Super Bowl LVII: FOX Tech Center in Tempe helps broadcast the big game to the world
TEMPE, Ariz. - Putting on a Super Bowl is a huge production, not only at State Farm Stadium in Glendale (the site for Super Bowl LVII), but everything it takes to get the game onto TV screens and digital devices.
The technology that allows that to happen runs through a building that is tucked inside the City of Tempe.
FOX Tech Center is the brain center that keeps all FOX content coming to TVs and digital screens, 24/7. It can be likened to a military command center, with the high-tech vibe of Apple or Google.
"People walk in here young. Engineers and data scientists and video professionals," said Jeff Dow, Executive Vice President of Media and Broadcast Operations.
Dow started as a tech guy in the military, which is, in a way, the perfect training ground for the tech center, as it consists of a small army of smart people who run super high-tech machines.
Every pixel of FOX content, from scripted shows, reality television, sports, streaming and more, runs through the $200 million building.
There are 2,000 screens at the Tech Center, monitored by 300 sets of eyes. There's enough wire to wrap around the world twice.
In case things really go wrong, like a blackout, the huge generators can turn on in less than a minute, and run the operation for up to 30 days.
Beyond the daily juggle, there's also the occasional huge event, like the Super Bowl, which requires all hands on deck, collecting the sights and sounds of the big game, along with the eye-catching commercials, and sending it out seamlessly to the rest of the world.
Besides the Super Bowl, the Tech Center has already handled 50,000 live events a year, including the World Series and the World Cup.
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