DALLAS—FIFA has opened the International Broadcast Center (IBC) for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino hailing the facility as "the most technologically advanced and top of the art international broadcast center that the world has ever seen."

The facility will serve as the global broadcast operations center for 180 broadcasters covering the tournament set to take place across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the USA from June 11 to July 19 2026.

It is the second time that Dallas has been designated this prestigious function, having also hosted the IBC during the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA.

"It's absolutely incredible to be here in Dallas at this fantastic International Broadcast Centre – it's getting better and better," said Infantino. "There's more and more technology, AI power, people, experts. It's incredible to see how much work, how much passion, how much expertise, how much high-level technological input there is to bring the FIFA World Cup to billions of fans all over the world.

Addressing some of the 2,000 broadcast media representatives who will be based at the facility, he also said stressed that "not everyone can travel to the United States or in the past to other countries to witness the FIFA World Cup, but everyone can see it back from home thanks to the IBC and thanks to the broadcasters," he said.

At the opening, Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson said that the city, which will host nine FIFA World Cup 2026 matches, had made targeted investments to support the operation and the thousands of international visitors.

"Having toured the operations here myself a few days ago, I can attest to the cutting-edge technology, including AI and innovation, that will be transforming this facility into a world-class media hub," Johnson said, according to a blog post posted by FIFA describing the opening.

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center was selected as the IBC for FIFA World Cup 2026 in part because of its central location across the three-nation tournament footprint, making Dallas the ideal hub for a broadcast operation spanning Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The facility spans 45,000 square meters (485,000 square feet) and will serve as headquarters for FIFA's host broadcaster and Host Broadcast Services (HBS), all FIFA Media Partners, FIFA's Video Content Production Department, FIFA's Football Technology and Innovation Department as well as housing the video assistant referee (VAR) room, the post noted.

"Four years ago, when we opened up the IBC in Qatar, our President was challenging us….and saying: 'We need to continue to push the bar as high as we can in order to remain a reference for everybody in the world in how we can deliver high-quality, our competences to all our broadcasters, to our partners,’” said Romy Gai, FIFA's chief business officer. “And I am happy to say today that what you can see all around us is the result of capitalizing on all our experience from the past, trying to improve and to do more in order to better serve our 180 broadcasters from all around the world."

HBS has delivered broadcast services for the six most recent editions of the FIFA World Cup, and broadcaster infrastructure is fully integrated into FIFA's stadium projects, covering camera positions, interview positions, the mixed zone, studios, media tribune, broadcast compound and press conference rooms.

In a blog post, FIFA said that a key pillar of the IBC's operation is the partnership between FIFA and Lenovo, FIFA's Official Technology Partner, which is providing complete IT solutions across the FIFA World Cup 2026 ecosystem.

Lenovo is deploying servers at the IBC in Dallas to deliver the computing power, devices and AI-driven solutions needed to bring every moment of every match to global audiences. More than 17,000 Lenovo and Motorola devices are deployed across venues and Team Base Camp training sites, supported by over 200 Lenovo engineers across all venues.

Lenovo ThinkSystem SR635 V3 servers manage massive volumes of live video data from stadiums across North America, powering FIFA's IPTV live feed via ten channels to over 1,000 screens at all FIFA venues. Lenovo's technology has also reduced latency within FIFA's IPTV infrastructure to under five seconds, enabling near real-time access to live match action.

As FIFA’s official technology partner, Lenovo has deployed servers and other solutions at the International Broadcast Center in Dallas to support the most expansive broadcast operation in FIFA World Cup history.

The deployment is part of Lenovo’s larger push to expand its sports technology investments. In March, it launched a dedicated sports vertical designed to support organizations operating live, global and mission-critical environments. By integrating AI infrastructure, edge computing, devices, and services into a unified model, Lenovo said it aims to help sports organizations shift from fragmented systems to real-time, end-to-end operational control.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will also showcase Lenovo’s real-world AI advances in sports production, the company said. Lenovo products will manage complex on-premise edge computing, the company said, significantly reducing latency in cases where cloud-only solutions failed to meet broadcast requirements.

FIFA's Gai also highlighted two specific AI-powered innovations that will enhance the broadcast experience at FIFA World Cup 2026.

The first is AI-enabled 3D player avatars, which represent a major development in semi-automated offside technology. Players will be digitally scanned on arrival – a process that takes approximately one second per player – to create precise 3D models that capture highly accurate body-part dimensions. These models will be incorporated into the host broadcast, enabling offside decisions determined by the VAR system to be displayed more realistically and in a more engaging way for fans both in stadiums and watching at home around the world, the blog post explained.

The second innovation is a stabilized referee view. Building on a successful trial at the FIFA Club World Cup™ in 2025, AI-powered stabilization software will smooth footage captured from the referee's camera in real time, reducing motion blur caused by rapid movement. The footage will deliver a higher-quality, first-person perspective for audiences, enhancing transparency, understanding and engagement throughout matches, he reported.

"Thanks to AI, we've introduced some innovations that will be highlighted through the broadcaster for the fans," Gai said. "These are just a couple of examples. We will have more to say, more to tell."

LONDON—The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is set to generate the highest sponsorship revenue in the competition’s history, with combined media rights and sponsorship revenues expected to exceed $6 billion, per research firm Ampere Analysis.

The expanded 48-team tournament, to be held June 11 to July 19 across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, has created significant opportunities for brand promotion, Ampere said. The United Kingdom-based research estimates that it will generate at least $3.8 billion in rights fee revenues and $2.4 billion in sponsorship revenues.

Much of that commercial growth has been driven by the U.S. role as a host nation, Ampere said, with the value of stateside media rights up 94% from the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar. U.S.-based brands now account for more than half of World Cup sponsorship revenue, Ampere said.

“This edition of the FIFA Men’s World Cup is attracting record levels of sponsorship investment due to the increase in participating teams and the expanded number of matches,“ Chloe Ng-Triquet, analyst, sponsorship at Ampere, said. “Hailed as the ’biggest’ Men’s World Cup ever, brands have identified every opportunity to capitalise on innovative activations. With the additional hydration breaks during each game’s quarter, brands have more space to advertise. Despite no major sponsors for the events headquartered in Canada or Mexico, the U.S. houses some of the biggest brands globally, helping drive the sponsorship revenue to an all-time high.”

Ampere currently estimates media rights revenues for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup at $3.8 billion, up 22% from the 2022 tournament, with some deals still to be agreed for markets in Asia. Traditional linear broadcasters are still the dominant rightsholders, Ampere said, but streaming services are investing more in the competition. DAZN, for instance, will stream the World Cup in three major markets, Japan, Italy and Spain.

