For decades, world-class media relied on fixed systems – specialised hardware, co-located teams and linear workflows. Those limits shaped both production and the audience experience.
But that model is shifting. AI is transforming media as cloud transformed infrastructure: gradually, then suddenly. Tasks once measured in days now take seconds. Workflows once locked inside facilities are now collaborative, adaptive and global. Content is no longer only produced – it’s generated, versioned and personalised in real time.
Audiences are evolving too. They expect personalised feeds, immersive formats and highlights that reflect their interests. Behind that expectation is pressure on organisations to produce more, protect intellectual property, scale efficiently and innovate continuously.
Yet one thing remains constant: high-quality storytelling still drives engagement. Even with real-time personalisation and adaptive experiences, the core objective holds – creating connection at both individual and collective levels.
Elite sport provides the perfect demonstration of this principle. History, emotion and identity are compressed into milliseconds, making sport the ideal proving ground for new technology. Instant replay, digital broadcasts, high-definition streaming and early large-scale augmented reality graphics all scaled through sport before becoming mainstream.
AI is the next chapter in that pattern, says Mandy Rutledge, managing director of sports, media and entertainment at Microsoft. She points to Microsoft’s partnership with the NFL as a clear example of how AI is already delivering in high-pressure environments.
“In the NFL, every second counts, and every decision can change the outcome of a game,” she says. “That’s why our partnership with the league is such a powerful example of AI in action. Coaches and players now have AI-driven insights on the sideline, delivered through an upgraded Sideline Viewing System that helps teams filter plays by down and distance, surface coverage tendencies and accelerate booth-to-field decisioning. It’s not replacing human judgment – it amplifies it, giving decision-makers clarity when the pressure is highest.”
AI-driven insights are now provided to coaches and players on the sideline through the upgraded Sideline Viewing System
The technology is not confined to game day alone. Rutledge highlights the NFL Combine, where teams evaluate prospective players ahead of the season, as another area where AI transforms workflows. “At the NFL Combine, conversational AI helps teams compare prospects in real time, turning what used to take minutes into seconds,” she says. “These efficiencies free up time and resources so teams can focus on performance and strategy.”
While sports demonstrate AI’s ability to operate under extreme time pressures, live media production faces parallel challenges, demanding rapid editorial decision-making across multiple streams of content. Rutledge emphasises how AI already supports broadcasters and production teams in managing this complexity.
“Live production is one of the most demanding environments in media – and AI is already making a difference,” she says. “Partners deliver virtual production tools on Azure that help producers generate highlights, coordinate multi-camera workflows and operate from anywhere. Cloud-based platforms enable teams to scale encoding, enrich metadata, and virtualise postproduction so editorial decisions are informed by richer context – who’s speaking, sentiment, compliance flags – without slowing the show.”
Mandy Rutledge is managing director of sports, media and entertainment at Microsoft
The introduction of advanced analytics and operational intelligence platforms allows teams to unify data across previously siloed systems. These tools also enable teams to quickly analyse audience behaviour, anticipate content demand and respond to emerging trends during live events, creating a tighter connection between production decisions and audience engagement.
Platforms like the recently introduced Fabric IQ and Foundry IQ are examples of this approach. Fabric IQ gives visibility into the health, performance and usage of an organisation’s Microsoft 365 environment, while Foundry IQ offers analytics and governance intelligence to help enterprises manage, secure and optimise their data.
“With the introductions of Fabric IQ and Foundry IQ, we give media organisations the ability to unify analytics and operational intelligence, so AI can support real-time decisions in control rooms – whether that’s shot selection, compliance checks or rights management,” says Rutledge. “Paired with Work IQ and modern data stacks, these capabilities also power personalised programming – from curated highlight streams to language-specific commentary – so producers deliver the right cut, in the right format, to the right viewer, in real time.”
AI therefore holds tremendous promise for the broadcasting industry, but scaling it from pilot projects to full operational deployment comes with significant challenges.
“Data foundation and governance is a key hurdle,” says Rutledge. “Pilots work on isolated datasets; scaling requires a unified analytics fabric, clear data lineage and responsible AI guardrails.”
Security and compliance add another layer of complexity in an industry that handles valuable and protected intellectual property.
“Moving to production means safeguarding sensitive content, enforcing rights management, and ensuring AI systems meet regulatory and ethical standards,” Rutledge explains. “Microsoft is uniquely positioned as a trusted security partner. With Microsoft Security, the most comprehensive enterprise security portfolio, we provide identity protection, encryption and audit capabilities built directly into every workflow, not bolted on later. Integration with Microsoft Defender, Purview and Entra ID ensures end-to-end protection for content, data and AI models.”
The human and operational side of adoption is equally critical.
“Skills and workflow change are vital; adoption stalls when teams lack hands-on fluency,” says Rutledge. “Success comes from focusing on repeatable use cases such as assistive editing, content understanding and translation rather than abstract platforms. Measurable return on investment matters too; organisations need clear performance indicators, including time-to-air, minutes saved per editor, ad yield and churn reduction.”
To support safe and scalable adoption, Microsoft develops agent frameworks that manage AI workflows with the same rigour applied to human operations.
“Agent 365 and the Microsoft 365 Agents SDK give enterprises a secure way to manage and govern custom agents with the same rigour as human accounts,” says Rutledge. “Combined with Agent Factory, which customers can start using today, these capabilities make it possible to scale AI confidently – without compromising compliance or control. For media, that means protecting rights-managed content while accelerating workflows.”
The impact of AI extends beyond operations into audience engagement, enabling personalised experiences at scale. Viewers now expect content to adapt to their language, interests and context, with intelligent curation driving retention and deeper connections.
“AI makes engagement more personal, participatory, and accessible,” says Rutledge. “Modern cloud-and-AI stacks enable tailored experiences, surfacing richer context and evolving fan touchpoints beyond broadcast into sustained dialogue. Fans get relevant insights in their language, smarter discovery and inclusive features – without friction. For broadcasters and streaming platforms, this translates to personalised viewing at scale, with daily GenAI-curated highlight reels, language-aware summaries and context-rich explainers that adapt to each viewer’s preferences. These experiences increase watch time and retention while expanding first-party data for smarter monetisation.”
Creativity is another area where AI reshapes workflows, not by replacing humans but by working alongside them. By automating repetitive tasks such as archiving, clip logging and multilingual preparation, editorial teams can devote more energy to storytelling, analysis and strategy. AI also supports collaborative decision-making while leaving final editorial choices in human hands.
“Editors and producers will spend less time on mechanical steps and more time crafting the arc,” says Rutledge. “When assistive tools handle the grind, newsrooms and truck bays move faster and tell richer stories.”
Broadcast teams will therefore be able to experiment with narrative structure, adapt content for diverse audiences and respond to real-time trends with agility. Rutledge believes that the coming period of content creation will be defined by this collaborative relationship between humans and AI.
“The next era will be human-led, AI-amplified,” she concludes.
Analyst perspective
Technology Record asked AVIXA how it is using AI technology to offer new capabilities to media organisations
“AI is having a notable impact on the production game and transitioning from theoretical to practical applications,” said Sam Minish, vice president of content delivery at AVIXA. “Our AVIXA TV producers, for example, are using AI to develop graphics, help with scriptwriting and fine-tune metadata so we can connect with the right audience. One of our most exciting opportunities is improving accessibility by expanding and optimising the creation and translation of captions. We’re also testing some very cool innovations such as aiding in the translations of voice overs. Media organisations should seek opportunities for both innovation and optimisation when applying AI to their strategy and workflows.”
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