Media Distillery has launched a new AI-based Sports Engagement Suite aimed at helping broadcasters and streaming platforms improve the sports viewing experience across live and on-demand services.
The Amsterdam-based company said the platform automates the creation of match highlights, detects key moments in real time, generates navigable chapter markers and surfaces related shoulder content, reducing the manual effort typically required to package sports coverage for viewers.
The launch comes as spending on sports rights continues to rise, with streamers and broadcasters facing increasing pressure to turn costly rights deals into stronger engagement and retention.
Media Distillery said the new suite is designed to support the full fan journey rather than a single use case. The company argues that while many products focus on either highlights, navigation or metadata tagging, its platform combines all 4 functions into a single integrated offer.
The Match Highlights tool automatically produces video summaries within minutes of the final whistle, with configurable length and editorial style. Football will be the first sport supported ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with ice hockey and basketball due to follow.
The Key Moments feature identifies major in-game events in real time, allowing viewers joining late to catch up quickly. Broadcasters can define which moments are surfaced depending on the sport, competition or audience.
Sports Chapters uses AI-generated chapter markers, titles and summaries to make long-form sports coverage easier to navigate. Media Distillery said the feature is particularly useful for complex event coverage involving multiple sports or matches within the same programme.
The company said the technology has already been used in production by NLZIET, where it enabled viewers to navigate unscheduled Winter Olympics coverage and move between sports such as alpine skiing and snowboarding without prior schedule data.
A fourth element, Shoulder Content, is designed to extend engagement beyond the live event by tagging and recommending related material such as interviews, line-up announcements, press conferences and analysis.
Media Distillery said a proof-of-concept with Liberty Global found that 77% of subscribers watched content they would not otherwise have viewed, while 67% said the feature helped them watch sports content within Liberty Global’s own environment that they would normally have consumed on other platforms.
Roland Sars, chief executive of Media Distillery, said sports had become a key battleground for viewer loyalty and that rights investments would underdeliver without the right user experience.
The company is demonstrating the Sports Engagement Suite at StreamTV Europe in Lisbon this month.
