Fox Sports Taps Google Cloud AI Tech to Automate Content-Management Workflows

Today, FOX Sports announced it is working with Google Cloud to automate one of the most manual processes in media and entertainment – logging, discovering and storing video assets. The system, already in development, will utilize Google Cloud’s video search and advanced machine learning capabilities to help the network unlock the full value of its vast sports content archive in a more effective way.

“We’re excited to team with Google on this project that will allow FOX Sports to take the next step toward the most state-of-the-art workflow for accessing all of our media,” says Brad Zager, Executive Producer, EVP/Head of Production & Operations at FOX Sports, who oversees all live event production, pre- and post-game shows, operations and creative services. “It’s been amazing to see all the different tools that Google Cloud will provide our network to transform the way we work, while also helping to make the way we create content so much easier for our production teams.”

The co-developed solution is expected to speed up the network’s existing production capabilities. Utilizing Google Cloud’s open architecture and advanced technical capabilities, FOX Sports will be able to organize, discover and build on the petabytes of data and millions of videos it has collected over the years, in addition to new content that is being produced daily.

The teams at Google Cloud and FOX Sports are applying Google’s machine learning models to automatically identify and label clips across hundreds of categories, from player jerseys and key plays and interviews, to on-field celebrations. The solution will also incorporate a user-friendly interface that makes it faster for production staff to find the clips they need, when they need them.

“Machine learning is opening up a whole new era of value creation and data-driven innovation in media and entertainment,” says Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. “Once a company has a more complete understanding of its audience, users and content, it’s amazing what businesses can accomplish with that data.”

Want to know more? Mark your calendars for a special opening day keynote with Zager at SVG’s Sports Content Management Virtual Series on July 22. CLICK HERE to register now.