NBC Sports is set to revolutionize its mobile viewing experience with the introduction of an advanced AI-driven player tracking system. This innovative feature allows fans to zoom in on their favorite athletes, marking the first time the viztrick AiDi technology, crafted by Japan’s Nippon Television Network, is being adopted by another broadcaster. According to Nikkei Asia, NBC Sports aims to roll out this capability for its live event coverage within the year.
The cutting-edge viztrick AiDi system leverages facial recognition technology to pinpoint and track players’ movements. With an intuitive interface, operators can easily select an athlete to follow by tapping on their image. While Nippon TV in Japan has utilized it to display overlays with player names and stats, NBC Sports plans to offer tailored mobile content in a vertical format, catering to a more personalized viewing experience.
Sports enthusiasts will have the flexibility to choose between the traditional horizontal broadcast and a focused view on popular athletes through the viztrick AiDi system. This technology can seamlessly extract athlete footage in real time and adapt it from a horizontal to a vertical layout for mobile consumption. Although specific events featuring this new capability have yet to be announced, NBC Sports will be covering the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano and Cortina, potentially showcasing this groundbreaking feature.
