Grupo Globo partners with Pixellot for AI-automated sports production
Grupo Globo and Pixellot have announced a partnership to ramp-up AI-automated production in South America’s largest media market, expanding the rights holder’s coverage of numerous sports leagues and competitions across Brazil. The partnership includes a US $3.3m investment by Globo in Pixellot.
The investment in Pixellot and installation of its AI-automated production systems at stadiums, facilities and sporting complexes across the country promises to open up several new content opportunities of sports leagues and competitions that were previously unavailable to the Brazilian public. As a result, sports fans will receive access to more live and on-demand matches and events across multiple screens and distributions platforms owned or operated by Globo.
Pixellot’s AI-driven technology automates the production workflow from the sporting ground to the end-user. Utilising an unmanned multi-camera device and a cloud-based AI, auto-production algorithms track the flow of play, update the scoreboard, identify highlights, and insert ads with zero human intervention. Pixellot then distributes the game footage across web and mobile platforms, empowering sports teams, leagues, and educational institutions to broadcast more content than before.
“After reviewing many technologies in the media market, we concluded that Pixellot has developed the only technology that can provide a solution at the scale and quality we require. It also has the widest portfolio of products that can cater to every market in our media value chain,” said Roberto Marinho Neto, director of the Sports Division at Grupo Globo. “Globo will be able to produce entire new verticals of sports and expand our coverage in soccer, which is the national passion. This includes professional men and women leagues and competitions, as well as semi-professional, and niche sports for the first time ever.”
“The investment in Pixellot is a step further in our strategy of becoming a media-tech company, using cutting edge technologies to increase and enhance our capabilities in content production and distribution. Artificial Intelligence applied to computer vision can be a revolution in sports events and Globo wants to be one of the companies leading this trend,” said Jorge Nóbrega, Grupo Globo CEO.
Currently, Grupo Globo owns the media rights for most of the professional leagues and international competitions in the region, including the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games, Brasileirão Série A, Volleyball Superliga, and CONMEBOL tournaments.
Grupo Globo will join existing investors in Pixellot which include Shamrock Capital, Firstime, Baidu and Asahi Broadcasting Company.