Sony is giving NFL’s coaches headsets a major makeover

New York
CNN
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Between extreme weather and noisy stadiums, coaching a football game can be difficult. So, the NFL and Sony are listening to coaches to design new, custom-built headsets that can function best under tough conditions.

The league announced Monday it was furthering its technology partnership with Sony, creating new headsets for coaches rolling out this season. That ends a three-year absence of a headset sponsor after its deal with Bose ended in 2022.

For coaches, the new headsets involved rigorous testing in sweltering hot and bone-chilling conditions, improved noise-cancelling capabilities, and a custom-built microphone that better isolates the coach’s voice, improving their communication.

The headsets, which took a year to build, were a “collaborative process between Sony, the NFL, clubs, coaches and people who use the headset on game day,” Kimberly Fields, NFL’s senior vice president of football operations, told CNN. “There was a constant feedback loop from the coaches about what was important to them.”

In particular, durability was an important attribute, especially since some games are played in downpours, high heat and sub-zero conditions. Engineers tried out the headsets in freezers, outside Sony’s headquarters in humid Tokyo, and even in the shower to ensure they are waterproof, said Shunsuke Nakahashi, product manager for audio at Sony.

“The most important point is all the headsets work perfectly, regardless of the condition,” he told CNN. “If it’s autumn in Southern California, it’s nice. But it needs to be working perfectly in January in Buffalo or in hot conditions in Miami.”

The intensive testing should help the NFL avoid the debacle it had with Microsoft Surface tablets in 2013. Shortly after their reported $400 million partnership began, coaches and players publicly trashed the devices for not working or being complicated to use. Despite the rocky beginning, Surface tablets are still in use today.

Financial terms of the multi-year deal with Sony weren’t announced. However, the headsets are emblazoned with the company’s logo, giving Sony massive exposure during the highly-rated games.

Apex Marketing, which tracks sponsorship money, told CNN that Sony is estimated to earn about $150 million in advertising annually from the deal. That’s because the logo can be seen during games and on other NFL-related programming, such as on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” (Like CNN, HBO is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery).

The headsets are part of the NFL’s 2024 deal that named Sony as its “official technology partner,” which includes cameras, line-calling technology dubbed Hawk-Eye and production assistance for its alternative telecasts, such as inserting characters from “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “The Simpsons” into the broadcast.

The NFL is one of the world’s largest sports leagues, with revenue hitting $13 billion in 2023, according to Sportico. Part of the league’s success comes from growing sponsorship revenue, which increased 6% last year to $2.35 billion, per a report from SponsorUnited and obtained by CNN, which tracks money in sports.