Artificial Intelligence Enhances World Cup Fan Experience
*By Jacqueline Corba*
Fox Sports is teaming up with IBM to offer soccer fans a unique experience during this year's World Cup.
The tech giant's artificial intelligence system Watson is powering a cognitive-based platform that lets fans make their own customized highlight videos throughout the tournament.
"It's about unlocking that fan experience wherever folks are in the United States," Robert Schwartz, Global Leader of Strategy and Design at IBM iX, the company's digital ad agency, told Cheddar's Peter Gorenstein at the Cannes Lions festival. "It is a huge opportunity to tap into that fan passion."
Dubbed the FIFA World Cup ["highlight machine,"](https://www-935.ibm.com/services/ibmix/case-studies/fox-sports.html) the platform allows fans to browse FIFA's archive of current and past matches. IBM's Watson compiles and analyzes the footage based on the user's commands. The software also encourages users to share their clips on social media.
Schwartz says IBM iX is looking to roll out this platform for fans of other professional sporting events, including this summer's U.S. Open tennis tournament.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/world-cup-powered-by-artificial-intelligence).
Olivia Harlan Dekker breaks down Thursday night's top NBA games, Joe Ceraulo hones in on player props, and Trysta Krick delivers her lock of the night on the hardwood.
Partha Unnava, Founder and CEO and Lasso, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how the design behind these compression socks can prevent injuries and improve performance.
The United States Women’s National Team has settled its lawsuit over gender-based pay disparity with U.S. Soccer for $24 million. Filed in 2019, the settlement will end with all claims by the USWNT being resolved following a judge's dismissal of its case in 2020.
Coming off of the latest NFL season, Draftkings has plans for growth and new bettors to join its platform following what it saw as a record year of state legalization of sports betting and Super Bowl action. CEO Jason Robins joined Cheddar News to talk about what in store for the company in 2022, including labor issues leading to the postponement of the MLB's spring training games and the NCAA's March Madness. "There's a lot of really exciting stuff that happens in the first couple of rounds all the way through to the championship game. So typically we've seen incredible activity during March Madness on the betting side," Robins said.
PlayersTV is bringing sports viewers Athletes On Demand, a subscription platform to provide fans with thousands of hours of sports content from their favorite athletes. CEO Angela Bundrant joined Cheddar News to discuss the new rollout. "People can expect to receive content or buy into content on demand that comes from their favorite athletes," said Bundrant, listing star partners like the Phoenix Suns' Chris Paul and New Orleans Pelicans' C.J. McCollum.
Walker Ross, Assistant Professor of Sports Business Management at Florida Southern College, joins Business of Sports: The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, where he says that actions Beijing and other Olympic host sites have been implementing to combat climate change has simply not been enough to offset their carbon footprint.
Olivia Harlan Dekker breaks down Thursday's primetime matchup between the 76ers and Bucks, NBA champion Richard Jefferson sets the scene for this weekend's All-Star Game, and Alex Monaco discusses who he's bullish and bearish on for Thursday's action.
The 15-year-old Russian Olympic figure skater Kamila Valieva found herself at the center of a scandal after a positive test for a banned substance became public. Valieva fell out of gold contention in the women's free skate after falling, avoiding a potentially embarrassing situation, where a medal ceremony would have been nixed had she won. Scott Hamilton, the retired American figure skater and Olympic gold medalist in the 1984 Games, joined Cheddar to break down the scandal. “It’s a team competition and every member of the team participated in that score and hers should be disallowed”.
Alex Monaco, host of the “The Bettor Half Hour” on MSG Networks and the “Sports Gambling with Moneyline Monaco” podcast, joins Cheddar Bets to give his last-minute tips before tonight's slate of games starts.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Richard Jefferson, host of the Road Trippin' podcast, NBA Today analyst, and NBA Champion, joins Cheddar Bets to break down All-Star Weekend festivities and to give his "Pick 6" for tonight.
Sponsored by BetMGM