Ampere expects sponsorship revenues to reach at least $2.4 billion, a 37% increase from Qatar 2022. Spending is being driven by new sponsors such as DoorDash, Bank of America and ADI Predict Street, as well as historic sponsors like Adidas, Coca-Cola, and Visa. U.S.-based brands account for 52% of sponsorship revenue, up from 36% in 2022. No companies based in Canada or Mexico have signed on as sponsors yet.

“While we estimate that FIFA is currently under its target for media rights revenue for this Men’s World Cup, deals have yet to be confirmed for some markets in Asia,” Ampere Senior Analyst, Sports Media Rights Danni Moore said. “However, even without those agreements in place, the 2026 edition of the tournament is generating the highest media rights values FIFA has achieved to date as a result of growth across several markets. As the country with the highest investment in sports rights globally, the growth in the US market, driven by its role as one of the host nations, has had a considerable impact on the overall value of the 2026 event.”

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission has issued a public notice designating Louis Libin as special frequency coordinator and RF spectrum manager for the the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The notice also detailed how RF spectrum will be coordinated during the 39-day global men’s soccer tournament and detailed some waivers of FCC rules.

The move makes Libin, vice president of spectrum policy and engineering at Sinclair Broadcast Group, the single point of contact for coordinating Broadcast Auxiliary Service (BAS) operations during the World Cup. Tournament matches are being staged in 11 U.S. cities, as well as cities in co-host countries Canada and Mexico. Some 6 billion viewers worldwide are expected to watch the June 11-July 19 tournament via broadcast, streaming and digital platforms. Fox is the U.S. World Cup rightsholder.

In addition, the FCC also granted waivers to permit low-power auxiliary operators. Low-power auxiliary operations are a subset of BAS operations.

BAS stations, which are licensed under Part 74 of the Commission’s rules, make it possible for television and radio stations and networks to transmit program material between various locations (e.g., from remote sites of breaking news stories or other live events to television studios, from studios to broadcasting transmitters for delivery to consumers, and between broadcast stations).

In addition to licensed BAS stations, section 74.24 of the Commission’s rules allows eligible broadcasters to operate BAS stations on a short-term basis, not to exceed 720 hours annually, without prior Commission authorization.

FWC 2026, a subsidiary of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), had previously requested that the agency designate Libin as the coordinator.

The FCC noted that BAS frequency coordinators are often named in connection with major events such as national political conventions, presidential inaugurations, the Olympic Games, and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

In a filing with the FCC, FWC 2026 said it expects extensive video, audio, and data coverage of WC26 and extensive use of wireless equipment.

FWC 2026 anticipates that over 2,700 pieces of equipment, such as interruptible foldback systems for real time communication, wireless intercoms and talkbacks for production crews, and RF audio links for sound mixing and audio routing, will be utilized during WC26 to support over 300 media agencies.

Based on FWC’s recommendation, the FCC said it finds “that appointing Louis Libin as the special frequency coordinator will facilitate WC26, and will serve the public interest. Mr. Libin has extensive experience in coordinating frequency use for a variety of national and international events.”

The FCC said the designated frequency coordination period will start five days before each venue’s initial match and conclude one day after each venue’s last match so that FWC 2026 can prepare the RF environment to ensure spectrum readiness before matches begin and can oversee a controlled shutdown of the venues.

This designation will also allow for advance coordination of auxiliary broadcast frequency usage in the designated areas.

The FCC said Libin can be reached for frequency coordination at (516) 374-6700 or by email at louislibin@broad-comm.com.

In addition to the operations discussed above, the FCC noted that the event will see the potential use of unlicensed next-generation devices operating in TV white spaces.

In an filing with the FCC, FWC 2026 also requested that the Commission grant a waiver of the distance-separation requirement to permit the use of low power auxiliary stations (LPAS), not to exceed 1 watt of power on channels allocated for TV broadcasting where the nearest operating television station transmitter is located at least 40 kilometers from the event venues.

Similarly, FWC 2026 requested that the commission grant a waiver of rules that limits the power for LPAS operating in the 600-MHz duplex gap and the bands allocated for TV broadcasting.

FWC 2026 has requsted these waivers to “accommodate specialized equipment required for reliable and robust operations in large, open-air stadium environments,” including equipment necessary to support international broadcast systems, in-stadium long-range coordination, wireless intercoms and public safety communications, the filing said.

More information on the FCC’s decision to grant those waivers, affected venues and the process of coordinating spectrum during the games can be found here.

LOS ANGELES—Fox Sports, which has the U.S. English-language rights to the FIFA World Cup 2026, has announced that it will offer 340 hours of first-run programming between June 11 through July 19, a 100-hour increase over FIFA World Cup 2022, and a record 70-matches presented on Fox network television, more than double the matches in 2022.

Fox Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule is primed to take over summer airwaves with all 104 tournament matches airing live across Fox (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within Fox One's new, innovative World Cup viewing experience and the Fox Sports App.

Every match will be available in 4K on Fox One and most major Pay TV providers. Additionally, an unprecedented 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in primetime across Fox (21) and FS1(19).

"FIFA is putting on the biggest World Cup in history, and Fox Sports is living up to that standard," said Eric Shanks, CEO & executive producer, Fox Sports. "Our broadcast schedule affirms Fox is truly going to be America's home for the beautiful game over a span of 39 incredible days. We look forward to bringing the country together for its 250th birthday with all the world here for the greatest event on the planet."

More specifically, Fox's broadcast slate will be headlined by 40 Group Stage matches and 14 Round of 32 matches. Beginning on the Fourth of July with the Round of 16, every match through the end of the tournament airs on Fox, including eight Round of 16 matches, four Quarterfinal matches, two Semifinal matches, the third-place match and the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final. An additional 32 Group Stage matches and two Round of 32 matches will air on FS1.

Appearing in their 12th FIFA World Cup, the USMNT will face three opponents out of Group D with all three matches airing on Fox.

For the first time ever, Tubi, Fox Corporation's ad-supported streaming service which reaches over 100 million monthly active users will simulcast live in 4K for free the FIFA World Cup 2026 opening ceremonies and two matches: Mexico vs. South Africa on Thursday, June 11 and USMNT vs. Paraguay on Friday, June 12.

Additionally, one month ahead of kickoff, Tubi will launch FIFA World Cup Fox Hub on Sunday, May 10 as a destination for soccer fans featuring Fox Sports and FIFA programming around the games and athletes, in addition to original, exclusive and creator content from Tubi and the opening ceremonies and two matches listed above for the USMNT and Mexico. Tubi original content will include the docuseries "Destination World Cup 2026," which immerses fans into the lives of three standout players through the intensity of international duty, the weight of club expectations and the ongoing effort to stay grounded amid global scrutiny, with more titles to be announced.

FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the first tournament hosted by three countries – United States, Mexico and Canada – with 48 teams competing across 16 host cities. Eleven cities will be hosting the tournament in the U.S. including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Specific details on matches and airtimes are available here.

