120 FEATURE “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 timeto-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 AI-driven insights are now provided to coaches and players on the sideline through the upgraded Sideline Viewing System Photo: NFL/Microsoft
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