Starting with this year’s football season, the NFL will use Sony’s Hawk-Eye cameras to measure the line to gain — a process the chain crew has done manually for decades. The 8K cameras will use virtual measurement technology to quickly and accurately determine whether the ball traveled 10 yards for a first down.

Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology will be used by the NFL as the primary method for measuring the line to gain, beginning with the 2025 season, the league announced. The chain crew will remain on the field in a secondary capacity.

The NFL is looking at possible changes to several league rules this offseason. One rule is getting an official change. The league is replacing the method for measuring first downs in the NFL. Pro football will switch from chain gangs to camera-based technology in 2025,