
Live From Super Bowl LIX: Inside the 10,000-Sq.-Ft. Tech Center With FOX Sports VP, Field Ops and Engineering, Kevin Callahan Areas in the facility including editing, AR, drone prep, transmission management, and power By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Saturday, February 8, 2025 - 12:39 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The FOX Sports compound for Super Bowl LIX features a new two-story technical building encompasses about 10,000 sq. ft. of space. Featuring nearly floor-to-ceiling exterior windows, glass doors, and 10-ft. ceilings, it arguably signals a new era in compound office facilities, offering plenty of natural light, proper workstations with power, and other benefits not found in the traditional office trailer.
FOX Sports tapped Infinite Structures to build a two-story technical building for Super Bowl LIX.
The building houses everything from our edits to our video and audio sub-switch to video-transmission management, broadcast communications, and central distribution for the entire compound, says Kevin Callahan, VP, field operations and engineering, FOX Sports. We also have our network-engineering and -architecture team here because every remote these days relies on that network-engineering team for transporting not only video signals but communication files and everything else needed to do a broadcast. That convergence has truly happened at this point: they're as much a part of the team as everybody else.
At the center of the technical facility, which was built by Infinite Structures, are two of FOX Sports' Jewel Event Kits, which made their Super Bowl debut two years ago in Glendale, AZ. The Jewel kit serves as the hub for all incoming video and audio sources and makes them available to the trucks and facilities in the domestic and international compounds (as well as at the FOX Pico facility in Los Angeles).
The core Jewel technology has changed little since the flypack was first built for the 2022 World Cup. In New Orleans, one operates as an IBC and distribution point; the other handles full remote studio production needs.
The equipment remains the same as when they were first built, notes Callahan. We've been very happy with the equipment choices we've made. The Calrec IP Hydra cores, Arista switches, EVS Cerebrum, TAG multiviewers, Ross switchers and Ultrix routers, Calrec audio console, and Grass Valley production switchers are still best of breed and still doing the jobs we need them to do.
The FOX Jewel Event Kit plays a big role in connecting the compound and more at Super Bowl LIX.
The Jewel kits not only make signal management and access easier but also have some additional features making it easier to create a viewing room at a hotel or support requests from any FOX entity. Says Callahan, They can make our shows bigger but also do it economically.
This year, the Jewel Event Kit has some company in the kit world: FOX Sports' new Broadcast Remote IP Studio Kit (BRISK). Deployed at the Bourbon Street studio operation, the small unit allows video, audio, and data signals to be sent from Bourbon Street to the compound as well as to FOX Sports' Pico broadcast facility.
It has multiple paths and multiple redundancies built into it, Callahan explains. It's the first time that we really have cameras in a Home Run Production kit. It was created with remote shows in mind, where we may need to set up quickly. Bringing mobile units and a larger system like the FOX Jewel Event system in isn't always practical. BRISK, on the other hand, is nimbler and can be carried up a flight of stairs [such as at the Krazy Korner bar on Bourbon Street]. If we build a couple of them, they can hopscotch around different venues and still have the same network architecture and technology.
The BRISK unit comprises camera-control units, multiviewers, video-shading components, and a Calrec Hydra core as well as an audio frame. Explains Callahan, It's all being controlled with an RP1 here at the stadium or in Los Angeles to allow remote IFB mixing that needs to occur in order to have those remote studio shows happen.
Without it, he adds, something like Super Bowl LIX Pregame studio show on Bourbon Street would have been impossible. We are at a point with the shows now where productions can get bigger but we don't need to have the technology infrastructure get bigger. At Super Bowl LIV in Miami, we were sending all the signals from a mobile unit at South Beach to the production truck in the stadium. On Bourbon Street, there's no room to put a mobile unit on the street. We had to fit everything into that second floor of Krazy Korner, and this was the best way to do it.
Areas Are Dedicated to Different Functions The technical building houses several areas supporting the needs of the production trucks across the compound as well as of the team in Pico. For example, four Adobe Premier edit bays, two After Effects edit bays, and media management are connected to the Los Angeles facility.
Most of the edits are happening in Los Angeles, notes Callahan., but we do have these four edit stations because it is a collaborative process. This allows producers here to collaborate with the editor in person.
A broadcast comms area ensures users on either the RTS or Riedel intercom systems can communicate with each other seamlessly.
Located next to the Jewel Event Kit area, transmission management oversees all inbound and outbound feeds, ensuring that they are all routed to the right place. They make sure everything is in time and everything is correct, he says. We have close to 150 paths, inbound and outbound, between camera isos used for edit in Los Angeles or just for the watch parties, hotel remotes, all sorts of things like that.
The broadcast-comms area houses two systems from two manufacturers: RTS in
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Wisycom is showcasing the latest additions to its ecosystem of professional RF technologies at IBC 2026 (Stand 8.D60). This includes its new MATF Wideband Anten...
09/09/2026
AMSTERDAM, IBC2026 VisualOn, Inc. and Cires21 today released an updated joint whitepaper at IBC 2026 demonstrating measurable, high-impact improvements in visu...
09/09/2026
Sony Electronics Introduces Its First Fisheye Zoom G Lens
Brie Clayton September 8, 2026
0 Comments
Compact, lightweight SEL814G Full-frame lens deliv...
