How Does Video Distribution Work for the 2026 World Cup? Why SRT is Replacing Satellite

Photo by José Castillo / Unsplash

Are you curious about how the video signal from the World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada travels from the stadiums to television headquarters, and ultimately to your TV screens, smartphones, or other end devices? If so, I might disappoint you. Detailed information regarding the shape of the distribution infrastructure is not commonly accessible, especially before the tournament kicks off. When information does surface, it tends to be very brief and generic. However, this is hardly surprising. Comprehensive breakdowns of network routes and technologies are subject to non-disclosure agreements, represent valuable corporate know-how, and, last but not least, are crucial for the security of the entire operation.<br>Most reports on how signals reach broadcast centers essentially boil down to two options: via satellite, or using the SRT IP protocol. While satellite distribution is a time-tested, well-established method and most of you will have at least a rough idea of how it works, SRT represents a relatively new and still poorly documented solution.<br>If you want to know how the principles of SRT distribution work in practice, you have come to the right place.<br>General signal transmission over SRTWorld Cup 2026 Content Distribution via SRT<br>As I have already mentioned, comprehensive and detailed information just days before the tournament starts is virtually non-existent. Or perhaps I simply haven't searched thoroughly enough.<br>Let’s put our heads together, apply some reverse engineering, and reconstruct a likely model of the distribution network based on available sources and fragmented pieces of information. We will map out how such a signal transmission could look in reality and over time, we might just see how close we came to the truth.<br>What Do We Know About the World Cup and the Technologies Being Used?<br>Let’s summarize the facts that can be gathered from public sources. The heart of the entire football championship will be the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Dallas. The IBC plays several critical roles. In addition to providing facilities for journalists, rights holders, television studios, and other technical and production teams, it functions primarily as the main signal hub.<br>All signals from every stadium converge at the IBC. Ranging from the main international program (World Feed) and VAR system feeds to commentary positions and individual television networks' unilateral feeds. From the IBC’s perspective, the process of bringing signals into the venue from the stadiums is referred to as signal contribution . Conversely, the signals that the IBC delivers to rights holders based either directly inside the centre or anywhere else across the globe are considered distribution .<br>IBC Dallas, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Image source: dallasfwc26.comA major role will be played by the American company Verizon, the official telecommunications partner of the tournament. Their task is to provide the complete network infrastructure and connectivity. Verizon is building what is called the Broadcast Contribution Network (BCN), a dedicated network that will reliably connect all stadiums directly to the IBC in Dallas, enabling the secure transmission of video signals and data.<br>Another valuable source of information is HBS (Host Broadcast Services), which, as the host broadcaster, is fully responsible for the technical and production delivery of the entire championship. HBS is behind the construction of the IBC and the playout of multimedia content. Looking at the current job openings on their official website (where they are searching for positions like Cloud Broadcast Engineers), one can clearly read between the lines regarding the growing requirements for expertise in cloud architecture and the SRT protocol within a live production environment.<br>The final crucial clue comes from a statement made by Oscar Sanchez (Head of Host Broadcast Production at FIFA) for SVG Europe magazine. He confirmed that content distribution will concurrently utilize both satellite broadcasting and the SRT protocol. SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) is a technology that enables low-latency, reliable, and secure video signal transmission over any IP network including the public internet. You can learn more about SRT here:<br>The End of Expensive Broadcasting. Why the Future of Live Feeds Belongs to SRT<br>Do you need to transport a live feed from a sports venue to the television station’s headquarters? Do you need to deliver a linear TV channel from the studio to a distribution network? Or perhaps send a remote camera feed halfway across the world straight into the master control room?<br>Video Infrastructure MagazineLukas Marek

Virtualization and SDN (Software-Defined Networking) go hand in hand with signal transmission over IP infrastructure. Software-defined networks represent a modern approach to designing and...