Artificial intelligence to tag TV broadcasts automatically for enhanced spectator enjoyment
London – 17th July, 2019 – NTT DATA, a leading IT services provider and an Official Patron of The Open, one of the world’s greatest golfing championships, announced today that it will demonstrate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to tag TV broadcasts extensively and automatically during The 148th Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland from 18th – 21st July 18 to 21. NTT DATA will also operate the NTT DATA Wall, a giant digital screen at the tournament, and offer select spectators use of tablet devices onsite for highly personalised enjoyment of the action in incredible detail during The Championship.
NTT DATA will use its AI technology to extract relevant information such as player names and hole numbers, from live TV broadcasts based on data learned beforehand and screen text captured with optical character recognition (OCR). Also, facial-expression and body-posture data will be used to analyse players’ swings, types of shots and not-to-be-missed highlights. The extracted data will then be tagged automatically to the broadcast video to enable viewers to quickly find scenes arranged into various categories (by players, holes, highlights, etc.) so they can select and replay a diverse range of scenes as desired.
Simon Williams, CEO of NTT DATA UK said: “Sport is an important part of our lives and close to the hearts of many. It is important that fans are given the best possible experience and new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, are key to providing a deeper level of insight and understanding for spectators.
“As a Trusted Global Innovator, NTT DATA is at the forefront of bringing AI to The Open to provide an enhanced spectator experience. The combination of the NTT DATA Wall and video AI technology at this year’s Championship will provide fans with rich and engaging viewing experiences, bringing the game to life in new and exciting ways.”
The volume of video data being used worldwide continues to increase dramatically every year and video data now plays a central role in the transmission of information. “NTT DATA Technology Foresight,” a summary of trends and forecasts regarding future technology, envisions companies increasingly tailoring their businesses to the demands of individuals.
However, as video usage increases massively there is a possibility that current processes for video production, final viewing, etc. will not be able to cope adequately with the needs and preferences of all viewers. In response, NTT DATA is researching how to use AI for practical solutions and thereby expand the possibilities for video data usage, including tagging TV broadcasts automatically to enable viewers to easily find content amid the massive amount of available video data.
Going forward, NTT DATA will continue to leverage video AI technology to support further digital transformation in society. Through initiatives targeting various industries that use video heavily, including the media and sports industries, NTT DATA expects to achieve video AI-related sales of £22 million within three years.
Demonstrations planned during The 148th Open
The Open Playback
Viewers will use a web application to enjoy watching continuously refreshed highlights, which will be arranged into various categories (by players, holes, highlights, etc.) and will be viewable on tablet devices furnished to selected spectators onsite.
Highlights generated with AI
AI will extract daily highlights from TV broadcasts for replay on the NTT DATA Wall at The Open venue, enabling spectators to catch the most memorable highlights of The Championship.
Analysis of spectator reactions to shots
AI will be used to analyse the reactions of spectators (processed anonymously) as they watch live TV broadcasts displayed on the NTT DATA Wall. The analysis will be performed with a facial-expression-analysis engine developed by Affectiva. Based on this analysis, the most exciting moments will be ranked on the NTT DATA Wall and constantly updated throughout each day of tournament play.