The World Cup is the most-watched sporting event on the planet. The 2018 World Cup in Russia saw a record-breaking audience of 3.5 billion people, and the upcoming 2022 version hosted by Qatar is expected to be watched by five billion people.

For sports broadcasters and media outlets, it is a hugely busy but rewarding time. It is an event that provides so much content to drive and engage audiences, but it’s also very competitive.

Organizations need to share clips – wonder goals, spectacular saves, red cards, and more – quickly and securely, internally and externally. But 4K video files are massive, and they are getting bigger all the time, placing enormous pressure on broadcasters’ networks and bandwidth.

A Fast File Transfer solution can not only handle these large files but also send them to their destination in minutes rather than hours.

The Nature of Modern Sports Broadcasting

Sports broadcasting has changed dramatically over the last decade. There has been a movement to give audiences the best viewing experience and to do so as quickly as possible. Technology has evolved to support those goals.

Video resolution is constantly increasing, from HD to 4K. The higher the resolution, the better the viewing experience, but it also means that file sizes grow larger too.

This is a challenge because there is more file-sharing than ever before for sports broadcasters. Not only do they have to show the matches and replay key moments, but there is tremendous pressure to produce and edit clips for use in social media and marketing. This needs to be done almost immediately.

Any sports broadcaster, therefore, needs a file transfer solution that can move those files quickly, securely, and reliably – transferring terabytes of HD video across global networks within minutes. This means fast file transfer.

Related Reading: Check out our Fast File Calculator

What is Fast File Transfer?

Fast file transfer has emerged as a way of transferring massive files quickly and securely. These are solutions hundreds of times faster than traditional file transfer methods.

Fast file transfer is much more efficient due to its use of file transfer acceleration technology, which allows for the speed and agility of UDP with reduced delays and increased reliability.

Speed will be of the essence during the 2022 World Cup, but security and reliability of file transfer are also vital. No broadcaster wants to slow down video clip sharing, and they want every file to be transferred with the highest levels of security. This means deploying the very best Fast File Transfer solution.

FileCatalyst and the 2022 World Cup – Accept no Substitute

FileCatalyst is an Emmy® award-winning accelerated file transfer solution that will be a crucial player for sports broadcasters and media outlets during the World Cup or any sporting event. It’s a solution that was used by NBC Sports at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, by leading Spanish soccer team Real Madrid, and a whole host of other sporting teams and occasions.

As this World Cup will be so big and widely watched, an effective fast file transfer is essential. FileCatalyst is hundreds of times faster than traditional FTP, and moves data using custom protocols, resulting in reduced delays and increased reliability.

Furthermore, it’s designed to continually send new and updated files without interruption, meaning sports broadcasters have complete reassurance that the files they share will arrive quickly and without any hold-ups. FileCatalyst also supports a high level of concurrency, which is useful for broadcasters with multiple cameras filming or who may be covering several games.

FileCatalyst also lets users track their transfers, with a 360-degree view of their entire deployment and ensures they can prioritize the most urgent transfers. It’s a solution that fits seamlessly into existing workflow systems, allowing users to schedule and automate transfers. Its security measures – based on industry-standard encryption using AES and SSL certificates – mean that file transfers remain private.

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The 2022 World Cup will be one of the most-watched events in sporting history. For its duration, sports broadcasters will be sharing more large video files than ever. This requires a state-of-the-art fast file transfer solution.

If you work in the media or sports broadcasting, request a free trial of FileCatalyst and see for yourself how effective the solution can be for your organization.