Skycam Madden-Style Camera Angle Will Be Used As Primary View For Tonight’s TNF Game

Many of the greatest things we’ve become accustom to today were invented by accident. This may be the next one.

The Steelers and Titans kickoff tonight on Thursday Night Football, and it may look more like a video game than real life.

NBC was forced to go to a Madden-like skycam camera angle during a Patriots-Falcons game in Foxboro during Week 7 due to thick fog, making the standard far away camera angle impossible.

Via Titans Online –

“We are excited to present a game with the majority of live-action coverage coming from SkyCam,” said Fred Gaudelli, Executive Producer of NBC Sunday Night Football and Thursday Night Football. After pivoting out of necessity to SkyCam in the New England fog, we’ve been aggressively planning and testing with the intent of utilizing the system for a full game,” said Gaudelli. “We’ll still have our full complement of cameras and will revert to traditional coverage when situations dictate, but the primary viewing experience of the game will come from the SkyCam angle.”

By pivoting to the SkyCam, NBC said it hopes to attract younger viewers who grew up playing “Madden” video games, which employs a view from behind the quarterback.

“Younger generations of NFL fans have grown accustomed to watching football from this angle through their love of video games,” Gaudelli said. “This telecast will have a look and feel akin to that experience.”

Gaudelli said during a conference call this week some plays will be shown from the traditional camera angle, particularly when the down and distance calls for it.

“Third downs, we’re going to show it from the conventional camera because that’s the most important down in football,” Gaudelli said. “Once we’re inside the red zone we’re going to show it from the conventional camera. . . . We want to try to be smart about it and not just say ‘Here’s SkyCam come hell or high water.’ It’s ‘Here’s SkyCam in the most advantageous places.’”