NEW YORK—Fox Sports said its coverage of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the decisive Game 7 of the 2025 World Series delivered 27,330,000 viewers across Fox, Fox Deportes and Fox Sports streaming platforms. That ranked it as the most-watched World Series game since 2017’s Game 7, which pulled in 29,069,000 viewers, according to Nielsen data.

On Fox, the 11-inning Fall Classic conclusion delivered an average audience of 26,882,000 viewers and peaked at 33,064,000 from 11:45 p.m. to midnight ET. Fox said the number is up 16% over the most recent World Series Game 7 in 2019 and ranks as Fox’s most-watched Saturday primetime telecast since Jan. 18.

TV Tech's coverage of the new technologies that Fox Sports used to produce the games is available here.

Through seven games on Fox, the 121st World Series delivered an average of 15,709,000 viewers—the best complete average for a World Series since 2017 (18,926,000 viewers) and up 2% over last year’s average for five games (15,336,000 viewers), Fox said.

In addition, the complete 2025 MLB postseason on Fox, FS1 and FS2 averaged 8,088,000 viewers, up 8% over last year’s average (7,520,000) and Fox Sports’ best postseason since 2017.

On Fox, Game 7 drew a 22.2/62 rating in Los Angeles, peaking at 26.5/66 from 12:15-12:30 a.m. ET.

Top local markets for the entire World Series included:

• Los Angeles 17.6/53
• San Diego 10.9/40
• Seattle 9.6/37
• St. Louis 9.2/26
• Milwaukee 9.2/27
• Las Vegas 9.1/32
• Portland, Ore. 9.1/34
• Buffalo, N.Y. 8.9/24
• Sacramento, Calif. 8.9/31
• Minneapolis 8.7/27

Fox Sports’ digital platforms and streaming services recorded record levels throughout the 2025 World Series. Game 7 was the most-viewed World Series game in Fox Sports history, with a total average minute audience (AMA) of 752,731. Fox Sports delivered 1.3 billion views for the World Series across @MLBonFox social media channels, up 96% from 2024 (664 million).

In addition, Fox Deportes’ coverage of Game 7 averaged 448,000 viewers—the most-watched Game 7 on Spanish-language television since 2019 (613,000 viewers for Nationals-Astros).

Separately, Major League Baseball said Game 7 of the 2025 World Series averaged 51.0 million viewers combined across the U.S., Canada, and Japan, making the 11-inning contest the most-watched MLB game in 34 years, going back to Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.

TORONTO—Sometimes in sports, as in life, it’s the little things that matter, and that aphorism will be on full display tonight when the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Los Angeles Dodges in Game 1 of the 2025 World Series—at least when it comes to Fox Sports’ production of the game.

“We’re in a place with those smaller, portable cameras where they match exactly with everything else,” sa Brad Cheney, vice president of field operations and engineering at Fox Sports. “They just look like another part of the puzzle of what we're doing.”

(The 2025 World Series begins tonight on Fox. Games will also be streamed on Fox Sports platforms, including Fox One, the Fox Sports app and Fox Deportes. Sportsnet will air the series in Canada. Fox pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET. All games start at 8 p.m. ET.)

Camera Coverage
The camera complement Fox Sports is deploying for the Series is quite familiar for large events. In addition to the 20 operated cameras—including 10 high-speed systems—the network will deploy two RF MOVI units, three point-of-view (POV) cams, a Flycam (at Dodger Stadium), two Phantom high-speed cameras, a drone cam (two in Toronto), DirtCAM and an Ump Cam.

What’s different is the smaller cameras have caught up with the broadcast cameras, not only in terms of the images they produce, which now are native HDR, but also when it comes to control. “As time goes on, we get smaller and smaller, better and better cameras,” he said.

Cheney pointed to new robotic cameras deployed in the batting tunnels in the locker room areas as an example. “We’re talking little, tiny robotic heads the size of your two fists with Proton cameras,” he said. “We’re seeing great images out of them,” he says, adding that because of their placement in the batting cages, the units occasionally get hit by a bat.

Shots from these cameras help Fox tell better stories, Cheney adds. “As we get into these [post-season] games, we’re starting to see things you don’t necessarily see a lot in the regular season, like batters coming in for one at bat,” he explains. “These cameras give us a good view into that.”

