Milano Cortina 2026 Camera Technology – 810+ Cameras, Cinematic Live Workflow, AI Replays, and FPV Drones Redefine Olympic Broadcasting

Industry InsightsOlympic Games 2026

by Nino LeitnerFebruary 12^th, 2026

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The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics mark the most ambitious leap in broadcast imaging to date, deploying over 810 camera systems, 32 dedicated cinematic cameras, 25 drones (including 15 FPV units), and AI-driven volumetric replays across venues spanning Milan to Cortina d’Ampezzo. Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), alongside technology partners Sony, Canon, Panasonic, Fujinon, and Alibaba Cloud, has embraced the “Cinelive” philosophy at an unprecedented scale, prioritizing cinematic emotion over clinical documentation.

The sheer scale of the production infrastructure is staggering: 1,800 microphones, 50 jibs and cranes, 12 cablecam rigs, and a high-capacity IP network backbone support a geographically fragmented footprint that stretches across Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Val di Fiemme, and Anterselva. Venues separated by hundreds of kilometers of mountainous terrain have necessitated a radical shift toward IP-based remote production and cloud-native workflows. But the most visible revolution is happening at the optical level, where Super 35mm and full-frame cinema cameras are no longer relegated to “beauty shots” or athlete profiles. They are active participants in the live switch, cutting directly against traditional broadcast cameras. This is a fundamental shift in how the world watches the Olympic Games, and the technology making it happen deserves a closer look.

The cinematic revolution: large-format sensors go live

For decades, live sports production relied almost exclusively on 2/3-inch 3-CMOS sensor cameras paired with B4-mount lenses offering 100x zoom ranges or more. The resulting image was sharp and reliable, but flat, clinical, and lacking the subject separation that defines feature film cinematography. The “Cinelive” approach (a term originating from Panasonic’s large-format broadcast workflow but now broadly adopted across the industry) changes this entirely at Milano Cortina 2026 by placing Super 35mm and full-frame cinema cameras into the heart of the live production workflow.

NBC Sports has confirmed it is deploying more than 100 Sony cameras across competition venues, studios, and interview locations. The fleet is anchored by Sony HDC-series system cameras for live competition coverage, supporting high frame rate capture and HDR production. But the real story is the cinematic complement: NBC describes “pan-tilt-zoom and cinematic cameras” providing depth of field and specialty angles, and OBS press imagery confirms the presence of Sony Cinema Line cameras, including the Sony FX6, at venue positions. Sony recently announced substantial firmware updates for the VENICE 2 (V4.1), BURANO (V3.0), FX6 (V6.0), and FR7 (V4.0) at BSC Expo 2026, with several updates specifically targeting sports and live event workflows.

Bridging cinema and broadcast: the studio camera challenge

Adapting cinema cameras for live sports is only half the equation. The other half is building broadcast studio cameras with large-format sensors that integrate natively into existing production infrastructure. This is the domain where Panasonic’s “Cinelive” philosophy originated, and where cameras like the AK-PLV100 represent the state of the art. The AK-PLV100 houses a 5.7K Super 35mm sensor inside a traditional studio camera body that connects directly to standard Camera Control Units (CCUs) and Remote Operation Panels (ROPs) via SMPTE ST 2110 fiber, requiring no specialized protocol conversion. For broadcast engineers, this means a large-sensor cinematic camera that behaves exactly like the 2/3-inch cameras it sits alongside in the switcher.

A key capability of this class of camera is simultaneous multi-format output: the 5.7K sensor data can deliver a 4K output in HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) with BT.2020 color gamut for the UHD HDR feed, while simultaneously providing a down-converted HD SDR (BT.709) feed for legacy broadcasters. For an event like the Olympics, where rights-holding broadcasters around the world operate in different formats, this dual output eliminates the need for external conversion hardware. Recent firmware updates for Panasonic’s large-sensor studio cameras have also introduced Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF), a technology previously reserved for mirrorless cameras. With the razor-thin depth of field that comes from shooting at T2.4 on a Super 35mm sensor, maintaining critical focus on a skier moving at 130 km/h is extraordinarily difficult; PDAF assist technology allows operators to confidently use wider apertures in high-pressure live environments.

