Globant and LaLiga Tech deploy Generative AI applications to reinvent the sports industry

Globant (NYSE: GLOB) and LaLiga Tech have teamed up to collaborate with Microsoft on a series of initiatives aimed at furthering the transformation of sport in a variety of areas through the use of Artificial Intelligence.

After years of collaboration between Microsoft, Globant and LaLiga to create digital products and solutions that help reinvent sport and entertainment, LaLiga Tech, following the alliance between Globant and LaLiga, is extending this initiative beyond football to other sports such as basketball, rugby and tennis.

The new projects already underway aim to improve the data available to coaches to aid in real-time decision making, enhance the experience for viewers around the world by automatically generating new and personalised content, and provide immersive novel materials for the audience of sports matches. Some of these are:

• Real-time multilingual subtitles (NRT), focusing on the automatic generation of real-time tailored multi-language subtitles for all live sports matches, using technologies such as Whisper and GPT 3.5, generating additional inclusive features including options for the hearing impaired.
• Automatic translations of sports content, helping sports organisations increase their engagement with global fans by automatically translating their content into a variety of languages using GPT 3.5 and GPT 4.
• Mediacoach Metrics, upgrading LaLiga Tech's leading sports data visualisation platform to provide additional real-time metrics to each team's head coach and his assistants. New contextualised statistics are constantly being developed and evolving by reviewing footage from the perimeter cameras used to capture all player and ball movements.
• Pre-match meetings and highly personalised content tailored to fans and clubs, strengthening fan engagement and reducing churn by delivering more relevant content thanks to GPT-3.5 and GPT-4.

Using Microsoft Azure OpenAI, LaLiga Tech will have access to AI-based tools such as advanced data analytics, natural language processing and machine learning. This solution allows them to harness the power of the most advanced AI models (including OpenAI GPT-4 and GPT-3.5), combined with Azure business services and AI-optimised infrastructure.

Agustin Huerta, SVP of Technology at Globant, says: "For a decade, Artificial Intelligence and the use of data have been an integral part of Globant's vision, applied transversely in all areas of the company, from talent pipelines to operating models, to implement solutions that increase productivity and efficiency." He adds: "With this joint venture with LaLiga, we are working to extend our capabilities to LaLiga Tech with the support of a great partner like Microsoft, and the first tests have already proven to be disruptive and successful".

Gonzalo Zarza, Chief Data Officer of LaLiga Tech, added: "LaLiga Tech combines Globant's technology capabilities and LaLiga's sporting expertise to create a unique landscape that puts the reinvention of sport at the heart of its business."

"At Microsoft, we are pleased to collaborate with LaLiga Tech and Globant on this initiative to transform sport through Artificial Intelligence and the power of Azure. Our relationship with LaLiga represents a significant milestone in our long-standing partnership, in which we have successfully developed digital products and solutions that have redefined the sports and entertainment landscape. We are excited about the possibilities that AI brings to this area and remain committed to using our technology to drive positive change and improve the sports industry for all stakeholders," explains Ignacio Leon, Enterprise Commercial Lead at Microsoft Spain.

Under the leadership of its Technology Innovation team, LaLiga Tech is constantly developing its use of Artificial Intelligence to deliver world-class products and services to sports fans around the world. In close collaboration with Globant, LaLiga Tech embraces the principles of the AI Manifesto and leverages extensive experience in diverse industries to maintain a common vision, overcoming ethical challenges and social risks.