Cricket's Olympic Debut & AI's Role in Enhancing Game Viewership

Aditya Aditya from the IOC discusses the significance of including cricket in the Olympics and the revolutionary impact of AI on fan experiences at a sports summit. He emphasizes the potential to merge sports and storytelling, especially in Indian media, to broaden Olympic appeal and engagement.

At the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit, Aditya Aditya, Head of Media Business Strategy & Intelligence at the International Olympic Committee, underscored the profound impact of cricket's inclusion in the Olympics. He noted how this move could pique interest in various sports across the globe, particularly in cricket-loving regions.

Highlighting the progression towards incorporating cricket into the Olympic Games, Aditya remarked, "Cricket was one of the big things for us." He envisioned Indian cricket stars engaging with athletes from diverse sports, thereby bridging fan bases and fostering global sports camaraderie.

Further, Aditya elaborated on the role of artificial intelligence, suggesting AI's potential to offer personalized fan experiences, such as enabling viewers to choose commentary voices. This spans from esteemed commentators to iconic Bollywood characters, presenting a transformative fan engagement strategy.

Addressing the importance of pre-Olympic athlete storytelling, Aditya stressed the need to build narratives well before the Games commence. He illustrated this with Dipa Karmakar's potential spotlight before Rio 2016, underscoring the value of early buzz in engaging audiences.

Conclusively, Aditya advocated for crafting stories that transcend sports, integrating media like films and TV shows to enhance athlete visibility and audience connection throughout the year.

(With inputs from agencies.)