Ump Cam, Drones and AR
Augmented reality (AR) enhancements have contributed to the broadcaster’s postseason coverage.

For the World Series, Fox Sports is premiering AR graphics combined with drone shots. “We’ve done a lot of work with Major League Baseball to do AR on top of the drone inside the building,” Cheney said.

During the postseason, MLB permits drone flights inside venues when teams are not on the field. Fox Sports has built a full AR graphics package that will be used occasionally during those times to “do all kinds of different graphics to show what’s going on” as the drone flies above and beyond the scoreboard, he said.

“We spend about half an hour every day tracking the drone around in different spots to make sure that we can visually lock that in, and then we work with MLB and the Bolt6 [optical tracking] team to actually drop those graphics in,” Cheney said.

Another new AR application for postseason coverage has been the Ump Cam with pitch tracking. “We’ve seen some amazing shots from the Ump Cam the entire run—watching the tilt of the umpire’s head following a homerun ball,” he says. “Now, we’re seeing pitch tracking on it that actually gives the viewer another detailed point of view of how difficult it is to hit some of those pitches.”

Relying on the knowledge base of MLB Statcast data and optical tracking, Fox Sports lays its AR graphics with full tubes tracking the ball through the strike zone on shots from Ump Cam. The broadcaster also adds pitch sequencing to the same AR set from behind the plate, he adds.

Base Size
When it comes to audio, it’s all about that base—size, that is. MLB approved a plan to make the bases bigger beginning with the 2023 season. Increasing the size of first, second and third base from 15x15 inches to 18x18 inches has had an unexpected broadcast benefit: better sound.

“When you listen to the World Series, you really do hear players moving around the bases a lot more than we ever have before,” Cheney said. “To a large extent, that’s because the bases are larger. You’re getting more sound quality coming out of them, not because we put bigger mics in them. It’s the same system in there, but because there’s more movement of air and more size to it, we’re getting a better sound of what’s happening.”

The larger size means the bases are not as tightly compacted when players are standing on them, and that extra space makes all the difference when it comes to sound quality, he says.

For the Series, Fox Sports is deploying a total of 53 effects microphones as well as three parabolic mics.

Home and Away
With the Series involving the Blue Jays, Fox Sports travels back to Toronto, “not a place we’ve been in nearly 10 years,” Cheney said. Aside from requiring a little more logistical work to get into Canada, though, “it’s been a really great experience up there,” he said.

Fox Sports is relying on mobile production units from both Game Creek Video and NEP with their full complement of cameras. It is also working with Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet, which will provide shots from its drone outside Rogers Centre as well as shots from its Ronin rig. Both Sportsnet’s Ronin rig and Fox Sports’ two MOVI rigs are outfitted with Sony FX6 4K full-frame sensor cameras.

As it has done in the past, the broadcaster will use additional replay and graphics resources in Los Angeles to augment its on-site coverage of the Series. In total, it will have 142 replay records and 32 playouts at its disposal. For graphics, it will leverage two Vizrt systems and a FoxBox for on-screen score graphics.

As it did for the American League Championship Series, Fox Sports will also integrate its large Los Angeles studio into coverage. “That was phenomenal to see [during the LCS] and led us to collaborate a lot more with the L.A. facility, sending extra feeds and coordinating interviews with the team on-site,” Cheney said.

“So, we’re excited to see the studio join us this time back on the road, and we’ll see them for Game 1 on Friday.”

From more than 200 feet off the ground outside of L.A.’s iconic Dodger Stadium, a camera gives viewers of Game 5 of the World Series a charming mood shot of the stadium’s exterior to accompany a break in the action. Sports fans have seen similar shots a million times over the years, right? Not like this.

On this night, the shot begins to track into the venue as the camera, attached to a remotely piloted drone, soars between the flagpoles atop the stadium’s main entrance and then rises into the sky, revealing a breathtaking view of the Los Angeles skyline amid the stunning glow of a lavender sunset. Visuals like this, that bring a cinematic atmosphere into the production of major live sporting events, help broadcasters bring viewers at home closer to the action. And, increasingly, they’re doing it with shots that only drones can capture.

