Audio Tech Focus: AI Has Plenty of Potential - and Potential Pitfalls - for Broadcast Sports Most opine that AI has a place in production but so do people By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 - 11:44 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
-Artificial intelligence (AI) is either the greatest thing since sliced bread or the Y2K of the professional-audio sector. Or perhaps it could have an Oppenheimer effect: it could go either way, saving or destroying its creators while looking both menacing and alluring at the same time.
AI products designed for professional audio applications are already having an impact, such as Respeecher's use for ADR (automated dialog replacement) in films and video. In music, television, and live event production, AI is being used to automatically mix audio - when it's not being used to literally create it. In the process, it's also threatening the employment of the carbon-based creators who increasingly deploy it.
More than anything, however, AI's full potential for sound applications, including in broadcast and live sports production, remains ambiguous. A recent Sportico article about how the technology could be applied to FOX Sports' recent Super Bowl production placed AI prominently in its headline, only to then just vaguely reference the use of machine learning - considered a subset of AI - in an indeterminate future. AI has become its own meme, albeit a multibillion-dollar one.
SVG asked several audio gurus to assess AI's potential impacts when it comes to the sound for broadcast sports. Here's what they said.
The Need for Humans Quintar's Tom Sahara: Companies will need to invest before AI will consistently produce tangible results.
Tom Sahara, SVP, production technology, Quintar (a spatial-experience developer) and former VP, Turner Sports, sees both sides of the AI/audio coin. Its benefits include reducing the demands on an A1's attention during games by, for instance, monitoring signal levels and applying level management in a deterministic, predictable manner or automatically mixing input sources for secondary uses, such as in-ear-monitors, translations and alternate languages. It can even improve existing auto-mixing processes by incorporating data from external and non-audio sources, such as tally, router activity, record-device status, and GPS.
In addition, automated lip-sync and delay adjustments can be stored on a channel-by-channel basis along with time, playlist/clip ID, physical location (GPS), router settings, and other metadata, enabling video sources with synchronization errors to be corrected without re-editing or constructing discrete workflows. Further, he says, IP-enabled audio devices will accelerate the advance of AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine learning) because the A/D conversion is expensive and not easily integrated into legacy workflows.
On the other hand, Sahara observes, there are myriad administrative, training, and support requirements that are not fully understood, and companies will need to invest before AI will consistently produce tangible results. For instance, training [AI-based] mixing and control agents to individual requirements can be expensive and time-consuming. We will have to see how DeepSeek-like approaches may affect this. And obtaining large numbers of training samples is difficult and can quickly exceed budget and time resources.
More ominously, he adds, Video hallucinations are easy to spot; however, audio is much more nuanced, making the verification process much more difficult. Humans still have to be involved.
Chris Fichera, VP, U.S. operations, Calrec, is another observer who sees both sides of the AI coin, citing its ability to provide audio processing in real time to manage announcer commentary, crowd noise, effects, and on-field sound as well as to automate EQ adjustments and create immersive 3D mixes based on real-time data. He does note the possible danger in becoming too reliant on the automation capabilities in a fast-moving, unpredictable sports show.
However, he points out, those capabilities could help alleviate the looming loss of experienced A1s for broadcast sports, as retirements increase and the cohort continues to age out. This could be very useful, particularly for an A1 with limited experience in doing a broadcast show.
A Glass Mostly Full
AudioShake's Suzanne Kirkland: AI tools will enhance [human expertise], freeing audio professionals to focus on storytelling and fan engagement rather than labor-intensive cleanup.
Some see a glass more than half full. In sports, says Suzanne Kirkland, business director, enterprise accounts, AudioShake, AI-driven tools like source separation, automixing, and voice cloning enable more-efficient workflows and unlock new content opportunities.
Source separation, our bread and butter at AudioShake, is helping leagues and broadcasters navigate the complexity of live sports audio, she says, where crowd noise, commentary, and in-game sounds compete for attention. Our dialog-isolation model enhances transcription accuracy by isolating clear speech from multiple speakers in noisy environments so that overlapping player, coach, and commentator dialog is captured with greater precision. That allows broadcasters to highlight what matters most, whether it's action on the field or the sidelines.
Music removal is another game-changer, helping teams and broadcasters avoid legal and monetization challenges, she continues. By stripping out copyrighted music while preserving speech and ambient sounds, our technology allows content to be shared more freely across platforms without risk of takedowns or licensing issues.
However, AI is still not a magic bullet that will alone transform the industry. It won't, she stresses, replace human expertise: AI
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
Audio Tech Focus: AI Has Plenty of Potential - and Potential Pitfalls - for Broadcast Sports Most opine that AI has a place in production but so do people By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
