How Technology is Changing Sports Viewing

The Olympics ❤️ new technology. 🤓 Seventy years ago, Cortina hosted its first Games with fewer than 10 cameras. This year at #MilanoCortina2026: 810+ camera systems, 1,800 microphones, 6,500+ hours of content, and AI woven into nearly every feed. Here are some of the technologies that caught my eye: 🎿 FPV drones racing down tracks at 100-120 km/h, giving viewers a first-person perspective of almost all sports for the first time ever at a Winter Games. There are up to 15 drones deployed, each operated by a three-person specialist team. The drones feature ducted, inverted blade designs for aerodynamic efficiency, with batteries engineered for cold weather and rapid swaps between runs. 🔥 ⛸️ 8K computer-vision cameras + AI tracking every figure skater's movement in 3D, measuring jump height, airtime, and landing speed with the full data-to-graphic pipeline completing in under 1/10 of a second. Wow. 🤖 AI-powered 360° replays across 17 sports, generating freeze-frame 3D reconstructions in 15–20 seconds. A new "Spacetime Slices" feature builds multiple phases of an athlete's movement into a single image. ⏱️ The photofinish got a whole lot more precise! Omega's Quantum Timer measures to the millionth of a second with a deviation of ~23 nanoseconds over 24 hours, combined with new photofinish cameras that shoot 40,000 frames per second. 🥌 Real-time curling stone tracking shows path, speed, and rotation live on screen. Heat sensors in the stones flash red if a player holds on too long. Even the ice has embedded infraction-detection sensors. 📡 No more satellite trucks! Cloud-native broadcasting replaces them with virtual OB (outside broadcast) vans, cutting compound space and energy use dramatically. The new set-up delivers 428 live feeds to 39 broadcasters. What's the tech that impressed you most so far? 💬

We can now hand control of the camera to the audience, transforming the broadcast from a passive monologue into an active, user-driven experience. The badminton live stream of China National Games is showing what the future of sport broadcasting look like. Viewers can adjust to their favorite view angles without restrictions, and enable/disable a set of add-on features. So you can experience the competition with commentary, without commentary, choose the athlete angle or super surround angle for a more comprehensive view, etc. This shift opens new perspectives: >> The viewer becomes the director. They are no longer locked into one perspective. They can move from a high-angle tactical view to an intense, courtside shot in an instant, following the action as they see fit. >> Narratives become personal. Each viewer can follow the story they care about. Focus on a single player for the entire match, watch just one side of the court, or create a story the main broadcast would never show. >> Watching becomes participating. When you give someone control, you give them agency. They are not stuck consuming content but actively shaping their own experience. This creates a new tier of premium advertising real estate, curated by the user themselves. Every time a viewer repositions the camera or zooms in on an athlete/board, they are essentially creating their own highlight. For a sponsor, being the focal point of that user-directed moment is more valuable than minutes of passive screen time. ⁠#FutureOfSports #SportsTech #FanEngagement #Broadcasting #FalconHQ #Sponsorship

