2022 FIFA World Cup Preview: Fox Sports Embraces Home Run Production Production execs David Neal and Kevin Callahan discuss plans and expectations By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Thursday, October 20, 2022 - 8:36 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2022 Edition of the SVG SportsTech Journal. To read the entire journal, click HERE.
Beginning on Nov. 20, the most popular global sports event will kick off in Qatar: the 2022 FIFA World Cup. For the team at Fox Sports, the 2022 edition provides an opportunity to finally showcase the U.S. men's team, which didn't qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. And it will allow Fox Sports to showcase new technologies that embrace Home Run Production, bonded cellular, and IP in ways that not only make things easier but increase the content output. At the SVG Remote Production Forum in Los Angeles, SVG sat down with David Neal, executive producer, FIFA World Cup on Fox/ VP, production, and Kevin Callahan, VP, field operations and Engineering, to discuss the broadcaster's plans and what to expect.
Stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha have full fiber connectivity to maximize signal distribution internally and externally.
What are your expectations heading into the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
Neal: One thing on our mind every day is that the U.S. is in this World Cup, as opposed to four years ago when they weren't. When you're put in an adverse situation, sometimes your best work comes out of it. I was exceedingly proud of what we put on the air from Russia, but it was an inescapable fact that the U.S. wasn't there. And the collateral damage that did to our viewership numbers was unmistakable.
This time around, the buzz going into the tournament is [the U.S. team] not only qualified but actually is good. I mean, this is a young team with some genuine stars who are playing on an international level. It gives a lot of anticipation to what we're doing. You can't go a day reading soccer media without seeing some mention of the the U.S. vs. England game on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. That by itself, especially if the U.S. wins its first group game - which they should do against Wales - has the potential to be one of the five most-watched soccer games in U.S. television history. And that's just for a Group Stage match. For us, the game-changer is the fact that the U.S. is gonna be there. We're bringing more people to Qatar because, first, the U.S. is there and, second, because of the compact nature [of the tournament]: the eight stadiums are no farther than 90 minutes apart.
What does that compact footprint mean?
Neal: Instead of having talent and production crews crisscrossing a country like we did in Russia - sometimes changing planes at 2:00 a.m. trying to get to Sochi for a noon kickoff - we'll have everybody staying in the same hotel. Nobody has to get on an airplane from the time they arrive until the time they leave. Because of that, when our bosses were going through the budget, they said, Let's just go all-in. This will be the first time ever that a U.S. rightsholder called all the matches with a commentary team in the stadium. With the exception of some significant back-of-house operations, we're taking everything to Qatar, which is a throwback to how things used to be.
Do you plan to have more ENG crews?
Callahan: We will have more crews this time around, and they'll be doing different things. We have more reporters in-country because we're able to get a lot more content out of them. We also have two crews that are dedicated to capturing the news of the day and flavor of the country, shooting things like a new scenic every day. One of our post-mortem comments from Russia was, we used the same bumper shot of birds every day. We want to make sure we're showing off everything that Qatar is.
What is the RF situation for ENG crews?
Callahan: The RF situation's actually interesting. It is nearly clear spectrum-wise, which is very different from what we're used to. That is mainly because there isn't a lot of terrestrial TV distribution. But we tend to shy away from RF in venues when we are overseas.
We are relying heavily on bonded cellular, and all of our ENG teams and digital teams will have LiveU backpacks. We are also using them for the affiliates so they can provide content 24 hours a day when the national network is off-air.
Can you tell us about the plans regarding a studio show and set?
Neal: It's different because there's nothing in Qatar that is instantly recognizable to an American audience. We are on a set that basically looks like all of our previous sets but on steroids. We're creating a destination, and we're going to be located next to the fanfest; we want to tap into the energy there. It gives us a great view of the ultra-modern skyline, and it goes back to everything being centralized as all the fans will be staying somewhere in the area.
We will also have a practice pitch, but the field is actually just a giant LED screen. To the viewer, it will look like a grass field. There's a lot of technology that our brilliant Creative Director Gary Hartley employed in the A Stage on the Fox lot, and you'll see a lot of that same big technology on this set.
This World Cup is much like an Olympics, given the small footprint. Did you draw on any skills you developed while at NBC Olympics?
Neal: Yes, and there's no doubt that we can focus more on bringing the country to life because we know the stadiums are easily accessible. Our operations are manageable because the stadiums are so close to one another. There are the 32 teams, and those are sort of your actors: there is an antagonist and a protagonist, hero and villain. But one thing I le
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...
2022 FIFA World Cup Preview: Fox Sports Embraces Home Run Production Production execs David Neal and Kevin Callahan discuss plans and expectations By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
