COMMENT: The future of sports content with generative AI

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Gary Warech of Veritone on how generative AI can provide new revenue streams for sport’s content and media owners

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In the digital age, sports broadcasting is undergoing a profound transformation, and generative AI (GenAI) is at the forefront of this change.

Marketing intelligence specialist IDC estimates that by 2027, spending on generative AI will reach $143 billion. And there’s a reason. This technology is primed to redefine the ways in which content is created and distributed, unveiling new avenues for engaging with audiences, scaling operations into uncharted markets, and harnessing untapped revenue streams.

AI-Powered Revenue Generation

Broadcasters need new ways to generate revenue beyond advertising. They can do this by unlocking the value contained within their archives. Past broadcasts and events hold significant value. Through GenAI, archives can be rejuvenated and showcased innovatively through curated highlight reels, nostalgic montages, or other audio and video content types. This approach revitalises past content, making it relevant for present-day audiences, and helps carve out avenues for sustained revenue generation through sponsorships or licensing opportunities.

However, in today’s fast-paced world, where attention spans are increasingly fragmented, the relevance of short-form content cannot be overstated. This concise format aligns seamlessly with the prevailing mobile-first viewership trend, particularly resonating with younger demographics who favour bite-sized content chunks. However, the allure of short-form content isn’t restricted to its brevity. It’s also a potent monetisation tool.

Integrating short-form content with strategic advertising offers brands an optimal platform to engage with their target audiences. Moreover, the inherent versatility of this content format ensures it appeals to a diverse audience base, amplifying its potential for revenue generation.

GenAI in Sports Broadcasting

With Gen AI, sports broadcasters can achieve a new level of scalability, allowing them to repurpose and derive new forms of content from their existing portfolio. They can even tailor their content to different markets to allow for local languages, customs, and cultural sensibilities. For instance, AI voice technology can replicate (with the voice owner’s approval) the voice of popular commentators or former players in various languages, ensuring a more globally inclusive broadcasting experience.

For example, Stats Perform collaborated with Veritone to spearhead innovations in automated highlight generation and content localisation with AI voice technology. Such integrations not only bolster content accessibility across diverse geographical territories but also guarantee a consistent and engaging fan experience. But the technology doesn’t just mean greater scale in terms of fan reach and engagement; it can also bolster a broadcaster’s bottom line.

AI is Essential to Sustaining the Broadcast Industry

With the infusion of GenAI, the potential to cater to diverse market segments—ranging from editorial teams and advertisers to the direct fan base—is exponentially magnified. But it’s more than just a direct fan engagement tool. It serves as a means to do more with existing and future content, creating new content forms while extracting greater value from an archive.

Sports broadcasting stands on the cusp of a new era, and GenAI offers a new way to approach content that’s abundant, finely tailored, deeply engaging, and ripe for monetisation. But to harness this potential, broadcasters must strike the right balance between the technology’s capabilities and the irreplaceable feel of a human’s touch.

AI can do wondrous things, enhancing capabilities beyond what was humanly possible. Yet, at the end of the day, humans consume content, not robots. With AI automating the mundane and accelerating creativity, broadcast teams can focus on the extraordinary, producing far-reaching productions while helping drive sustainable revenue growth.

Gary Warech pix