Gravity Media Deploys Robotic Cameras at NYC Marathon

Two SMARThead+ systems were mounted on overhead gantries on the Verrazzano-Narrows bridge to cover the start of the race.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Running

Elevated view of a steel overhead camera gantry above a bridge roadway, with a dense mass of distant runners in motion below and the harbor beyond. — More than 55,000 runners started the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon as Gravity Media deployed two robotic SMARThead+ camera systems on overhead gantries over the Verrazzano-Narrows bridge. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Gravity Media deployed SMARThead robotic camera technology at the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon, with two SMARThead+ systems positioned on overhead gantries on the Verrazzano-Narrows bridge. The race had more than 55,000 runners.

Why it matters

The deployment marks SMARThead's first American debut, following CP Communications' partnership with Gravity Media to bring the technology to the United States. Gravity Media said it expects to work with US broadcasters and production partners to demonstrate the system's creative possibilities.

Two SMARThead+ robotic camera systems, equipped with Sony HDC P50 cameras and CJ45x zoom lenses, were positioned to cover a field of more than 55,000 runners. Figures on how the footage was distributed to viewers were not reported.

The players

Gravity Media

Gravity Media is a specialist camera and broadcast technology company that designed and developed the SMARThead system in-house.

CP Communications

CP Communications is the firm that partnered with Gravity Media to bring SMARThead technology to the United States.

The details

The SMARThead+ systems were rigged in inaccessible positions on overhead gantries and offer pan and tilt functionality via remote heads. The technology was designed and developed in-house by Gravity Media, which has more than 45 years of specialist camera experience.

November 1, 2026: TCS New York City Marathon start with SMARThead cameras deployed

Season Trajectory

SMARThead has regularly supported the TCS London Marathon, The Open, and Wimbledon Championship, with over 40 heads deployed at Wimbledon. The New York deployment extends that record of large-scale sporting events into the United States for the first time.

Viewers following the race on broadcast will see camera angles from the overhead gantries on the Verrazzano-Narrows bridge. The extraction does not specify which broadcasts carried the SMARThead footage.

The takeaway

Robotic camera systems placed on fixed overhead positions can capture start-line action that handheld or vehicle-mounted cameras may not reach. Gravity Media's expansion into US events will show whether that positioning approach carries over to American broadcasts.