NBC Sports Next’s SportsEngine and production company Pixellot are teaming up to stream amateur and youth sports with assistance from artificial intelligence.
SportsEngine Play — SportsEngine’s new sports subscription service — will offer Pixellot’s AI-automated cameras to local sports venues. Streaming games via Pixellot’s cameras will cut costs and improve streaming quality, according to Sports Engine.
SportsEngine Play is also building a collection of player development, instructional, and training content featuring star athletes like Michael Phelps, Maria Sharapova, Shaun White, Justin Jefferson, and more.
This comes as the demand for live sports content — and the interest in AI — is growing. Streaming services are increasingly snapping up rights to live sports, whether its Amazon’s Thursday Night Football or Apple TV+’s MLS offering. At the same time, interest in using AI to improve how services are delivered is increasing, making a combination between the two a logical next step.
The partnership will provide viewers access to a high-quality swath of sports venue games.
“By integrating Pixellot’s state-of-the-art camera technology with our SportsEngine Play streaming platform, we’re setting new standards in sports broadcasting, making it easier and more affordable for venues to not only share their sporting events with a wider audience but also benefit from a new revenue stream,” Brett MacKinnon, NBC Sports Next’s senior vice president of youth and recreational sports, said in a statement.
David Shapiro, Pixellot’s President in North America, said the company is “delighted” to grow its partnership with SportsEngine and expand its AI video technology’s reach.
“This collaboration underscores our commitment to enhancing sports streaming experience at all levels, making professional-quality live broadcasts accessible to amateur and youth sports venues free of charge,” David Shapiro, Pixellot’s President in North America, said in a statement.
So far, Pixellot’s automated streaming solutions are already in place at venues like LakePoint Sports. The company also provides its AI cameras and analytics software to more than 10,000 U.S. high schools. This represents more than one million games streamed across every major sport each year, according to SportsEngine.
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Image credit: SportsEngine Play