SVG TranSPORT 2026 Draws 300+ Transmission Pros To Talk C-Band Upheaval, LEO, FIFA World Cup Backbone, and More

Tech types from broadcasters, streamers, leagues, vendors, and service providers attended the event devoted to contribution and distribution

With the FCC poised to repurpose another swath of C-Band spectrum and the industry fresh off a FIFA World Cup that tested transmission networks at continental scale, SVG's annual TranSPORT conference returned to New York City on Oct. 20. More than 330 transmission-tech leaders from broadcasters, streamers, leagues, vendors, and service providers congregated at the Fashion Institute of Technology's Katie Murphy Amphitheatre for a full day dedicated to contribution and distribution.

Presented by title sponsor PSSI Global Services, the event's program spanned satellite and terrestrial backhaul, LEO satellite, IP and cloud transport, bonded cellular, 5G, compression standards, emerging protocols like RIST (Reliable Internet Stream Transport) and Media over QUIC (a transport layer network protocol), and the connectivity demands of REMI and decentralized production.

C-Band Shift Dominates the Morning

After welcoming remarks by Derek Blount, CEO, PSSI Global Services, and SVG TranSPORT Committee Chair Ian Kuchta, VP, BOC and transmission operations, NBC Sports Group, the day turned quickly to the issue on every satellite engineer's mind.

Paramount/CBS VP, Distribution and Technology, Ken Fuller opened the day with a pregame presentation on the FCC's C-Band auction, which will repurpose 160 MHz of spectrum for 5G. He explained what the reallocation means for satellite-dependent broadcasters, including the repack timeline, the relocation fund, and the steps engineering and operations teams should be taking now.

A panel featuring representatives from CBS, Sinclair, LTN, PSSI, and SES discussed how their organizations are reworking contribution and distribution workflows as spectrum shrinks. Topics included alternative transport paths, antenna upgrades, and interference mitigation, as well as where the disruption creates opportunity.

Cobalt Digital CTO Ciro Noronha, president of the RIST Forum, offered a case for one alternative: Ku-band satellite augmented by the public internet via RIST. The hybrid approach, he argued, can match C-band reliability by covering for Ku-band's traditional weakness: rain fade.

Taking Stock of the Transmission Landscape

Between the C-Band sessions, the annual State of the Industry panel brought together SVG TranSPORT Advisory Committee members Fuller; Kuchta; Julie Morrison, content transmissions, technology and operations, Skydance; and Adam Whitlock, senior director, remote traffic operations, ESPN.

The group assessed a contribution and backhaul toolkit that now runs from fiber and satellite to IP, SRT, and cloud-based transport at the edge. Panelists examined how codec choices such as JPEG XS and HEVC are changing transmission economics and where the industry is headed as IP infrastructure and cloud production mature.

Inside FOX's World Cup Network

The morning closed with a keynote by Kevin Callahan, SVP, field operations and engineering, FOX Sports, and Marc Fleury, VP, network engineering and architecture, FOX Corp., on the transmission backbone the broadcaster built for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

FOX Sports' Kevin Callahan (left) and Marc Fleury discussed the transmission backbone built for the massive FIVA World Cup effort this past summer.The all-new IP network linked FIFA's IBC in Dallas; FOX Network Center in Los Angeles; FOX Technology Center in Tempe, AZ; a backup studio in New York City; and venue-based BRISK kits. Callahan and Fleury covered the broadcaster's security design, carrier redundancy, and automated failover - the architecture that kept coverage on the air through repeated circuit failures during the tournament.

Doing More With Less - and Picking the Right Pipe

The afternoon opened with a look at the other end of the budget spectrum. On a panel on cost-effective transport for smaller-scale productions, speakers from CP Communications/Red House Streaming/RHStv, Ross Production Services, Eluvio, and The Weather Channel compared bonded cellular, SRT-based workflows, and cloud transport as ways to meet rising quality expectations without an unlimited transmission budget.

Kuchta then moderated a discussion on matching transport to the job. Callahan joined experts from BBright, LiveU, and PSSI to walk through their current mix of public internet, bonded cellular, dedicated fiber, satellite, and emerging options. The discussion covered when each fits, how to combine them, and which factors should drive the decision.

LEO on the Rise and While MoQ Makes Its Case

Kuchta and Dominic Torchia, VP, engineering and technology, NBC Sports, detailed how NBC Sports and NBC Olympics have deployed low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite for live contribution. The pair shared real-world results on latency, reliability, and coverage and outlined how broadcasters should weigh LEO against traditional transport options.

NBC Sports Group's Ian Kuchta of (left) and Dominic Torchia reported on the broadcaster's use of low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite for live contribution.In a sponsored presentation, leaders from EZDRM and ATEME joined Sean McCarthy, co-chair, OpenMoQ, SVTA, and formerly of YouTube, to introduce Media over QUIC (MoQ) to the TranSPORT community. The trio pitched MoQ as a sub-second, broadcast-quality protocol that runs over standard internet infrastructure and offers the potential to unify contribution, distribution, and primary backhaul under one transport.

REMI and the Cloud Raise the Stakes

Whitlock moved to the moderator's chair for a session on the transmission demands of REMI and decentralized production. Morrison; Nick Smith, VP, engineering, Big Ten Network;and speakers from Appear, Open Broadcast Systems, and TAG Video Systems examined bandwidth requi

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