As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production EverThe event will be streamed free and broadcast live in three languagesBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Friday, December 5, 2025 - 2:58 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
In what has been called the MLS's Caitlin Clark must-see-TV moment, this weekend's MLS Cup production will be the largest in the league's history. With global icon Lionel Messi taking the pitch at Fort Lauderdale, FL's Chase Stadium on Saturday, MLS, Apple, and production-services partner NEP are pulling out all the stops - including deploying iPhones for game coverage - in what's expected to be one of the league's most-watched games ever.
Without question, this will be the biggest production we've ever had on an MLS match - MLS Cup or otherwise, says Seth Bacon, EVP, media, Major League Soccer. The number of cameras and level or production resources we're deploying is an indication of the growth that we've had, both as a league and as a production company. We want to take all the innovations that we've built over the course of the year and make them come to life in the biggest moment here at MLS Cup.
The busy MLS Cup compound at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL
In addition to streaming free on Apple TV, the match will be broadcast on FOX, FOX Deportes, RDS in Canada (in French), and TNT in Mexico. With Messi leading Inter Miami against one of the league's other major stars, Thomas M ller, and the Vancouver Whitecaps, many expect record viewership numbers for the most expansive MLS Cup presentation to date.
We will be lucky enough to have the eyes of the entire soccer world on us, with the FIFA World Cup Draw on Friday and Messi going out to win a trophy on Saturday in a phenomenal matchup, Bacon says. This is a huge moment for a league and one we've all been waiting for. And, because of the infrastructure and momentum and team that we've built [at MLS Productions], we are going to be ready to capitalize on it.
Onsite in Ft. Lauderdale: Studio Shows, 30+ Cameras, NEP Mobile UnitsThe 38-camera complement at Chase Stadium is headlined by a quartet of iPhone 17 Pros, which will capture live game footage in a historic first for an MLS broadcast. Also on hand are two Ronin RF Steadicams (one of which is equipped with an iPhone 17 Pro), in-goal robots in the nets on both sides of the field, four super-slo-mo systems, a referee cam, and a drone. The production team will also have more than 50 EVS record channels at its disposal.
We had plans to make the show as big as we could regardless of the participant, Bacon notes when asked if the production levels increased as a result of Messi's participation. We were confident in the significant production levels we put together. Certainly, adding the world's greatest player to the game adds an element for us. We knew going in that we would have enough cameras and super-mos to tell the story many times over. We're more focused on the editorial side and how we use those cameras to tell the story.
MLS and Apple studio shows will broadcast from on-field sets.
MLS and Apple have rolled out their English- and Spanish-language studio shows at Chase Stadium. One corner of the field has been cordoned off, and two elevated platforms have been erected to serve both shows for pre/postgame and halftime broadcasts. Fox Sports also has an on-field set for its shows.
In the truck compound, NEP ND6 and Super B mobile units are handling Apple TV's English-language game and onsite-studio-show productions; NEP NCPII is home to the Spanish-language studio and game operations. In addition to the mobile units/broadcast facilities, NEP is supplying sets, lighting, power, transport/distribution, and commercial playout for Apple TV and continues to partner with MLS and FOX to provide above- and below-the-line staff.
We are going to be the engine that powers the storytelling around MLS Cup, says Bacon. We are learning every day, every week, every month, every year about ways to integrate new technology and find efficiencies with the resources we have onsite. As a result, we have been able to deploy a lot more resources and be very nimble to help us capture more content. That includes not only game content but also interviews and [shoulder] content that we can integrate into the Apple livestream and [linear] broadcast, as well as provide to our digital and social teams.
Roughly 110 crew members, engineers, and operators are on hand this weekend. On the NEP side, the 2025 MLS Cup broadcast is tech-managed by Joe Heck and Jamie Weber and supported by production operation leads George Williams, Emmanuel Wallace, Adam Willis, Steve Kravitz, and Hildelisa Gonzalez.
Behind the scenes with the MLS Cup onsite production crew
The English- and Spanish-language line cuts and 5.1 audio mixes will be produced onsite in Fort Lauderdale and sent via AT&T GVS network to MLS's production facility in Stamford, CT. All graphics will be integrated there (a new workflow that MLS launched this season), and multiple versions will be created for distribution: a clean feed, English sponsored and unsponsored, Spanish sponsored and unsponsored, Canadian French sponsored and unsponsored, Mexican Spanish sponsored and unsponsored, and Sportradar/IMG Arena betting feeds.
In addition, FOX Sports broadcast will be produced out of NEP M14, handled largely by the MLS/NEP crew that produces all of FOX's MLS regular-season and playoffs broadcasts remotely at NEP's South Florida REMI production facility.
iPhone Impact: Four iPhone 17 Pros Will Play Big Role in CoverageIn a first for a live MLS broadcast, MLS Cup 2025 will integrate live game footage captured on an iPhone 17 Pro, with four devices positioned throughout Fort La
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production EverThe event will be streamed free and broadcast live in three languagesBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. 
