THE 2025/26 PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON: HOW REF-CAM IS PROVIDING NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Ed Dowdell, Head of Social
Like it or not, in 2025 the Premier League is about more than football. Three points at the weekend are only part of the game. During the week, all 20 clubs work just as hard off the pitch - building cut-through through storytelling, innovation, and new commercial frontiers. And this season, for the first time in league history, referee-mounted cameras (ref‑cam) will be deployed in select fixtures - an innovation that has the opportunity to create a different perspective for fans and new revenue opportunities for clubs, without additional production costs.
I saw this transformation first-hand while working on-site with FIFA at the FIFA Club World Cup this summer, where ref‑cam was successfully introduced across all matches for the first time in history. From that month of football and all of the new referee footage it provided, there were a few clear takeaways for us:
Immersive Storytelling
Ref-cam puts fans in the referee’s position - seeing the game exactly as the official sees it. These angles were instantly social-media-ready and drove incredible results. They were picked up by media outlets around the world and proved to be some of the best performing videos on social media for broadcaster DAZN. Ask anyone to name a clip they remember from the tournament, and it will probably be video captured by the ref-cam.
Multiple New Digital & Broadcast Assets
Footage from ref‑cam fed club channels, FIFA social platforms, and broadcasters. Match-defining moments were repurposed into short clips, tactical analysis, and behind‑the‑scenes content that extended fan engagement well beyond 90 minutes, all from one small camera.
Sponsorship Integration
It won’t take long for this unique perspective of ref‑cam to be picked up by brands looking for more exposure. Think “Ref‑Cam Replay” or “Decisive Moments”.
For the matches where ref-cam is used, the footage will be made available to broadcasters to elevate the viewing experience for fans, in the same way DAZN utilised the footage at the FIFA Club World Cup. This is part of the Premier League’s new content access requirements, which state that clubs:
Must allow at least two new camera or enhanced footage initiatives each season for use on their official channels.
Can leverage league-approved innovations to expand storytelling and fan engagement.
In this context, ref‑cam is a clear win-win. For broadcasters it provides ready-made, high‑impact content without additional production cost. For the league it enhances the global product and builds trust in refereeing decisions. And finally for sponsors it creates a new, premium inventory that they already know resonates with audiences on social.
The FIFA Club World Cup proved that ref‑cam is a content goldmine. As someone who has seen this innovation first hand, I can confidently say: those that embrace ref‑cam early will set the standard for innovation-driven fan engagement in the Premier League.