FIFA announced this week that it is partnering with one of the world’s most popular social media platforms to expand media access for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

In the agreement, TikTok will become FIFA’s first-ever Preferred Platform, allowing it to offer more comprehensive World Cup coverage, including increased original content, while becoming the go-to place for fans and creators throughout the tournament, FIFA said. This first-of-its-kind Preferred Platform agreement builds on the partnership between FIFA and TikTok for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which resulted in tens of billions of views, according to FIFA.

Running until the end of 2026, the partnership also unlocks significant opportunities for official FIFA World Cup 2026 Media Partners on TikTok, including the ability to live-stream parts of matches, post more curated clips and access special content produced by FIFA for TikTok. Broadcasters will also be able to monetize their FIFA World Cup coverage through TikTok’s premium advertising solutions. In addition, TikTok will implement anti-piracy policies that support and protect FIFA’s intellectual property.

“FIFA’s goal is to share the exhilaration of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with as many fans as possible, and we can’t think of a better way to further that mission during the biggest event in sports history than to have TikTok as the tournament’s first Preferred Platform,” said FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström.

The Preferred Platform partnership will be anchored by TikTok’s immersive FIFA World Cup 2026 hub, powered by TikTok GamePlan, which will enable fans to discover engaging content that brings the 48-team tournament to life alongside match ticket and viewing information, as well as participation incentives like custom stickers, filters and gamification features.

For the first time, FIFA and TikTok will build a “robust” creator program that will provide a select group of global TikTok creators with access to behind-the-scenes footage—such as press conferences and training sessions. Additionally, a wide group of creators will be allowed to use and co-create FIFA archival footage.

NEWARK, N.J.—With the FIFA Club World Cup final rapidly approaching and the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup now less than a year away, interest in soccer in the United States may be reaching an all-time high.

A new summit, set for July 10 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., will bring top soccer executives, investors, team owners, media executives and tech leaders together to examine how media and technology can connect fans more deeply with the sport, elevating their engagement even further.

“The Global Game: The Future of Soccer, Tech & Media Summit,” supported by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), will look at a variety of topics, such as AI-driven performance, fan engagement, streaming innovation and the expanding global footprint of soccer, summit organizers said.

“This summit reflects the next wave of innovation in global sports,” Greg Kahn, CEO of GK Digital Ventures and co-founder of the event, said. “It’s about more than soccer. It’s about how technology is reshaping everything from how we play to how we connect with fans around the world. I’m proud to partner with HBSE [Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment] and the NJEDA to make New Jersey the launchpad for these conversations and collaborations.”

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., is one of the several U.S. locations hosting the ongoing 2025 FIFA World Cup. The FIFA Club World Cup final is scheduled for July 13 at MetLife Stadium. New Jersey will also host several 2026 World Cup matches.

Moderators and panelists confirmed to date include senior leaders from HBSE, The Walt Disney Co., U.S. Soccer, Paramount/CBS Sports, Fanatics, TEG Sport North America and the FIFA World Cup 2026 NYNJ Host Committee.

With an overall theme of “Innovation of Soccer, Media and Technology,” the summit is organized into five content blocks. It will include panels on streaming; the growth of the global game, including investment; the growth of women’s soccer; and data, technology and performance, said Kahn.

Tickets for the event are available from Ticketmaster.

A television deal for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 has finally been announced for the U.S., with Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT Sports signing an agreement with the streaming platform DAZN to air 24 matches in the U.S.

Kicking off on Saturday, June 14 in Miami, the CWC tournament will bring together 32 of soccer’s best clubs from around the world.

DAZN has global rights to the tournament and will offer all 63 games on its streaming service.

Warner Bros. Discovery networks TNT, TBS and truTV will televise 24 of the tournament’s 63 matches to fans across the U.S.

DAZN reported that the sublicensing deal will give fans in the U.S. more ways to watch the action from the group stage, knockout stages and the Final across more platforms.

As part of the agreement, DAZN and TNT Sports will also offer English-language studio programming and additional ancillary programming throughout the tournament. In addition, TNT Sports’ Bleacher Report, House of Highlights, and B/R Football will produce and share content across their social platforms.

Warner Bros. Discovery and DAZN will also collaborate on cross-promotion, marketing, and advertising sales.

“Partnering with DAZN to present the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 further bolsters our sports portfolio this summer and brings another world-class event to our TNT Sports portfolio,” said Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO, TNT Sports. “We’re looking forward to this new partnership with DAZN as we collectively deliver this exciting new global soccer club competition in the US this summer.”

Shay Segev, CEO of DAZN Group, added that “The combined expertise of DAZN and TNT Sports will deliver what FIFA and fans want – a tournament for generations to remember. With our new partners at Warner Brothers. Discovery, DAZN will enhance and expand production, marketing and ad sales for the tournament, to maximize engagement and reach and ensure that fans receive the very best viewing experience.”

FIFA Club World Cup 2025, kicking off on Saturday, June 14, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, will be played in twelve venues across the US – culminating with the Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, July 13. 32 teams from six continents will face other global juggernauts for the first time.

Additional programming and production details for FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be announced leading up to the event, DAZN reported.

OBERHAUSEN, Germany and ZURICH, Switzerland—ACCESS Europe and FIFA+ have inked a deal to make the global digital soccer platform available on smart TVs and in cars around the world via ACCESS’s NetRange Smart TV Portals and the ACCESS Twine for Car in-vehicle infotainment service solution.

FIFA+, the organization’s free digital streaming platform, offers live soccer matches from around the world and video content on men’s and women’s soccer games. It offers more than 40,000 live matches per year, ranging from major leagues to grassroots games, as well as decades of archival footage.

"FIFA+ includes football content from every corner of the globe, aligning with FIFA's vision to ensure football unites the world," said Masahiro Aono, CEO of ACCESS Europe. "We are thrilled to extend the reach of FIFA+ by partnering with automobile OEMs and smart TV brands and operators, to make premium football content freely accessible to fans worldwide. This collaboration underscores our commitment to enhancing the viewing experience for sports fans everywhere."

The integration of FIFA+ with ACCESS Europe’s offerings gives fans access to high-quality video streams of live matches and on-demand content in their cars and on their smart TVs.

ACCESS Europe provides white-label in-vehicle infotainment, smart TV and OTT ecosystems. FIFA+ integration with its solutions will make it possible to reach millions more Smart TV users.

More information is available on the company’s website.

LOS GATOS, Calif.—In a historic deal for women’s soccer and major sports on streaming services, Netflix has secured the exclusive U.S. rights to the Women’s World Cup from FIFA for 2027 and 2031. It will be the first time the tournament will appear on a streaming service, FIFA said.

The 2027 tourney, which runs from June 24 to July 25, will feature 32 teams from across the globe, competing in 12 cities throughout Brazil, the host country. The 2031 location has not yet been announced.

