Tony Verna dead: Inventor of the TV instant replay for live sports games dies aged 81

His invention revolutionised sports coverage

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Tony Verna, a television director and producer who invented instant replay for live sports games.

His daughter Tracy Soiseth said her 81-year-old father had been battling acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Verna introduced the concept of instant replay during the US Army-Navy football game on December 7 1963, after developing a method to cue the tape to pinpoint the play he wanted to immediately air again.

Instant replay quickly became a staple of sports events, but the concept was so new that the game's announcer had to warn viewers that the play was not live and that the army had not scored again.

Verna also worked on other high-profile TV broadcasts, including the Olympics and the Live Aid fund raiser in 1985.