HardwareTechnical DevelopmentJune 23, 2026

Fox Sports pairs AI trend prediction with 940-hour YouTube World Cup livestream

FOX Sports Digital is executing a 39-day continuous YouTube livestream for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, anchored by a cloud-based switching and custom remote production infrastructure called DRIP. The production utilizes Ross Video hardware, Harmonic cloud systems, Grass Valley, Calrec Audio, and Tagboard, alongside an internal AI-driven analytics platform built to predict viral trends and guide real-time editorial decisions.

Key Takeaways

The 39-day 'Always On' stream covers roughly 940 hours and is anchored by FIFA WORLD CUP NOW, delivering pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage for all 104 matches.
DRIP (Digital Remote Infrastructure Production) routes FOX Sports Digital's cameras, comms, and audio back to Los Angeles over the same fiber infrastructure as broadcast, but in a separate workflow.
An internal AI analytics platform monitors social media interactions across soccer-related accounts to classify content as 'pre-viral,' viral, or sustained trends, driving editorial decisions on both the stream and the website.
The LA studio relies on Ross Video hardware (Acuity, Tria, Mosaic, OverDrive, Streamline), Harmonic cloud switching, Grass Valley, Calrec Audio, and Tagboard for graphics and social integration.
FOX Sports' World Cup content surpassed 2 billion views across digital and social platforms as of June 22, with the stream live since June 11.

Why It Matters

The DRIP infrastructure demonstrates that rights holders can build dedicated digital production layers alongside broadcast workflows without duplicating fiber or truck deployments, using shared transport with isolated signal paths. This matters because it provides a template for other broadcasters facing multi-venue tournaments where truck-based production at every site is impractical. The AI analytics platform, if it scales beyond this World Cup as planned, could give producers a structural advantage in surfacing shareable moments faster than manual monitoring. Watch whether FOX Sports expands DRIP and the AI platform to NFL and college football coverage in the 2026 fall season.

Additional Context

YouTube's capability to support 24/7 live streaming was itself a recent enabler. Per Sports Business Journal (June 10, 2026), FOX Sports SVP of Digital Michael Bucklin noted that YouTube "didn't have that type of functionality to stay live 24/7 like that, but they made a product update" — suggesting the Always On concept was gated by platform-level changes. The same SBJ report noted that YouTube had overtaken Netflix in average daily viewing time, making it a logical anchor platform for the effort.

The DRIP system complements FOX Sports' broader remote production architecture, known as BRISK (Broadcast Remote IP Studio Kit). Per Sports Video Group (March 2026), BRISK is a SMPTE ST 2110-based flypack system built with Diversified, with six kits deployed across World Cup venues. Per TV Technology (April 2026), FOX Sports also selected Appear's X Platform for JPEG XS contribution over SMPTE ST 2110, supporting ultra-low-latency transport of all 104 matches. DRIP operates as a separate digital-specific layer running over the same fiber paths as BRISK.

The viewership returns are substantial. Per The Verge (June 25, 2026), the US opener attracted 1.1 million streaming viewers on Tubi alone, while Brazil's CazéTV YouTube stream hit 12 million concurrent viewers — a YouTube record. Per SportsPro (June 2026), the combined US audience for the US-Paraguay opener reached nearly 25 million across Fox and Telemundo. Per NBCUniversal (June 17, 2026), Telemundo and Peacock averaged 7.5 million viewers through the first 12 games, up 234% versus 2022. FOX secured 2026 World Cup rights for approximately $485 million, per SportsPro — a figure that looks increasingly favorable given the viewership surge.

Read full article at sportsvideo.org