Dynamic Shots
“The coverage that we get with a blimp and the helicopters is great, but typically speaking, they’re quite high in the air … 3,000 feet or higher,” said Michael Davies, senior vice president, technical and field operations for Fox Sports, which has covered some of the world’s most-watched sporting events, including the World Series, NFL football and NASCAR. “What that means is you get that very typical shot we’ve seen for 40 years, just circling around. What the drone does is add some dynamics to those kinds of shots. They can be especially useful flying in areas and in conditions that blimps, planes or helicopters can’t fly.”

Fox isn’t alone in its use of drones and other new toys, of course. The past decade has seen a meteoric rise in the use of small, lightweight cameras attached to just about anything, delivering incredible access to sports viewers. Cameras are now routinely worn by on-field officials and players, implanted in playing surfaces (think golf’s “bunker cams”), attached to speeding cars, baseballs and the list goes on and on. But drones, with their unique ability to access tight spaces in a hurry—and get out of the way just as quickly—provide opportunities that dramatically change the nature of the coverage.

“We’ve been working with drones since 2015 and, at the time, we weren’t entirely sure what drones would bring to the equation,” Davies continued. “Over time, we began to say, quite honestly, ‘The more we can make our live sports coverage look like a video game, the better, right?’”

This unorthodox take on injecting creativity into the coverage of sports not only speaks to the storytelling power of new technologies but also the changing appetites of an audience that is inundated with information and seemingly always wants more.

Learning the Craft
Using drones to cover live sports beyond exteriors and wide cover shots, though, is very much tied to physics and reality, unlike video games. High-end cameras and lenses typically used in big-time sports are extremely heavy. Getting such equipment up in the air on a drone isn’t easy and isn’t something you necessarily can buy off the shelf.

As a result, even the most experienced sports production teams rely on outside expertise when perfecting their use of these new technologies. In the case of Fox Sports, it has been working with Beverly Hills Aerials, an Emmy Award-winning drone production company out of California, for more than 10 years.

“We spend quite a bit of time customizing our drones—it’s very much a ‘right tool for the right job’ situation for us,” explained Michael Izquierdo, founder and chief pilot at Beverly Hills Aerials (BHA). “Once we understand what is available to us in terms of access, flight restrictions and other safety and security concerns, we can go to the production crew and say, ‘Here’s what we can do.’”

From there, the BHA team gets to work outfitting the appropriate machine with the appropriate equipment, including, in some cases, using the exact same camera and coloring equipment used throughout the rest of the production. There are many considerations and calculations including overall weight of the rig, speed, number and type of cameras, where it will be flying and how long it needs to be in the air. Izquierdo estimates his company has accumulated north of 1,000 drones over the years because of the customizations required.

“We work with an outside firm like Beverly Hills Aerials for two main reasons,” Davies explained. “First, they’re incredibly creative and they’re the experts in the use of these tools and what can be accomplished. Sometimes, our crew will just ask them to ‘give us something’ and it’s up to the pilot and camera operator to serve up some things. Second, they’re just extremely good with the paperwork and they’ve got tremendous relationships with some of the governing bodies for the airspace. These types of companies have become synonymous with following the rules and avoiding surprises and those are the two big things that are table stakes for drones.”

“We probably spend more time working out logistics, approvals and clearances prior to a production than we do at the actual event,” Izquierdo confirmed.

Caution Overhead
The use of drones to cover live game action, though, can be very tricky. For starters, government regulations around the use of drones can be very restrictive, especially in crowded venues. And for good reason. Just weeks ago, hundreds of Boston Celtics fans were gathered in Boston’s City Hall Plaza celebrating the opening of the 2024-25 NBA season at a watch party when a drone shooting aerial visuals of the event crashed into the crowd. Fortunately, none of the injuries sustained were life-threatening, but the incident highlights the need to proceed with caution.

When asked if this incident had an impact on the professional drone community, Izquierdo replied: “I hope it did. Too many people think drones equipped with cameras are just toys that anyone can put up in the air and start using.”

“I don’t know the details of what happened in Boston but I know preventing things like that is why we spend so much time in the planning and preparation stage,” he added. “Flying drones is all we do. Our pilots are highly skilled and some are champion flyers from the Drone Racing League.” Izquierdo also offered that his company has never had an incident like what occurred in Boston.

The future for drones in sports coverage is seemingly very bright. In addition to Fox, ESPN, CBS and others have all incorporated the technology into their coverage to lend a more cinematic look to their coverage. Dazzling shots of the coastline at Pebble Beach and a visual tour of one of the world’s most beautiful cities during the Paris Summer Olympics add to the splendor of the games being played and give the sports storytellers the chance to further engage their audience.

