The new ‘Catch Me Up’ feature offers pre and post-match player cards with AI-generated stories and analysis on wimbledon.com and the Wimbledon 2024 App. These player cards will be personalised based on user preferences and data, such as location and myWimbledon profile, focusing on favourite players. Pre-match content will include recent performance analysis and win predictions, while post-match content will feature key statistics and highlights. Additionally, the feature will provide longer-form daily summaries of the day’s play.
“The new Catch Me Up feature is an exciting example of how we can use the power of generative AI to deliver compelling, insight-driven storytelling at scale,” Jonathan Adashek, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for IBM, said.
“For 35 years, IBM and Wimbledon have been co-creating solutions that make fans feel more connected to all the on-court action, and our new research confirms they are beginning to understand the positive impact technologies such as generative AI can have on their digital experiences. IBM is also putting these same technologies from our AI and data platform atsonx into the hands of clients worldwide, across nearly every sector, to address their unique business needs.”
The new feature is designed to help Wimbledon scale its content to both new and existing tennis fans globally, as well as provide fans access to timelier, curated coverage across ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles matches which are often happening simultaneously.
“We are committed to offering fans the highest quality Wimbledon experience, whether it’s in person or digitally. Generative AI allows us to scale our ability to provide different types of content for fans wherever they are in the world in a way that’s personalised for them. This year’s new Catch Me Up feature will make it easier for fans to follow the key storylines as they emerge throughout The Championships,” Chris Clements, Digital Products Lead at the All England Club, said.
This year, Wimbledon will also use generative AI to provide coverage of a broader range of matches than was previously available, including wheelchair events, to offer more to Wimbledon’s diverse international audience. This will form part of a redesigned digital match centre, known as IBM Slamtracker, available on the Wimbledon App and wimbledon.com. Using generative AI built from watsonx, IBM Slamtracker has been enhanced to provide bullet point-based match previews and post-match reviews for ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles matches.
Majority of tennis fans surveyed positive about AI
The announcement comes as new research from IBM and Morning Consult reveals that 55% of global tennis fans surveyed think AI will have a positive impact on sports. When considering how generative AI could improve their experience, these respondents prioritised real-time updates (36%), personalised content (31%), and unique insights (30%). Approximately one-third (31%) of global tennis fans surveyed use multiple devices while watching sporting events, primarily to get more information, watch multiple matches at the same time, and interact with other fans. In addition, nearly half (47%) of them engage with additional content on tennis daily or weekly and rank summarisation and personalisation as the two most important features of sports content.
“More and more sporting fans believe that technology has a larger role to play in positively impacting sports. The launch of the new Catch Me Up feature – built and trained using IBM’s Granite LLM’s, through our AI and data platform watsonx; will allow The All England Lawn Club and IBM to serve an ace by and heightening fan engagement in this year’s tournament,” Ria Pinto, General Manager and Technology Leader IBM South Africa, added.
“Leveraging generative-AI to provide an advanced digital experience, this feature will ensure all Wimbledon fans get closer to their favourite players.”