AI has become such a common talking point in the world of sports business right now many are probably tired of hearing it get mentioned, but like it or not it is clear that the technology is now here to stay.
Whether for use on-pitch, such as informing video assist referee (VAR) decision making, playing a role in scouting or influencing backroom business plans, AI’s impact is being felt across sports from the niche leagues to the big leagues.
According to Stats Perform, a sports tech and data company, 67% of senior sports executives and those in product positions are confident that AI will help grow audiences for their respective sports.
A further 67% and 58% of these sports business figures expect a development in AI’s use in sports in the next year. People working in stadiums, out-of-home (OOH) sports advertising, i.e. stadium billboard advertising, digital media and apps and betting operators were most likely to see growing value in AI usage.
Stats Perform’s conclusions come from research conducted by the company, surveying senior figures from a range of sports organisations. Surveyed individuals largely seem to be those working in media fields in these organisations.
Respondents came from the likes of FC Barcelona, Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), the English Football Association (FA) and some Premier League clubs, as well as betting firms like UK multinational Entain and Australian market leader Tabcorp.
“This report underscores a defining moment for the sports industry,” said Steve Xeller, Chief Revenue Officer at Stats Perform.
“Deeper fan connections, powered by AI, innovation and cross-departmental collaboration, will determine which organisations thrive in an increasingly fragmented environment where the demands on content, media and commercial teams are greater than ever before.”
Sports production and social media teams appear to be keen AI advocates. According to the survey, 40% and 39% of respondents working in these fields, respectively, said that AI has already helped commercialise audiences.
While this is encouraging for sports tech firms with a focus on AI, it is important to note that this is still not a majority. Sports AI companies appear to still have their work cut out in convincing all stakeholders of the benefits of AI.
If Stats Perform’s data is anything to go by, the aforementioned stadium and OOH advertising sectors should be AI firms’ main sporting targets with 65% of respondents in these sectors seeing greater impact from AI in 2025.
Those working in sponsorship, branding and sports agencies may be a tougher nut to crack with an average of 19% seeing AI make a greater impact – though this could mean there is a gap in the market for savvy sports AI firms.
Various companies, including Stats Perform itself, have been looking to capitalise on the global sports sector’s growing demand for AI products. It launched two new AI products in 2024, OptaAI Studio and Opta Stream, to pursue these ambitions.
Other tech and data firms, like Genius Sports and Sportaradar, are doing the same, the former notably using its AI tech to enhance Premier League VAR while the latter uses it for advertising purposes.
Speaking to Insider Sport at the SPORTEL sports business conference in Monaco late last year, Oliver Lewis, Head of Partnerships at sports tech business Magnif, which uses AI to help produce clips and highlights reels, explained what he believes the tech brings to the sports ecosystem.
“AI is an enabler,” he said. “It enables you to do more. In some ways, it is there to support us, not just in what we do but generally. ChatGPT and other AI tools help you to get to wherever you need to faster than when it’s done by a human.”