“When we first started, drone coverage was really considered a low-quality, low-cost thing,” Izquierdo said. “With our partners, we’ve been able to continue improving and add a level of creativity that was never possible before.”

So, what’s next for drones in sports? Fox has pushed the envelope with its coverage of the UFL, a football league partially owned by the network. During UFL games last summer, for example, drones hovered within the field of play, very close to the field, and were able to move alongside players to capture angles that simply aren’t available using any other technology. Having nearly unfettered access to the game certainly helps Fox in flexing their creative muscles in the UFL. What about for other leagues like the NFL?

“I think that, as you go up the line, usually the popularity of the sport and the speed at which new technology is implemented are inversely proportional, There’s a lot at stake,” Davies concluded. “Obviously, we don’t want to do crazy stuff that is going to impede the action or somehow get in the way. But now I think that all the partners we have are coming to the table and asking us what’s next and are happy to be pushed.”

Using Drones for Tower Inspections

Using drones in broadcasting is not just limited to content; AEVs have also proven to be invaluable in tower inspections, reducing costs and increasing the safety of tower crews.

TV Tech recently spoke with Jason Schreiber, managing director for Sixarms, an Australian-based RF consultancy that uses cutting-edge drone technology to provide efficient and cost-effective RF measurement solutions for broadcast, telecommunication, and defense industries.

Their unique approach combines industrial drones equipped with RF measurement instruments, specialized automation, and advanced analytics. This allows Sixarms to rapidly and accurately characterize RF transmission infrastructure, such as antennas, surpassing the limitations of traditional ground-based methods.

Sixarms works with major U.S. television networks to analyze broadcast antenna performance and identify installation or manufacturing defects that impact signal quality.

TV Tech: What are the biggest challenges in using drones for tower inspection?Jason Schreiber: Sixarms' unique position as a provider of cutting-edge drone-based RF measurement services presents a distinct set of challenges. Key areas requiring attention include:

Navigating Regulatory Complexity: Drone regulations are constantly evolving and vary significantly across jurisdictions. Maintaining compliance with these regulations, including securing necessary permits and adhering to airspace restrictions, is crucial for operational efficiency.

Ensuring Data Integrity: Maintaining the accuracy and reliability of drone-collected data is paramount. Factors such as weather conditions, electromagnetic interference, and equipment calibration can all impact data quality and require rigorous quality control measures.

Developing and Retaining Talent: Operating specialized drone equipment, analyzing complex RF data, and maintaining safety standards demands a highly skilled workforce. Attracting and retaining qualified personnel with expertise in both drone technology and RF engineering is an ongoing challenge. This includes skilled and experienced drone operators capable of safely navigating challenging environments around TV towers, guy wires, and high RF energy fields.

Addressing Public Perception: The use of drones in public spaces can raise privacy concerns. Sixarms proactively addresses these concerns through transparent communication and professional conduct, ensuring that public engagement is handled with sensitivity and respect.

TVT: Are there unique challenges when using drones that pertain to certain industries (i.e. cellular vs. traditional broadcast tower)?
JS: Higher RF powers (1MW vs. 50W) and taller structures (2,000 ft. vs. 120 ft.) are the main differences and challenges between cellular and broadcast infrastructure.

TVT: How many pilots do you have and what is the extent of their training?
JS: Sixarms operates on a global scale, empowering a network of Certified Operators in Australia, Europe, the US, Central America, and Africa. These highly trained professionals utilize Sixarms' cutting-edge equipment and drone technology to deliver high-quality RF measurement services worldwide.

(Also: Using Drones to Verify FM Antenna Performance)

Ideal partners include established companies already serving the telecommunications, broadcast, and defense industries who are looking to enhance their capabilities with advanced drone-based solutions. However, Sixarms also collaborates with experienced drone operators who possess a strong interest in RF technology and are eager to expand their skillset.

TVT: How have regulations in the U.S. changed over the years in terms of making drone tower inspections easier to do (and possibly more affordable?)
JS: While regulations remain consistent, advancements in drone technology have significantly reduced the cost of both industrial drones and RF measurement solutions. This translates to more affordable service offerings compared to just a few years ago. Furthermore, the increased sophistication of RF data gathering software and automated programming has streamlined operations, leading to greater efficiency and ultimately lower prices for clients.

