FOX Sports has selected Appear as a strategic technology partner for the next stage of its live sports production infrastructure.
The broadcaster is using Appear’s X Platform to support remote production, premium live events, and large-scale IP workflows.
According to the announcement, the rollout builds on an earlier deployment and now extends across three parts of the FOX Sports production operation. These include the HRP REMI environment, a standards-based IP workflow for major soccer coverage in summer 2026, and the Jewel Events production system.
Appear and FOX Sports build a common production base
The companies say these deployments create one shared technology base for different production models. As a result, FOX Sports can support workflows that range from field kits and mobile units to large national live events.
Rob Rees, Vice President of Live Production Engineering at FOX Sports, said the broadcaster is using Appear across REMI workflows, Jewel Events productions, and summer 2026 soccer coverage to build a more flexible production architecture. He said FOX Sports needs the ability to choose the right compression and transport method for each venue while keeping performance and reliability at a high level.
HRP REMI refresh with Appear
FOX Sports is also refreshing the infrastructure used by Home Run Productions. The company says this update replaces older contribution and processing systems across field kits, mobile production trucks, and smaller deployments.
Appear says its platform supports both JPEG XS and low-latency HEVC on one system. Therefore, FOX Sports can keep a more consistent production model across many live sports while still adjusting codec choice and bandwidth use when needed.
Summer 2026 soccer workflow
For a major global soccer event in the Americas in summer 2026, FOX Sports will deploy a REMI workflow based on SMPTE ST 2110 and JPEG XS. The companies say this standards-based design will support ultra-low-latency contribution for 104 live matches across 39 days.
According to the announcement, the workflow is intended to adapt more easily between venues with different connectivity conditions. In turn, FOX Sports can keep one overall production approach across the event.
Jewel Events production system
Appear technology is also being deployed inside the FOX Sports Jewel Events production system. The companies say this part of the rollout is aimed at the broadcaster’s highest-profile national live broadcasts.
According to the announcement, the platform provides a scalable and robust processing foundation for those productions.
X20 and X5 deployment across FOX Sports
Across the rollout, FOX Sports is using Appear X20 platforms in HRP and Jewel environments. At the same time, the broadcaster is using Appear X5 systems for commentator workflows.
The companies say the X5 gives FOX Sports a compact contribution solution for distributed production. It allows remotely located commentators to receive live feeds and deliver synchronized commentary with ultra-low latency.
Flexible workflows for different venues
Appear says FOX Sports can use one platform to choose the best workflow for each production environment. Depending on venue conditions, the broadcaster can work with ultra-low-latency JPEG XS over SMPTE ST 2110 or shift to HEVC and SRT for more limited or variable networks.
As a result, production teams can keep more consistent workflows even when venue connectivity changes.
Long-term value beyond summer 2026
The companies say FOX Sports plans to reuse the same infrastructure after the summer 2026 soccer event. Future use is expected across other major national broadcasts, including American football and baseball.
Ed McGivern, President and General Manager of Appear US, said FOX Sports is showing how major broadcasters are updating live production infrastructure. He said a single high-performance platform allows the broadcaster to scale from compact field kits to large premium sports events.