“This is a landmark moment for sports media rights,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said. “As a marquee brand and FIFA’s new long-term partner, Netflix has shown a very strong level of commitment to growing women’s football. This agreement sends a strong message about the real value of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the global women’s game. FIFA and Netflix partnering together makes this a truly historic day for broadcasting and for women’s football. Besides broadcasting the tournaments themselves, Netflix will play a key role in terms of bringing the fascination of women’s football to a multimillion audience in the lead-up to both final tournaments, thereby enabling us to further increase their appeal.”

The Netflix-FIFA pact covers all languages and will include both English- and Spanish-language telecasts. For the last Women’s World Cup in 2023, Fox Sports held U.S. English-language TV rights with Spanish-language telecasts on NBCUniversal-owned Telemundo.

As part of the deal, Netflix will supplement its coverage with studio shows and top-tier talent for commentary and entertainment.

In addition, in the run-up to the tournament, Netflix will produce exclusive documentary programming spotlighting the top players, their journeys, and the explosion of the sport around the globe.

The deal is the latest example of Netflix’s push to add major live events, particularly sports. With this deal, Netflix’s slate of premium live programming now spans entertainment (the SAG Awards returns to Netflix on Feb. 23), comedy (“GROAT: The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady”) and sports, with major deals for NFL Christmas Day games and WWE “Monday Night Raw,” along with the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup.

Last month, Netflix reported that 108 million people tuned in to see Jake Paul battle Mike Tyson, making it the most-streamed sporting event ever and one of the most controversial, with major tech problems plaguing the coverage.

The co-headlining event, Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano, punched its way to the No. 1 most-watched professional women’s sports event in US history with 74 million live global viewers. On Christmas day, it will offer a double-header of NFL Christmas Day games, featuring the Chiefs vs. the Steelers and the Ravens vs. the Texans.

The Netflix debut of “Monday Night Raw” will be on Jan. 6.

“Our record-breaking success with Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor demonstrated the massive appetite for women’s sports and live programming,” Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria said. “I’ve seen the fandom for the FIFA Women’s World Cup grow tremendously — from the electric atmosphere in France in 2019, and most recently, the incredible energy across Australia and New Zealand in 2023. Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix is not just about streaming matches — it’s about celebrating the players, the culture, and the passion driving the global rise of women’s sports.”

BURLINGTON, Canada—Evertz Technologies’ DreamCatcher Video Assistant Referee (VAR) platform has achieved certification status from the FIFA Quality Program for VAR technology, the company said today.

FIFA, the international governing body of association football (soccer), has implemented the FIFA Quality Program, which seeks to improve the game and protect the players, clubs and associations by endorsing products that comply with the highest safety and quality standards, it said.

Achieving FIFA Basic certification enables DreamCatcher VAR to be used during professional soccer competitions and by leagues and federations, enabling them to fulfill their VAR and VAR Light requirements over the next four years, it said.

"Attaining FIFA Quality Program certification for the DreamCatcher VAR platform is a testament to our relentless pursuit of excellence,” said Dominic Ventresca, company VAR product specialist. “We are honored to play a pivotal role in enhancing the integrity of football matches worldwide. This achievement exemplifies our commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation and delivering solutions that empower the world of sports officiating.”

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) and Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) currently use DreamCatcher VAR for video refereeing services for every match in their topflight pro leagues, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

As coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 heats up, FIFA has announced a ground-breaking expansion of FIFA+ that make the streaming platform available on five new connected TV apps, with launches on Samsung TV, LG, VIDAA, Amazon Fire, and Android TV, and five new FAST channel platforms, with FIFA+ now available on Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, VIDAA Channels, The Roku Channel and Rakuten TV.

"We are excited to bring FIFA+ to fans through these connected TV apps and FAST channel platforms , extending our reach and making football more accessible to a wider audience," said Charlotte Burr, FIFA’s director of strategy, digital and FIFA+. "Our goal is to connect fans from every corner of the world and provide them with unrivaled access to the sport they love. This expansion is a significant step towards achieving that vision and bringing the beautiful game to everyone. Every innovation we make is rooted in growing the game, and we want to thank all the CTV and FAST platforms for their support in making this happen.”

Featuring a wide range of originals, live broadcasts, and an extensive archive, FIFA+ will be on home screens of millions of fans globally as the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 continues, FIFA said. 

Content from the tournament is available across the platform – including interviews, highlights, full match replays after 24 hours in select territories, and more - while more than 50 countries including Brazil, Japan and The Netherlands can enjoy live broadcasts of the matches.

FIFA reported that FIFA+ welcomed 211 million unique users for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, alongside a staggering 190 million views on match recaps, captivating fans with expertly curated highlights. 

The entire FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 archive was released on the platform earlier in July of 2023, alongside a ground-breaking women’s football documentary, All Roads Lead Down Under – one of FIFA+’s most ambitious Original storytelling projects yet.

NEW YORK—Hisense’s smart TV operating system and streaming platform VIDAA has announced an agreement for Google TV and other Android TV OS devices to carry VIDAA's premium sports content, which includes FIFA+.

As a long-term partner of VIDAA, Tremor International Ltd., a global end-to-end digital advertising technology platform specializing in connected TV ("CTV"), video, and data, will act as the exclusive global CTV monetization platform – specifically Tremor's SSP, Unruly – for the content across all VIDAA and Android TV OS devices.

The premium content includes the FIFA+ app, with thousands of hours of original, live and archive soccer and original programming, and The FIFA World Cup Daily, By Hisense, a new daily show filmed on-site and airing throughout the tournament.

This year's FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, of which Hisense is an Official Sponsor, is expected to draw 5 billion viewers around the world. With the combined reach of VIDAA- and Android TV OS devices, the World Cup content will be available in key markets globally, with an emphasis on the UK, Canada, Latin America, Germany, Australia and Japan.

"Our relationships with Google, FIFA and Tremor International will bring scaled opportunities for advertisers to reach hyper-engaged sports fans all over the world with precision and custom creative on the biggest screen in the house," said Guy Edri, President, VIDAA. 

"Our priority is to bring our users the content they love. Through this collaboration, we're able to help World Cup fans around the world celebrate and tune in wherever they are through exclusive and engaging content across Android TV OS devices," said Jonathan Zepp, Managing Director, Media & Entertainment Partnerships, Google.

ZÜRICH, Switzerland—FIFA has launched a free ad supported streaming service FIFA+ that will offer more than 29,000 men’s matches and over 11,000 women’s matches in 2022 as well as originals, match stats, archival footage and more. 

At launch, FIFA+ will be available across all web and mobile devices, and with plans to launch on connected devices soon. 

It will be available in five language editions (English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish), with an additional six languages to follow in June of 2022, FIFA reported. 

The first slate of FIFA+ Originals will feature Ronaldinho, Dani Alves, Ronaldo Nazário, Romelu Lukaku, Lucy Bronze and Carli Lloyd, among others. 