NEW YORK—Fox Sports is reporting large audience numbers for the 2024 World Series and its coverage of the postseason, as 18.6 million viewers across Fox, Fox Deportes and Fox Sports streaming platforms watched Game 5 of the World Series, making it the most-watched Game 5 of the fall classic since 2017.

It was also the most-streamed World Series in the network’s history, Fox reported.

On Fox, the conclusion to the Los Angeles Dodgers-New York Yankees matchup delivered an average audience of 18,152,000 viewers and peaked at 21,268,000 from 11:15-11:30 p.m. (ET), delivering the most-watched Game 5 of the World Series since 2017 (Dodgers vs. Houston Astros, with 18,959,000 viewers).

The Dodgers’ second World Series clinch in four years was up 58% over last year’s World Series Game 5 (Texas Rangers-Arizona Diamondbacks, which tallied 11,483,000 viewers).

Across all networks, the 120th World Series dominated the television landscape with an average of 15,808,000 viewers, the best combined figure for the Fall Classic since 2017, Fox said.

Through five games on Fox alone, the World Series averaged 15,204,000 viewers, up 67% over last year’s five-game average (9,108,000), delivering the best five-game average of the World Series since 2017 (16,416,000).

In addition, the complete 2024 MLB postseason on Fox and FS1 averaged 7,485,000 viewers, up 42% from last year’s average (5,265,000) and Fox Sports’ best baseball postseason through Game 5 of the World Series since 2017.

Game 5 was also the most-streamed World Series game in Fox Sports history, with a total average minute audience (AMA) of 487,386.

Overall, the five-game series was the most-streamed fall classic in network history with a total AMA of 368,808. That figure is up 123% over last year and up 59% from the previous all-time high in 2022.

On Fox, Game 5 drew a 21.1/55 rating in Los Angeles and a 14.8/39 in New York.

Top available markets for the entire World Series include:

• Los Angeles (18.9/53)
• San Diego (12.4/41)
• New York (12.2/33)
• Hartford, Conn. (11.1/30)
• Las Vegas (9.3/28)
• Kansas City (8.7/25)
• Phoenix (8.2/25)
• St. Louis (8.2/24)
• West Palm Beach, Fla. (8.2/21)
• Portland, Ore. (8.0/30)

Fox Deportes’ coverage of Game 5 averaged 447,000 viewers, making it the network’s most-watched MLB game this season as well as the most-watched World Series Game 5 since 2018 (Boston Red Sox-Los Angeles Dodgers, with 577,000 viewers). Game 5 was up 174% over last year (166,000) and peaked at 540,000 from 11:45 p.m. to midnight (ET), the company reported.

The 2024 World Series averaged 504,000 viewers on Fox Deportes, doubling last year’s average (181,000) and making it the most-watched in Spanish-language television history.

The complete 2024 MLB Postseason on Fox Deportes averaged 281,000 viewers, the highest-performing postseason ever for the network.

LOS ANGELES—Major League Baseball rules like the 18-second pitch clock aren’t the only thing that’s changed about the national pastime.

How games are produced for television is undergoing a series of incremental changes that, when taken together, will bring a fresh point of view to those watching the action. That will be especially true during the Fox Sports production of this year’s World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

[Game 1 of the 2024 World Series is Friday, Oct. 25, starting at 8:08 p.m. (ET). The series will air exclusively on the Fox broadcast network and Fox Deportes. Streaming coverage will be available on the Fox Sports App and FoxSports.com.]

“There are some years that are revolutionary, and some years that are evolutionary,” said Michael Davies, senior vice president of technical and field operations at Fox Sports, referring to at least a half-dozen production and technology enhancements added over the years.

“You put all of these changes together, and you’re starting to say, ‘My God, there's been a ton of evolution in baseball [coverage],’ ” he said. “Year-on-year, we’ve gone from covering the game from the outside in to looking for ways to cover it from the inside out.” Much of the credit for this evolution goes to Fox Sports producer Pete Macheska, director Matt Gangl and Brad Cheney, vice president of field operations and engineering, Davies said.

Inside-Out
Fox Sports is augmenting familiar production staples like Dirt Cams, on-field mics and in-game player interviews, which have helped to bring an “inside-out” perspective to viewers, with enhanced versions of other production technology.

