FOX Sports has teamed up with National Geographic to complement its coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will be shown on US television.
National Geographic Channel, which is owned by 21st Century FOX, will collaborate with FOX Sports to help create features, vignettes and bumpers that will try to capture Russia’s diversity, culture and scenery. Under the collaboration, FOX Sports will have access to National Geographic’s photographers, videographers, journalists, mapmakers and graphic artists.
“Our goal is to take advantage of the substantial editorial access our colleagues at National Geographic have already established in Russia, which will clearly add a depth and texture to our storytelling,” said Eric Shanks, FOX Sports President and Chief Executive Officer.
For the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup last summer, FOX Sports readied more than 60 features that aired throughout the tournament. Similar coverage, though expanded to reflect the World Cup’s greater number of teams, players and matches, is expected in 2018.
SEE MORE: Review of FOX’s Women’s World Cup TV coverage
“National Geographic has experienced journalists on the ground throughout Russia who will collaborate with our Emmy Award-winning sports producers and videographers to develop a much deeper level of content,” added Shanks. “This collaboration should provide unparalleled storytelling we can use in many of the World Cup-related programs and digital offerings currently in development.”
Early plans include a National Geographic hosted and curated consumer expedition to the World Cup; feature stories for National Geographic Magazine and National Geographic Traveler; a guide and special edition magazines devoted to the World Cup as well as Russian culture and history; utilization of National Geographic’s extensive social reach and platforms and creation of digital and on-air maps covering the region.
