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Paris Olympics put spotlight on future of AI for highlight reels
Tens of thousands of athletes, spectators and journalists are descending on Paris to cover the Olympic Games. Many more will be watching from home.
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Michael Reaves
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Al Michaels’ AI-generated voice during the Olympics made use of “highlight reel AI,” an undersung aspect of AI that works today and holds potential for entertainment companies with streaming services.
Why it matters: These days, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are spending three times longer on video sharing platforms like YouTube than they are watching traditional TV. Hollywood has embraced YouTube and TikTok for marketing purposes, but it’s yet to adapt its offerings in a way that meets those consumers where they are. Highlight reel AI, which personally tailors content to individual consumers in real time, offers a solution.
Sports’ highlight reels: Each day of the Olympics, Peacock subscribers had access to a daily recap of that day’s events, specifically geared toward their interests and narrated by an AI trained to sound like the legendary broadcaster Al Michaels (with his consent). The ability to synthesize a storyline from a mass of video and find the best highlights has been available in sports for some time. A leading company behind it, WSC Sports, recently added new features which allow its partners to include a feature akin to Instagram or Snapchat Stories in their own apps.
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Reality TV potential: Unscripted TV is a natural next frontier for highlight reel AI. On a show like Big Brother, for example, AI can generate personalized storylines and clips for consumers by quickly sorting through the 24/7 footage and putting it out in real time.
For more ... read the full story on The Ankler.
This story is published in partnership with The Ankler, a paid subscription publication about the entertainment industry.
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