EVENT SPOTLIGHT: 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP

Field to feed: SMT assists the World Cup from fiber backbone to final score 

Thanks to Jeff Carella, Sr. BDM; Brian Wulber, Corp. VP, Ops; Lee Brinson, VP, Client Services; Jeremy Tully, Technician, Manufacturing and Facilities Ops; and Susana Martinez, Field Technician, for contributing to this report. Thanks to Jeremy and Susana for sharing photos. Thanks to Video Editor Shaun Bales for the highlight reel.

This summer, while the eyes of the world are on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, SMT is playing a dual role both behind the scenes at stadiums and inside the broadcasts millions of fans are watching. From powering IPTV services at Hospitality Villages in Mexico to delivering the iconic scorebug for Telemundo's historic Spanish-language coverage, SMT is making an impact all over the tournament.

BROADCAST: Powering Telemundo's Historic Coverage

Imagine watching sports without a scorebug. Before the mid-to-late 1990s, that constant on-air clock-and-score graphic simply didn't exist — and its origin traces back to SMT. For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, we're continuing that legacy by powering the scorebug for Telemundo's Spanish-language broadcast.

SMT is also collaborating with NBCUniversal to support Siguiendo el Mundial, a second-screen experience on Telemundo built for Spanish-speaking fans. Using SMT's broadcast tools, on-air talent can watch and comment on matches while displaying live stats, lineups, standings, and match graphs in customizable layouts. Operators can switch between panels and surface different insights throughout the game, creating a more interactive, data-driven viewing experience.

Telemundo is the exclusive Spanish-language home of the World Cup in the U.S., delivering 700 hours of programming from June 11 to July 19 — the most ever for a Spanish-language World Cup presentation in the country. Coverage includes all 104 matches live, with 92 airing free over-the-air on Telemundo and 12 on Universo, marking the most FIFA World Cup matches ever aired on a U.S. broadcast network, regardless of language.

Telemundo Center, the network's state-of-the-art headquarters in Miami, serves as the heartbeat of production, complemented by a presence across host cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The Telemundo Deportes Ahora FAST Channel — available on Peacock, Xumo, Roku, Prime Video, TCL, Google TV, Comcast, the NBC News FAST hub, and Telemundo.com — also features Siguiendo el Mundial as part of its lineup.

SMT VP of Client Services Lee Brinson summed up the team's work on the project:

"We're very proud of the work we've put into the match graph as well as NBC Universal's vision for it."

Jaime Peñalosa Chapaprieta, Sr. Manager of Graphics & Technology at NBCU Telemundo, echoed that sentiment:

"Thank you, Lee, and team for the hard work — definitely something to be proud of."

A Record-Breaking Tournament

The FIFA World Cup is the world's most-watched sporting event, and this year is no exception. Telemundo and Peacock are drawing historic, record-breaking viewership, with the group stage averaging a Total Audience Delivery of 4.6 million viewers, a 122 percent surge over 2022. Streaming on Peacock accounts for 44 percent of that viewership, up 251 percent from the previous tournament.

A few standout milestones from the coverage SMT helps power:

• Mexico vs. South Korea drew 14.0 million viewers (7.2 million on linear television), making it the most-watched soccer match in Spanish-language media history. The USMNT's opening match against Paraguay also set records for Team USA on Spanish-language television.
• England vs. Mexico, a thrilling 3-2 England victory, drew a preliminary audience of 23.1 million — one of the highest-rated telecasts in U.S. Spanish-language television history.
• Nearly 50% of all World Cup watchers in the U.S. are choosing to watch in Spanish on Telemundo, and Nielsen reports that 20% of Telemundo's World Cup viewers speak English as their primary language.

ON-SITE: Powering the Fan Experience for Safari and OnLocation 

SMT's on-site footprint stretched well beyond Mexico. On May 28, SMT's Fremont team assisted with network installation ahead of the first game and stayed on to provide support, wrapping up at SF Bay Area Stadium on July 1.

By the time the team arrived on-site, most of the large-scale fiber runs and splicing had already been completed. SMT stepped in to provide additional network installation labor, working alongside Safari, Clair, and other contractors to label, test, and pull fiber. The team also terminated Cat5 cabling to and from network cabinets, switches, and wireless access points across the venue to ensure maximum coverage in places like:

• The fan experience zone
• The main production offices built outside the rear of the stadium
• The commentators' desks
• All sides of the pitch, for photographers and media personnel
• The 8th floor VIP area, for additional photographers and team-specific management and crew
• The locker rooms, for interviews
• And several other spots around the stadium for announcers and photographers — including the rooftop garden area

The on-site work was carried out by Jeremy Tully, Susana Martinez (both pictured above), Fahni Powe and Martin Cervantes. For Jeremy, one moment stood out above the rest:

"The most interesting thing that happened, at least for me, was that each of the SMT team on-site was able to be on the pitch at some point during the games. Being on ground level is an experience to truly appreciate!"

