FOX Sports centralization turns Pico Lot into 104-match World Cup hub
FOX Sports has transformed its Los Angeles Pico Lot into the central production hub for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, managing 104 matches, and leveraging existing infrastructure and new technologies for future legacy. This includes significant investments in ST 2110 infrastructure, HDR, storage, and the deployment of their BRISK (Broadcast Remote IP Studio Kit) system for distributed production.
Key Takeaways
- FOX deployed Broadcast Remote IP Studio Kits (BRISK) using JPEG XS encoding to integrate remote stadium sources into its LA control rooms.
- The 104-match tournament requires four dedicated Pico Lot match-control rooms paired with audio suites to handle simultaneous windows.
- Storage capability was upgraded to a flash-based Dell PowerScale system capable of handling 150 TB of daily uploads and 220 concurrent records.
- Stage B features a multi-camera LED volume with 48 million elements, powered by 32 render engines for real-time virtual environments.
- Network infrastructure shifts are permanent, with ST 2110 and HDR investments designed to serve legacy operations like the NFL after the tournament.
Why It Matters
The shift toward at-home production for a tournament of this scale signals a permanent change in how broadcasters manage the financial and technical burden of mega-events. By centralizing operations in Los Angeles rather than building a bespoke temporary facility in the field, FOX reduces onsite overhead while leveraging existing engineering teams. This model relies heavily on low-latency IP transport to bridge the gap between stadium sensors and control room faders. For the industry, the execution of 104 games under this hybrid REMI model validates ST 2110 for high-volume live sports. Watch the reliability of the BRISK-to-Pico contribution links as a benchmark for future Olympic or multi-nation tournament workflows.
Additional Context
The 2026 FIFA World Cup represents the largest expansion in the tournament's history, moving from 32 to 48 teams across 16 host cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Per TVBEurope (June 2026), Host Broadcast Services (HBS) has established the tournament's primary International Broadcast Centre (IBC) at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. This 45,000-square-meter facility serves as the connective tissue for approximately 2,000 media representatives and nearly 200 rights holders. HBS delivers the core match feeds to global partners in 1080p HDR and UHD HDR, utilizing an ST 2110 backbone and JPEG XS compression to maintain low latency across the sprawling tri-national footprint. To manage the 104-match workload, HBS and FIFA have deployed 16 dedicated venue crews — one per stadium — rather than rotating teams as in previous years. Per Streaming Media (June 2026), these crews are supported by seven centralized replay teams based in Dallas. Technological partners play a critical role; Lenovo provides AI-generated 3D player avatars for semi-automated offside replays and a Football AI Pro analytics tool for all 48 participating teams. Additionally, FOX Sports has finalized a partnership with Cosm (May 2026) to broadcast 40 matches, including all USMNT fixtures and the final, in 12K immersive 'shared-reality' environments at select venues in Los Angeles and Dallas. Broadcasters are also diversifying delivery formats to meet mobile consumption trends. Per TV Technology (June 2026), Tubi has launched a dedicated FIFA World Cup hub to support free ad-supported streaming (FAST), while Fox Sports is using AWS Elemental Inference to automate the reformatting of matches into vertical video for social platforms. Telemundo, the U.S. Spanish-language rights holder, is similarly pushing technical boundaries by delivering every match via Peacock in both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, per reports from June 2026.
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