“FIFA+ represents the next step in our vision to make football truly global and inclusive, and it underpins FIFA’s core mission of expanding and developing football globally,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino. “This project represents a cultural shift in the way different types of football fans want to connect with and explore the global game and has been a fundamental part of my Vision 2020-2023. It will accelerate the democratization of football and we are delighted to share it with fans.” 

By the end of 2022, FIFA+ will be streaming the equivalent of 40,000 live games per year from 100 Member Associations across all six confederations, including 11,000 women’s matches, the association said. This will include live coverage from Europe’s topflight leagues to previously unserved competitions from around the world in men’s, women’s and youth football. 

Other content highlights include: 

• Ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, FIFA+ will be home to every FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women’s World Cup match ever recorded on camera, totaling more than 2,000 hours of archive content. For the first time ever, this entire archive will be available to fans. Fans will have the ability to watch full-match replays, highlights, goals and magical moments all in one place. The FIFA+ Archive will launch with more than 2,500 videos dating back to the 1950s, with many more to come throughout the year. 
• Match Center, News and Gaming: The Match Center will allow football fans to immerse themselves in rich football data across 400 men's competitions and 65 women's competitions. A daily feed of news from around the world of men’s and women’s football will also complement and offer additional updates. Throughout the year, fans will enjoy interactive games including votes, quizzes, fantasy games and predictors.  
• FIFA+ Originals: FIFA+ will also provide unrivaled content delivering global storytelling around the men’s and women’s game. It will feature full-length documentaries, docuseries, talk shows and shorts - localized into 11 languages, telling stories from local grassroots to national teams and footballing heroes past and present from more than 40 countries. 

LONDON—ChryonHego is heading onto the pitch for FIFA soccer matches, at least virtually. The company’s Virtual Football system has been officially certified as a virtual offside line technology that will be used by not only broadcasters, but as the official resource for the video assistant referee workflow.

The Virtual Football system inserts virtual graphics onto the field, including the accurate placement of offside lines. The system is built on advanced image processing, allowing users to insert virtual graphics without the need for camera sensors or special camera heads. It also has a built-in keyer to overcome environmental effects like shadows or bright sunlight.

Updates to the Virtual Football system that have allowed it be certified by FIFA have included optimized calibration speed and workflow, field and lens parameters, and allowing selections from multiple angles to improve accuracy and streamline user workflow, according to Niall Hendry, product manager, Sports, at ChyronHego.

FIFA’s approval came after a number of testing events that measured the rendered offside lines for their accuracy in a variety of scenarios. Virtual Football passed all of the performance criteria laid out by FIFA.

“It is critical that technologies used in professional football are of the highest quality and accuracy, and FIFA certification shows that Virtual Football has met this high standard,” said Ian Wray, sports director for EMEA and APAC at ChyronHego.

More information is available at www.chyronhego.com.

MOSCOW--Fox Sports (the exclusive English-language home of the 2018 FIFA World Cup) and Twitter are collaborating on a live daily online show that is being streamed directly to Twitter using Telestream’s Wirecast live video streaming production software. Hosted by Rachel Bonnetta (@rachelbonnetta), the FIFA World Cup Now show is streamed exclusively on Twitter from Moscow’s Red Square each match day (27 shows, in total). It provides post-game recaps of all events, news, analysis, player and manager interviews, social media reaction from around the world, as well as original segments produced by Fox’s team in Moscow. The live coverage is in the United States to Twitter’s audience and can be viewed via @FOXSoccer on computers, tablets and mobile devices.

To create the live stream, the Fox Sports digital content group chose Telestream Wirecast to create a professional looking live stream that mimics the Fox Sports TV broadcast while offering digital elements such as responding to social media. The switcher inside Wirecast enables operators to switch sources and feature guests from anywhere in the world. The layers interface inside Wirecast enable operators to feature multiple picture-in-picture displays with graphics such as scores, stats, Tweets, and other relevant match data. Wirecast’s internal encoder will package and send the resulting live stream to Twitter.

"As soon as we started working with Wirecast, the quality of our productions increased dramatically. We're now at the largest sporting events in the world and we're happy with the partnership," said Daniela Mayock, who oversees the technical operations for the FIFA World Cup Now show.

The goal for the streaming show is to be an extension of everything the audience sees on linear TV, produced in a slightly different way, with a raw, in the moment feel. The same graphics packages and set location/desk (Red Square) are being used as well as high-quality broadcast cameras. Producing live streams at an event like the FIFA World Cup can be raucous, chaotic, and extremely fast-paced. It was important to the crew that they have an intuitive, stable and reliable tool that is cool under pressure and handles varying internet environments when working remotely.

“Wirecast is helping us extend our reach and increase engagement, particularly with a growing audience that is consuming their content on mobile, and many via social,” said Michael Jankolovits, Senior Director of Video Production for FOX Sports Digital.

The Fox Sports digital team used Wirecast previously for 4 shows at SXSW, and it was used for all of their major digital livestreams including:

Superbowl LI and 2017 NFC Championship Game

• 2016 MLS Cup

• 2017 MLS All-Star Game

• 2016 Big East Basketball Tournament Final

• College Football games

• 2016 & 2017 World Series

• 2016 & 2017 MLB All-Star Game

• 2016 & 2017 Big Ten Football Championship Game

• Daily FIFA World Cup digital on Twitter

The FIFA World Cup represents one of the most challenging and rewarding productions yet undertaken by the Fox Sports digital content team.

Scott Murray is vice president of product management for Telestream.

SAN JOSE, CA.—Globosat, Latin America's largest content and program creator, is using Harmonic’s ViBE contribution platform for live UHD broadcasts of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Harmonic's ViBE CP9000 contribution platform preserves video quality at the front of the broadcast chain, processing uncompressed UHD signals with maximum bandwidth efficiency, according to Harmonic.

"Harmonic video delivery solutions have been a cornerstone of our infrastructure for years, providing high reliability and excellent video quality," said Roberto Primo, CTO at Globosat. "For the broadcast of this premiere sports event, watched by billions of television viewers around the world, we needed a solution that provides the lowest latency and best video quality. With the Harmonic contribution platform on the ground in Russia, we will be able to dazzle viewers with the best video quality that UHD has to offer."

MOSCOW--With about a week to go till the World Cup final, it’s clear who the big is: live video streaming.

Akamai Technologies, which is providing live video streaming or more than 50 rights holders in 100 countries, reports the tournament is already the biggest sporting event it has ever delivered when it comes to online traffic.

[Read: World Cup Ratings A Mixed Bag For U.S. Networks]

Within the first 10 days of the tournament, total traffic surpassed all 64 games of the 2014 Brazil World Cup, and by the end of the second round, Akamai had delivered more than twice the traffic it did in 2014 and 15x compared to its 2010 total, the company said.