The glass behind the image: new lenses for new sensors

The shift to large-format sensors has necessitated a complete retooling of the optical inventory. Standard B4-mount broadcast lenses project an image circle designed for a 2/3-inch sensor; they cannot cover the Super 35mm or full-frame sensors of the cinematic cameras now in use. NBC Sports has confirmed the deployment of 115 Canon UHD broadcast lenses across its production, covering a mix of long-range and standard models used across outdoor alpine and indoor arena venues.

While NBC and Canon have not disclosed which specific lens models are in service, the optical requirements of cinematic live production point to a clear set of tools. The Canon Flex Zoom series, including the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F/FP and the CN-E45-135mm T2.4 L F/FP, represents Canon’s purpose-built answer to this challenge. Their constant T2.4 across the zoom range allows for consistent light transmission and the shallow depth of field that creates the “isolation” look viewers are seeing during the 2026 Games. Canon’s relay kits allow these lenses to be optically converted between Super 35 and full-frame sensor coverage, meaning a single lens inventory can service cameras of different sensor sizes.

On the long-range end, FUJIFILM’s Duvo HZK series addresses the need for extreme telephoto reach on large-format sensors. The flagship HZK25-1000mm F2.8-5.0 PL-mount box lens offers a 40x zoom ratio with a built-in 1.5x expander, extending to 1500mm for full-frame coverage, a specification that would allow a camera positioned hundreds of meters away to capture tight head-and-shoulders shots with cinematic depth of field. Portable options like the Duvo HZK24-300mm and HZK14-100mm are designed for shoulder-mounted use with familiar ENG-style servo drives. Whether these specific models or a combination of traditional broadcast and cinema optics are deployed at Milano Cortina remains undisclosed, but the visual results on screen, with their pronounced subject separation and soft backgrounds, leave little doubt that large-format glass is doing the heavy lifting.

AI and volumetric video: the “future look”

If large sensors provide the “film look,” Artificial Intelligence provides what might be called the “future look.” Milano Cortina 2026 sees the large-scale deployment of volumetric video and AI-enhanced replays, managed largely through the partnership between OBS and Alibaba Cloud. The Multi-Camera Replay system (MUCAR), developed through the OBS and Alibaba Cloud partnership, ingests synchronized feeds from arrays of cameras surrounding the field of play. Instead of merely switching between angles, the system utilizes edge computing to construct a 3D volumetric model of the scene. AI algorithms identify the athlete and separate them from the complex, high-contrast background of snow or ice, allowing the director to pause the action and virtually rotate the camera around the athlete to angles where no physical camera exists. The system renders these “matrix-style” moments in 15 to 20 seconds, ensuring they are ready for the first replay block after a run.

A novel visualization technique debuting at these Games is “Spacetime Slices,” which generates a composite image displaying multiple phases of an athlete’s movement simultaneously. For a ski jumper, the viewer sees the takeoff, the flight phase, and the landing telemark all at once, visualized as a static “slice” through time. In speed events like alpine skiing, real-time comparison overlays allow the director to superimpose a semi-transparent representation of the current leader onto the live feed of the next competitor, enabling turn-by-turn comparison of lines and speed.

The figure skating venue features one of the most sophisticated specialized camera arrays of the Games. Fourteen 8K resolution cameras are positioned around the rink, acting as optical sensors for a proprietary AI system developed by Swiss Timing. The system tracks the skater’s skeletal structure in 3D space, calculating metrics such as jump height, airtime, and landing speed, and rendering heat maps that break down each program element by element. The processing efficiency is remarkable: the system extracts this data and renders it into a graphical overlay in less than one-tenth of a second, effectively in real time.

