By leveraging Google Cloud’s generative artificial intelligence, FOX Sports has rapidly amplified its efforts to produce content from its extensive archives.
This step-up in collaboration follows three years of partnership and focuses on making the most of the Vertex AI Vision system. This technology enables FOX Sports to swiftly search through more than 1.9 million videos, producing content almost instantly for various platforms, including TV, social media, and marketing campaigns.
Brad Zager, President of Production/Operations and Executive Producer at FOX Sports, highlighted the transformative impact of the collaboration. “By integrating Google Cloud’s advanced machine learning and AI capabilities, we’ve streamlined one of the most labour-intensive tasks in sports media: tagging and searching video content, making our team more efficient, and allowing them to quickly identify appropriate content, a crucial aspect of live sports’s dynamic world.”
The partnership builds upon the foundation of FOX Sports’ Intelligent Asset Service (IAS), introduced in 2020. IAS, powered by Google Cloud’s video search and machine learning, has revolutionised how the sports network manages its media assets.
It has significantly reduced the network’s dependence on traditional methods such as paper logs and manual video archive searches. By 2022, IAS was a part of all significant FOX Sports broadcasts, attesting to its success and integration.
Furthermore, FOX Sports has been an early adopter of Google Workspace, enhancing team collaboration across tools like Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. The inclusion of Duet AI in Google Workspace has proven invaluable, enabling the creation of production schedules for sports seasons in mere minutes, a task that would traditionally take hours.
Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, praised the collaboration, stating, “FOX Sports remains devoted to delivering top-notch experiences for its viewers across all platforms. This commitment begins with innovative technology. By opting for Google Cloud’s AI solutions, FOX Sports is optimising its content generation and offering transformative viewing experiences that captivate their audiences.”
This strategic alliance between FOX Sports and Google Cloud highlights the potential of AI in reshaping content production and management in the sports broadcasting industry.
FOX Sports has been at the forefront of integrating advanced AI technologies into its broadcast system, ensuring an enriched viewer experience.
Previously, FOX partnered with AWS to introduce a cutting-edge AI-based replay system developed for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. This innovative feature, dubbed “Recap Feature and Catch Up With Highlights,” has been further utilised for Major League Baseball (MLB), the United States Football League (USFL), and the FIFA Women’s World Cup broadcasts.
Built on Amazon’s Media Replay Engine (MRE), the system caters to modern viewers who crave an enhanced watching experience with real-time replays and highlights. In its initial run, the feature autonomously rolled out 731 recap videos across 61 matches, continually updating game summaries and making them accessible via the FOX Sports app.
Ragul Thangavel
With over nine years of diverse professional experience, Ragul has made significant contributions across various domains, including Media Operations, OTT Technologies, Video Production, Ecommerce, and Social Media.
Holding an Engineering degree, Ragul's career took an unconventional turn when he discovered his passion for writing, leading him to begin his journey as a content writer.
His career has been exclusively dedicated to the growth and development of startups, where he has played a pivotal role. His unique blend of technical knowledge and creative prowess has enabled him to drive innovation and success in every venture he has been a part of.
