The cameras were to be following the crowd, as well as the on-court action, when the Euroleague basketball playoffs started yesterday.
Facial recognition technology, along with video and audio analytics and social media, will be used to provide content for a free mobile app, with younger audiences mostly in mind.
The players will also be wearing “smart” shirts with sensors on the back, while coaches have tech bracelets to measure stress levels.
The HEED app maps out the pulse of the game, using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect significant “micro moments” with video and data displays sent to the app in real time.
“It’s the first time that AI and IoT [Internet of Things] have been incorporated into a major sports league,” HEED business development executive Lawrence Norman said.
HEED’s partnership with Euroleague extends beyond the Final Four in Belgrade next month.
The cameras and microphones are to measure the energy and excitement of players and coaches, with the AI able to distinguish cheers, chants and boos.
“We are looking at the fans and saying the fans are the storytellers of the game,” HEED cofounder Mati Kochavi last week told a SportsPro Live conference in London.
He likened the app to having a robot watching the game from all angles and sending regular updates based on AI rather than human observation.
“He’s going to tell you that something is shifting and changing in the game or something special is happening. He’s also going to connect it to the visual in order to represent it,” Kochavi said.
While the analytics would be ready almost instantly, video could take up to two minutes to package and deliver.
“Fans are watching less and less the full matches — this is a fact,” HEED chief executive Danna Rabin said. “Being able to draw them in, in a unique way, you have a higher likelihood to connect them back to broadcasting in many ways and to different sport categories.”
Player comfort had been a concern around using wearable technology, as well as ensuring the aims are clearly understood, Euroleague chief business officer Roser Queralto said.
“It was not only: ‘Here, you put this shirt on, the Euroleague said it,’” she said. “We wanted the players to understand that the days in which they were only playing, those are over. They need to be active and they need to embrace the new technology.”
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
RSS