FPV drones and robotic camera systems

Milano Cortina 2026 features the most extensive use of First-Person View (FPV) drones in Olympic history. OBS has deployed 25 drones in total across the venues: 15 FPV drones for immersive athlete tracking and 10 traditional hover drones for scenic and transitional coverage. The FPV units are not standard consumer drones; they are custom-engineered “cinewhoops” featuring an inverted propeller design (pushers) that enhances aerodynamic stability and efficiency during the high-G turns required to track a skier.

Weighing just 243 grams and capable of speeds exceeding 140 km/h (90 mph), these drones can follow luge and skeleton athletes down the track, flying inside the ice walls for short sections. Each FPV drone is operated by a three-person team: a pilot wearing FPV goggles who focuses solely on flight path and obstacle avoidance, a director who manages timing and shot selection, and a technician who handles maintenance, battery swaps, and signal monitoring. The teams communicate via a dedicated channel to coordinate flight paths during live competition.

From the OBS press images, it’s evident that Blackmagic Micro Studio Cameras G2 are used on the cinewhoops, with Laowa wide-angle lenses. For wireless transmission, they seem to have a DJI SDR wireless video transmitter mounted at the bottom of the drones. Another FPV drone clearly shows a GoPro mounted on a cinewhoop.

For areas where drones are restricted due to safety or flight regulations, OBS utilizes hard-wired dynamic systems. The “Cheetah” (Lie Bao), developed by China Media Group (CMG), is an ultra-high-speed rail camera that runs alongside the speed skating track, capable of accelerating faster than the skaters. Cableway camera systems are suspended above the Milano Speed Skating Stadium and other indoor venues, providing overhead tracking shots. In total, OBS has deployed 12 cablecam systems and multiple railcam rigs alongside the 50 jibs and cranes positioned across venues.

To capture angles in restricted or hazardous zones, such as start huts or the interior of the sliding track, NBC and OBS deploy robotic PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras. NBC’s Darryl Jefferson, SVP of Engineering and Technology, specifically highlighted the use of “enhanced PTZ robotic cameras” in the Milano Cortina production. Sony’s Cinema Line includes the FR7, a full-frame PTZ camera that has already proven itself in cinematic live sports environments like the Coppa Italia Final, and the broader PTZ fleet is centrally controlled via the Sony CNA-2 Camera Control Network Adapter. This allows engineers situated in the centralized production hub in Milan (or in NBC’s facility in Stamford, Connecticut) to control the cameras’ telemetry, shading, and positioning via the IP network.

Mobile 5G and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

In a strategic partnership with Samsung, OBS has integrated Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphones into the live production of the Opening Ceremony and select events. These devices are not handheld by fans; they are rigged to jibs, mounted on athletes’ equipment, and carried by flagbearers. The phones provide a unique “secondary feed” that offers a raw, immersive, and highly mobile perspective. Leveraging the device’s 5G connectivity and advanced stabilization, these streams are routed into the main switcher, providing an authentic counterpoint to the polished broadcast cameras, designed to resonate with younger audiences accustomed to vertical video and social media aesthetics.

For professional ENG crews and roaming camera operators covering the Games, 5G connectivity is increasingly replacing traditional RF backpacks and satellite trucks. Devices like the Sony PDT-FP1 portable data transmitter, which attaches to cameras via HDMI or USB and utilizes optimized antenna structures for both 5G Sub6 and mmWave bands, represent the current state of the art for wireless field transmission. With dual SIM support for automatic network failover, these transmitters allow operators to maintain a live 4K link while skiing down the side of the course or navigating dense crowds in the finish area. Sony has already demonstrated the PDT-FP1 at major live events, including the NFL Berlin Game, and the technology’s compact form factor makes it ideally suited to the mobile, distributed nature of winter sports production.

