Artificial Intelligence & Data Take Centre Stage In LaLiga Technology Showcase

As part of its inaugural LaLiga Technology Showcase, the institution today presented the latest innovations from several of its departments at an event titled Technology, the secret behind LaLiga. 

The event at LaLiga’s Madrid offices featured a number of LaLiga directors, including Minerva Santana, director of innovation, strategy and technological transformation; Luis Gil, director of competitions and the players’ office; Loreto Quintero; head of strategic projects; Jose Ignacio Arbea, head of integrity; and Real Sociedad’s director of digital transformation, Juan Iraola. During the course of the event, each of these speakers revealed details of new and developing projects that have been developed by LaLiga in recent months, all of which based on business intelligence & analytics and machine learning. 

Across the following applications, this technology is enabling users, clubs and players, amongst other groups, to gain insights and experiences that were not previously possible:

Players App: Provides players with exclusive information relating both to the pre- and post-match. This new app, which will be launched in 2020, represents progress in terms of the quality of audiovisual content, with facial recognition software enabling each player to receive their personal match images at the end of every game. In addition, it will also allow players to consult performance levels during the match and for the whole season, both individually and collectively. 

The app features exclusive statistics from LaLiga’s Mediacoach tool, which players can use to obtain in-depth information in relation their match performances, with data relating to distance covered, peak speed or the percentage of recoveries in the opposition’s half, as well as a range of other criteria. This data is adapted to each player’s position (goalkeeper, defender, midfielder or forward). In addition, the app allows players to request a report of the games played in recent seasons, both in LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank. Players will also be able to use the app to contact the LaLiga players’ office directly in order to make any kind of enquiry, with this service establishing a direct communication channel between LaLiga and the player. 

“This app sees us offer the players, who are one of our main assets, a unique and top-quality service. The facial recognition software and the distribution of images amongst the athletes will represent a before and after in terms of how we communicate with them,” explained Gil during his address. 

Calendar Selector & Sunlight Broadcasting Planning: LaLiga unveiled new versions of these tools, which optimise television audiences and stadium attendance figures through artificial intelligence. The former uses machine learning and algorithms to indicate the best possible time for fixtures to be staged. The app, which is hosted in a cloud, uses historic audience and attendance figures, as well as a further 30 variables relating to historic data and team and competition trends over recent matchdays. This updated version allows users to select different regions from across the world to focus on them when establishing match schedules.

Used alongside Calendar Selector, LaLiga’s Sunlight Broadcasting Planning software predicts the levels of natural light in every game using 3D reconstructions of the stadiums. The program indicates which areas of the stadium will be in the sun and the shade and generates an image of how the sun will impact on the television image, supporters, players, etc, assisting the decision-making process regarding match scheduling and positioning of cameras. 

“The new features included in these applications will allow us to optimise stadium attendance figures, whilst making it easier for spectators from all over the world to watch our games, with this data adapted to each geographic zone,” commented Gil.

LaLigaSportsTV (OTT): LaLiga also revealed details of the latest updates in relation to its multi-device OTT, LaLigaSportsTV. The platform currently boasts 410,000 registered users and broadcasts competitions from over 30 sports, which, as a result, benefit from improved visibility and exposure. This initiative helps LaLiga, along with the sporting federations involved in the platform, to position themselves and learn lessons from the transition that is taking place in audiovisual and sponsorship fields. 

“The OTT is far more than sports broadcasting via streaming, it’s all about the ability to improve our knowledge of the user and how they consume the product, with a view to developing strategies that look to improve their experience,” noted Quintero. 

The ultimate aim of the OTT is to ensure that LaLiga is prepared for a possible change in the sports content consumption model. “It’s through this platform that we’re laying the foundations for what may happen in the future,” highlighted Quintero.

Start-up programme: With the support of the start-up SOLOS, along with LaLiga Santander club Real Sociedad, LaLiga is running a pilot project to implement smart technology in the form of a tag that can be incorporated within any of the club’s items of clothing or merchandise. This tag will satisfy two needs: to protect the club from false merchandise and offer premium experiences and content via the club’s app to users who purchase a tagged product, with such fans able to access this content by scanning the tag. 

“Thanks to LaLiga’s start-up competition, we’ve been able to roll out some really innovative pilot projects like this one, which offer us a new communications channel with football supporters, whilst opening up new ways of understanding associated sponsors,” said Iraola. 

“It is vital that we’re able to offer our users new products and if they’re related to technology and innovation, all the better. This project has allowed us to combine these two things and we’re certain that it’ll prove to be a real success”, Iraola continued.

Tyche 3.0: This tool was developed as a part of LaLiga’s integrity programme, which seeks to detect possible cases of match-fixing within both the professional and amateur ranks of the game. The aim of the tool is to identify any kind of abnormal movement in the global betting markets that could provide an indication to determine a case of match-fixing. All of this is achieved though a machine learning algorithm based on neural networks that forecast the betting odds according to the stage of the game and events. 

The tool helps to enhance the work carried out by the analysts, who ultimately have the final say. Should they observe any abnormal movements they will write up a report, which, following an investigation, could subsequently end up with a complaint being lodged to the Spanish Police Force.

“Tyche 3.0 has placed us at the forefront of the battle against match-fixing on the global stage. We’re the only league to have developed this software in-house, with the rest of the competitions typically subcontracting this service to external providers. This gives us far greater potential, not only in terms of our activities on a national scale but it also allows us to help other leagues and sports that are now beginning to develop integrity programmes”, explained Arbea.

These solutions are just some of the many that LaLiga has developed in recent years, particularly over the course of the past three years.

“The use of data and machine learning has become a cornerstone of LaLiga’s development, allowing us to help the commercial departments to achieve their targets through analysis and simple decision-making tools”, commented LaLiga’s director of technology, Jose Carlos Franco, at the close of the event.