focus on the player’s hands to confirm possession, before panning down to the player’s feet and zooming in to confirm both touched the ground before going out of bounds.

“We’re thrilled to be working with NBC Sports and to provide this novel immersive capability,” says Evan Wimer, co-founder of C360 Technologies. “As a secondary camera on SkyCam, we anticipate capturing a fresh perspective of the game over the trenches.”

The C360 camera technology has previously been used in car on NASCAR on NBC broadcasts, and was nominated for a 2019 Sports Emmy for its use while embedded within line-to-gain pylons and first-down markers last season.