How AI-enhanced automation led to big efficiency gains for a leading sports league

Managing media workflows for a leading sports league, with hundreds of games per season, is a formidable task. Each game generates a massive amount of media content that needs to be efficiently ingested, managed, and distributed. This content is not only generated through the main production on the field, but also by a large number of staff around the match capturing pictures, social media content, press conferences, and more. Some of the challenges presented by the project included:

Inefficient processes: The manual handling of content collection, ingestion, and summarisation was cumbersome and prone to errors. This inefficiency resulted in delays and sometimes even prevented content from being uploaded to the system.

Constantly evolving technologies: New services are developed almost weekly, and users often resist frequent onboarding to new tools. Each new tool requires introduction, training, and adaptation, which can be time-consuming and disruptive.

Limited system accessibility: Not all users need or should have access to every system. Media asset management (MAM) systems, in particular, are powerful and contain vast amounts of information, making selective accessibility crucial.

The low-code integration platform qibb helps streamline these workflows through automation and integration, bringing technology directly to where the users are.

Solution

To tackle these challenges, qibb and Vidispine implemented a comprehensive solution at a major sports league centred on user-centric workflow integration, automation, and seamless system integration.

User-centric workflow integration: qibb’s integration platform is tailored to align with users’ existing workflows. By integrating with Slack, the league’s preferred communication tool, the solution enabled users to effortlessly ingest content into the Vidispine MAM system from their favourite tool. A user-friendly form within Slack captures essential metadata within a reply - as easy as collaborating with the team. This maximised adoption and minimised the learning curve. Users could continue working within their familiar environment, thereby enhancing productivity and satisfaction.

Automated ingestion with reduced errors: Automation of content ingestion was a pivotal element of the solution. qibb’s platform completely streamlined the process from the moment an asset is dropped into Slack. qibb captures metadata, triggers the ingestion job to Vidispine, and replies with a link to the asset after a successful upload. This automation significantly decreases the time and effort required for content ingestion, allowing staff to focus on more value-creating tasks.

AI-powered summarisation for faster insights

Press conference summarisation was another area targeted for automation. By integrating Azure OpenAI’s advanced AI technology, qibb and Vidispine automated the creation of press conference summaries. This enabled staff to quickly access key insights without the labour-intensive task of manual summarisation. The AI-powered summarisation facilitated quicker dissemination of information to media outlets and fans, ensuring timely and accurate reporting.

Furthermore, qibb bridged the gap between the users within their primary tool of choice and new value-creating technology (OpenAI). Fully embedded in their familiar user interface, this eliminated the need to navigate between multiple platforms. Especially with AI services, this had another significant benefit: by default, all users use a company-approved, securely hosted instance of OpenAI. This eliminates the risk of users copy-pasting sensitive content from the MAM to private accounts to improve productivity.

Benefits to the league

The project delivered significant benefits, transforming the league’s media management processes:

• User-centric integration: By embedding workflows into Slack, users could continue working within their preferred platform, reducing disruption and improving ease of use. This user-centric approach ensured that technology served the users, not the other way around.

• Low-code integration platform: qibb’s low-code platform empowered staff to create and manage automated workflows without extensive coding knowledge. This made the solution scalable and adaptable to future needs, allowing the league to quickly respond to changing requirements.

• AI-powered summarisation: The use of language models such as Azure OpenAI’s GPT-4 to automate content summarisation set a new standard in the industry. This innovation significantly enhances content processing efficiency, saving time and resources.

• Seamless integration: The integration between Slack and Vidispine demonstrated how disparate systems could be unified to create a cohesive workflow. This eliminated data silos and fostered a more efficient approach to media management.

Impact on the broader media industry

The innovative aspects of this project contribute to the broader media and broadcast industry in several ways:

• Scalable automation: qibb’s approach showcases the potential for scalable automation within media workflows. Other organisations can adapt this model to improve their content management processes.

• AI for content efficiency: The adoption of AI in content management through automated summarisation and analysis tools can transform media organisations. These tools save time, resources, and unlock valuable insights, making media operations more efficient.

• Streamlined collaboration: Integrating communication platforms like Slack into MAM systems fosters a more collaborative media management environment. This benefits broadcasters, production houses, and other stakeholders by enhancing communication and workflow efficiency.

Project conclusion

Even seemingly small use cases such as enabling content ingestion through Slack or automating summarisation exemplify the power of automation in addressing real-world media management challenges. This project successfully streamlined and automated the league’s media workflows by:

• Increasing content captured from users by enabling easy interaction with the central MAM from their favourite tool.

• Saving manual effort through automation of ingestion and press conference.

• Allowing to easily update, maintain, and adjust the workflows configured.

By integrating technology within users’ preferred applications, the project ensured a seamless and efficient workflow. Leveraging cutting-edge solutions like low-code integration and AI-powered content processing, this project not only benefited the league but also set a precedent for the future of media management across industries. The seamless integration of previously disparate systems demonstrated the potential for a more unified and efficient content management ecosystem. This innovative approach showcases the power of collaboration, low-code technology, and AI in revolutionising media workflows and maximising the value of content for creators and audiences alike.

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To hear more from qibb, visit stand number 10.C31 (Hall 10) at IBC2024 in Amsterdam.