As the use of drones becomes more ubiquitous in live sports coverage, broadcasters are always looking for new and more efficient ways to utilize these valuable aerial-video tools. Enter ProximaVision Aerospace Systems, which offers broadcasters autonomous, remote operated cost-effective tether drone systems with military-grade durability.

Unlike battery-powered drones with limited flight time, Proxima’s tethered drone can theoretically stay airborne for up to 42 days – though 48 hours is the recommended max duration. The drone can serve as an alternative to costly aerial options for live sports coverage like blimps and fixed-wing aircrafts.

In this SVG New Sponsor Spotlight interview, the company's CTO Walter Raps – previously a longtime technology and engineering leader at CBS Sports – discusses how the company’s Air Ready tether aerial systems deliver 4K/IR cameras perspectives to local or remote production centers. The fiber-optic tether attached to the sUAS (small-unmanned aircraft systems) enables ultra-low latency, high-quality video transmission, allowing footage to be sent directly to the production truck as a camera source or live-streamed remotely. Proxima’s solution offers lower costs compared to traditional aerial solutions while delivering 4K video via 12G-SDI, HDMI, and, soon, SMPTE 2110. The drone and camera can also be controlled remotely, with initial tests showing successful operation from 800 miles away with minimal latency. And, the system offers both live streaming and direct camera-quality video transmission, providing flexibility for broadcast workflows.

Beyond live sports, ProximaVision’s sUAS’s can serve news and weather broadcast operations. In addition, the company is exploring use cases for communication relay, event security, and government applications, including border and port monitoring.