At the IBC 2026 industry trade show in Amsterdam, leading sports technology providers unveiled major automated systems for live directing and match reporting. The presentations focused on automated infrastructure designed to parse massive real-time data streams and distribute content across multiple platforms without manual friction. Key announcements included Stats Perform's flagship suite OptaAI Studio alongside a joint rollout by technology manufacturer FOR-A and Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV. Both initiatives address rising operational pressure on sports broadcasters, who must serve traditional television viewers and mobile audiences simultaneously. These systems highlight a decisive shift toward automated workflows inside control rooms across international sports broadcasting.
Stats Perform introduced OptaAI Studio as an integrated software suite tailored specifically for sports leagues and media networks. The platform consolidates four dedicated artificial intelligence modules named Opta Search, Opta Live, Opta Graphics, and Opta Pulse into a single operational environment. The suite is engineered for high-tempo sports with dense telemetry, including top-tier football, basketball, and rugby. Instead of deferring data evaluation to post-match workflows, the software processes incoming metrics directly during live play. Broadcasters can immediately integrate statistical anomalies and tactical shifts into their live programming without facing operational bottlenecks.
A core technical feature of OptaAI Studio is its sub-second glass-to-glass latency from raw data ingestion to on-screen presentation. Operating within this rapid timeframe, the platform generates automated contextual editorial reports and contextualizes performance metrics in fractions of a second. At the same time, the software creates dynamic data graphics and synchronizes corresponding video clips based on notable live developments. Editorial teams are relieved of manually searching for specific footage during match breaks or halftime shows. The software independently isolates tactical patterns and produces broadcast-ready materials that can be fed directly to air.
Targeting live directing from another angle, FOR-A and Nippon TV globally deployed their viztrick AiDi platform for sports broadcasting. The collaboration introduced two dedicated tools unveiled at IBC 2026, branded as Go Vertical! AiDi and AiDi Sports Hub. The primary focus of this technology is the automated conversion of conventional widescreen broadcasts into vertical video formats for mobile devices. Until now, maintaining vertical streams on social networks typically required separate camera crews or labor-intensive manual reframing inside control rooms. This new deployment aims to cut production overhead while maintaining the visual quality required for premium mobile coverage.
The Go Vertical! AiDi tool operates at the video ingestion layer, utilizing on-device artificial intelligence and computer vision models for automated cropping. The software receives standard horizontal 16:9 feeds and converts them into native 9:16 vertical video with sub-second latency. In doing so, computer vision algorithms autonomously track the ball and primary athletes across the playing field. This dynamic framing ensures that the decisive action remains centered on smartphone screens at all times. The system prevents crucial passes, scores, or defensive challenges from being cut out of view by rigid aspect-ratio framing.
Working in tandem, AiDi Sports Hub acts as an automated graphics rendering engine for the newly generated vertical feeds. The tool embeds contextual graphics, scoreboards, and real-time game status indicators directly into the 9:16 broadcast. Control room operators do not need to manually trigger or design these visual assets, as the platform identifies game phases and inserts graphics autonomously. As a result, media organizations can run comprehensive primary television broadcasts alongside dedicated vertical streams using a single production crew. The solutions unveiled in Amsterdam demonstrate how machine vision and real-time processing are closing the gap between traditional linear television and mobile distribution.