NEW YORK — October 28, 2024 — FOX News Channel (FNC) will debut new immersive graphics technology during its FOX News: Democracy 2024 coverage on Tuesday, November 5th. As part of FNC’s renovation of its premiere Studio M earlier this year, the network’s engineers enhanced the viewer experience with several technology and design innovations, including augmented reality (AR) technology for anchor Bill Hemmer’s “Bill”-board, recently developed virtual set technology and new touchscreen applications for the FOX News Voter Analysis. The innovative tools will enable FNC’s reporting teams to seamlessly provide the audience with the most updated polling information and voter analysis throughout its marathon coverage.
Debuting on election night, the newly developed “Bill”-board technology was enhanced to include augmented reality attributes and 3D interaction, enabling Hemmer to further drill into election data in real time. Hemmer will now be able to interact and telestrate in 3D space as the infrared sensors can track anchors and objects. Additionally, the 3D space is equipped with voice to text where natural language will trigger augmented reality graphics. These new tools will be visible in population maps, outstanding vote maps and battleground state historical voting charts.
FNC also created several sophisticated multimedia presentation concepts to enhance the viewers election experience, including a ‘Path to 270’ map, showcasing the presidential nominees’ potential line to the critical electoral votes needed through dynamic 3D interaction. News anchors can present various scenarios by moving virtual objects representing the electoral votes in the path to win the presidency.. Additionally, the network developed a ‘Top 5 Closest Races’ tool which offers a snapshot of the races that are too close to call. This provides real-time updates on the candidates’ standings and the impact on the electoral landscape, allowing the audience to visualize the intensity and uncertainty of the closest battles for the presidency.
In addition to the technological enhancements, FNC also made several design improvements to its state-of-the-art Studio M which has served as America’s election headquarters over the last two presidential cycles. On election night, co-anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum as well as their panel will convene behind a bespoke “super desk,” designed for the anchors and their teams to use during special news coverage. Studio M also now features a two-story high accent feature wall and a 20 foot long ultra-high-definition media wall for showcasing video and photo elements during broadcast. Additionally, dimensional accent walls and extensive lighting placements were developed to create multiple presentation areas in the studio.
FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service and has been the number one network in basic cable for the last eight years and the most-watched television news channel for more than 22 consecutive years, currently attracting nearly 50% of the cable news viewing audience according to Nielsen Media Research. Notably, Nielsen/MRI Fusion has consistently shown FNC to be the network of choice for more Democrat and Independent viewers, with the most politically diverse audience in cable news. Additionally, a 2023 New York Times/Siena College poll found FNC as the leading single source of news for voters across the country. Owned by Fox Corporation, FNC is available in nearly 70 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top 10 programs in the genre.
FOX News Channel Contacts:
Jessica Ketner: 212-301-3976 or Jessica.ketner@FOX.com