Cosm's new immersive sports-viewing experiences are going viral. • 87-foot-by-55-foot dome • Onsite restaurant and bar • Locations in LA and Dallas But now Cosm has raised $250 million to open 50 more locations by 2030. Here's how it works 👇 Cosm's primary business is providing and servicing its technology to nearly 800 planetariums and science centers worldwide (i.e., immersive displays). But sports represent a bigger opportunity, so Cosm started building physical venues. Cosm's current venues cost $80 to $90 million, and they were designed by HKS — the same architecture firm that designed SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. These venues use a 180-degree LED display that can go from 8K to 12K, and they flip through 5 to 10 camera angles per event, allowing fans to experience courtside seats in the NBA or against the fence for a UFC fight. Cosm can do this because... 1. They have signed distribution deals with many of the biggest media rights holders in sports: • ESPN • Fox • NBC • TNT • NBA • UFC These deals allow Cosm to stream the events. But equally as important... 2. Cosm's proprietary tech stack includes physical setups at stadiums around the globe. This is the secret sauce. Many people probably don't know this, but Cosm owns a company called C360, which handles video technology for sports leagues, including: • Pylon cameras in the NFL • 360-degree cameras at MLB games So Cosm sends a handful of people to each game. These on-site individuals work with a production team back at their venues, rotating between different camera angles to provide fans with the best viewing experience. Cosm's venues have about 700 seats inside the dome, and tickets can cost up to $200, not including food, depending on the event. However, Cosm's venues also have a sports bar (with a 150-foot big-screen TV) that gives you standing-room-only access to the dome for just $11. And while Cosm's first two venues just opened in Los Angeles and Dallas, they already have bigger plans. Cosm recently announced a $250 million investment that valued the company north of $1 billion. Investors include: • David Blitzer (co-owner 76ers & Devils) • Marc Lasry (former co-owner of the Bucks) • Dan Gilbert (owner of the Cavaliers) This money will help Cosm open 50 locations by the end of this decade, including venues in Atlanta, New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Europe, and the Middle East. So don’t be surprised when a Cosm venue opens in your city. There is clearly demand for immersive sports experiences outside of attending games in person, especially when you consider that professional teams play half their games on the road. And no one is better positioned to deliver on that trend (for both fans and investors) than Cosm. P.S. Follow me (Joe Pompliano) for more sports business content! #sports #sportsbiz #linkedinsports

Been thinking about this for days now. AR glasses are arriving fast, and with them, a new era of AI-driven sports, perhaps? Tennis led the way. By 2025, a few Grand Slams had replaced line judges with fully automated systems like Hawk-Eye Live. The digitisation of referees or umpires is inevitable, it looks like. The next frontier seems strategy. Even better than what is being used/employed today. Imagine a tennis player wearing AR glasses that analyse an opponent’s tendencies mid-match, suggesting serve placement or shot selection in real time. Or basketball players guided by AI overlays telling them when to switch or attack. It's incredible and unsettling. Because what makes sports magical isn’t only precision or efficiency. It’s unpredictability. It’s a player improvising actions. When AI starts shaping every decision, the game may look better but feel less human. Teams chasing marginal gains will adopt these tools first, forcing others to follow. Bans will be hard to enforce once the tech is built into equipment. The question isn’t if AI will change the game, its only how much. And how far we’ll let it go. Are we watching to celebrate performance or to celebrate humanity? Because beyond a certain line, what we call “sports” might become something entirely different.

Most sports audiences were never really chosen. They were delivered by distribution. I had a conversation with Rich Johnson last week that kept going around in my head all weekend. His point was simple but uncomfortable: not all viewing is intentional. Think about how sports distribution has been done for years - A media deal that put you in front of millions of households. But reach isn't intent, it only ever told you the potential audience, never whether people actually cared. People flicking through because something needs to be on. Stumbling into a game they didn't plan to watch. That model still exists, distribution still delivers reach. But now there's another layer. Streaming, YouTube, apps — platforms where nobody stumbles into anything. Every viewer has to open, search, choose. They have to actively decide you're worth their time. And those intentional viewers are telling you something. When people choose to show up, they want to connect with what they're watching. They're not just there, they're leaning in. That's the split rights holders need to understand. One audience is delivered. The other is earned. Reach tells you potential. Intent tells you who actually cares. Before your write to correct me, i know that doom scrolling is unintentional, i'm talking about long form that requires an actual commitment. It's less about passive distribution still working, i like to think of it more as whether you're building for the people who are actively choosing to be there. You can't control the product on the pitch, court or track. But you can control everything around it. The content, the community, the context. The reason someone decides to engage with your product in the first place. That's where the opportunity lives now.

