From Russia with live: Your guide to the World Cup

It’s the World Cup of broadcasting. No event is bigger and every four years you can bet that viewing figures will topple.

In 2014 more than one billion fans tuned in for at least a minute to watch Germany play Argentina in the final from the Maracanã, with the competition as whole reaching a global in-home television audience of 3.2 billion people, according to final figures from FIFA and Kantar Media.

An estimated 280 million people watched matches online or on a mobile device, in a further sign that more and more fans are embracing OTT technology for sports content.

When broadcasters buy the rights to show the World Cup they are purchasing the full production package from FIFA. They will tailor coverage with their own commentary and unilateral presentation from locations in Russia, but the entire live match feed including immediate pre- and post-game packages of the stadium and player/manager interviews is managed by FIFA’s TV division and its regular subcontractor the Paris-based Host Broadcast Services (HBS).

In total FIFA says FIFA TV produces more than…