Microsoft, Star India and Anil Kumble redefine fan
engagement with real-time Power Speks
MUMBAI, India, Oct. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. and
Anil Kumble's technology startup, Spektacom Technologies, with
support from broadcast partner Star India, came together on
Thursday to announce the introduction of the Power Bat. The Power
Bat provides players, coaches, commentators, fans and viewers with
a completely new and unique way to engage with the sport and help
improve their game — all powered by the Microsoft Azure cloud
platform using AI and Internet of Things (IoT) services.
Microsoft has been working closely with Spektacom and its
founder Anil Kumble, former captain, Indian cricket team, to
incubate and launch the product, as part of its ScaleUp program.
Star India, the leading cricket
broadcaster in India, has used the
technology successfully in recent series to provide real-time
statistics and insights straight off the oval.
"We're excited to be a part of the work Spektacom and Star India
are doing to enhance the cricket experience for fans, players and
coaches," said Peggy Johnson,
executive vice president, Microsoft. "We've already seen the
impact that connected devices have had in other industries, and we
believe that with the advancements in our AI and cloud services,
this is just the beginning of what's possible for not only cricket,
but all sports."
Sanjay Gupta, managing
director, Star India, said, "Star India has always strived to
redefine and elevate experiences for sports fans. From
Multilanguage feeds and Select Dugout to VR and Watch n' Play, the
coverage of Vivo IPL demonstrates our commitment toward creating
new benchmarks in how technology is deployed to deepen fan
engagement. The Power Bat promises to be another step in the same
direction, and we look forward to the partnership with Anil Kumble
(Spektacom) and Microsoft in bringing it to our broadcasts."
According to Anil Kumble, former captain, Indian cricket
team, and founder, Spektacom, "Our vision is to bring sports
closer to fans through interesting ways of engagement using
real-time sports analytics. At the same time, it is important that
the technologies used are seamless and do not disrupt the game or
obstruct the players. With Microsoft, we have been able to create a
secure and effective solution, and with Star India, we have a
partner that can stimulate and excite fan engagement."
The Power Bat is a unique concept whereby a lightweight, Azure
Sphere-powered sticker is stuck on the shoulder of the bat — a form
factor that is completely unobtrusive. In a live match, as soon as
the batsman hits the ball, data on different parameters (speed on
impact, twist on impact and quality of the shot — percentage
proximity of the ball's contact to the sweet spot of the willow)
are captured in a new unit of measurement titled Power Speks.
Microsoft's Azure Sphere ensures that the data is securely captured
and processed. Using advanced analytics and AI services on Azure,
real-time insights are captured through the stump box and displayed
via the broadcaster. During practice or coaching, the same data can
be viewed through a mobile app.
Although the technology introduced by Spektacom today has its
first use case in cricket, for Microsoft, Anil Kumble and Star
India this is the first of many sports where it can be used.
Microsoft believes in leveraging its technology and its people
to help sports teams and organizations solve their toughest
challenges. By leveraging the company's intelligent cloud and
productivity solutions, sports organizations worldwide are
connecting with fans, optimizing team and player performance, and
managing their operations in new, innovative ways.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) enables digital
transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an
intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every
organization on the planet to achieve more.
About Spektacom Technologies
Spektacom is redefining sports and re-Imagining fan engagement
through innovative sensor technology. Its mission is reaching
billions of sports fans. Spektacom enables the fan's participative
experience to "be in the game".
About Star India
Star India has defined the
Indian media landscape since 1991 and today is one of the country's
leading media conglomerates, reaching approximately 700+ million
viewers a month across India and
more than 100 other countries. Star generates 30,000+ hours of
content every year and broadcasts 60+ channels in 8 different
languages, reaching 9 out of 10 C&S TV homes in India. Star India is a fully owned subsidiary of 21st
Century Fox.
The network's entertainment channel portfolio includes
Star Gold, Star Gold HD, Star Gold
Select, Star Gold Select HD, Star
World, Star World HD, Star World Premiere HD, Star Movies,
Star Movies HD, Star Movies Select HD, Star Utsav, Star Utsav
Movies, Star Bharat, Star Bharat HD, Movies OK, National
Geographic, National Geographic HD, Nat Geo
Wild, Nat Geo Wild HD, Fox Life, Nat
Geo People, Nat Geo People HD, Nat
Geo Music, Nat Geo Music HD, Baby TV, Baby TV HD and Star
Plus, Star Plus HD India's No. 1 Hindi General Entertainment
Channel. It has a leading presence in regional broadcasting as
well, through a bouquet of channels which include Star Jalsha,
Jalsha Movies, Star Pravah, Star Pravah HD, Maa channels (Star Maa,
Star Maa HD, Star Maa Gold, Star Maa Movies, Star Maa Movies HD and
Star Maa Music) and affiliate channels Asianet, Asianet HD, Asianet
Plus, Asianet Movies, Star Suvarna,
Star Suvarna HD, Star Suvarna Plus and Vijay TV, Vijay Super. It is also present in the Indian
movie production and distribution space through Fox Star
Studios.
Star India is making quantum
leaps in transforming sports in the country by leveraging the
group's strengths in superior content and audience engagement.
Star's sports business has grown rapidly to 13 channel properties
(Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2, Star
Sports 3, Star Sports HD1,
Star Sports HD2, Star Sports Select
1, Star Sports Select 2, Star Sports Select 1 HD, Star Sports
Select 2 HD, Star Sports Hindi 1, Star Sports Hindi 1 HD;
India's first Tamil Sports channel
Star Sports Tamil 1 and India's
first private FTA sports channel Star
Sports First), making it the leading sports network in the
country.
Star is driving the agenda on digital consumption in the country
with Hotstar, Star's revolutionary digital platform which is among
the fastest growing apps in the world and is increasingly becoming
the first port of call for internet adopters in India.
Star India is a fully owned
subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.
Follow us on http://www.startv.com/.
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