Drones Hitting More Home Runs in Sports Broadcast Coverage

TV coverage of sports increasingly includes footage via aerial drones, but it will be a while before such shots become widespread and mainstream, in large part due to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, said NCTA senior writer Francesca Duffy in a blog post Thursday. "Could Fox Sports have brought them in for one of the Gold Cup soccer games in Atlanta? Not until more flexible regulations are put in place," since rules require a 500-foot buffer from nonparticipants, Duffy said. Equipment issues such as noise and battery life also are limiting factors. Michael Davies, Fox Sports senior vice president-field operations, was quoted in the blog as saying the network is "actively pursuing drones on every level" and it eventually hopes to shoot a full event via drones.