Perhaps the most notable enhancement will be a new Ump View camera that brings a far clearer point of view from behind the plate to the production.

“Ump View is a fantastic camera,” Davies said. [Production coordinator] Rob Bunn and the RF Wireless guys have done a phenomenal job improving that camera. We’re using their very new camera now, and that actually makes a big difference in terms of clarity, eliminating motion blur. And the battery life is insane.”

Davies credited MLB for its willingness to work with RF Wireless to perfect an RF camera mounted at the top of the plate umpire’s mask that can be shaded to match other game cameras and support its use during games. Fox Sports, which debuted its use of the camera during the 2022 MLB All-Star Game, is looking forward to seeing its clearer shots integrated into World Series coverage, he says.

“You know, baseball, being good partners, allows us to do these things,” he said. “Their evangelism of the umpire camera was the reason that now it’s becoming an indispensable type of camera, and you know, we’re really looking forward to seeing what the next umpire cam can do.”

How drones are used also contributes to the inside-out perspective the broadcaster is seeking. Between innings, Hummingbird drones add a first-person perspective, Davies said.

“We started several years ago using drones,” he said. “Using them in the game is table stakes—not only for beauty shots but to capture a unique perspective during some interesting between-inning flights.”

Evolution To Revolution
As with its other MLB postseason coverage, Fox Sports will shoot the World Series in 1080p HDR, which Davies considers to be “table stakes” for an industry continuing to evolve from 720p and 1080i HD and standard dynamic range.

The broadcaster also will incorporate its “iterative home-run tracker” to represent home runs graphically and “make the look and sound more exciting,” as well as a new treatment for behind-the-plate ad signage that doesn’t require a green board, he said.

“We use a method to place the ads between the players and the wall,” Davies said. “It’s not revolutionary, but if you don’t think about the ads and you don't see a green board, that's a good thing.”

Fox Sports will continue to use its strike-zone treatment—a far subtler approach than others, says Davies.

“That’s something that’s uniquely Fox,” he said. “Everybody does the strike zone. We do a very subtle strike zone that you can kind of see if you’re looking for it, and you kind of miss if you’re not, which is exactly what we are trying to achieve.”

If all of these advancements are steps up the evolutionary ladder, what will characterize the next revolution in remote production? While Davies didn’t specifically identify what might be the next big thing, he did point to artificial intelligence as a potential catalyst certain to play a bigger role in the future.

“If you squint, you’ll see AI everywhere,” he said. “AI is all around us, and we’re just beginning to understand how to use it.”

Early use cases have involved video interpolation—mathematically creating new video frames squeezed between real frames, like lunch meat between two slices of bread—that have powered production tech like XtraMotion synthetic slow motion, he said.

AI algorithms also create rich metadata that makes it easier to find desired shots on the Fox Sports media asset-management system and can cut the time needed to create highlight reels and find specific shots for replays.

“What we’re looking at in the future for AI is tracking, having tracking inform different high-resolution cameras,” he said.

Even generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) will play a role in the future, but not one that threatens the jobs of those who produce the games, Davies said.

“Everybody wants to talk about Gen AI. It's funny that there just aren’t too many hard-and-fast use cases,” Davies said. “I keep hearing the same things over and over again. Like we can do real-time translation. We can do real-time descriptive audio. But in terms of the machines coming for our jobs, we're not quite seeing that yet.”

HOUSTON, Texas—When the Philadelphia Phillies face off against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park for the first game 1 of Major League Baseball’s World Series, Fox will be using more than 40 Sony cameras to cover the action. 

The cameras being used for the games include Sony’s HDC-5500, HDC-3500, HDC-4300, HDC-P31 and HDC-P50, Sony reported. 

Specific deployments include: 

• 9 x HDC-5500 – 4K Global shutter imager HDR/SDR camera systems will be used in the dugouts, first and third base, the left and right foul poles and tight center employing between 6x and 8x high frame rate.
• 2 x HDC-3500 – Global Wireless systems in wireless configuration will be used for locker room celebrations and around the stadium.
• 7 x HDC-P50 – Compact 4K HDR/SDR POV cameras will be used in a number of robotic applications including capturing home plate as well as being used on stabilization rigs in wireless configurations.
• 9 x HDC-P31 – Compact 1080/60P capable HDR/SDR POV cameras will be used in the clubhouses, by first and third base, in the bullpens, as a FLY cam, in the home talent booth and to provide beauty shots.
• 15 x HDC-4300 – 4K HDR/SDR camera systems with High Frame Rate capabilities will be employed for capturing the booth talent, and using up to 6x high frame rate to capture the action at first base, third base, right, left and center field and home plate, as well as in-studio.

