AWS boosts Six Nations rugby viewing experience
February 1, 2019
By Colin Mann
European rugby union’s premier international tournament the Guinness Six Nations Championship has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) analytics, machine learning, and deep learning services to deliver more in-depth insight into the Championship and enhance the match experience for rugby fans around the world.
As well as providing the technology behind the live broadcast of on-screen match data and statistics, AWS will also power other aspects of the Six Nations Championship across the official website. In doing so, AWS will become the official technology provider of the Six Nations.
For years, rugby has embraced new technologies to continually evolve the game. It was one of the first sports to introduce a video match official, and now with AWS, Six Nations plan on bringing a number of other technological firsts to the sport, including using predictive analytics for the first time. For the 2019 Six Nations Championship, seven new kinds of statistics will be launched that are significantly more dynamic than those featured in previous broadcasts. New statistics will look at scrum analysis, play patterns, try origins, team trends, ruck analysis, tackle analysis, and field position analysis.
Through the use of advanced AWS technology it will be possible to predict the success of a scrum through the analysis of pack weights, player experience, and historical data as well as give a complete analysis of the ruck. This will analyse speed, cleanouts, steals, infringements, and time spent in the ruck to show the relative dominance of teams in the most important areas of the game.
According to AWS, the use of its Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technology AWS will drive new insights into the game and will set the standard for what rugby fans around the world expect from their sports broadcasters. These new statistics will be generated by gathering live data from the game, streaming them into AWS to store and do analytics, and then delivering these insights back to the live broadcast for viewers in over 170 countries to enjoy.
“I am excited to welcome AWS to the Six Nations family, “ declares Ben Morel, CEO, Six Nations Rugby. “With AWS now powering the Championship, we have the opportunity to place unparalleled innovation at the core of our rugby experience, for fans around the world. This is a major boost for our Championship and a clear signal of our ambition to embrace innovation in all areas that will benefit our fans.”
“We are delighted to be working alongside one of the world’s most storied, most iconic, and most respected sporting events,” added Andy Isherwood, Vice President and Managing Director EMEA, Amazon Web Services, Inc. “Throughout this year’s Championship, and into future seasons, the Six Nations team will be able to develop new, advanced statistics that give unprecedented insight and understanding to the game. As we continue to add greater capabilities to our Machine Learning services, we will bring these to rugby fans, around the world.”