To learn more about how this partnership came about, we asked SMT Sr. BDM Jeff Carella:

Q. Can you explain the products SMT is providing on behalf of Safari?

SMT is providing IPTV services on behalf of Safari for OnLocation at the Hospitality Villages outside the Mexico City and Guadalajara stadiums. Beyond that, SMT's NHL contract workers are playing critical roles in deploying IT services across many stadiums throughout North America. That effort is being managed by Jason Worden, SMT's NHL Production Manager, who is coordinating the use of SMT labor across U.S. and Canada. SMT has multiple staff members in every location handling a variety of onsite roles, mostly focused on IT infrastructure, in support of the different services Safari is providing for FIFA.

Q. What's SMT's history with Safari? How did this business come together?

Safari is a key vendor for the PGA TOUR, USGA, and LIV Golf, and SMT has worked alongside them at many of those events over the years, growing the relationship along the way. Safari and Clair Global won an RFP with OnLocation to provide WiFi and IPTV services for the World Cup, and Safari knew SMT is an industry leader in IPTV deployment so they brought us in to help shoulder the load.

Q. Which cities is SMT supporting?

Mexico City and Guadalajara for IPTV specifically. Under the broader deal, SMT staff are present in many additional stadiums across North America.

What does staffing look like?

• Peter Kuerst — Project Manager, CDMX IPTV
• Jake Stillwell — Lead Network Engineer, CDMX
• Saif Islam — Project Manager, Guadalajara
• Shamori Ricketts — Lead Network Engineer, Guadalajara

SMT has also partnered with RubikPro, a Mexico-based A/V company, to provide televisions, mounts, and support — a relationship built over many years working together on the WWT Championship and the Mexico Open.

Q. Anything else worth sharing?

Safari is projecting a similar RFP and process with OnLocation for LA2028, so this World Cup engagement is meaningful exposure for SMT with a major client like OnLocation. As SMT becomes more established with OnLocation and its processes, it could open doors to future opportunities, including the Olympics.

The rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony of the Qatar vs. Switzerland FIFA World Cup game took place Saturday, June 13, at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara. The historic Group B game ended in a dramatic 1-1 draw in front of 67,966 fans. Qatar scored a dramatic 94th-minute header, securing the first-ever World Cup point in Qatar's history.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: NASCAR ELEVATION FEATURE

New graphic feature brings NASCAR's elevation changes to life

Thanks to Nick Rider, VP, Technical Support, and Paulus Weemaes, Director, Motorsports, for contributing to this report and to Video Editor Shaun Bales for the highlight reel.

For TNT Sports' first NASCAR race of the 2026 season at Sonoma Raceway, SMT introduced a brand-new graphic that gave fans a perspective they've never seen before: live elevation change throughout a lap.

Known for its rolling terrain, Sonoma features 160 feet of elevation change, the most of any NASCAR track. Thanks to a collaborative effort between SMT's Fremont and Durham teams, viewers could now see exactly how much elevation a car gained and lost as it navigated the circuit.

The project combined highly accurate XYZ vehicle position data with LIDAR surveys of the racetrack to calculate each car's live elevation. Fremont engineering developed the underlying elevation model and data, while Durham engineering implemented a real-time elevation output for TNT's broadcast.

To make the graphic intuitive for viewers, the data was normalized to begin at zero at the start/finish line rather than displaying elevation above sea level. This gave fans an easy-to-understand baseline for comparing the dramatic climbs and descents around the track.

"The excitement around this project was that it was something fans had never seen before," said Nick Rider, Vice President of Technical Support. "Being able to debut it at Sonoma—NASCAR's track with the greatest elevation change—made it the perfect place to introduce the feature."

The successful launch was the result of close collaboration between engineering and operations teams across Durham and Fremont, with Nick Rider leading the project. Looking ahead, the team hopes to expand the graphic to additional road courses such as Circuit of The Americas and Watkins Glen, while also exploring new ways to visualize racing lines and vehicle position at high-speed oval tracks.

IN THE NEWS: FRONT OFFICE SPORTS

In an Era of $1,000 Tickets, $10 Watch Parties Bring Die-Hard Fans Together

By Jake Kring-Schreifels, Front Office Sports
Jun 26, 2026 

Teams are competing against an increasingly comfortable at-home viewing experience. With bigger TVs, immersive sound systems, instant replays, and second-screen engagement, fans have more reasons than ever to stay home during a playoff run. Watch parties succeed by offering something living rooms and even local bars can’t: communal die-hard energy, shared, one-sided emotion, and being part of something bigger than the game itself.

