Premier League Expands RefCam With Near-Live Player and Referee Audio

The Premier League will allow selected audio of conversations between players and referees to be used during live match broadcasts for the first time this season. The Guardian reports that domestic rights holders Sky Sports and TNT Sports will gain limited access as part of an expansion of the head-mounted RefCam system.

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RefCam became a permanent element of Premier League coverage last season after a six-week trial at the beginning of that campaign. Broadcasters used footage from the referee's viewpoint to show near-instant replays of match incidents from a new angle. Under the agreement then in place with clubs, however, sound recorded by the cameras could not be televised until several days after a match.

The revised regulations will permit a small amount of that audio to appear within the live broadcast. According to The Guardian, one or two incidents are expected to be used across each of the league's 38 match rounds. The conversations will be presented with near-live instant replays rather than transmitted as they happen on the pitch.

There are also firm restrictions on the material broadcasters can select. Audio connected to incidents referred to the video assistant referee will not be included because live use is not permitted under the laws set by the International Football Association Board. The change therefore opens a narrow window into routine on-field exchanges without giving viewers direct access to VAR-related discussions.

The camera rollout itself is set to become substantially broader. The report says the number of televised matches featuring RefCam will rise from 20 to approximately 45. That increase will give Sky Sports and TNT Sports more opportunities to use the referee's visual perspective, while the limited sound provision adds another element to selected replays.

The Guardian places the move within a wider effort to make football broadcasts more open. In-match interviews and dressing-room cameras have long been used in cricket, rugby union, rugby league and several American sports. The Premier League and refereeing body Pro Ref, previously known as PGMOL, are also understood to be lobbying Ifab to relax the rules that prevent live audio from being broadcast. For now, the new arrangement remains delayed, selective and separate from VAR incidents.