**Fox Sports Enhances 2025 World Series Broadcast with Cutting-Edge AR and Audio Technology**
Viewers tuning into the 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays have experienced an enriched television broadcast like never before. Fox Sports is leveraging new augmented reality (AR) features and enhanced audio effects in Major League Baseball’s ongoing effort to attract a larger audience to the sport—one that has seen numerous technological advancements in recent years.
According to tvtechnology.com, this year’s World Series telecasts feature drone-based AR graphics, Ump Cam pitch tracking, and improved audio from the newly enlarged bases. The Blue Jays secured a commanding 11-4 victory in Game 1, with Game 2 scheduled for October 25.
### Fox Sports Equipped with Advanced Camera Technology
In a recent interview with Tv Tech, Brad Cheney, vice president of field operations and engineering at Fox Sports, offered insights into the extensive media setup prepared for the World Series.
“We’re in a place with those smaller, portable cameras where they match exactly with everything else,” Cheney explained. “They just look like another part of the puzzle of what we’re doing.”
Fox Sports is deploying a comprehensive camera array typical for major sporting events. Alongside 20 operated cameras—including 10 high-speed units—the network is utilizing two RF MOVI systems, three point-of-view (POV) cameras, a Flycam at Dodger Stadium, two Phantom high-speed cameras, drone cams (two in Toronto), DirtCAM, and an Ump Cam.
The integration of smaller and robotic cameras allows production teams to capture scenes from previously less-exposed areas of the ballpark, such as batting cages and tunnels in the locker room. This expanded coverage offers fans a more immersive and detailed viewing experience.
“As we get into these postseason games, we’re starting to see things you don’t necessarily see a lot in the regular season, like batters coming in for one at-bat,” Cheney said. “These cameras give us a good view into that.”
### Augmented Reality and Ump Cam Deliver Unique Perspectives
While AR technology has appeared in MLB broadcasts before, this year’s World Series marks the debut of AR combined with drone footage. During the postseason, MLB permits drone flights inside stadiums only when teams are off the field.
Fox Sports developed a comprehensive AR graphics package to be used intermittently during these drone-camera moments. Cheney noted, “We spend about half an hour every day tracking the drone around in different spots to make sure that we can visually lock that in, and then we work with MLB and the Bolt6 [optical tracking] team to actually drop those graphics in.”
Another exciting innovation is the Ump Cam, a camera affixed to the umpire’s head that provides viewers with a first-person perspective of pitches crossing the plate.
“We’ve seen some amazing shots from the Ump Cam the entire run—watching the tilt of the umpire’s head following a home run ball,” Cheney shared. “Now, we’re seeing pitch tracking on it that actually gives the viewer another detailed point of view of how difficult it is to hit some of those pitches.”
This technology powers features such as Swing Tracker and Umpire PitchTrack, which display strike zones in real time. Looking ahead, MLB plans to implement an automated ball-strike challenge system in 2026, allowing players to challenge umpire calls on balls and strikes.
### Enhanced Audio Experience from Larger Bases
Starting in the 2023 season, MLB approved the use of larger bases, increasing their dimensions from 15×15 inches to 18×18 inches at first, second, and third base. This seemingly simple change has brought an unexpected improvement to broadcast audio.
“When you listen to the World Series, you really do hear players moving around the bases a lot more than we ever have before,” Cheney observed. “To a large extent, that’s because the bases are larger. You’re getting more sound quality coming out of them, not because we put bigger mics in them. It’s the same system in there, but because there’s more movement of air and more size to it, we’re getting a better sound of what’s happening.”
The increased size reduces compression when players stand on the bases, adding a noticeable “give” that enhances sound quality.
For this year’s World Series broadcast, Fox Sports will utilize a total of 53 effects microphones, supplemented by three parabolic microphones, to deliver an immersive auditory experience.
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With these technological advancements, Fox Sports continues to push the boundaries of sports broadcasting, providing baseball fans with an enriched, engaging way to experience the excitement of the World Series.
https://heavy.com/sports/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/fox-ar-augmented-reality-world-series/