The July 3 Columbia-England second-round match was responsible for the highest traffic peak during the tournament so far with 18.59Tb/s. That is the all-time high mark for any sports competition Akamai has ever been involved in. By way of comparison, the peak for the 2014 World Cup was the Netherlands-Argentina semi-final with 6.9Tb/s, a record for the company at the time.

According to the company, the 15.8Tb/s video traffic spike for the June 15 Portugal-Spain match was the highest for the group stage.

More information is available on the Akamai website.

RIO DE JANEIRO — Live 8K video transmission has come to the 2018 World Cup as part of a museum exhibition with the assistance of satellite communications specialist Intelsat and Brazilian broadcaster Globo.

Museu de Amanhã, a Rio di Janeiro museum of science innovation, is showing off 8K coverage of matches from Russia through July 15. The 8K signal is being transmitted as a 200 Mbps video stream from the Broadcast Center in Moscow and transported to Tokyo. From there it will be carried to Intelsat via the Intelsat point of presence in New York.

The signal will be transmitted via the IntelsatOne terrestrial network to the company’s teleport in Atlanta, where it will be re-encoded at 90 Mbps using an NTT 8K HEVC real-time encoder.

Once compressed the signal will be modulated by a Newtec MDM-6100 modem in DVB-S2 and uplinked to Intelsat 14, part of Intelsat’s HD and 4K content distribution neighborhood for Latin America.

“While 8K technology is still evolving and further advancements in compression technology standards are needed, Intelsat’s premier video neighborhoods have proven that they are equipped to distribute 8K content to millions of viewers around the world,” said Rob Cerbone, Intelsat VP and GM, Media.

Intelsat 14 is the latest of the company’s satellites delivering video to Latin America. Others include Intelsat 11, Intelsat 21 and Intelsat 34. 

More information is available on the Intelsat website.

[Want more information like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox.]

ENGELWOOD, Colo. — DISH plans to present nearly every FIFA World Cup match in 4K HDR to subscribers with a Hopper 3 and a 4K UHD television with HDR support.

[Read: DISH Teams Up With Spectrum Co. On Next Gen TV Trial In Dallas]

World Cup 4K UHD coverage, starting June 14, is available on DISH Channel 540. DISH is also offering the DISH Soccer Zone app, which enables fans to find, watch and record all 64 World Cup matches. The apps allows users to pick their favorite teams, view team scores and stats and keep tabs on the schedule via a bracket that is updated in real time. The app is available on internet-connected Hoppers, including Hopper Duo, Joey (all models) and Wally set top boxes.

DISH also announced that every match will be available to subscribers via the Fox Sports app.

[Want more information like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox.]

LOS ANGELES — World Cup soccer fans have a new way this year to get involved with the sport by generating on-the-fly custom highlight reels combining their favorite players, types of plays and other characteristics thanks to Fox Sports and IBM Watson Media.

“We think the Highlight Machine Presented by Adidas is really cool and really fun,” says David Feldstein, VP product management at Fox Sports.

The FIFA World Cup Highlight Machine, available online and as a feature of the new Fox Sports app for iOS and Android, is Fox Sports’ first public use of AI and machine learning to more deeply engage fans with a sporting event.

“It’s been a baby we have been carrying for a while now,” says Feldstein. “It’s exciting now to pass around the cigars.”

[Read: Fox, Telemundo Offer A Clearer View Of FIFA World Cup Russia]

The World Cup is “just the beginning” for the highlight tool, he says, adding that Fox Sports is interested in pursuing other similar applications.

Using the Highlight Machine is straightforward. Fans can create highlight reels drawing from more than 300 archived matches played between 1958 and 2014. When the 2018 edition of the tournament begins, they will be able to create highlight reels from just-completed games about 10 minutes after their completion.

To drive a highlight search, fans can select from year, team, player, matches and play types, such a goals, shots on goal, saves, shots and red cards. Once created, highlight reels can be shared with friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, text and email. The 50 most popular fan reels will appear in a carousel on the Highlight Machine page.

IBM Watson Media is well-suited for the Highlight Machine application, says David Mowrey, product and business development, IBM Watson Media & Cloud Video.

“For the last World Cup, there were in the order of 98,000 hours of video produced,” he says. “Most of the scenarios we talk about [for Watson Media] are mainly for customers with massive amounts of video.”

For the Highlight Machine application, IBM Watson Video Enrichment, a programmatic metadata tool, analyzes the massive amount of historical and 2018 match footage, interviews, press conferences and other related video to create metadata that identifies what is happening in a scene at any given moment along with an associated timestamp.

“That provides a more comprehensive set of metadata that Fox Sports can expose to their consumers in very personalized ways,” says Mowrey. “It also helps editors and commentators.”

In essence, Watson Video Enrichment acts as an automatic metadata generator that is trained to use clues, such as facial characteristics, the presence of a red card, crowd noise, what’s being said by announcers and other characteristics, to create metadata that makes the massive amount of soccer video searchable.

For the live games, IBM will take a live feed of a match, transcode it to its house format, run its Watson Media Enrichment algorithms and supply the metadata results with timestamps tied to clips to Fox Sports for use with the Highlight Machine.

When a fan specifies search characteristics, the Highlight Machine performs the desired search of the metadata within seconds and retrieves the desired footage tied to the metadata from the cloud to build a custom reel.

Fox Sports has set up a three-tiered caching architecture for user queries, says Feldstein. “We preseeded the cache with what we thought the most common query types were,” he says. Those queries were made, and the results stored in cache.

“Second are the complicated queries my team and I put together of the best of FIFA for the carousel,” he adds. “Then we cached all of those results and actually built a bot that is capturing user queries as they are made.”

Fox Sports then “flushes the cache” and uses the bots to reseed the cache with everything the system has learned,” says Feldstein.

The idea behind the approach is that the more queries the Highlight Machine receives, the more queries that are cached; and the more queries that are cached, the faster highlight reels can be served, he added.

Fan Top 50 reels available on the Highlight Machine carousel will find their way into broadcasts, says Feldstein, adding that Fox Sports talent will likely demo and play with the Highlight Machine during their telecasts of matches.

The Highlight Machine isn’t the only step Fox Sports is taking to entertain fans with features other than its core broadcast coverage. Once again, the sports broadcaster has partnered with LiveLike to provide a social VR experience, including a custom suite and three immersive multi-angle VR feeds of each game. It is also offering “90 in 90” match highlights, match replays and on-demand episodes of World Cup shows via Fox.com and Fox Now as well as instant alerts of goal highlights, plays and recaps. But it seems that the Highlight Machine is the new feature that most excites Feldstein.

“If we are right and the Highlight Machine is as fun to use as we think it is, that’s going to drive more people to it so they can enjoy it, and that will make us very happy,” says Feldstein.

