IMG ARENA explores generative AI for realistic, engaging MLS commentary

At a glance

IMG ARENA delivers sports technology solutions, including live streaming, betting services, and data insights for global leagues and media partners.

Challenge

IMG ARENA wanted to explore AI-driven solutions, that provided accurate, engaging MLS commentary while filtering less significant events.

Solution

Firemind developed an AI-powered system to generate concise, natural commentary and customisable match summaries.

Services used
  • Amazon S3
  • Amazon Bedrock
Outcomes
  • Enhanced viewer engagement.
  • Up to 100% accuracy for commentary.
  • Customisable summaries for versatile use.
Business challenges

Creating Engaging and Realistic Commentary for MLS Matches

IMG ARENA aimed to elevate its MLS match coverage by providing play-by-play commentary that was both engaging and realistic. The challenge was to develop a system that could automatically generate high-quality commentary from raw event data without sounding mechanical or repetitive. The commentary needed to capture key moments such as goals and red cards while maintaining a natural, American sports broadcasting style. This required not only accurate data processing but also a sophisticated approach to commentary generation that avoided a monotonous, chatbot-like tone.

IMG ARENA faced the challenge of developing a commentary system for Major League Soccer (MLS) that was both engaging and factually accurate. Traditional AI-generated commentary often struggled to strike the right balance between detail and entertainment, sometimes producing overly detailed or inaccurate descriptions that could detract from the viewer experience. IMG ARENA needed a solution that could generate commentary in a natural, American-style voice, focusing on the most critical events of the match without overwhelming viewers with unnecessary information.

Additionally, the system had to ensure that every piece of commentary was backed by data, avoiding subjective language unless justified by the actual events. The goal was to create a commentary that felt authentic and engaging while maintaining a high standard of accuracy, ultimately enhancing the viewing experience for fans and providing valuable insights for broadcasters and other stakeholders.

Solution

AI-Driven Commentary with Customisable Summaries

To overcome IMG ARENA’s challenges, Firemind developed an advanced AI-driven system that processes raw match data to generate realistic, engaging commentary tailored to MLS games. Using Anthropic’s Claude 3 models, the system creates human-like commentary by grouping events and filtering out less interesting actions, ensuring that the focus remains on key moments such as goals, red cards, and major plays. The commentary is designed to be concise and impactful, delivered in a natural American style that resonates with the audience.

Moreover, the system includes features for generating half-time, full-time, and custom minute-by-minute summaries, allowing users to quickly catch up on key events they may have missed. By combining accurate data processing with engaging narrative generation, the solution not only enhances the viewer experience but also offers customisable insights for various stakeholders, from broadcasters to sports betting platforms.

Realistic and Engaging Commentary

Firemind's AI-driven system provided IMG ARENA with the ability to generate play-by-play commentary that feels natural and engaging, closely mimicking the tone of an American sports commentator. The commentary focuses on key moments, avoiding unnecessary details, which keeps the audience engaged and enhances their viewing experience.

Precision and Accuracy


The system ensured that all generated commentary was backed by accurate match data. By processing raw event data with precision, the solution delivered commentary that was both factual and contextually relevant, maintaining a high standard of accuracy across all outputs.

Customisable Summaries for Flexible Viewing

The solution included customisable features, allowing IMG ARENA to generate half-time, full-time, and minute-by-minute summaries. This flexibility enables viewers to catch up on the match's most important moments quickly, providing a tailored experience that suits different viewing needs.

Model Spotlight

Anthropic is an artificial intelligence research company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 2021, the company focuses on developing safe and ethical AI systems, particularly AI assistants capable of open-ended dialogue and a wide range of tasks. 

Anthropic has created notable models like Claude, and explores techniques such as ‘constitutional AI’ to imbue their AI with robust ethical principles. Led by a team of prominent AI researchers, Anthropic is positioning itself as an emerging leader in the field of beneficial AI development, working to ensure AI capabilities advance in alignment with human values.

Claude 3 Haiku

For the IMG ARENA project, we chose Claude 3 Haiku due to its optimal balance of performance, cost, and speed.

While Claude Sonnet offers enhanced reasoning capabilities, the simplicity of our prompts and the straightforward nature of the commentary generation process made Haiku a more efficient option.

Haiku was able to quickly process the raw match data, delivering high-quality, natural-sounding commentary without the need for the deeper reasoning layers that Sonnet provides. This decision allowed us to focus on speed and cost-efficiency without compromising the accuracy or engagement of the commentary.

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