
AI Facial Recognition Can Deliver New Audience To Sport TelevisionBy Paul Shen, TVU Networks
December 2nd, 2020
View Related Products
Local broadcasters have known for years that viewers like watching their children, nephews, nieces and grandchildren playing high school sports on TV.
Some include reports in Friday night newscasts with video highlights of high-profile high school football games. Others have dedicated a multicast channel to entire high school athletic tournaments and championships. Similarly, some local cable TV operators regularly cover high school sports as well.
What if there were a way broadcasters and other video producers could tap into that same enthusiasm for watching athletes-not necessarily high school athletes, but all participants at a big event-that viewers are particularly interested in, such as a spouse, a child, a friend or co-worker?
Thanks to the power of the facial recognition algorithm running on our TVU MediaMind AI engine and the power of social media and digital distribution to augment the reach of traditional telecasts doing so not only is possible but will soon become table stakes for video producers.
Marathon Man And Woman
In 2019, more than 30,000 runners entered the Boston Marathon. In the Big Apple, nearly 54,000 runners finished the TCS New York City Marathon last year.
Most coverage of these events focuses on the leaders in the race-both the men and the women, which makes perfect sense overall. However, by taking advantage of facial recognition algorithms it is possible for broadcasters to begin rethinking how they approach their coverage.
Nothing will change as relates to the leaders in the race, but with facial recognition identifying runners as they cover the 26.2-mile course, broadcasters have the opportunity to produce custom race coverage.
Viewers who have connections to specific runners -co-workers, friends or relatives-could track their personal favorites as they progress through the race watching shots from cameras trained on the route shooting runners as they pass and the MediaMind AI engine identifying them in real time.
The Social Media Complement
Social media and online distribution can complement this AI application, making it possible for broadcasters to offer viewers personalized video footage of these runners, who typically would never or only fleetingly receive coverage during the main race.
Offering this type of coverage taps into a level of fan engagement that's analogous to the interest in high school sports broadcasters take advantage of in their local markets. In the process, producers covering a marathon in this fashion can build audience, interest and viewer engagement in a way that otherwise is unimaginable.
Beyond the Race
The same facial recognition algorithm can be used to identify celebrities and other high-profile individuals lining the race route, opening up one or more other special-interest channels for distribution via social media and online.
Doing so further heightens interest in the race and potentially attracts a new category of viewer who never before thought about watching a marathon.
Obviously, a marathon is only one of many such applications in which video producers can leverage social media and digital along with AI facial recognition to enhance coverage and audience engagement with an anchor event.
But to paraphrase a well-known aphorism: A journey of 26.2 miles begins with a single step.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
31/03/2026
Solid State Logic Enhances Virtualized System T Platform to Deliver Scalable Clo...
31/03/2026
OWC to Showcase Storage, Workflow Acceleration, and Reliability Solutions for Cr...
31/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/03/2026
OpenDrives, a leader in software-defined video and rich media storage management solutions, will demonstrate several new innovations at the 2026 NAB Show in Apr...
31/03/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show, SDVI will demonstrate how its Rally media supply chain management platform continues to give media operations teams the tools they need to...
31/03/2026
Boland Communications today announced that at the 2026 NAB Show, it will introduce its new QD4K315HDR10, a 31.5-inch QD-OLED monitor delivering exceptional colo...
31/03/2026
Dr. Paul Tapper, CEO of NUGEN Audio, will lead an essential industry discussion at the 2026 NAB Show, examining whether dialog intelligibility is poised to beco...
31/03/2026
BCNEXXT will use NAB 2026 to focus on how broadcasters can turn today's operational and market pressures into opportunity. Meeting with customers in the IAB...
31/03/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, will showcase its latest innovations at th...
31/03/2026
DHD announces that AI-based audio noise reduction is now available as a powerful new option for its XD3 IP Core. Developed in cooperation with ai-coustics, audi...
31/03/2026
PTZOptics will showcase its vision for intelligent video and advanced camera automation at NAB Show 2026 (#N1902). Through immersive demonstrations and technolo...
