The 2026 FIFA World Cup relied on a JPEG XS distributed media infrastructure system and a team on an unprecedented scale to deliver 104 matches.
Stretching across 16 venues in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, each game was delivered in UHD HDR while generating close to 9,000 hours of content.
This level of production required distributed media infrastructure and teams on an unprecedented scale.
JPEG XS and ST 2110 formed the backbone of the contribution network that made the necessary decentralisation of the system possible. Host Broadcast Services (HBS) delivered every game across the host nations.
While local, venue-based production was used with 16 local production teams, HBS centralised replay, graphics, camera shading, and audio mixing at the International Broadcast Centre in Dallas, USA. Post-production was also centralised in the non-live production hub in London, where editorial teams produced highlights, features, and digital content for worldwide distribution.
The extended stadium feed, which served as the primary programme feed, was transported uncompressed using ST 2110 in UHD resolution from venues to the IBC. With approximately 45 cameras per stadium and network capacity constrained to 100 Gb per redundant transport path, with additional feeds carried using JPEG XS.
Operating at around 10:1 compression, the video technology significantly reduces bandwidth consumption while preserving visual quality and maintaining sub-frame latency. Its native integration within ST 2110 environments also allows compressed and uncompressed streams to coexist seamlessly within the same workflow.
Many games were played under changing daylight conditions, requiring continuous image adjustments to maintain a consistent visual appearance. By transporting camera signals with the JPEG XS, operators based in Dallas were able to monitor and control cameras located thousands of kilometres away while preserving the responsiveness required for live production.
Low latency was also important for commentary workflows, forwarding return feeds back to the venues using JPEG XS to keep latency to an absolute minimum. This allows commentators to follow the programme output while minimising any perceptible delay relative to the live action unfolding before them.
JPEG XS also played a role in the postproduction chain, ensuring that live content transported from Dallas to the non-live production hub in London reduced the bandwidth requirements of the transatlantic connection without compromising on video quality and the timing consistency needed for editing workflows.
Once ingested, completed content packages could then be distributed using file-based delivery over standard IP networks.
For global live distribution, right holders received content in an SDI format, where many broadcasters subsequently encoded these signals using JPEG XS for contribution back to their own facilities. The codec’s low-latency characteristics helped to maintain synchronisation between the host broadcast feed, on-site commentary positions, and additional content generated in remote studio environments. This enables more flexible production models without compromising the viewer experience.
This system enabled low-latency transport of video throughout a vast, intercontinental distribution infrastructure, allowing HBS to centralise specialist operations, optimise resources, and maintain a production standard across 16 venues and three countries.