BELLEVUE, Wash.—The World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays may be limited to the number of fans that can actually attend the games in person, but a collaboration between T-Mobile and Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Players will use 5G technology to provide a new type of fan experience.

Using 5G-powered cameras, fans will have the ability to stream special field-level pregame coverage of batting practice on what is being called T-Mobile 5G BP. Coverage will include 5G BatterCams, first-person point of view cameras mounted on the caps of players and coaches offering real-time coverage, and 360-degree 5G field cameras.

“Through the power of T-Mobile’s 5G service, we are excited to offer fans a bird’s-eye view of what batting practice looks like from the perspective of a Major League baseball player,” said Evan Kaplan, managing director, MLB Players Inc.

The special pre-game live stream will be available before Game One of the World Series on Tuesday, Oct. 20, on the MLB app, MLB.TV, MLB.com, Twitch, @MLB on Twitter, MLB’s official page on Facebook and the MLB VR app on Oculus, as well as T-Mobile’s Beyond the Passes page. The broadcast will feature MLB Network’s Lauren Gardner and analyst Sean Casey.

“A broadcast like this has never been done before, and it offers a glimpse at how wireless connectivity is set to transform the way we watch and interact with live sporting events and more,” said Neville Ray, president of Technology at T-Mobile.

This is another example of new ways fans can access broadcast content during these MLB playoffs. Fox previously debuted customizable broadcasts for Android users during the NLCS, which will continue during the World Series.

LOS ANGELES—While it may be unclear today what will be the matchup in the World Series, one thing is certain: the technology used for game coverage will be groundbreaking—literally.

As it did for the All-Star Game, Fox Sports plans to use omnidirectional microphones buried strategically around the field to complement audio pickup from the parabolic, effects mics and other mics it typically uses for game production.

“We have them in the outfield, on the edge of the infield and at each base,” says Michael Davies, Fox Sports SVP of Field & Technical Operations.

Fox Sports crew installs microphones on the field of the Houston Astros during the 2017 ALCS.

“We use the parabs [parabolic mics] for a lot of pickup, but it’s nothing compared to what we can get from these omnidirectional mics in the infield,” he says.

In all, Fox Sports will bury 14 of the more than 80 game-action mics it plans to use for the World Series in the outfield and infield—including two in front of the pitcher’s mound and one behind.

They will pick up everything from an outfielder calling for a catch to the grunts of a pitcher delivering a pitch, says Davies.

Placement of the mics will require making small slits in the field, positioning the mics and folding the grass back over them, he says.

“Remember, we used to take cameras and bury them, and that was a little more invasive,” he says.

The setup is so unobtrusive, that if Fox Sports were not to mark their location, the mics would be nearly impossible to find after the game, says Davies.

Another major tech feature of the Fox Sports coverage of the World Series will be eight Super Slow Motion and Hyper Motion cameras.

The broadcaster will use a combination of Sony HDC-4300 Super Slow Motion cameras, operating at 360 frames per second, a Sony HDC-4800 in HD mode running at up to 960fps and two Vision Research Phantom cameras running at between 2,000 and 2,500 frames per second, says Davies.

“This [the Phantom camera shots] is where you get the coverage of the pitch—where you can see the spin on the ball with crisp and clear motion,” he says. “Depending on where the camera is, you can also get those very slow shots like we did in Game 6 of the World Series last year that allow you to determine if he is safe or out.”

Fox Sports determined that eight slow motion cameras would be best based on the camera positions that could be “well served” by super motion, says Davies.

That means mid-first, mid-third, tight-center, some cameras positioned low on the field and the Phantom cameras on either side, he says.

While Super Slow Motion video is handled in the same manner as normal video in the production truck, video from the Phantom cameras requires special handling.

The Phantom cameras are triggered to playout a baseband video clip at a pre-determined frame rate that typically is higher than 360fps when needed, says Davies.

