A live social feed for the Qatar 2022 countdown clock
As a technical supplier to Newsubstance, we created the real-time content and built the live pipeline that put fans' tagged Instagram photos and messages onto the countdown clock's LED displays in Doha, moderated, within moments of posting.
- Client
- Qatar 2022 Countdown Clock
- Our role
- Real-time content, workflow design and live social media integration
- Year
- 2021
- Location
- Doha, Qatar
Frame from broadcast footage of the clock's unveiling in Doha, November 2021, as cut into our showreel.
The brief
Newsubstance were delivering the official FIFA World Cup countdown clock in Doha, Qatar, and needed a way to connect the physical installation with a global digital audience.
What we did
As a technical supplier to Newsubstance, we designed and built the live integration system that made it possible, bringing fans’ voices into the heart of the clock. Supporters around the world tagged their Instagram posts, and within moments their photos and messages appeared on the clock’s large LED displays, turning personal posts into a shared, global celebration.
We also created the content itself. In Notch, we designed the real-time animation that carried fans’ photos and messages across the clock’s displays, with particle bursts and transitions between each wave of posts.
How it works
- Tagged posts are collected in real time.
- Every post passes through a moderation step before it can reach a screen.
- Approved posts are rendered live across the installation.