It only makes sense that it took an out-of-this-world effort to produce the 2026 World Baseball Classic, given that the event was broadcast in 172 countries and territories.
That access and the increasing popularity of the event led to record numbers of viewers for the tournament, which was played in Miami, Houston, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Tokyo from March 5-17.
For instance, the championship game, a 3-2 win by Venezuela over the United States, was seen by 10.8 million viewers on Fox and Fox Deportes. That number is nearly double the 4.9 million who watched Japan defeat the U.S. in the 2023 final.
All told, the 2026 WBC averaged almost 1.3 million viewers for its games on Fox, FS1 and FS2, which was more than double the 506,000 for the 2023 tournament.
With viewership and production expectations so high, Fox was well prepared in the camera department, lensing the action from the usual positions and many more: The mostly-Sony package included high home, high first, high third, low first and low third; plus center and tight center; mid-home robotic and dugout robotic, with two bullpen POVs and a booth handheld.
But that still wasn’t all, since the impact of the games―and the production―had much to do with MLB Network’s approach to present the international spectacle through its world feed.
“We employed two shallow depth of field rightfield cameras, also known as ‘The Megalodon’ (the Mirrorless Gyro-stabilized Lightweight DSLR Nano-rig),” said MLB Network Director of Remote Technical Operations Steve Dolce. Those cameras were supplied by St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Faction Media and were paired with wireless RX/TX equipment from CP Communications, also of St. Petersburg.
Other key equipment was provided by L.A.-based Beverly Hills Aerials, for the in-game drone; an RF Wireless for UmpVu, which is an umpire mask with a built-in camera for the behind-the-plate perspective, for all of the USA games; and from Tempe, Ariz.-based Defy Products, the Wirecam and its new Dirt Cam system, which debuted during the WBC.
Indeed, the WBC proved to be the forum to place cameras virtually anywhere possible. “We placed four in-ground cameras to give us a ‘worm’s eye view’ of [the] three bases and home plate,” said Dolce, which gave the broadcast some incredibly unique views.”
As for the most memorable aspect of the expansive broadcast, Dolce said it was simply capturing the excitement of the tournament.
“Across the board, we really wanted to capture the noise and excitement from the crowds. We added a few extra natural sound mics,” said Dolce, to pick up the sounds of the crowd. “You could really feel that passion in the broadcast, which was incredibly cool.”
There’s something incredibly special about the World Baseball Classic. Each time, it gets bigger and bigger.
Tommy Guidice, MLB Network
Secondly, he said, “When you think about the phrase ‘world feed,’ you need to remember it’s your truck and crew providing game coverage to every fan watching. Rights holders could augment the coverage, but it’s your game feed at the heart of it.
And being in that position, Dolce said, “is a daunting, but amazing, feeling.”
Broadcasting the WBC was different from MLB Network’s usual transmissions, because it used NEP Connect as its international distribution hub. “That ensured strong 24/7 performance from the WBC Network Operations Center, while keeping MLB’s typical distributions focused on spring training,” said MLB Vice President of Broadcast Products and Services Jason Hedgcock.
Any format conversation or standard changes that were needed to connect with the international transmission were handled at distribution by NEP.
As for the biggest challenge, Dolce said that it was the need to constantly plan ahead. “Every round brought additional rights holders and equipment,” he said. “We had to be strategic on things like power and the space needed for drones, launch points and RF gear. The fiber team and I managed fiber drops around the ballpark for all the rights holders.
“We had to be diligent,” said Dolce, “in making sure the proper resources were allocated and tested before anyone plugged in.”
Given the enormity of the undertaking and its global reach, the crew at MLB Network is already thinking about how to heighten the approach for the next tournament.
“There’s something incredibly special about the World Baseball Classic. Each time, it gets bigger and bigger, with more people contributing all over the world,” said MLB Network Senior Vice President of Remote Events Tommy Guidice. “We’re proud of the content we were able to produce.”