Fox broadcast coverage of the FIFA World Cup begins June 14 at 11 a.m. ET with the Russia-Saudi Arabia match.

The Highlight Machine is available on the Fox Sports website.

[Want more information like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox.]

RUSSIA — What will the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia be remembered for?

From the perspective of delivering the event to an international video audience, the fifth FIFA World Cup for host broadcaster Host Broadcast Services (HBS) will surely be remembered as the first to be covered across all venues using a hybrid Ultra High Definition (UHD)/high dynamic range (HDR)/1080p production plan.

That’s big news. The system was effectively already run through its paces at last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup, which was also held in Russia. Having a single production chain that delivers multiple, desirable formats in an evolving media world is quite an achievement.

The host cameras at the stadiums will be a mix of dual output UHD/HDR and 1080p SDR, dual output 1080p HDR and 1080p SDR, and single output 1080p SDR. About 75 percent of the match live cut is expected to be full UHD/HDR due to the location of the UHD/HDR camera positions. HBS says the rest of the cameras are mostly close-ups that will be upconverted with little impact on the UHD experience.

All replays will also be upconverted from 1080p with minimal visual impact on the UHD/HDR feed due to the natural softness derived from the slow-motion angles, according to an HBS broadcast plan document.

U.S. MEDIA RIGHTS LICENSEES

For the United States, the English language media rights licensee (MRL) is Fox Sports, while Telemundo Deportes is the exclusive Spanish-language MRL. The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia is the debut for each MRL at a Men’s World Cup, although both cut their teeth at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, and both also covered the FIFA Confederations Cup from Russia in 2017.

[Read: BBC Plans UHD, VR World Cup Coverage]

Both Fox and Telemundo have lots of big-event broadcasting experience, but both welcomed the one-two punch “warm-up,” of the Canada event and the Confederations Cup.

Fox Sports Vice President, Field Operations/Engineering Kevin Callahan said the broadcaster had learned a lot from the Women’s World Cup, and had started growing out its approach to venues there.

“The World Cup 2018 is the largest production in our history,” said Callahan. “Doing the Confederations Cup and Women’s World Cup was a great learning experience for us in working with a host and host-provided facilities. HBS does a great job with the production and facilities, but doing a multiweek international event is very different than what we’ve done before.”

Even though he has previous experience working at World Cups with other broadcasters, Telemundo Deportes Executive Vice President, Programming, Production & Content Eli Velazquez said that doing the Confederations Cup from Russia last year was very useful as a way to “kick the tires” on the vision the broadcaster had about what it wanted to deliver to its audience.

It also provided the broadcaster the opportunity to understand more fully that Russia is geographically the biggest country on the planet, and how the distances between venue cities can impact work and logistics.

Indeed, World Cup matches will be spread across 11 cities, 12 stadiums, and four time zones.

“Just learning how to get your teams to and from locations was important,” said Velazquez. “Understanding the culture and historical significance of some of the sites, and looking at how these narratives could be leveraged, was beneficial.”

“The Red Square studio is our primary host location,” said Telemundo Deportes’ Vice President of Technology Strategy Dave Lazecko. “All cameras will be routed back to the IBC [International Broadcast Center] control room for integration into the final match production and then sent directly to the United States for distribution.”

Callahan also noted that logistical issues related to time zones and distance were a challenge. Fox divides its World Cup effort into the 12 World Cup stadiums, the main IBC facility in Moscow, a Red Square-based studio that will factor heavily in the coverage, and Fox’ Los Angeles facilities.

Callahan said these sites would use a lot of video over IP, and Fox would use it exclusively from venues and from its main studio set in Moscow’s Red Square. Fox had started testing in 2015, and used it for the 2016 Copa America before its real debut at the Confederations Cup last year.

“We encouraged HBS to move to IP technology for transport for the rightsholders, and we were the first MRL doing IP for transport with the host,” said Callahan. “For us, it gives us more flexibility, better signal quality and a greater range of signals.”

For Fox, the hub of operations will be at the IBC, with all signals coming into and flowing out from that site. The house format in Russia is 1080p/50, which is a relatively simple conversion to Fox’s 720p 60 domestic house format. There is 20 Gb of connectivity between the Red Square studio and the IBC, and multiple Gigabit circuits from the IBC back to Los Angeles.

U.S.-BASED EDITING

Notably and in keeping with modern practice, both MRLs will do a lot of production stateside.

Telemundo Deportes — which uses the 1080i/60 HD production format — can call on all sorts of expertise and infrastructure related to NBC’s longtime experience with @home productions for Olympics. Its utilization of NBCU Sports and the larger NBCUniversal technical operation dictate how they perform standards conversion in Russia. Twenty-four Snell Alchemist Ph.C converters allow them to distribute a 1080i signal to multiple Telemundo and NBCU U.S.-based facilities without having to manage to distributed conversion process back home.

“The @home aspect of our coverage really extends more specifically to the support programming that we are leveraging across the whole Telemundo network,” said Velazquez. A big first for Telemundo and NBCUniversal is producing live coverage of matches out of its new world headquarters in Miami. The technical facilities are built using 100 percent IP technology based on the SMPTE 2110 standard. Signals will arrive from Russia as 1080i/60 and are converted to SMPTE 2110 IP streams for integration into the production workflow.

“An example is a one-hour nightly primetime show dedicated to the World Cup celebration, and that will be principally executed from our Telemundo Center in Miami, with control there as well,” said Velazquez. “The location in Russia will become an integrated part of that show.”

Clips-based coverage highlights will also be done in Florida, as all the host content seen at the Russia IBC can be seen and accessed in Florida as well.

The actual matches and the coverage of the games will be switched from Russia for Telemundo.

Some craft editing of features will also be done in the U.S. “If we identify a storyline after day one, we may have that craft editing done in Miami, then shipped back to Russia for integration there,” said Velazquez.

The Women’s World Cup and Confederations Cup experiences were very helpful for Fox when adopting remote production.

“We are keeping our editing back in LA, which is something we did during the Confederations Cup and the Women’s World Cup,” said Callahan. “We found it to be very successful. The editors like editing at home in a facility and on equipment they are used to.”

Callahan is particularly proud of an integration between Telestream Lightspeed Live Capture, which provides encoding of real-time HD and UHD file formats while simultaneously supplying streaming proxies and Aspera FASPStream technology.

“We are encoding a 1080p/50 stream here in Moscow at the IBC, and we’re sending a data stream directly to storage in Los Angeles, where the file is writing as a growing file,” he said. “[The editors] are able to edit in place in an Adobe Premiere timeline within 3–7 seconds of real time in Russia. It’s encoded in Russia and written in L.A., which cuts down transmission bandwidth and gets material editable very quickly.”

