Premier League & Microsoft Launch AI Fan Experience
The Premier League and Microsoft are pleased to announce their five-year global partnership that will redefine how 1.8 billion fans access and engage with their football in 189 countries. Utilising Microsoft cloud and AI functionality with the Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 clouds, we will transform not only the experience for every Premier League fan but also accelerate how they are engaged in the future.
Our Microsoft teams will provide Azure AI Foundry services to build everything from fans apps to all internal operations. A key component to modernising the fans experience will be the Premier League Companion – a digital experience where Microsoft Copilot will play a key role in providing real-time data, stats, articles and video – over 30 seasons of it.
Fans will be able to ask large language model open-ended questions like, “What is the fastest goal in Premier League history?” “How many goals did my club score last season?”.. and get an accurate and contextual response from the best experience covering 30+ years of match data, 300,000 articles & film archive of 9,000 videos – it is the most insightful tool in global sport today.
“It’s very valuable to us and the wider partnership that we don’t just do something once, and then leave it alone,” said Alexandra Willis, director of digital media and audience development at the Premier League. “We want the products to evolve with the technology, as well as our understanding of the value that Copilot and the other will provide to us.”
Microsoft’s cloud capabilities will also support the Premier League internally, allowing expedited workflows and data-driven decisions. The league’s core infrastructure will also be migrated to Azure, creating more scalability for their business and more streamlined content curation for the Premier League’s channels and their global broadcast partners.
The impact from the partnership would be seen by fans on so many levels, from live match overlays and post-match analysis, to personal fantasy football assistants built directly into the app. For first time footballers, there will be player storytelling and player recommendations based on interest or nationality and clubs they want to explore. Will Brass, chief commercial officer of the Premier League, stressed the role that accessibility plays, stating, “Our role is to create value for clubs, provided we engage with as many fans as we can. That is tied up in delivering what fans want.”
This partnership also supports the League’s intent to stay relevant globally without losing sight of its roots as it looks ahead to the opening of the season in August. The Premier League Companion is already available to fans on official app or website.
Judson Althoff, executive vice president at Microsoft remarked, “We are proud to partner with the Premier League. We are going to transform how football is experienced, delivered and managed on and off the pitch.”
The collaboration aims to deliver a football experience that is immersive and intelligent that will help evolve football as a sport; making every goal, every stat, and every matchday an opportunity to connect deeper with sport.
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