How LALIGA Uses AI to Create Vertical Highlights for its App
The 6th Annual Awards
- Best App or Mobile Experience
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
LALIGA utilizes cutting-edge AI technology from WSC Sports to automatically create highlights and other video content for all its digital properties, from every game across the top two men's divisions in Spanish football. Coinciding with LALIGA’s 2023 rebrand was the launch of a new official LALIGA fan app. A key goal for LALIGA with the launch of its new app was to reach and appeal to younger generations of fans. To drive younger audiences towards the LALIGA App, WSC helped create short-form vertical match highlights (9:16 aspect ratio), a format proven to resonate well with Gen Z. These videos appear on the app in a full-screen immersive experience similar to stories on Instagram and TikTok. LALIGA’s new mobile app has become the ultimate destination for fans to follow all the action through highlights of their favorite team and players, and better connect with the sport on a new level.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
By utilizing WSC Sports to automatically create its video content in 9:16 format, LALIGA was able to achieve exactly what it set out to do, drive engagement with younger audiences. By serving content in Gen-Z’s preferred format (short-form, fully immersive & mobile friendly), LALIGA has not only been able to attract new fans, but also ensure that its app is the number one destination for everything LALIGA. Using WSC Sports to ingest LALIGA’s video archive of numerous seasons gone by has unlocked a content treasure trove of some of the most sought-after football footage around the world. The ability to seamlessly repurpose classic matches from the past, that were previously only available in 16:9, makes memorable moments accessible to new audiences for the first time in a vertical video format. Likewise, older fans can easily relive all the great action from LALIGA legends, in the palm of their hand. With LALIGA’s new app launch and its innovative partnership with WSC Sports enabling them to personalize content to serve every type of fan, they have truly set a new standard for football leagues around the world. Expect to see a host of other sports follow suit in 2024 and beyond.
Objective
LALIGA went through a transformative rebrand in 2023, changing its brand identity and reimagining its competitions, putting a significant emphasis on technologies that will offer the best experience to fans and maintain its elite status among the biggest names in sport. LALIGA first teamed up with WSC Sports in 2022 to create automated, AI-powered highlights from every match of the 42 teams that make up the top two divisions of Spanish football. It shares this content on all LALIGA digital platforms, including its owned and operated app. The first LALIGA mobile app in 2012 provided users with news, live scores, and results, but very little video content. WSC Sports was entrusted to provide all of the video content for the new version of its app, which now includes countless hours of highlight videos from all recent games and memorable moments from the past. A key goal for LALIGA was to reach and appeal to younger generations of fans. To drive younger audiences towards the LALIGA app, WSC enables LALIGA to create short-form vertical match highlights (9:16 aspect ratio), a specific format, and a full-screen immersive experience proven to resonate well with Gen Z.
Strategy & Execution
In the last few years, the demand for vertical video skyrocketed. To capitalize on this growing trend, WSC Sports enhanced its solution to automatically create real-time sports highlights in a 9:16 aspect ratio. To achieve the perfect vertical video from a traditional 16:9 event stream (horizontal), WSC Sports’ auto-cropping technology follows the point of interest within a match (in football this is typically the ball), and ensures this remains in the center of the highlight, so no important action is lost. The AI-powered technology can do this simultaneously for multiple games at the same time to create cropped video, in any desired ratio, at a speed and scale that was previously unimaginable. LALIGA successfully utilized this technology to create video content for its app (and many other digital properties) to offer fans an experience that resembles popular social media platforms - a format that is proven to resonate well with younger audiences. The entire process can be automated, from cropping to publishing, with zero touchpoints required from LALIGA. LALIGA now provides countless hours of personalized highlight videos of specific teams and players from the current season and from its archive to serve each and every type of fan.
Organizations
- LaLiga
- WSC Sports
Links
Credits
Daniel Shichman
Co-Founder and CEO
WSC Sports
Aviv Arnon
Co-Founder and Chief Business Development Officer
WSC Sports
Shmulik Yoffe
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer
WSC Sports
Hy Gal
Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer
WSC Sports
Alfredo Bermejo
Digital Stratregy Director
LALIGA
Jaume Pons
Head of Social Media and Digital Content
LALIGA
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