Summary
Technology is now being incorporated into sporting events as well. This isn’t any more obvious than using the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The global sports technology market is valued at US $ 17.9 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach a CAGR of 17.5
between 2021 and 2026, reaching US $40.2 billion by 2026. The market growth can be considered a result of
Data-driven decision-making and operations, increased audience engagement, and an increase in online and offline sporting events.
In recent years, professional sports organizations have adopted new technologies such as sports data analytics,
smart stadiums, wearable devices, and digital signage to improve team performance, attract fans and deploy
intelligent infrastructure. Smart stadiums have become one of the world’s top trends, with more and more sporting
events taking place around the world. Innovations in smart stadiums are driving the execution of multiple projects around the world.
Technology is now being incorporated into sporting events as well. This isn’t any more obvious than using the Video
Assistant Referee (VAR) at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. With an estimated 3.4 billion people, about half
of the world’s population, this tournament represents the largest mass adoption of sports technology to date.
The VAR system used in the tournament was technically relatively simple. The system used a video control room that
could communicate with referees on the field if play needed to be reviewed and could be capsized. VAR is only the first step
in a sports company’s digital journey, as there is a great deal of market interest from companies that collect and use
more data within the sports industry.
New technologies such as big data analytics, cloud services, AI, wearables, and drones are just a few of the key
technologies’ sports organizations are adopting when utilizing the Internet of Things. Ultimately, sports technology
will make gameplay safer, more equitable, and potentially more profitable. And these goals are transforming the industry.
Sports Tech solutions are suitable not only for athletes and coaches but also for fans. The new technology provides
a more immersive and rich entertainment experience.
The focus on viewer involvement and entertainment activities, coupled with the digital transformation of the stadium,
is expected to increase the demand for technology-enabled services in the sports arena. The industry is experiencing a
paradigm shift, including increased investment by various organizations to monitor player performance and adopt the
latest technologies to attract fans.
Israel also has a thriving network of sports technology innovators. This is unexpected given the small domestic sports environment.
With the increasing consumption of digital sports around the world and breakthroughs in AI, Israel’s technology sector is
building a new value chain focused on real-time content automation, video personalization, and user experience monetization.
I am seizing the opportunity to do it.
Today, Israel’s start-up sector has more than 600 sports-related tech start-ups, 220 of which are directly related to the sports industry.
Few of the innovative sports tech companies include:
WSC Sports Technologies provides automated video highlights creating technology for sports broadcasters and media-right owners,
from ingestion of live content to distribution of automatically created short-form videos tailor-made, customized, and personalized for analytics.
WSC sports video technologies analyze sports broadcasts in realtime, identify every component in a game,
and generate customized highlights of every player, team, and moment. WSC Sports` video creation platform
scans sports broadcasts in realtime and identifies each event that occurs in a given game. From this, it generates
shareable shortform videos that can be easily distributed through various online channels. The company clients
include the National Basketball Association (NBA), which signed a multiyear deal with WSC Sports back in December.
Track160 works on is an automated videobased sports analytics tool that tracks players` team colors, jersey numbers,
and textures, and distinctive player movements to deliver game insights using computer vision technology.
Track160 saw the gap between coaches and players and developed technologies to save everyone’s time and reduce stress.
Track160 cameras can be strategically placed across the event (field or court) to collect video data from multiple
perspective points. The acquired data is then evaluated with AI and deep learning to determine the most significant plays,
which are then added to a teamshared video gallery.
Playform is a provider of an app and video-based training solutions for soccer. The offerings of the company include
mental tests, physical solutions, technical solutions, & more. Other features include measures (users can use a smartphone and get the score),
ranking (users can monitor to the competitive), etc. It also offers other services such as real-time feedback, statistics, etc.
Pixellot develops AI based automatic sports production solutions for the amateur and semi-professional market.
The company`s technology streamlines the production workflow by deploying an unmanned multicamera system
that covers the entire field and follows the action automatically.
Utilizing cloud based artificial intelligence to analyze high-quality video, Pixellot enables sports teams, leagues,
and educational institutions to broadcast sporting events that would otherwise not receive coverage due to the
costs associated with professional broadcast equipment and workflow.
