Durham company uses biometric tech to capture fan excitement at 2026 Winter Games

Sports Media Technology (SMT) brings fan emotion to the Olympics broadcast

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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A University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill graduate and employee at Durham-based Sports Media Technology (SMT) is using biometric data to display fan excitement during live broadcasts of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. SMT provides data services, software development, and hardware solutions for major television network sports broadcasters and sports leagues, including real-time tracking and data integration for Olympic events.

Why it matters

Capturing the human emotion and excitement of fans is an important part of the Olympic viewing experience. SMT's biometric initiative aims to bring that fan energy to life for television audiences, providing a more immersive and engaging broadcast.

The details

SMT's Jackson Jones is leading the biometric broadcast initiative at the 2026 Winter Olympics, using 27 heart rate monitoring kits positioned across select venues like curling, figure skating, and alpine skiing. The kits track the heart rates of spectators in real-time, transmitting the data to a cloud server so producers can display the rising and falling pulse rates as a graphic during NBC's live coverage. This is an expansion from the 5 kits used at the 2024 Paris Olympics, allowing for a more robust and impactful representation of fan excitement.

  • SMT ran full checks on the 27 biometric kits in Durham, North Carolina before deploying them to Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
  • The biometric initiative made its debut on a smaller scale at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, using only 5 heart rate monitoring kits.

The players

Jackson Jones

A University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill graduate and employee at Sports Media Technology (SMT) who is leading the biometric broadcast initiative at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

Sports Media Technology (SMT)

A Durham, North Carolina-based company that provides data services, software development, and hardware solutions for major television network sports broadcasters and sports leagues, including real-time tracking and data integration for Olympic events.

NBC Sports

The American television network broadcasting the 2026 Winter Olympics, which is working with SMT to design updated graphics and adjust software for the biometric fan excitement initiative.

Omega Timing

The official timing provider for the Olympic Games, whose data feeds SMT connects to and converts into broadcast-ready elements.

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What they’re saying

“We're kind of focused on two main areas. We support TV broadcasts: enhanced graphics, data integration, producer services ... and we also provide data for different leagues.”

— Jackson Jones, Employee, Sports Media Technology (wral.com)

“These are on spectators. The kits use a wristwatch-style monitor that connects to an Android phone via Bluctooth, transmitting heart rate data every second to a cloud server over cellular networks.”

— Jackson Jones, Employee, Sports Media Technology (wral.com)

What’s next

SMT plans to continue expanding its biometric fan excitement initiative at future Olympic Games, incorporating lessons learned from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

The takeaway

By using biometric technology to capture the real-time emotional reactions of fans, SMT is enhancing the Olympic viewing experience and bringing the human element of sports to life for television audiences around the world.