For Fox, U.S. editing will be on everything that is not highlight related — content such as features, teases and jumps will be edited in Los Angeles and sent back to Russia via file transfer for incorporation in to the broadcast. There will also be some off-tube match calls from Los Angeles, and all match graphics insertion is being done from the U.S. facility. Graphics for the Russia-based studio show will be done in Moscow.

IN THE STUDIO

Both U.S. MRLs have high-profile studio space in Red Square, and both are located next to the iconic St. Basil’s Cathedral.

Fox’s studio space will be highlighted by a multipanel Sony LED monitor wall that is effectively 170 inches across diagonally.

“The spacing between tiles is just 1.2 mm, which makes it appear seamless in use,” said Callahan. “It has a 180-degree viewing angle so if we’re moving cameras around the presenters there’s no shift in the image itself.”

This presenter tool is also bright enough to operate in a studio that has a window overlooking the square. Another highlight of the Fox Red Square studio is a StudioBot from Mark Roberts Motion Control, a six-axis arm 3.5 meters long that can rotate 360 degrees on any of these axis points and sends data to a Vizrt system.

“With the StudioBot all of the moves are repeatable, so you know you’ll get the same move every time, taking the guesswork out of AR,” said Callahan.

Telemundo’s operation in Moscow and its main host position for the entire tournament will be from Red Square as well, with a main desk where the broadcaster traffics between venues and locations, and a more intimate area for discussions and interviews with star players or pundits.

While UHD with HDR may be a bit beyond many viewers and most of the world’s broadcasters currently, both U.S. MRLs are thrilled with what they’ve seen and what’s available.

For its part, Telemundo welcomes the chance to offer its viewers the full experience of the World Cup in the best image quality available. “4K adoption is developing,” said Velazquez. “We’ve been forward-thinking when it comes to providing our viewers with this full experience, and this month [May] we’re working with Xfinity and Comcast to offer a delayed 4K experience. We also have the same rights for the next two World Cups, so for us this is also about starting to engage with the emerging formats, and it means that recaps from 2018 will be high quality when shown in 2022 or beyond.”

Fox is making every match available in UHD with HDR via select multichannel video programming distributors, said Callahan. He said the UHD images with HDR and wide color gamut “looked fantastic” at the Confederations Cup.

“I wish we could get it to everyone’s home, I wish everyone could watch it and enjoy that experience,” said Callahan.

[Want more information like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox.]

MOSCOW--Some technology-facing aspects of the 2018 World Cup were revealed Monday ahead of the soccer tournament's big kick off next Thursday (June 14) in Russia.

CenturyLink, which polished off its acquisition of Level 3 Communications last November said it will transmit live feeds from the tournament to top networks in the U.S. and Latin America, including Fox in the U.S., TV Azteca in Mexico, and RCN and Caracol in Columbia.

Those broadcasters, representing a subset of broadcasters in the region that will work with CenturyLink for the World Cup, will tap CenturyLink’s Vyvx Solutions to provide routes in the transmission of tournament and other World Cup content feeds from Moscow, Russia to each programmer’s master control facilities.

[Read: Telemundo Deportes Partners With Panini For World Cup AR Experience]

Fox Sports and IBM, meanwhile, said they will collaborate on an A.I. initiative across multiple Fox Sports programming for the World Cup. More specifically, Fox Sports will use IBM Watson Media’s A.I. video technology to streamline production workflows to rapidly classify, edit, and access match highlights in “near real-time,” they said.

That A.I.-facing capability will help Fox Sports curate “engaging” video clips and match highlights, the companies added. The collaboration will start with the launch of The Highlight Machine, an interactive experience developed by IBM’s iX unit that enables viewers to browse FIFA’s archive of past matches and to create custom highlights by year, team, player, and play type.

Back to CenturyLink’s involvement, the company has been working closely with local telecoms in Russia and the International Broadcast Center that puts together the source feeds for the broadcasters, Bill Wohnoutka, vice president of global internet and content delivery services for CenturyLink, explained, noting that CenturyLink will work with its broadcast partners to deliver content in multiple formats, including standard- and high-definition as well as 4K.

In addition to transmission, CenturyLink’s Vyvx platform will also handle encoding, decoding, onsite operations, monitoring, and frame-rate conversion.

Getting those logistics lined up alongside the security requirements present some of the big challenges around this year’s World Cup, as “it’s pretty complicated to get content out of Russia, Wohnoutka added.

Among the group of broadcasters working with CenturyLink for the World Cup, Fox’s networks are on tap to broadcast 64 matches live, more than the previous four tournaments combined, and the most-ever for an English-language network, Keith Goldberg, VP of global operations and transmission services for Fox, noted in the release.

“That’s more than 350 hours of total programming, and CenturyLink will play a critical role in enabling us to deliver that content to millions of viewers across the U.S.,” Goldberg added.

Update: Fox Sports also announced details for its FIFA World Cup Hub, which will provide live streams and full replays of the aforementioned 64 matches, as well as access to bonus feeds (including “team channels”), commentary, rosters, stats and highlights. Following similar work done during last season’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, Fox Sports said it will again team with LiveLike on a social VR offering that features a digital suite and three, multi-angle feeds from each match.

Fox Sports noted that its World Cup Hub will provide access to digital content across FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports App.

Fox Sports said adidas is the presenting sponsor for the Fox Sports streaming effort across digital platforms for the entire tournament. Coca-Cola is on board to sponsor the short-form 90 in 90 match highlights. Coca-Cola and adidas are co-sponsoring the Team Channels feature.

LONDON — The BBC has announced that it will cover the 2018 World Cup in Ultra HD and virtual reality as BCC Sports puts the new technology to the test.

All 33 matches covered by BBC will be available at no charge to viewers on the BBC Sport VR 2018 World Cup app. Those with VR headsets can immerse themselves into a stadium experience in which they feel as if they are seated in a hospitality box, BBC said.

[Read: FIFA to Provide Teams With In-Match Video During World Cup]

BBC also plans to present 29 matches on BBC One in Ultra HD to those with a high-speed internet connection. The UHD coverage will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis, it said. Tens of thousands of fans also will be able to access an HD stream via the BBC iPlayer home screen as soon as coverage begins.

Matthew Postgate, BBC chief technology and product officer, said the UHD and VR trials will give viewers a taste of what is to come in television.

More information is available on the BBC website.

[Want more information like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox.]

FIFA has announced it will equip every team at next month's World Cup with a special app that tracks positional data for every player on the pitch.

The platform, called the Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems, or EPTS, will be available on two devices: one for the team analyst observing the match from the media area, another for the coaching team at the bench.

EPTS will use a pair of optical tracking cameras to log positional data for every player and the ball. That data and video will be available for every team during the match, at half-time and at full-time.

The analyst sitting in the stand will have access to the application which enables telestrator drawings to be overlaid on the video feed. Still images with diagrams can be sent over the network for in-match adjustments.

A video of the Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems in action is available on Youtube.