Unveiling the Game-Changing AI Magic Amazon Added to Thursday Night Football – You’ll Be Mind-Blown!

As Amazon Prime Video prepares for its second year as sole owner of NFL rights Thursday night football (TNF), the streaming service hopes to provide fans with a further enhanced viewing experience with a host of new AI-powered features.

During a demo with Prime Video executives, TechCrunch learned about the AI ​​elements coming to TNF this season, as well as the first NFL game on Black Friday and when viewers can expect HDR video quality.

AI is changing the way sports content is consumed

If we were to ask someone about sports broadcasting a few years ago, we would have bet that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) would be the last thing on their mind. However, the use of AI and ML models in esports has drastically altered the way hardcore fans view games, allowing them to dig deeper into analytics.

“We don’t want to just put the math on the screen,” Betsy Riley, Prime Video’s senior coordinating producer, told us. “It’s about using data to tell a deeper story and provide our fans with information to better understand the game. We believe that doing that allows people to understand the chess game taking place on the field. It’s been a lot of fun for us as a technology company to dig into the numbers and think about ways we can innovate and use technology to tell the story of the game in deeper and more meaningful ways.”

Amazon introduced AI to TNF last year, including X-Ray, which gives fans real-time access to live data and stats; Rapid Recap, which generates up to 13 two-minute highlights for viewers to catch up on plays during a game and more. And after winning his first Sports Emmy Award Come May, it’s safe to say that the tech giant isn’t slowing down.

All of the new AI features will live on Prime Vision with Next Gen Stats – TNF’s weekly alternate broadcast that features various on-screen graphical overlays during plays so fans can view real-time stats and analysis.

Please note that features will be tested internally by Amazon during tonight’s preseason game at 8pm ET. However, fans won’t be able to experience them just yet. The features will roll out on September 14, when the 2023 season kicks off. (Fans can find the full TNF schedule at amazon website).

defensive alerts

What if we said that AI can predict bombings? Defensive Alerts is Amazon’s internal machine learning neural network that recognizes when defensive players are about to attack the opposing quarterback. A red orb will appear around players of interest so fans know exactly who to focus on.

“He is able to observe the XY coordinate data of all the players, their relationship to each other, as well as their acceleration; where they are moving and how fast they are moving directionally to predict who is going to bomb,” explained Sam Schwartzstein, TNF analytics expert at Prime Video.

The ML model was trained in 35,000 snaps and will continue to get smarter, Schwartzstein told TechCrunch, adding that he is identifying blitzes and situations better than offensive linemen. He also said the team has a panel of NFL experts who are former quarterbacks, coaches and offensive linemen who help score plays.

“Having this as an internal neural network can only expand the type of features that we can do in the future,” he said.

Main objectives

Prime Targets (shown in the first image at the top of the page) work in a similar way: a green orb will illuminate a player who is open for a pass. The feature automatically tracks when a quarterback steps back to prepare to throw a pass, and the receiver (illuminated by the green orb) runs out and creates a gap between himself and defenders.

This feature was previously called Wide Receiver, and it tracked which players were most likely to convert on the first down. Amazon tested it during games last season.

“This is the first statistic that measures the process of the work,” said Schwartzstein. “Everything we do at Prime Vision is predictive… All of this is in real time.”

fourth territory down

Amazon is also rolling out a feature that can help fans understand how fourth down decisions are made while also helping teams prepare for fourth downs.

Fourth down territory is an area of ​​the field that offensive players use in an attempt to tie or win the game. Historically, coaches have often opted to punt the ball because it seems less risky. However, over the years, more and more teams they go for the fourth down conversion.

Instead of putting analytics on the screen after the play occurred, Fourth Down Territory operates like a true NFL analytics coordinator does; shows viewers exactly when a team should attempt a fourth down and what the probability is.

Field Goal Target Zones

NFL fans are used to seeing field goal lines on broadcasts: the digital line that appears at the end of the half or late game, where if a team gets to it, they can kick a field goal. Amazon’s Field Goal Target Zones feature will have multiple lines on the screen that tell viewers how likely a kicker is to make a field goal at each point.

key plays

Key Plays gives fans the ability to see the highlights and critical moments of the game, whether they’re already watching the game live or streaming on demand afterwards. Just like Rapid Recap ensures fans never miss the action, Key Plays leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to give viewers a full rundown of what’s happening on the field.

What can viewers expect of the NFL’s Black Friday opener?

Amazon and the NFL Announced Last fall, Prime Video would exclusively broadcast the NFL’s Black Friday opener on November 24, featuring the Miami Dolphins playing the New York Jets and an expected 3 p.m. ET kickoff.

Notably, the game will be free for non-subscribers. The e-commerce giant will also use this as an opportunity to promote exclusive shopping deals to viewers.

During a press call earlier this week, Prime Video’s global head of esports Jay Marine hinted that Amazon has some “cool stuff” planned for Black Friday that will be “additive” for fans.

While the company declined to share any further details, Riley told TechCrunch that we can expect to hear more in the coming weeks. We believe that Amazon will implement interactive shopping elements to take advantage of the busiest shopping day of the year. Last year, the company launched a store page dedicated to fans, TNF Centeroffering TNF related items, NFL brand merchandise, and Amazon gadgets.

We also spoke with Eric Orme, who serves as the director of live events at Prime Video. Orme oversees global product, engineering, and operations for live sporting events, including Thursday Night Football, Premier League, UEFA Champions League, MLB, NBA, and US Open tennis, among others.

Prime Video is likely to see a spike in viewership during the Black Friday game as everyone will be home for the holiday weekend. However, Orme is confident that it will be a smooth streaming experience for all viewers.

“We work very closely with the retail teams and they all leverage AWS, so we spend a lot of time on traffic projections,” Orme said. “We ran several scenarios and we’re really sure where we think that number is going to be.”

Prime Video brings HDR video quality to TNF

While the streamer already tested HDR streaming last season, it will be officially available to all TNF viewers this year. Many fans will likely appreciate the visual upgrade because it provides a more engaging experience with higher contrast and rich colors.

The company said it would be available on any HDR-enabled device and subscribers don’t need to change anything in the settings as the live feed will update automatically.