The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial approach and even a different technical approach (for example, DAZN Japan is testing remotely controlled robotic cameras from pitchside). DAZN CTO Sandeep Tiku shared some insights about the technical workflows with SVG.As we enter the final stage of the tournament, how do the production demands change? For example, do you have independent ENG and commentary crews for Italy, Japan, and Spain at each match now? How will plans grow for the semifinals and final? Are you using bonded cellular for ENG transmission (LiveU, TVU, etc.)?
For DAZN, the shift is both operational and editorial. Throughout the Group Stage and early Knockouts, we have been running a deliberately tiered production model; a dynamic, intelligent allocation of resources matched precisely to the market relevance of each match. Our architecture is designed to flex, and, as we move into the Quarter Finals, Semifinals and Final, that flexibility is key because, at this stage, every match is a marquee event for at least one of our territories, and we treat it accordingly.
At this stage of the tournament, commentary positions, ComCam, and ENG are finite and fiercely contested, outside of the two competing teams. What we have engineered is a system that doesn't depend on arbitration outcomes. Where we secure onsite positions, we deploy fully. Where we don't, seamless remote fallback workflows deliver pitchside contribution and commentary over world-feed pictures. The viewer experience is protected, regardless of what arbitration returns.
Portable live-transmission technology is a core part of our contribution toolkit throughout the tournament. During Final Stage, it's enabling outside-venue positions, pre-match presentation, reporter pieces, and agile ENG contribution wherever fiber is not practical. It liberates our teams from fixed infrastructure and puts them exactly where the story is: in the stadium precincts, the fan zones, the city. Layered on top of our primary fiber contribution paths, it creates a contribution architecture with genuine depth. At the Final in New York, every layer of that system will be live simultaneously.
DAZN's Sandeep Tiku: Our role is to combine local insight with a consistent global production model, ensuring that every fan enjoys a seamless, high-quality experience, wherever they are watching. Tell us a bit about the IBC operations: how many people are here, some of the technology on hand, and duties. Is it simply passing through signals? Is frame-rate conversion done here or overseas?
The DAZN Production Hub inside the FIFA IBC in Dallas is anything but a pass-through facility. It is the operational nerve center for one of the most ambitious live-sports-broadcasting deployments ever attempted, and it is running continuously.
From this single location, we are managing contribution feeds, unilateral content, commentary circuits, live-transmission paths, quality control, routing, and real-time monitoring across multiple simultaneous productions. On peak match days, that means several live HDR productions running in parallel, all being orchestrated from Dallas.
Processing is distributed intelligently across our global production network. Some functions remain in Dallas; others are performed in regional centers, including our central operations hub in the UK, our technology partner in the Netherlands, and local production hubs in Italy, Spain, and Japan. The architecture is designed so that each function happens at the most efficient point in the chain, not simply the nearest one. Frame-rate conversion, color-space management, and audio configuration are all handled at the appropriate node for each territory's production workflow. This is a deliberate, pre-engineered design that was already proven at the 2025 Club World Cup and scaled up for this tournament.
Is the IBC hub handling commentary circuits and/or reporter/ENG feeds, or do those go straight to the different countries?
The DAZN Dallas IBC hub is the central aggregation and routing point for all of it. Commentary circuits, reporter positions, presentation locations, and ENG contributions, both inside and outside the stadiums, are all coordinated through the hub as part of a unified remote-production architecture. Signals are then routed to the appropriate production destination based on each market's model.
What makes this genuinely interesting is the scale of the editorial operation running alongside the technical one. DAZN is supporting ENG operations across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada simultaneously, enabling fast turnaround of content not just for live broadcast but for digital platforms and social-media throughout the tournament. The IBC hub is feeding an entire content ecosystem in real time.
Communication is the key for any production team. How are you and the team dealing with the simple issue of having personnel who speak English, Japanese, Spanish, and Italian?
Communication is a critical element of any major live production, particularly at DAZN, where we operate at a global scale with teams working across multiple languages: English, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, and many others.
The way we approach this is through a clearly defined operating model. For every major event, we establish a common production language for critical operations - typically English - so that key decisions, escalations, and incident management can be understood and acted on in real time by everyone involved.
We combine that global framework with strong local expertise. Our local-market teams, bilingual leaders, and designated escalation owners play a vital role in ensuring that market-specific requirements, rightsholder relationships, talent coordination, and