31/03/2026
Experience Commerce, a leading full-service digital marketing agency and part of the Cheil SWA Group, has secured the social media mandate for ICONIQA Hotels & ...
31/03/2026
Fabric, the entertainment industry's leader in data and operations solutions, will showcase a major expansion of its media technology platform at NAB 2026, ...
31/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/03/2026
Boris FX Acquires Vegas Pro, Sound Forge, and Acid Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov March 30, 2026
0 Comments
The acclaimed VFX developer bolsters its award-w...
31/03/2026
Berklee India Exchange Presents Anirudh Varma Collective The collective will present a workshop on Hindustani classical music and a concert in collaboration w...
31/03/2026
CERAWeek - dubbed the Davos of energy - is where policymakers, producers, techno...
30/03/2026
Manifold Technologies, a Germany-based provider of cloud infrastructure for live broadcast production, will demonstrate support for 400GbE COTS FPGA accelerator...
30/03/2026
Boland Communications will introduce its QD4K315HDR10, a 31.5-inch QD-OLED monitor, at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C3519, April 18-22). The company is also introducing...
30/03/2026
PTZOptics will demonstrate its Move 4K PTZ cameras and Horizon web-based control platform at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1902).
Move 4K with Horizon is now available...
30/03/2026
Net Insight will demonstrate the next version of Nimbra Edge, its orchestration and control layer for live media services across multi-domain environments, at N...
30/03/2026
Appear ASA will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W1531, April 19-22, Las Vegas). The company completed an IPO in November 2025.
Our customer-first approach is ...
30/03/2026
Harmonic has announced new capabilities for its sports streaming platform, covering multiview, programmatic advertising, in-stream advertising, and content wate...
30/03/2026
Ateme (Booth W1723) will demonstrate broadcast, streaming, and AI-driven media workflow solutions at NAB Show 2026.
GenAI and Agentic AI
Ateme will demonstrat...
30/03/2026
Bitmovin has announced new capabilities for Player Web X, its web video player, ...
30/03/2026
The 2026 NAB Show (April 18-22, exhibits April 19-22, Las Vegas Convention Center) will host Brazil's Minister of Communications, Frederico de Siqueira Filh...
30/03/2026
EVS will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1841), highlighting new products and updates across its live production portfolio, including the debut of T-Motion med...
30/03/2026
Solid State Logic will demonstrate its virtualized System T platform at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C6907). Demonstrations will include the VTE1 virtual DSP engine, ne...
30/03/2026
Globecast will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W3335), highlighting its hybrid service model spanning satellite, IP, fiber, and cloud.
The company will demonst...
30/03/2026
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA), and the Video Services Forum (VSF) have announced that the IP Showcase w...
30/03/2026
At NAB Show 2026 BBright will present a demonstration of its One Stream for the World concept, showing how a single ST 2110 playout stream can simultaneously ...
30/03/2026
OpenDrives will demonstrate new products at NAB Show 2026, with two locations in the West Hall: a pod (W3443-E) in the Sports Business Hub and a cabana at W1158...
30/03/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and repo...
30/03/2026
The economics of live sports streaming have changed. New rights models, cloud production tools, and lower-cost distribution have made it possible for high schoo...
30/03/2026
MPE-capable chamber strings library announced
Alongside their collection of Kontakt instruments, Sonora Cinematic have been steadily introducing a series of...
30/03/2026
Latin-inspired percussion instrument announced
Built on a newly developed engine and interface, UJAM's latest instrument has been designed to create Lat...
30/03/2026
Latest Eduardo Tarilonte collaboration announced
The latest library to join Best Service's ever-growing range includes four solo wind instruments that c...
30/03/2026
We want to hear from you!
Complete our SOS Quick Survey and enter the prize draw for a chance to win one of three $50 Amazon vouchers!
Sound On Sound carri...
30/03/2026
CC-330 Husky. 2024 Eric Desbiens Photography.
Used with permission for the announcement and related communications. No residual rights....
30/03/2026
L3Harris Technologies will provide WESCAM CMX -8 sensor systems for integration on new Uncrewed Aircraft Systems from MDA Space, enhancing the Royal Canadian Na...
30/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...