The FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™, presented by Fox Sports, drew to a
close recently, with a total of 26.7 million viewers tuning into the month-long
tournament, including Telemundo viewers. Kicking off studio coverage in
Vancouver, the network selected DPA Microphones’ d:fine™ Headset Microphones to
provide the ultimate in sound for broadcasts from the field and remote studios. The
tournament began on June 6, with the final match taking place on July 5 at
Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium where the United States defeated Japan to win the
coveted trophy.

Using outdoor remote studios in each of the six host cities made equipment
selection essential. “The environments that we were in were very loud, especially at
home base, which had an active sea plane terminal directly behind it,’ explains
Kevin Callahan, Fox Sports Technical Director, World Cup. “We selected the dual-ear
d:fine first and foremost for its excellent wind and noise rejection. The versatility of
the mic was also important as there were many instances when the presenters,
many of whom are former professional soccer players, would give on-screen soccer
demonstrations.’

In order to adequately cover the increased number of matches, in a mainly outdoor
environment, a d:fine mic was used for each of the 16 presenters to capture the
audio commentary from this complex event. In addition to the live broadcast, the
event was also recorded for playback on the FIFA and FOX websites.

Additionally, the overall design of the d:fine allowed Callahan and his team to more
effectively hide the mics on the presenters to avoid them being an eye sore on
screen. “The d:fines are very small and come in a variety of colors, so those both
proved useful to concealing them on the presenters,’ adds Callahan. “The small
form-factor of the d:fines also provided added comfort during the grinding
production schedule. This lightweight and intuitive design was critical to our
broadcast schedule, which, particularly in the very beginning, had us on the air for
90 hours per week, which meant the talent was wearing them that entire time. This
was the first time many of them had worn a microphone like this, so they weren’t
used to it, but they thought they were very comfortable. Our regular presenters
thought that they were better than the other solutions that they’ve worn in the
past.’