As such, pro sports teams now routinely open their own venues for watch parties during road playoff games. With discounted tickets and parking, fans priced out of home games get the rare chance to experience the postseason from inside their team’s arena or stadium, celebrating or commiserating with thousands of fellow diehards.

These nights—recently hosted by the San Antonio Spurs, Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, and Los Angeles Rams—often feature DJs, merchandise giveaways, food trucks, and full concessions, creating an atmosphere that can rival the energy of an actual home game. And they’re only getting bigger thanks to technological enhancements and more dynamic video boards. What began as a consolation experience has increasingly become its own hot-ticket event—especially for fan bases starving for a title. 

Hometown Parties, High-Energy Crowds

The watch-party craze traces back to at least the mid-2000s, when teams like the Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins first opened their venues’ lower bowls for road playoff games. Back in 2006, as Carolina marched toward a Stanley Cup, the concept attracted a modest but devoted cluster of fans. Two decades later, that once-scrappy gathering inside the Lenovo Center has morphed into a sold-out event, with production value and crowd energy that can rival the real thing.

Throughout this year’s Stanley Cup run, the Hurricanes provided discounted concession items, free rally towels, and free parking for anyone with a $10 reserved seat. Inside the sold-out 18,000 capacity arena, the team’s in-house DJ took advantage of a less-regulated game presentation, timing beats to various light shows and goal-scoring P.A. announcements. But the biggest upgrade was its application of Sprites, a player tracking system developed by Durham-based SportsMedia Technology, which projected the game’s movement onto the ice in tandem with the broadcast. 

According to Matt Sutor, the Hurricanes’ VP of marketing and brand strategy, the new feature was an easy way to enhance the viewing experience and make the party feel different from other team-run events taking place outside the arena and in downtown Raleigh. “You don’t get a chance to do this for a live hockey game,” he says. “So it allows us to branch out and explore some new technology, feature a local company, and the fans are really taking to it.”

RECRUITMENT SPOTLIGHT: WF UNIVERSITY SUMMER IMMERSION PROGRAM

Wake Forest University's Summer Immersion program bridges generations at SMT

On June 30, SMT hosted the technology cohort of Wake Forest University’s Summer Immersion program, which gives high schoolers the opportunity to explore careers from a variety of disciplines. 

For the initiative’s fourth visit to SMT’s headquarters, 24 students received a behind-the-scenes look at several departments. The tour included an overview of ROOSTER’s player and puck remote broadcast operations (with Michael Louthan), systems and operations technology demonstrations (with Tyler Novak, Pete Martinkus, and Marcus Brown) along with discussions on 6th Tool technology and the SMT Data Challenge (with Andrew Steenkamer and Meredith Wills). 

The partnership began with a connection between Wake Forest University’s Paul Whitener, Associate Director of Digital Fabrication and Maker Education, and Business Development Manager Elizabeth Hall. Paul previously co-taught a robotics course she attended, and the two remained in contact throughout her time at Wake Forest.

When Paul began leading the technology institute for the immersion program, SMT stood out as a place where students could see how technology is applied across a wide range of roles. 

“I knew that SMT would be a great place to show students technology where they wouldn’t have thought of," he said. 

Paul later connected with Recruiter Kenny Bores, who now helps coordinate each visit. Paul praised Kenny for creating engaging experiences that consistently resonate with students.

“He takes care of us every time we come in, and has great things planned for the students to see,” Paul said. “It’s honestly, in the end-of-the-week surveys, one of the students’ favorite trips.”

During TVA’s Stanley Cup Final broadcast, he contributed Live OPTICS using nontraditional camera angles for the first time, relying exclusively on SkyCam and high-end zone views rather than the standard game camera. “It was really cool being able to offer TVA new camera angles and they really enjoyed them,” Levi stated. 

Levi also credited ROOSTER’s collaborative environment with accelerating his development. By watching others make broadcast packages, he gained new production techniques, describing the importance of "picking up on what other people do and adding it to your repertoire." 

Together, Paul and Levi Whitener illustrate the purpose of the Summer Immersion program. While Paul introduces students to possibilities they may not have previously considered, Levi’s experience at SMT exemplifies how those opportunities can evolve into meaningful work supporting some of sports’ biggest events. Combined with the insights shared by SMT employees throughout the day, the visit offered students an inside look at the people, innovations, and career paths that power the sports technology industry.

— By Ashley Rabinowitz, Marketing Intern

NOMINATE A COLLEAGUE (OR YOURSELF!)

Click here to anonymously nominate someone to be featured in Talent Spotlight!

Events and Remote Teams

We are staffing 21 events this week. Safe travels to all!

Content in Oculus is proprietary and should not be shared outside of SMT without permission.