Why we should see SkyCam shots in the NFL’s season opener

NBC’s coverage is going to look a little like a video game — in a good way.

When you watch Thursday night’s NFL season opener between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles, the game might look a little more like a Madden video game than a traditional broadcast. You can thank NBC’s new focus on the SkyCam for it.

The network that brought you Super Bowl 52 and Sunday Night Football is expanding its NFL coverage from the remote-controlled camera over the field, known around the league as SkyCam. That means much of NBC’s 2018 football coverage will be shot from just feet above the playing surface — and that the network will continue showing its third-down green zone to let viewers know just where the first-down marker is.

What made NBC decide to switch up its camera angles?

NBC had previously experimented with SkyCam-heavy angles in two of its Thursday Night Football broadcasts last fall — most notably in another Falcons game. Heavy fog made it difficult for traditional cameras in the stands and on the sidelines in 2017’s Week 7 showdown between Atlanta and New England, threatening to leave viewers in the dark for an anticipated Super Bowl rematch.

Instead, NBC made the above-field camera its primary source, and the reviews were positive.

That led to another test run — this time an intentional one. A Week 11 tilt between the Steelers and Titans served as the first planned instance where the SkyCam would be NBC’s primary camera angle.

It worked out pretty well. When Sunday Night Football executive producer Fred Gaudelli rewatched the footage to prep for the upcoming season, he “really like the visceral feel it brought to viewers.” And so, the decision was made to rely on the wire-bound camera for 2018.

What does this mean for viewers?

People tuning in to NBC’s broadcasts on Sunday nights (and Thanksgiving) will notice more plays unfolding from directly behind the quarterback’s point of view. Using SkyCam gives viewers a unique angle sideline cams and the all-22 cameras can’t pick up from the upper deck. At its best, it transforms the game from a standard viewing experience to an on-field perspective; for example, you get to see routes and coverage materialize the same way Ben Roethlisberger does:

This doesn’t mean NBC’s Thursday Night Football games will be shot solely from the SkyCam. There are limitations to what the system can do:

• There are typically only one or two SkyCams covering the game on any given week.
• The ball is always moving away from the camera at that angle, and there are limitations to its fly zone.
• There are two people who operate each SkyCam system: a pilot, and an operator who controls the intricacies of the view, like pan and zoom. It’s much more difficult to coordinate than a stationary camera.
• And, of course, a failure from the SkyCam perched directly above the field is a significantly bigger deal than one from a regular camera.

Even with those caveats, SkyCam will give NBC’s coverage a distinct look in comparison to FOX, CBS, and the NFL Network’s coverage. Time will tell if other broadcasters jump on board, or if this trend sputters out in 2018 — but given the early returns, we can probably expect more camera angles from just above the pocket going forward.