NHL announces global technology partnership with Sony
On Wednesday, the NHL announced details about a new global technology partnership with Sony.
“Partnering with Sony, a best-in-class industry leader, will help further the goals of our technology efforts to engage passionate NHL fans around the globe,” David Lehanski, the NHL’s Executive Vice President, Business Development & Innovation said via the league’s press release. “Advancing the development and implementation of technology on and off the ice is a key priority for the League, and this partnership will highlight the impact of Sony’s groundbreaking work in several of our key initiatives, such as NHL EDGE Puck & Player Tracking and animated programming, to bring fans closer to our great game and showcase the NHL as a worldwide technology leader.”
Since 2015, the NHL has utilized Sony’s cameras and technology to support coaches’ challenges and replay reviews.
The collaboration between Sony and the League expanded to include Sony’s Beyond Sports division in 2018 with the onset of NHL EDGE’s player and puck tracking data.
The specific provisions of this expansion of the partnership will focus on increasing Beyond Sports’ production of animated data visualizations, broadening tracking data captured by Sony’s Hawk-Eye technologies and making further investments in Sony technology to “bring NHL fans closer to the game than ever before.”
“Our partnership with the NHL is more than a collaboration — it’s a shared commitment to innovation, creativity, and cutting-edge technology,” added Sander J. Schouten, the Managing Director of Beyond Sports. “We’ve pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in sport tech, delivering exciting, data-driven innovations that are not only redefining how sport is consumed but together, with Sony’s sports businesses, are establishing new benchmarks for the entire industry.”
In theory, increased camera angles and better quality will continue to improve the speed and accuracy of challenges and video reviews.
According to Scouting the Refs, teams improved on their success rate on coaches’ challenges from 69% in 2023-2024 to 71% in 2024-2025 as of February.