Think cricket is just about bat and ball? Think again! From DRS to LED Bails, let's explore how technology is rewriting the rules and redefining the game. Decision Review System (DRS) It is like the 'Ctrl+Z' of cricket—a second chance to correct a potentially game-changing mistake. It employs multiple technologies, including ball-tracking and thermal imaging, to review and overturn on-field decisions. Snickometer & Hot Spot Imagine having a lie detector during a crucial match situation! The Snickometer picks up the faintest snicks and edges, while Hot Spot uses infrared cameras to confirm whether the ball has made contact with the bat or pad. Hawk-Eye Hawk-Eye is the epitome of precision in ball-tracking technology. Initially developed for cricket, it has transcended sports boundaries. It uses six or more cameras to track the ball's trajectory, offering a 3D representation that aids in LBW and boundary decisions. SpiderCam SpiderCam offers a bird's-eye view of the entire field, providing spectacular angles and elevating the viewer experience. It's like having a drone that captures every nuance of the game, making you feel like you're floating above the action. PitchVision PitchVision is the data analytics powerhouse of cricket. It records and analyzes a bowler’s pace, line, and length, as well as a batsman's shot selection. It's the perfect blend of sports and data science, offering actionable insights for performance improvement. Ball Spin RPM/Rev Counter For spinners, this technology is a game-changer. It measures the rotation speed of the ball, offering insights into the bowler's technique and the likely turn on the pitch. Stump Camera & Speed Gun The stump camera provides a batsman's-eye view of the game, offering unique perspectives for replays. The speed gun, on the other hand, measures the velocity of the ball from the moment it leaves the bowler's hand until it reaches the batsman, adding a scientific layer to the art of bowling. LED Bails and Stumps These aren't just for show; they offer immediate visual confirmation for run-outs and stumpings. When the bails are dislodged, they light up, adding a dramatic, almost cinematic effect to those nail-biting moments. Thought-Provoking Questions 1. Which technology do you think has had the most transformative impact on cricket? 2. How can AI and machine learning further refine these existing technologies? 3. Where do we draw the line between technological assistance and the raw, human element of the game? #cricket #technology #leadership

Realtime Fan Engagement with NASCAR and Ably My journey in sports technology began with Formula One in the pre-internet era, when race car data was just beginning to shape the sport. What we considered cutting-edge telemetry then would barely register compared to today's standards, where a single NASCAR race generates over a terabyte of data from cars emitting 100+ data points 120 times every second. That's why NASCAR's collaboration with Ably brings my career full circle. What excites me most is seeing how far we've come - from struggling to capture basic telemetry to now delivering real-time, engaging experiences to fans worldwide. It's a perfect example of how sports technology can turn complex technical challenges into seamless fan experiences. I'm grateful to Matthew O'Riordan and the Ably team for letting me be part of this journey back to my racing roots. 1️⃣ Data At Racing Speed One terabyte of data per race transformed into real-time fan experiences, proving massive data can be managed at NASCAR speeds. 2️⃣ Smart Data Filtering NASCAR's success comes from intelligent data reduction - from 120 updates per second to just 2 - keeping the fan experience smooth and efficient. 3️⃣ Second Screen Evolution Drive platform turns raw racing data into a personalized viewing experience, letting fans follow their favorite drivers throughout the race. 4️⃣ Infrastructure Freedom Switching to Ably freed NASCAR's team from managing servers, letting them focus on innovation instead of infrastructure. 5️⃣ Authentic Connection By sharing the same data feed used by race teams, NASCAR creates a genuine connection between fans and the sport they love. #realtime #sportstech #scale

