How sports federations are boosting rights value with AI and the cloud
Media rights matter. Now more than ever.
For many sports federations and clubs, media rights aren’t just a slice of the pie…they are the pie. In many cases they account for more than 50% of their total revenue. So when pressure builds around major events like the Olympics, the need to increase rights value becomes urgent. But that’s not getting any easier.
Production costs are climbing. Rights deals are harder to secure. And the way fans consume content is shifting fast. Traditional broadcast packages still play a part, but today’s audience wants more. They want content in the moment, across platforms, and tailored to how they watch sport now: mobile-first, digital, and on demand.
The traditional model isn’t keeping up
The legacy broadcast model – with its fixed schedules, big crews, and one-size-fits-all coverage – just doesn’t cut it anymore. Rights holders are under pressure to offer more dynamic, personalised content, not just to engage fans, but to give broadcasters and sponsors something new to buy into.
This is where flexibility becomes everything. Federations need to prove they can deliver not just the event, but a full content ecosystem around it, with highlights, replays, shoulder content, vertical clips, social engagement, live streams… all in real time.
Tech is catching up with the ambition
The good news? The tech is ready. Live cloud production platforms and AI-powered cameras are helping federations do more with less: high-quality live coverage with less cost, less kit, fewer people on-site. And the impact goes beyond efficiency.
These tools let federations scale their content output, engage fans instantly, and get creative with new formats. They can turn every shooting lane, race, match, or moment into content, and do it as it happens, without the old barriers of location or logistics.
Case in point: The IBU’s AI-driven coverage strategy
As the 2026 Winter Olympics loom on the horizon, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) is strategically positioning itself to maximise the value of its media rights by embracing new technology.
At the 2025 World Biathlon Championships, the IBU took a bold step in its approach by integrating AI-powered cameras that automatically track all 30 shooting lanes in real time, offering dynamic, immersive coverage. No need for a camera operator on each lane, no need to cut manually between feeds. The result? Smoother coverage, more angles, and better storytelling. And because it’s automated, it’s scalable; ideal for a sport that doesn’t always get wall-to-wall coverage.
But the real win is in what it unlocks: more content to distribute, faster turnaround, and more value to offer to broadcasters and sponsors. The IBU isn’t just prepping for an Olympic cycle, they’re demonstrating they can deliver digital-first coverage that appeals to modern media buyers.
Beyond AI cameras, live cloud production is critical in unlocking the full potential of this technology.
TV8 Mont-Blanc: Cloud production makes it possible
This shift isn’t just limited to international federations. TV8 Mont-Blanc, a regional French broadcaster covering the Alps, turned to Grabyo to reimagine how they produce and distribute live content. They’re now able to stream regional sports events, clip highlights in real time, and publish across platforms, without needing an OB truck…not least because that would be impossible to navigate the terrain that needed to be covered. With a small team deployed on-site, the video and audio feeds were transmitted via cellular and ingested into Grabyo where the production team, based over 350km away, produced and distributed the event live.
That kind of flexibility is game-changing. Events don’t always run on schedules, especially at regional level. And with cloud tools, TV8 Mont-Blanc can pivot on the fly, capture what matters, and get it out fast, whether it was planned or not. For rights holders, it also opens up fresh opportunities to sell sponsorships, with live coverage now easier to deliver than ever.
It’s content on their terms, not the terms of traditional infrastructure.
Lessons from the past: A cautionary tale of missed digital opportunities
Of course not everyone moved early. UEFA’s Euro 2020 tournament faced significant challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it also highlighted how a slow approach to digital-first strategies can hurt. While traditional media rights held strong, UEFA missed a trick by not pushing harder into real-time, digital-first content. This delay in digital adaptation meant missing out on potential revenue streams from online streaming and social media engagement.
UEFA’s since shifted gears. It’s now moving faster on digital, securing multi-platform deals for Euro 2024 and beyond, including streaming and digital distribution through partners like NBC and Eurosport. The goal? Reach more fans, in more places, and boost the value of media rights in a landscape that’s changing fast.
This experience serves as a cautionary tale for federations: failing to swiftly adapt to digital trends can result in missed opportunities and significant revenue losses.
Cloud tools aren’t a nice-to-have. They’re a must-have.
Cloud production is no longer the future, it’s the now. Here’s what rights holders can expect to achieve from just one platform to help maximise value:
💷 Cut production costs, not corners: Reduced on-site crew. No hardware headaches. Put budget into content, not infrastructure and resources.
📈 More content, less overhead: Real-time highlights, clips and streams are easier to produce than ever. More content = more sponsor opportunities = increased rights value.
🗺️ Reach beyond borders: Instant distribution to OTT, social, broadcast, apps, you name it! Engage fans globally, grow your audience, and grow your revenue.
🏟️ Engage in the moment: The faster you get content out, the more valuable it becomes. Sponsors and platforms want to ride the moment, not recap it later.
Final thoughts – the game has changed
Sports federations no longer just sell rights, they sell reach, engagement and content ecosystems. And to meet that demand, they need to think like agile media companies, not just event organisers.
With the right cloud tools, they can unlock new revenue streams, scale content output, and showcase value in ways that weren’t possible before. Whether it’s an international event or a local race, it’s about being able to produce professional, digital-first live streams consistently and cost-effectively.
That’s what today’s media buyers want. And it’s what fans expect.
The federations that move now will lead. The rest will play catch-up.
