Announced during SailGP’s Season 2 Grand Final in San Francisco on March 26 and 27, Riedel and Skyroads AG are entering into a strategic alliance to deliver a 20 million USD order of SKYBOT-CAM systems, which combine high payload drones with professional broadcast gyro stabilized camera systems with live video, audio, and data downlinks.

Riedel will be the global partner of the SKYBOT-CAM system for major events and sport series, and with Skyroads, they are building a joint product to further push the boundaries of sustainability and technical innovation for sports broadcasting. Riedel will serve as an integrator, utilizing their existing communication infrastructure for the purpose of the Skyroads flight guarding system.

Achim Kostron, Chief Commercial Officer, Skyroads said, “Our SKYBOT-CAM system is an excellent way to implement early applications of our later aviation-type, certified self-flying-system. We are delighted to embark on this project with the most respected partners in their field, Riedel and SailGP.”

SKYBOT-CAM will be introduced at SailGP, which will be the first global event in the world to use the new technology. SailGP will facilitate and support the test operation of this innovative system, and after a first, exclusive implementation at SailGP in 2024, the SKYBOT-CAM will become available for all public events. The technology will be used with SailGP’s award-winning augmented reality LiveLineFX.

“Today’s professional airborne broadcast camera systems are mainly helicopter based and require enormous organizational, technical, and budgetary effort for a photographic platform that, although creating high quality pictures, is unsustainable in the long run,” stated Warren Jones, Chief Technology Officer at SailGP. “SailGP Technologies stands for innovation in sustainable sports as part of its ‘Better Sport – Better Future’ strategy, and it is partnerships with forward thinking companies like Riedel and Skyroads that allow us to achieve this.”

“I'm delighted to announce that we are joining forces with Skyroads and SailGP Technologies to take sustainability and safety to a new level and provide even more spectacular images from the pinnacle of sail racing,” said Riedel Group CEO and Founder Thomas Riedel. “This strategic partnership reflects our commitment and vision to enhance innovation in order to create future-oriented formats, focusing both on environmental and safety aspects at the same time.”