Instant replay refers to a system where plays in a sporting match can be reviewed (or replayed) using recorded video feeds of the sporting match. This was introduced in broadcast television to allow the viewer to get other views of sports plays during the game. It was combined with Slow Motion to give viewers a better idea of the development of the game.

Instant Replay Challenge takes advantage of the video technology and introduces it in to the rules of the game itself in order to ensure that the correct call is made on the play.

Instant replay is used in many pro-sports leagues including the National Hockey League, the National Football League & Canadian Football League, and the National Basketball Association. It made its debut in 1955, by George Retzlaff at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation during a broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada. Jim Wheeler erroneously claims to have invented Instant Replay in 1964.

Starting with the 2005 season, the National Collegiate Athletic Association allowed the use of instant replay for all Division I-A football conferences, just a year after the Big Ten Conference experimented with replay. Instant replay is used sparingly in college basketball to resolve issues of time and score (such as whether a shot is a three-pointer) or to determine which player should shoot free throws following a foul.