Tech Mahindra launches a sports cloud platform built on AWS

Tech Mahindra has collaborated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to build a sports cloud platform. The offering focuses on building next-generation digital capabilities for sports organizations and delivering immersive and personalized experiences to sporting enthusiasts worldwide. The sports cloud offering is the result of a strategic collaboration agreement (SCA) signed between the two organizations in September, 2023, with a shared vision to bring the sports institutions closer to the fans, and the fans closer to the action. The SCA supports ease of access for Tech Mahindra to AWS resources and services and allows both entities to participate in joint go-to-market initiatives and drive business growth.  

The increasing need for enhanced experience among sports fans, the growing adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) experience for efficient management of sports stadiums, and the growing demand for data-driven insights by sports organizations is expected to fuel the overall growth of sports technology. Tech Mahindra and AWS will collaborate to offer a comprehensive digital platform to sports organizations, offering use cases related to content and community engagement, customer data management and audience segmentation, and sports analytics, while delivering immersive stadium-to-home fan experiences by leveraging augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/ VR), and metaverse gamification. The cloud offering will also enable sports organizations to build and transform digital properties of sports teams and franchises and generate new revenue streams by developing new services and features tailored to audience needs. 

Tech Mahindra aims to deploy its sports cloud offering to enhance the digital capabilities of sports leagues, franchises, and organizations, providing immersive and personalized experiences to fans worldwide. Punjab Kings, a professional franchise Cricket team based in India, has been working with Tech Mahindra to engage fans by bringing content, community, and commerce together. 

Built on AWS, the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud, Tech Mahindra’s sports cloud offering will be powered by real-time analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), high-performance compute for AR/ VR, enriched broadcasting, and Web 3.0 technologies, enabling high volumes of digital data to be processed in real-time, and providing sports fans with an elevated experience.  

The platform will use AWS native services, and specialist AWS services such as AWS Elemental MediaLive for delivering 24/7 linear channels and live events at scale; AWS Elemental MediaConvert for transcoding content for broadcast and multi-screen delivery; Amazon Kinesis Data Streams for storing and ingesting various streaming data in real-time at any scale; and Amazon Managed Blockchain, a fully managed service designed to help customers build resilient Web 3.0 applications on both public and private blockchains. Tech Mahindra will also leverage Amazon SageMaker – a fully managed ML service from AWS that enables developers and data scientists to build, train, and deploy ML models for any use – to power AR/VR video and image analytics, and enable fans to experience virtual stadium tours, live events, shopping, and access footage from sporting events. 

Samira Bakhtiar, General Manager, Media, Entertainment & Sports, AWS, said, “AWS provides cloud-enabled technologies that are at the heart of digital innovation, athlete performance optimization, and epic fan engagement, transforming the way sports are played, analyzed, and enjoyed. Tech Mahindra shares our passion for the sports industry, and our belief that cloud, AI, ML, and emerging technologies will drive the sports technology of the future. Our collaboration with Tech Mahindra will enable leading sports organizations to take the fan experience to the next level by creating immersive experiences and providing data-driven insights. We are excited about the potential to make sports more engaging and enjoyable for fans, and more productive for sports organizations around the world.” 

Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Growth, Tech Mahindra, said, “New-age technology and data-driven insights are changing the way we consume sports. At Tech Mahindra, we are committed to investing in sports tech to provide personalized experiences for sports fans worldwide. Our collaboration with AWS, that offers the broadest and deepest set of cloud services, will transform how fans interact with their favourite sports, creating a dynamic and captivating experience for viewers. By building Sports Cloud on AWS, we aim to build a personalized, fan-focused community that transcends physical sports. The platform is positioned to disrupt the sports tech industry by providing opportunities for sports organizations and franchises worldwide to create a delightful fan engagement experience that is built on content and community, leading to commerce.” 

As part of its NXT.NOW framework, which aims to enhance ‘Human Centric Experience’, Tech Mahindra has a deep focus on leveraging cutting-edge technologies to deliver enhanced experience and enable digital transformation to meet the evolving needs of the customer.