LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, FOX Sports, the official English-language broadcaster of the 2018 FIFA World Cup™, celebrates the milestone 100-days to the tournament’s kickoff in Russia. In honor of the occasion, the network is unveiling its original theme song “Where Angels Fear to Tread,” and featuring company-wide coverage and initiatives across all FOX Networks Group channels, including television, digital and social platforms.
For its first men’s FIFA World Cup™ presentation, airing on FOX and FS1 from June 14-July 15, FOX Sports partnered with Russian neoclassical pianist and composer Kirill Richter to create “Where Angels Fear to Tread,” the network’s original theme song. Influenced by Russia’s rich culture, Richter’s composition is comprised of bold, complex and emotionally-charged passages using a 23-piece orchestra, featuring strings, trumpets, cornets and a piano. The piece was recorded in Moscow for what is expected to be the summer’s most-anticipated sporting event.
“Today, we celebrate another milestone in our journey to Russia,” said David Neal, Executive Producer of FIFA World Cup™ on FOX and Vice President of Production for FOX Sports. “We are delighted to kick off the celebration by unveiling Kirill’s extraordinary FOX Sports World Cup theme music, rolling out the digital and social campaigns and implementing company-wide initiatives, helping to build momentum before the tournament begins on June 14.”
Renowned Russian musician, producer and DJ, Leonid Rudenko will also join FOX Sports for the tournament as the resident DJ of WORLD CUP TONIGHT, the nightly recap show hosted by two-time, Emmy award-winning broadcaster Fernando Fiore.
FOX Sports’ Emmy award-winning features team will produce 100 FIFA World Cup™ features, and video essays, premiering on June 14 during coverage of the opening match. These pieces provide audiences with a one-of-kind storytelling journeys of the most compelling and inspiring athletes and teams participating in the tournament. In collaboration with National Geographic and its elite team of photographers, and journalists, 32 features place the spotlight on Russia’s picturesque cities, culture and people.
In recognition of the 100-day mark from the beginning of the tournament, Russian journalist and FOX Sports reporter Maria Komandnaya will be in Moscow’s iconic Red Square – the site of FOX Sports’ FIFA World Cup™ studio set this summer -- as part of the primetime promotional “road block” airing across the FOX Network Group broadcast and cable networks including FOX, FS1, FX, National Geographic, local FOX affiliates, Regional Sports Networks and FOX Deportes. The :30 second spot is expected to run at 8:00 PM ET. FOX Sports will be the only network in the world with a standalone studio set in Red Square at this summer’s FIFA World Cup™.
In addition, FOX Sports’ digital team kicks off a robust FIFA World Cup™ campaign with the “100 Most Memorable FIFA World Cup™ Moments” countdown and a weekly minute-long Road to Russia segment featuring this year’s FIFA World Cup™ hopefuls. Key digital highlights for the month-long tournament will include, for the first-time ever, instant native highlights on Twitter for every single goal of the FIFA World Cup™, plus a live show every match day from Red Square hosted by Rachel Bonnetta. Additional offerings include, Snapchat FOX Sports Publisher Stories, chronicling the day-to-day drama of the tournament, and a series of Our Stories, featuring a combination of fan-generated and FOX Sports broadcast highlights. FOXSports.com will feature a dedicated World Cup index page with a fan guide, and special Red Square editions of “Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union” podcast. All matches will be available live on FOX Sports GO, with special pregame content on “Who You Got?,” and postgame highlights “90’ in 90’” distributed across FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports App and FOX Sports’ social handles, set to launch around the first match on June 13.
Additional highlights of the network’s 100-day celebration:
- U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Alexi Lalas, two-time Emmy award-winning broadcaster Fernando Fiore and renowned studio host Rob Stone will ring NASDAQ’s opening bell at 9:30 AM ET
- World Cup digital billboard in Times Square
- World Cup dedicated promo airing across FOX, FS1, FS2, FX, FXX, FXM, National Geographic, National Geo Wild, FOX Deportes, Regional Sports Networks, FOX affiliates
- World Cup tickers, bugs/watermarks and snipes will run across FOX Network Group
- :60 World Cup supertease on social and digital
All FOX soccer information, including biographies, photographs and archived press releases are available on FOX Sports Press Pass.