09/09/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 21.1
Brie Clayton September 8, 2026
0 Comments
Major update adds AI assistant integration, expanded camera...
09/09/2026
Cuez Integrates AI into a Unified Broadcast Production Workflow
Brie Clayton September 8, 2026
0 Comments
Cuez announces the expansion of its cloud-ba...
08/09/2026
Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has announced a multi-year agreement with A E...
08/09/2026
Spectra Logic today announced the availability of Media Insight, a new capabilit...
08/09/2026
Rogers Communications and Quebecor have announced a 12-year sublicensing agreement for French-language national NHL games beginning with the 2026-27 season. TVA...
08/09/2026
Skyline Communications and Bridge Technologies will demonstrate two integrations...
08/09/2026
Boland Communications will make the European debut of its 4K55HDR7SNB 55-inch super-narrow-bezel monitor at IBC2026 (Stand 12.C57, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-1...
08/09/2026
Ateme and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) have announced a collaboration comb...
08/09/2026
Haivision has joined the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme as part of t...
08/09/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced price reductions on its PYXIS 6K and Cinema Camera 6K models, effective immediately through Blackmagic Design resellers worldwid...
08/09/2026
AI-Media will demonstrate its LEXI Suite at IBC2026 (Booth 5.C34, September 11-1...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin and Ad Insertion Platform (AIP) have announced the first live deploymen...
08/09/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate story-centric media workflows at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), connecting newsroom production, content ma...
08/09/2026
M2A Media and Ateme have announced a partnership integrating Ateme's video processing solutions into M2A Media's MediaToAnywhere platform for live sport...
08/09/2026
Ikegami will exhibit at IBC2026 (Stand 12.A31, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), including a Day 1 introduction of new cameras in the UNICAM XE series. Additiona...
08/09/2026
Broadcast industry analysts will be gathering plenty of insights at the 2026 IBC Show this weekend in Amsterdam, but Caretta Research has offered up some though...
08/09/2026
SENSHI and DAZN have announced a global broadcast partnership that will bring SENSHI's live events free to viewers in more than 200 markets. The partnership...
08/09/2026
New architecture built with Evertz will bring 4K HDR to Monday Night Football, N...
08/09/2026
Built for rap producers, by rap producers
Sauceware Audio, the independent plug-in company founded by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob (Travis Scott, 21 Sava...
08/09/2026
Classic Sound Techniques design revived
Warm Audio's latest release delivers a meticulous recreation of the preamp circuitry employed by the Sound Techn...
08/09/2026
Latest soft synth inspired by the Memorymoog
XILS Lab have just launched a software instrument that draws its inspiration from Moog's iconic Memorymoog,...
08/09/2026
The Airport Chaplain takes off as SBS's biggest launch of 2026
8 September, 2026
Media releases
1.67 million viewers on National Total TV to date
Best...
08/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/09/2026
Mo-Sys, the world-leading developer of virtual production, camera robotics and image tracking technology, has completed a business restructuring, which has incl...
08/09/2026
New York, September 8, 2026 The TSAmediaHUB audiovisual contribution and distribution infrastructure developed by Telef nica's Audiovisual Services area re...
08/09/2026
Expanded Riyadh operation brings Asharq and Thmanyah services together on a resilient on-premises Pebble platform.
Pebble, the leading automation, content mana...
08/09/2026
Techex, a pioneering leader in live video workflows, will showcase its broadest software feature set to date at IBC 2026 (Stand 2.B45), extending its lead in so...
08/09/2026
Visitors to Grass Valley's booth at IBC2026 will be introduced to new Framelight X capabilities that connect content acquisition, management, editing and pu...
08/09/2026
BCNEXXT will showcase the latest evolution of Vipe at IBC2026 (Stand 2.B09), introducing a series of innovations designed to deliver higher-quality audience exp...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Ad Insertion Platform (AIP), a leading innovator in advanced ad insertion technologies, to...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics and augmented and virtual production, is announcing a major package of enhancements to its Suite 7 soft...
08/09/2026
Big Blue Marble is supporting TDF, French infrastructure and network operator, broadcasting Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and radio services, as a techno...
08/09/2026
Agents work inside a single production environment, from incoming wire copy to a live studio show...
08/09/2026
Building on their strategic partnership, Ceeblue and Layercake make the unthinkable possible: scalable sub-second streaming over standard DRM, SSAI, and CDN wor...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics, augmented and virtual production, is completing the environment for fast-paced broadcast production wi...
08/09/2026
A SaaS portfolio built to work together, helping operators grow audiences, monetise smarter and run leaner, on their own terms
At IBC 2026 (stand 1.B49) Synam...
08/09/2026
Accedo, global provider of video streaming software and services, has been selected by PlayOn Sports, a national leader in high school sports technology, to exp...
08/09/2026
LiveU, the leader in live IP-video solutions, is enabling The Associated Press to take global newsgathering to the next stage with intelligent connectivity and ...
08/09/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced the latest evolution of it...
08/09/2026
Compact, power-efficient X Platform performance brings broadcast-grade reliability and ultra-low latency to space-constrained remote production (REMI) workflows...
08/09/2026
Zixi, the leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Kiloview, a leading provider of professional IP video encoding and decoding solutions, t...