The Premier League launched the first player bodycam trial in its history in collaboration with TNT Sports during Wolves’ victory over Tottenham over the weekend..
Supplied by tech firm Mindfly, the AI-powered cameras with stabilisation controls were attached to a player from each side during the game’s pre-match warm-up phase and gave viewers unprecedented access to the action, which may soon also translate to full-time games.
Premier League Head of Media Operations and Innovation, Rachael Nightingale, said: “Finding new ways to bring our fans closer to the action on the pitch is a key focus for us.
“After the success of the bodycam trials at the Premier League Summer Series, we are looking forward to seeing what results this test will deliver for TNT and our audiences around the world.”
Footage from the bodycams was used to complement commentary, giving viewers a unique players’ view of the Molineux stadium pitch during the warm-up session.
The first-person point-of-view perspective is already being trialled across other high-level football games such as the friendly between AC Milan and FC Köln which can be seen in the video below provided by The Guardian, but the Saturday warm-up setting was the first-ever where the Mindfly tech has been officially used for Premier League football.
Scott Young, Senior Vice President of Content and Production for Europe at TNT Sports parent company Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, added: “We are thrilled to partner with the Premier League to develop innovative access, taking viewers to places, and experiencing moments they would not otherwise experience.
“We are particularly excited for what opportunities this may present for sports broadcasting in the future and we thank the Premier League and both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur for their cooperation in facilitating this activity.”