Infrastructure: ST 2110 and remote production at scale

The visual spectacle relies on a robust, invisible infrastructure of fiber optics and cloud computing. Milano Cortina 2026 marks the complete maturity of the SMPTE ST 2110 standard in Olympic production. Unlike SDI, which embeds audio and metadata into the video signal, ST 2110 breaks these elements into separate IP streams (essences), allowing for granular routing. The host broadcaster’s network, built on Cisco’s expanded MPLS Segment Routed WAN architecture, provides the massive throughput required to transport hundreds of simultaneous UHD streams. Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is used to synchronize millions of packets across the network, ensuring that audio and video from cameras 400 km apart remain perfectly lip-synced.

The geographical spread of the venues has accelerated the adoption of Remote Production (REMI) workflows. NBC Sports transports the camera feeds from Italy directly to its production facility in Stamford, Connecticut, via trans-Atlantic fiber. The switching, graphics insertion, and even color shading happen in the United States, with teams of video shaders viewing HDR signals on Sony reference monitors (NBC has deployed nearly 500 Sony monitors across its operation) and adjusting cameras in Italy in real time. This workflow significantly reduces the number of personnel required on-site, lowering the carbon footprint and logistical cost of the Games. Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) utilizes a similar model, connecting its studios in London and Paris to the venues in Italy, using cloud-based production tools to localize content for 47 different markets.

Augmented Reality integration is powered by Ross Video and its creative arm, Rocket Surgery. The production utilizes the Ross Voyager rendering engine (based on Unreal Engine) to project virtual graphics onto the feed from Spidercam systems, enabling the insertion of virtual finish lines, country flags, and athlete statistics that appear to be physically present on the snow.

Surviving the alpine winter: operational challenges

The deployment of this sophisticated technology is complicated by the hostile environment of the Alps. Cold weather is the primary adversary: lithium-ion batteries can lose over 50% of their capacity in sub-zero temperatures as the chemical reactions within the cells slow down. Camera operators utilize custom-made “winter coats” that wrap around the camera body and battery, trapping the heat generated by the electronics. Robotic cameras, which lack the body heat of an operator, are equipped with internal heating elements. Their housings are weather-sealed and thermostatically controlled to prevent lubricants in the pan/tilt motors from freezing and to keep the front glass free of condensation and ice.

Condensation management is another critical concern. Moving gear from the freezing outdoors at -15°C to a heated media center at +20°C causes immediate condensation on internal optical elements. Crews must use “airlock” rooms or seal equipment in airtight bags before entering warm zones to allow gradual temperature acclimatization.

The human element deserves recognition as well. Operators on the downhill courses must be expert skiers, required to ski down the water-hardened ice of the course carrying tripods, lenses, and fiber cables weighing upwards of 30 kg. Camera positions are often located on temporary scaffolding towers anchored into the side of the mountain, where operators must climb in high winds and secure themselves and their equipment with harnesses. The physical demand of stabilizing a long lens in a high-wind environment at -10°C requires a very specific combination of physical endurance and technical skill.

What it all means for broadcast

The camera technology at Milano Cortina 2026 seems like a structural re-imagining of how sports are visualized. By harmonizing the aesthetic of cinema with the immediacy of broadcast, and supporting it with an AI-driven, IP-based infrastructure, OBS and its partners have placed the viewer inside the helmet of the skier via FPV drone, beside the nervous athlete in the tunnel via robotic PTZ, and inside the physics of the jump via AI replay. The integration of large-format cinema sensors, fast cinema optics, and volumetric data has dissolved the barrier between “real” footage and “virtual” analysis. With cinematic cameras now deployed at every venue and cutting directly into the live switch, these Games establish a new baseline for visual fidelity in live sports acquisition, one that will almost certainly set the standard for Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.

What do you think about the film-look approach at Milano Cortina 2026? Is the cinematic look the right direction for live sports, or do you prefer the traditional broadcast aesthetic? Which technology impressed you most? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!