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U.S. Open 2019: TV coverage to include boat-operated drone, shot-tracing technology and other enhanced FOX features
FOX Sports has always been known for bringing significant innovation to covering major sporting events for TV—from the NHL puck tracer back in the day and strike-zone boxes for its MLB coverage. In the fifth year of FOX covering the U.S. Open as part of its $1.1 billion deal with the USGA, it will continue to bring unique perspective to covering golf on TV.
Part of FOX's innovation will include shot-tracing technology from TrackMan over live video on nine of the tee boxes, overlaying club, swing and ball data off the tee. The other nine holes will have FOX's FlightTrack graphics, showing the shot shape over each hole. A new mobile tower camera will also allow the broadcast to show innovative angles with TopTracer technology, with a versatile camera that will pan, tilt and zoom, the company says.
FOX also says it will have the most-ever 1080p high-dynamic range cameras in place for a live sports event in the United States, with more than 50 of those HDR cameras around the course. That's in addition to a live aerial drone that will be launched and operated from a boat along the coastline at Pebble Beach. Here's a look at what that might look like in Stillwater Cove.
The company also says it will use 51 miles of multi-strand fiber optics around Pebble Beach for its coverage, which will begin Thursday at 12:30 p.m. on FS1.