The World Games 2025: ISB Shares Bold Production Plans for 12th Edition of the Multi-sport Event
Fans can stream the event live on the Games’ new OTT platform
Story Highlights
The 12th edition of The World Games – which opened Thursday night in Chengdu, China – will see the world’s greatest athletes in sport disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games compete over the next 11 days. And host broadcaster International Sports Broadcasting (ISB) has plenty of bold production plans and technological innovation planned for the event. For example, live coverage will be produced from almost all of the 34 sports across 27 venues in the city, rather than focusing on semi-finals and finals as has been the case with previous events. In addition, fans of athletics can for the first time stream the event live on the Games’ new over the top (OTT) platform – The World Games Live.
At SVG Europe’s Sport Production Innovation Summit in June, ISB’s Ursula Romero, Greg Breakell and Sofia Zhuang shared details of this year’s production plans as they prepared for the festivities in Chengdu:
ISB also worked with Ztudium Group to bring The World Games Live app to life. The app had its first test during The World Games Series in Hong Kong last October, covering three sports: Cheerleading (ICU) with Pom, Roller (World Skate) with Freestyle Inline, Wushu (IWUF) with Taolu. During this test the platform carried three live streams. The finished streaming platform can enable the viewer to pick from around 20 live streams.
ISB has produced over a hundred short videos in the run up to the World Games as promos of each sport and federation, also creating athlete features with ambassadors of each federation.
Extensive coverage
The World Games Live will offer extensive live coverage of competitions, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and medal ceremonies for all 34 sports of the programme. After each event concludes, all streamed content will become available as video on demand (VoD), ensuring fans can relive the highlights whenever they choose. Additionally, the platform will feature daily highlights and a dedicated Daily Show throughout the Games. The application will be available on desktop and mobile versions, completely free-of-charge.
Beyond the World Games 2025, The World Games Live will serve as a rich hub of archived footage, showcasing past editions including The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, US, and events from The World Games Series held in Hong Kong and Chengdu. Exclusive podcasts will also enrich the viewing experience.
Next level
Comments Ursula Romero, managing director at ISB: “We’ve taken The World Games to the next level. So the last two World Games that we did, we only had eight live feeds of different sports, so we would only cover semi finals and finals, and then lots of highlights and ENG. But we managed to push the local organising committee [in China] to increase our budget, which is really reaching a great milestone.”
Romera adds: “The idea of going for a full, live streaming OTT platform and app, offering this wonderful global event, started on a piece of paper just over a year ago. To see it now come to fruition is very exciting. Of course, it has been a challenge on many levels, but what would the sporting world in this new era be without one? I am confident that the athletes and their fans will enjoy this new viewing experience. I am very thankful to the IWGA for putting their trust in our team.”
Empowering sport
To support the global reach of TWG, The World Games Live will offer embeddable streams that its International Member Federations (IFs) and participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and National Sports Organisations (NSOs) can integrate directly into their own platforms. This feature is designed to empower federations and organisations to maximise the exposure of their sports and athletes.
In addition to the global streaming access, The World Games 2025 will also receive significant linear and digital broadcast coverage. Confirmed partners include:
- CMG / CCTV (China Mainland, HKSAR, and MSAR)
- Polsat (Poland)
- Discovery Sport (South Africa)
- ELTA (Chinese Taipei)
- ORF (Austria)
- STVR (Slovakia)
- Optimum (Thailand)
- Abu Dhabi Sports TV via JJAU (UAE)
- MTVA (Hungary)
- Channel 5 (Israel)
- OKKO TV (Russia)
- Strat TV (Russia)
- TV Tokyo (Japan)
- NHK (Japan)
- My TV Plus (Italy)
- NLSE (USA)
- DirectTV (Latin America)
- Suspline (Ukraine)
- Trapmad (Pakistan and Bangladesh)
More distribution deals are being finalized, promising unprecedented global visibility for the Games.
Adds IWGA president José Perurena: “This platform is a huge step forward in making The World Games more accessible than ever before. With The World Games Live, we are opening doors to untapped territories and giving fans across the globe the chance to watch and cheer for their athletes and favourite sports, no matter where they are. It’s a celebration of international sport, and now, the whole world is invited.”
The World Games takes place from 7 to 17 August 2025 in Chengdu, China. CLICK HERE to watch now.
