Why AI is becoming the MVP of the summer sport season

As the world’s most prestigious multi-sport event, the Olympic Games have captivated audiences since 1896. While preserving its core values and traditions, Paris 2024 is embracing innovation to revolutionise the fan experience through new broadcasting opportunities.

Through its partnership with Intel, the Olympics is ushering in a new era of AI-driven engagement. Focusing on an immersive fan experience, AI-driven innovations have been introduced at Paris 2024. Lounging at home, Olympics fans can now step into an athlete’s shoes through Intel’s AI Platform Experience. This innovative system, a collaboration between Intel and Samsung, employs AI and computer vision technology to evaluate athletic movements and pair each fan with the ideal Olympic sport. Similarly, earlier in the sports season, Wimbledon partnered with IBM to introduce its Catch Me Up feature offering fans AI-generated player summaries and daily match news.

AI integration in sports events is bringing fans closer to the action than ever before. The Paris 2024 Olympics has already started showcasing AI’s power on a global stage, setting new standards for its use in sports and beyond.

Giving fans the reins

Fans are undeniably the heart of sporting events; in football they are often referred to as the “12th player”. Beyond simply cheering on their team, fans crave an active role in sporting fixtures, whether it’s tennis, football, rugby, motor racing, or cricket.

AI is placing fans at the forefront of these sporting experiences, with tennis tournaments and major football fixtures already among the leaders in providing unprecedented access to insights and interactive opportunities. For instance, the Australian Open offers AI-driven initiatives such as the Bracket Challenge, an online competition that gives fans the chance to match their game predictions against real-time AI analysis and win prizes, through its innovative partnership with Infosys.

Similarly, Olympic organisers support the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) with AI-generated personalised highlights, to further engage their audiences who are watching via a live stream. Some months ago, Tata Sky Binge+ broadcasters introduced real-time player statistics when streaming cricket matches, leveraging VR and AR technologies to provide a 360-degree view of the field during the game.

With access to better streaming quality, graphic visuals and real-time interactive quizzes, fans are becoming more engaged and informed. As a result, they’re going from passive spectators to active participants with AI power making their sofas feel like front-row stadium seats.

Delivering a world class streaming experience

Broadcasters can leverage AI to enrich commentators’ narratives with insights and analytics ranging from player performance and match stats to historical trends, providing fans with a deeper understanding of the game.

For instance, NBC has introduced AI software to recreate the voice of well-known sportscaster Al Michaels for narrating daily game highlights on its Peacock streaming platform. The “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock” provides a 10-minute highlights package including event updates, athlete backstories and other related content personalised by subscriber preferences.

AI can help enrich the narratives of sport commentators by providing deeper insights about matches or tournaments. This in turn helps uncover more personal and captivating athlete stories, sharing them with a wide audience. Strong narratives, combined with AI streaming features, allow fans to be more aware of and engaged with their favourite sports stars.

Fans are receiving better information and deeper insights during matches about the players. With advanced analytics, it’s easy to identify who had the best forehand at Wimbledon, even if that player didn’t win the tournament. As a result, broadcasters are leveraging this data to keep fans engaged, triggering debates and more entertaining punditry.

Unlocking new revenue streams

The vast amount of data processed and analysed for better streaming also provides more nuanced marketing insights. A database of fans’ preferences, favourite sports, athletes, viewing times and locations allows advertisers to drive better retail and marketing strategies to offer a customised streaming experience to the fans that also drives revenue.

The Olympic Games present an unparalleled opportunity for broadcasters to attract a wide audience.The extremely high viewership rates make this event a treasure trove of insights, from athlete statistics to real-time sentiment analysis. This allows broadcasters to gather extensive viewer data, which can then be used to offer personalised content. This level of precision targeting enables broadcasters to maximise advertising effectiveness, transforming the Olympic Games into a powerful platform for data-driven marketing strategies.     

By embracing data analytics and AI advancements, the sports ecosystem is unlocking new revenue streams while simultaneously enhancing fan engagement both in stadiums and at home. This year’s sports season is paving the way for a new era of AI-driven sports broadcasting, transforming how we experience and interact with our favourite games and athletes.

Bob Skinstad is a partner at consultancy Elixirr and former South Africa rugby captain