Heading into its FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, FOX Sports’ digital team faced some unique challenges. With production teams working more than 8,000 miles apart – both in LA and on the ground in Qatar – FOX Sports’ digital team wanted to tap into the power of cloud production to save time and money, while also producing the most globally connected World Cup ever.
In the words of FOX Sports SVP of Digital, Michael Bucklin, FOX wanted to offer "the greatest digital content coverage in the history of sports media". That included digital productions on Twitter for all 64 matches of the tournament, totaling 129 livestreams and 60 hours of original content.
Key success metrics for FOX Sports included:
To reach its goals and cut through the noise and connect with its target audience for the World Cup, FOX Sports’ digital team utilized Tagboard’s cloud production studio to produce its show WORLD CUP NOW. Streamed exclusively on FOX Soccer’s Twitter channel (@FOXSoccer), the show provided fans from around the world with an exclusive VIP experience, making them all feel closer to the action. The stream would feature live commentary, in-stadium feeds, and real-time reactions and opinions from fans and celebrities.
To pull off a production of this magnitude FOX Sports knew it would take a dedicated effort from everyone on their team, but recognized the feasibility of sending everyone halfway across the world for a month wasn’t possible. They needed to leverage the modern technology of Tagboard’s Cloud Production Studio so their team could collaborate between Qatar and Los Angeles, an 11-hour time difference and 8,000 miles apart.
In addition to creating efficiencies in the production, Tagboard would also be the interactive technology needed to engage the most distracted audience the world has ever seen. The modern fan has a cell phone in their hand at all times, and WORLD CUP NOW was built to engage the fan on that device. Tagboard was the source for all traditional and interactive graphics on the livestream productions. This included lower thirds, player cards, bracket updates, and sourcing real-time content from Twitter as fans engaged with the live show.
The set and portions of the production team were located in Qatar, but the graphics operator running Tagboard worked from the FOX Lot in Los Angeles. FOX Sports wanted a cohesive look and feel between the broadcast television coverage and digital, and the Tagboard technology meant they didn’t need to sacrifice on quality.
Using Tagboard’s patented social aggregation technology, FOX Sports was able to filter through millions of reactions on social channels, sourcing more than 1,000 posts in real-time, and engaging the millions of fans watching WORLD CUP NOW. Fans felt a connection to the broadcast by seeing their posts on livestream or seeing reaction videos posted by other fans watching from all around the world. This not only created one of the most globally connected productions the world has seen. It also is arguably the most expansive and dynamic use of user-generated content ever by a brand.
In addition to setting new standards in audience engagement, FOX Sports' use of Tagboard's cloud production studio showcased the potential of cloud production workflows over traditional hardware systems, pushing the industry forward. By adopting cloud production, FOX Sports significantly reduced operating costs by eliminating the need to transport equipment or operators across the world.
Given the success of the 2022 World Cup, FOX Sports plans to use the same approach for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, setting a blueprint that shows how productions of all budgets can deliver a high-quality livestream experience that engages the modern fan and rivals the largest broadcast networks in the world.
FOX Sports’ coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 generated record-setting results across its digital platforms, including Twitter with its dynamically integrated WORLD CUP NOW show. The pre-and-post game shows generated over 88.4 million views exclusively on the platform to become FOX Sports’ most-viewed digital content series ever.
Through its cloud-based production, FOX Sports’ averaged 685,000 viewers over 129 live shows, with pre-and-post game shows for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final generating over 5.8 million views alone. It showed an exceptional ability to connect with fans of the United States Men’s National Team, producing an average audience of 982,800 viewers for shows around the four USMNT matches.
The presence of WORLD CUP NOW on Twitter played a critical role in driving viewers to streams of each match, resulting in the most-streamed FIFA World Cup in FOX Sports history. In total, FOX Sports platforms amassed over 2.75 billion streaming minutes, with an average minute audience of 287,064, up 19% vs. 2018. This remarkable success is a testament to FOX Sports' innovative use of technology and commitment to delivering exceptional content to fans.