Live sports are pricing out American fans, and Sony just invested $100M to help fix that. For years, fans had two options: 🏟️ Go to the game. 🏠 Watch from home. Now there's a third. Last month, Sony invested $100 million into Cosm, a company building immersive venues where fans can watch live sports on massive dome screens designed to make them feel courtside. Why does this matter? Because live sports have become incredibly expensive, cost include: ➡️ Ticket prices ➡️ Travel costs ➡️ Parking ➡️ Hotels ➡️ Food This can add up to $300-$500 for just one game, and many fans just can’t afford that. Attending games regularly just isn't realistic anymore. And watching from home doesn't recreate the energy of experiencing a game with thousands of other fans. That's creating an entirely new investment category. A third space between the stadium and the living room. We're already seeing it emerge: ➡️ Cosm's immersive venues ➡️ Women's sports bars built around community ➡️ Sports entertainment districts ➡️ Premium watch parties ➡️ Interactive fan experiences These aren't just places to watch a game. They're destinations built around fandom. I think this is where the next wave of sports investment is headed. The money is flowing into infrastructure and technology that redefine how fans experience live sports, beyond just team ownership. The future of sports won't just be measured by attendance. It'll be measured by how many ways fans can experience the game even if they're nowhere near the stadium. Would you pay for an immersive experience over a stadium ticket? 👇 #SportsBusiness #SportsTech #FanEngagement

"Sports is no longer a captive audience business." That was one of the core themes from my conversation with Kristen Scholer on NYSE Floor Talk - on AI, sports media, and the World Cup. The old model was straightforward: Acquire the rights. Distribute the content. Fans show up. That worked in a world with limited channels and concentrated attention. Today, everything competes with everything. Sports competes with creators. Streaming competes with gaming. Highlights compete with group chats. And younger audiences experience content completely differently than they did even five years ago. Which means media rights alone are no longer enough. The real challenge now is relevance. Can leagues, brands, platforms, and media companies build an always-on relationship with fans - before the match, during it, and throughout the rest of the year when there isn't one? That's where AI becomes transformative. Not because it replaces storytelling. It doesn't. But because it's becoming the distribution layer - changing personalization, discovery, and fan engagement at global scale. Fans still want trusted voices. They still want authentic storytelling. The infrastructure underneath is just changing rapidly. That's what July 15 is built around. World Cup Final Week. Prudential Center. The room is taking shape.

A 500Hz IoT sensor just overturned an offside call at the World Cup. No camera caught it. No human saw it. A waveform did. Yesterday at the World Cup, Sweden scored what became the fastest substitute goal in tournament history. Mattias Svanberg turned in a close-range effort 12 seconds after coming on. Flag went up for offside. Goal disallowed. Then VAR intervened, not with a camera angle, not with frame-by-frame replay. With a waveform. A sensor chip pulsing 500 times per second inside the Adidas Trionda match ball had detected a micro-touch by Alexander Isak as the ball grazed his outstretched foot. That touch reset the offside line. Svanberg was onside. Goal stands. The beautiful detail: the TV broadcast showed a flat-line sensor graphic producing a spike as the ball passed Isak's boot, identical to the Snickometer cricket has used for years. Football just quietly borrowed it. What I love about this story technically: the sensor is a 500Hz inertial measurement unit (IMU) stabilized inside a suspension system, powered by a rechargeable battery, developed by FIFA and KINEXON, and it adds only a few grams to the ball. A few grams that critics questioned when the technology debuted at the 2022 World Cup. The technology has now decided some of the most significant moments in recent football history: Ronaldo's "goal" against Uruguay at Qatar 2022 correctly awarded to Bruno Fernandes, Lukaku's goal ruled out for handball at Euro 2024, and now this. We spend most of our time in this industry talking about GPUs, data centers, and hundred-billion parameter models. And rightfully so, that wave is transforming everything. But there's something worth pausing on. The most consequential technical decision at the biggest sporting event on Earth wasn't made by a supercomputer. It was made by a tiny IoT sensor, a rechargeable battery, and a 500Hz signal that nobody in the stadium could see. Massive compute matters. Edge sensors that fit inside a football matter too. I can't wait to see where this technology goes, real-time ball spin analytics, predictive trajectory modeling, biomechanical feedback for players. The data is already there. We're just scratching the surface of what to do with it. More information: https://lnkd.in/gJg-qVRH