Sherin Shibu

The Winter Olympics have always been a test bed for new broadcast technology, from high-speed rail cams to helmet-mounted POV shots. Now drones are emerging as the next breakthrough tool, giving viewers soaring, cinematic perspectives that were impossible a decade ago. For a network like NBC, which is locked in a constant battle for attention in a fragmented media landscape, drone footage offers a way to make familiar events feel fresh, immersive, and made for social sharing.

Drones excel at winter sports because so many events unfold on long, vertical courses that traditional cameras struggle to fully capture. Alpine skiing, snowboard slopestyle, ski cross, and Nordic combined all play out over hundreds or thousands of meters, with racers darting in and out of trees, over ridges, and around blind turns. Fixed cameras can cover key gates and jumps, and cable-mounted systems can follow stretches of the course, but they still leave gaps. A well-piloted drone, by contrast, can shadow an athlete almost continuously, stitching the run into a single, fluid shot.

That kind of continuous tracking changes how viewers experience the sport. Instead of cutting between camera angles, the audience can see the line choice, speed, and terrain in one uninterrupted sequence, almost as if they are chasing the athlete down the hill. It’s the difference between watching a race and feeling like you are inside it. Networks know those shots perform especially well on social platforms, where a 20- or 30-second clip of a snowboarder dropping into a run, followed from behind by a drone, can rack up millions of views.

The technology has evolved quickly to make these shots possible in the harsh conditions of a Winter Games. High-end racing drones and stabilized camera platforms now combine powerful motors, long-range control, and sophisticated GPS and obstacle-avoidance systems. They can operate in cold, windy conditions while carrying high-resolution cameras that feed live video back to the broadcast truck. Pilots rehearse specific routes, learn the rhythm of each course, and coordinate tightly with event organizers to stay clear of athletes, officials, and spectators.

Safety and regulation, however, are central concerns. Olympic venues are tightly controlled airspaces, and any drone operation must satisfy both local aviation rules and the International Olympic Committee’s safety standards. Broadcasters typically fly in designated corridors, with hard restrictions on altitude, proximity to athletes, and emergency procedures if a drone loses signal or power. Networks have to show that their drones are not just visually compelling but also reliable, redundant, and operated by trained professionals who understand live-event pressure.

There’s also an ethical and aesthetic line to navigate. Too much drone footage can feel gimmicky or disorienting, especially for viewers who rely on familiar angles to understand splits, lines, and technique. Producers have to decide where drones genuinely add clarity and excitement and where they might distract. For example, using drones on training runs and feature packages can showcase the venue and terrain, while more traditional cameras handle the most critical medal moments. Over time, as viewers acclimate, drones may become as standard as overhead cable cams are today.

For NBC and other rights holders, drones are not just a technical upgrade but a strategic play. The Olympics are one of the last true “appointment TV” events, yet younger audiences consume much of their sports content in feeds and highlight reels. Drone footage offers a bridge: live broadcasts get a fresh visual language, while short, dramatic aerial clips are tailor-made for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The same drone that tracks a gold-medal run in real time can yield multiple cuts and angles for digital platforms within minutes.

Looking ahead, broadcasters are already exploring more ambitious integrations. AI-assisted flight paths could let drones automatically follow athletes based on speed and position data. Augmented reality overlays could add live speed readouts, trajectories, or comparative “ghost” racers to drone shots. Small swarms of drones might cover different segments of a course and hand off the signal seamlessly, creating the illusion of a single, omnipresent camera following the action wherever it goes.

Still, the core appeal remains simple: drones put viewers in places they’ve never been. They skim just above the snow beside a skier, drift over the lip of a halfpipe, or hover over a ski jump takeoff to show the true scale of an athlete’s leap. For a global audience that has seen almost everything, that sense of newness is invaluable. If NBC and its counterparts can balance spectacle with safety and storytelling, drone coverage is likely to become one of the defining visuals of future Winter Olympics broadcasts.