If you’ve checked a box score, scrolled a highlight, or refreshed your feed after a buzzer-beater, odds are you’ve seen the work of Imagn Images. The nation’s largest sports-image wire service, Imagn powers U.S. sports coverage end to end – and its partnership with Sony has become a cornerstone in how those moments are captured and delivered.
“We’re the biggest sports wire service in North America by the sheer number of events directly covered,” says Jerry Lai, senior director of content at Imagn Images. “We cover every professional league game, deep NCAA schedules, and we are at all the marquee global events. Our job is to get the story out quickly – and as best we can.”
Imagn Images Photo by Kirby Lee. Alpha 1 II. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/125-sec., f/2.8, ISO 400
Inside A Live Sports Workflow
Sports audiences expect images now, not after the final whistle. That reality has reshaped the entire pipeline. “Photographers aren’t generally ingesting cards into laptops on the sideline anymore,” Lai explains. “Everything is transmitted live directly out of the camera – either with Sony’s software or FTP – to our server. Editors pull selects in real time, crop, tone, caption and push them to customers worldwide.”
Because modern cameras can rip through frames, Imagn’s shooters support the picture desk by selecting key moments such as peak action and reaction, by tagging in-camera during stoppages. “Every break in play, our photographers quickly star the best frames so editors see the right pictures first,” says Lai. With this workflow, the important images (the goal, the gold, the game winner) show up in your feed as close to real time as they can get.
So how exactly does this process work? Well look closely next time you watch an event on TV. You will likely see internet cables coming out the side of their cameras. Using existing stadium infrastructure – or in many cases where it doesn’t exist – using the Sony PDT-FP1 – photographers can then send images as soon as they happen to a pre-programmed location or editor.
Imagn Images Photo by Kyle Terada. Alpha 1 II. 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/2000-sec., f/2.8, ISO 160
Imagn Images Photo by Kyle Terada. Alpha 1. 300mm f/2.8 G Master + 1.4x TC. 1/800-sec., f/4, ISO 2000
Imagn Images Photo by Robert Deutsch. Alpha 1. 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/2000-sec., f/2.8, ISO 3200
Why Imagn Images Uses Sony For The Action
For Imagn, the Sony choice is about reliability, speed and access – three things that directly translate to more keepers and better storytelling in sports. Autofocus that finds the story is an Alpha camera's bread and butter. “Head and eye tracking changed the game,” Lai says. "It has drastically improved our keeper rate for handheld photos, but has also been an incredible tool for our remote cameras. When it comes to remotes, we used to solely rely on pre-focusing and hoping the action flows through the frame. Now a runner goes through a frame and the camera can detect an athlete’s head or eye - the hit rate is just higher across basically every sport.” Using cameras like the Alpha 9 III and Alpha 1 II, they can trust that they won't miss the shot.
Imagn Images Photo by Kirby Lee. Alpha 1. 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/3200-sec., f/2.8, ISO 3200
The form factor of Alpha cameras has also saved them in specific situations. At the Opening Ceremony in Paris 2024, Imagn needed a remote camera tucked inside a narrow railing to frame fireworks over the Eiffel Tower. “A smaller Sony Alpha body without a grip was literally the only camera with the form factor to fit in the exact location we were allowed to access, to create the image we wanted,” Lai recalls. “The camera size gave us a picture we’d otherwise miss.”
Another massive benefit is Sony's lens lineup, with plenty of coverage no matter the sport. “Sony's lens lineup is now incredibly creative,” Lai says. “The 50-150mm f/2 G Master is an amazing sports lens and it works because the tracking is so good. 10 years ago, most shooters wouldn’t trust f/2 for fast action. Now, we do.”
On The Ground At The Games
For the recently completed games in Milan, Imagn ran a lean crew of eight photographers equipped with Sony gear to help them move fast across sprawling sites. “At scale, configuring cameras to talk to the right servers and editors is as important as where we place photographers,” Lai says. “Sony’s ecosystem lets us do both.”
Imagn Images Photo by Amber Searls. Alpha 9 III. 300mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/1600-sec., f/6.3, ISO 6400
During major events, Lai wears several hats beyond senior director of content: assignment editor, lead photo editor and logistics manager. “It’s a giant puzzle,” he says. “We decide who covers which event, shoots from which photo position, and determine how to configure their camera networks so that they go to the right editors assigned to a particular sport or contest. Our goal never changes: to put the right photographer in the right spot, then get the right image to the right audience instantly.”
Imagn Images Photo by James Lang. Alpha 1 II. 400mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/2500-sec., f/2.8, ISO 4000
Today, Imagn operates a network of 350+ photographers with a 15M+ image archive and coverage across 10,000+ sports events annually. They provide 100% coverage of the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, MLS and NWSL, industry-leading collegiate coverage, and are a persistent presence at global events.
Imagn Images Photo by Robert Deutsch. Alpha 1. 400mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/1600-sec., f/5.6, ISO 5000
Imagn is also the official photo partner of the USA TODAY Co and the U.S. sports image provider for Reuters, with distribution reaching 137 countries. That translates into targeted storytelling for international fans. With the World Cup and major championships on deck (and LA 2028 looming) Imagn expects bigger teams at U.S.-based events and continued investment in the Sony ecosystem for speed, reliability and creative latitude.
Imagn Images Photo by James Lang. Alpha 1. 70-200mm f/4 Macro G II. 1/2000-sec., f/5.6, ISO 6400
“We’re here to tell the story as it happens,” Lai says. “Sony helps our photographers do that – and helps us get those pictures in front of fans everywhere.”
Learn more about Imagn Images at imagn.com.
