Super Bowl LX

Super Bowl LX brought West Coast spectacle to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, where the Seattle Seahawks overpowered the New England Patriots 29–13 in a game shaped by relentless defensive pressure and late‑game control. At the heart of that dominance was the Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defence - a unit co‑designed and driven by Aden Durde, the British‑born defensive coordinator whose rise from the London Olympians to the NFL’s biggest stage became one of the weekend’s most compelling storylines. Seattle’s suffocating scheme kept New England scoreless for three quarters, with running back Kenneth Walker III earning MVP honours after grinding out 135 yards on the ground. NBC’s host broadcast captured the full sweep of the occasion, from the pre‑game ceremony to a high‑energy halftime show led by Bad Bunny and joined by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. And while the drama unfolded in California, Sky’s coverage relied on a meticulously coordinated downstream operation back in the UK - where Producer Paddy Crowley and Editor Paul Ludden shaped the experience our viewers saw at home.

Paddy Crowley – Producer

Planning for Super Bowl 60 began immediately after Super Bowl 59, with early preparations focused on the host city, San Francisco, and identifying the best location for the onsite team to maximise access to teams and facilities. By December, a recce visit allowed us to finalise accommodation, refine logistics and shape the content we wanted to create around the event.

One of the standout features was Defence Wins Championships, filmed on Alcatraz with future Hall of Fame defenders Ndamukong Suh and Cam Jordan. Hiring the island from 7am–9am gave us exclusive, access all areas to tell a compelling story linking the prison’s history with the defensive strengths on show in the Super Bowl. A big shoutout to Alex Rousak and Steve Wakeford for delivering a stunning piece.

In contrast to Alcatraz’s historic backdrop, we also filmed with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins inside a Waymo driverless car, showcasing cutting-edge technology in the heart of the city.

Having NBC as host broadcaster was a major advantage, as close collaboration with their team provided enhanced access to feeds, talent and features. However, the scale of San Francisco - combined with the stadium’s location in Santa Clara, over 90 minutes away - created significant logistical challenges. Detailed pre-planning and the work of our production manager Rhys Phillips and Production co-ordinator Andy McMillian mitigated all these challenges.

Delivering the Super Bowl is a huge collaboration between Content, Production, Operations and Post Production. We work extremely closely throughout all the planning and execution to deliver the game for our customers. The result was 14 hours of comprehensive, live Super Bowl 60 coverage across Sky Sports, NFL Network and NBC, capping our biggest NFL season yet and showcasing the strength of our small, collaborative team.

Paul Ludden – Editor

I’ve worked with the NFL team for a long time now and over the years we’ve built a relationship where they know exactly what I can bring to a big event like this. Super Bowl week is always intense, but I’m comfortable under pressure and help to shape fast‑moving stories into something that feels big, polished and energetic. I’m quick on Avid, but this week was all Premiere Pro on a Mac, so I leaned on my experience there to keep things moving smoothly so we could stay aligned with our editor onsite in San Francisco. They let us have access to his proxy files and projects directly in Premiere, with the full‑res media arriving later in the week, so we could Online from proxies to final piece. Everything was accessible via LucidLink - the same setup F1 and Golf use for regular international OBs - so the process felt familiar and reliable. In addition, I use After Effects whenever a VT needs that extra lift, whether that’s subtle motion design or something more bespoke. 

I know the workflows, I know what the APs need, and I’m always looking to help shape the narrative so that each piece has personality. The AP usually supplies a track that sets the tempo and style of the piece. From there, I layer in grabs, comms and sound effects to build atmosphere. Real‑time NFL impacts always help bring the action to life. Once the tone is set, we use a combination of ISO clips, HIMO, B‑Roll, hero shots and, when needed, motion graphics to carry the narrative.

Most of my week has been spent on features and personality‑led pieces. The Ndamukong Suh special was a standout. He has such a physical presence and strong personality that the edit became about pacing his intensity while still letting the lighter moments come through. The Phoebe Schecter v Jarrod Bowen challenge was one of the most enjoyable pieces. Phoebe brought her usual energy and Jarrod was unsurprisingly competitive! We had multiple cameras to play with which gave us loads of great angles for the challenges. Jarrod’s NFL knowledge really came through, and he even showed off some quarterback skills during the shoot!