The server operator can scrub through the memory on the camera itself to hone in on the area of action without, for example, slogging through 6,000 frames of video in a three-second clip.

“You’re able to clip it right to the area of interest and play it right out,” he says.

Graphics will feature prominently in the coverage, as well. Fox Sports is working with Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) and SMT (formerly SportsMEDIA Technology Corp.) for live action and replay in-perspective strike zone graphics.

For replays, Fox Sports will use MLBAM’s Pitchcast system, which will show pitch speed, location and ball trails.

The live strike zone comes from SMT, which incorporates data from the MLBAM Statcast radar. Pitch speed and location will be shown in real time.

“This is the first time Fox has done a live strike zone, where the strike zone stays there for the whole game,” says Davies. “While some other broadcasters have done this, I think we are bringing a little more subtlety to it.”

“It’s subtle enough that it is there, but if you don’t want to pay attention to it, it won’t get in the way.”

Fox Sports has released its World Series production setup “by the numbers,” which includes:

Staff & Support
More than 140 technicians
36 support staff
More than 126 man-hours over nine days

Field Support
More than 384 strands of fiber
More than 3 miles of fiber optic cable
Three edit bays
64TB of shared storage
2Gbps of data connectivity
12 transmission paths

Cameras and Lenses
30 HD game cameras
Four Super Slow Motion 6X (360fps)
One Super Slow Motion 16x (960fps)
Two Hyper Motion (2,000fps)
Two RF cameras
One RF stabilized camera
One aerial camera

Replay
64 record channels
32 playback channels
More than 2,000 hours of recording capacity

Audio
Submix
All digital audio network throughout stadium
12 RF player, announcer and umpire mics
8 RF FX mics
9 RF base mics
78 field microphones
14 RF infield microphones

CLEVEAND—This year’s Fall Classic is shaping up to be a historic one, and not just because the Chicago Cubs or Cleveland Indians are poised to end long title droughts. A local Cleveland TV station had the first live ATSC 3.0 broadcast of major sporting event during game one of the World Series on Tuesday night, according to a press release of ATSC.

The experimental station, using the standardized transmission system for the ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV standard, is simulcasting network and local programming from Cleveland’s local Fox affiliate WJW-TV, while also utilizing the station’s transmitter and broadcast facilities. The NAB received an FCC experimental license to operate a full-power Channel 31 transmitter.

Technical contributions for the broadcast came from GatesAir (ATSC 3.0 exciter), LG Electronics (ATSC 3.0 receivers and antennas), Harmonic (real-time encoders for HEVC video and Dolby AC4 audio), and Triveni Digital (signaling/announcement metadata, IP stream generation, ATSC 3.0 analyzer, and system integration support).

“ATSC 3.0 standards are nearing completion, and over the coming months in conjunction with partners, we expect to test real-world Next Gen TV applications like UHD-TV, interactive services, targeted advertising, advanced emergency alerting, and more,” said NAB Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Sam Matheny.

Game two of the World Series is set to take place tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 26, from Progressive Field in Cleveland.

For more TV Technology coverage, see our ATSC 3.0 silo.

KANSAS CITY, MO.—Something strange happened during the first game of the World Series that had nothing to do with baseball. Two days after Fox Sports’ lost coverage of Game 1 of the World Series between the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets for a brief time, the production team is still searching for answer as to why both the primary and backup generators in Fox Sports production truck went down.

As Cat Entertainment Services and Fox engineers attempt to identify the source of the power outage, there are a few theories thus far. One possibility is that there was a problem with the electronics and that the computer shut the generators down. Or, there might have been an issue with contaminated fuel.

“At this point we are not really sure,” said Michael Davies, senior vice president of technical and field operations for Fox Sports, in an interview with Broadcasting & Cable. “Those guy [the generator suppliers] are industry leaders and the largest supplier of entertainment generators out there. We’ve done many events with them—the U.S. Open, Super Bowl are powered by their generators. We like them because they have an incredibly good maintenance record.”

Clearly, this mysterious technical gaff reminds us that nothing is ever foolproof. If there is any silver lining to the situation, Davies says it is that it will “give everyone an opportunity to think about what their power plans were and to go over their own protocols and get a lot smarter. I think it will catalyze a lot of discussion in the industry.”

You can read B&C's full discussion with Michael Davies here.