Oracle Cloud aids Premier League

Nigel Cummings

The Premier League football competition has partnered with Oracle to utilise ‘live analysis’ during broadcasts. Starting with the 2021/22 season, Oracle’s Match Insights will be used to deliver football match statistics during live Premier League broadcasts.

By teaming with Oracle, Premier League officials believe the league will be better equipped to increase excitement surrounding every game through ‘in-match statistics’ that provide viewers with a thorough understanding of live-action on the pitch.

According to Oracle, its analytical product, ‘Match Insights – Powered by Oracle Cloud’, will present advanced player performance data and statistics during global broadcast coverage and across the Premier League’s social channels.

Match Insights will use machine learning modelling to generate immediate results based on live data streams, real-time tracking data and facts collected on each League’s players and from thousands of previous matches.

Research has shown that football fans are interested in integrating match data and analysis, and these insights will help provide fans with a data-rich viewing experience. Oracle technology will allow them to access match information instantly from broadcasts received at home, in entertainment venues and from their mobile devices.

The broadcasts will include ‘Win Probability’ insight, based on years of match data, Momentum Tracking, which measures the likelihood of scoring based on a combination of historical and in-match data, and a formation tracker that follows team tactics as they evolve during a match.

Match Insights Live - Win Probability feature calculates the chance of a team securing a win or draw by simulating the remainder of the match 100,000 times. The modelling is based on four years of match data and considers if a team is at home or away, the current score, penalties awarded, players on the pitch, red cards and time left in the match.

Momentum Tracker – This measure the likelihood of the team in possession scoring a goal in the next 10 seconds. The results are based on data from thousands of historical games and the last five events in the current possession. The model incorporates the outcomes of passes, dribbles in possession, tackles and the locations on the pitch where they take place.

Average Formation – This tracks the positions of all players when their team is in and out of possession. The model highlights differences in how teams organize themselves when attacking and defending. During the match, fans will see how teams react to their opposition’s tactics, helping viewers understand the strategies behind different play styles.

The Premier League is not alone in using Oracle Technology to enhance the ‘fan experience’ and gain useful insights. Red Bull Racing, the four-time Formula 1 World Champion team, has also chosen Oracle as its official cloud infrastructure partner.

Red Bull will use Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to optimise the way data is used across its business; from on-track activities to putting more information in the hands of the Team’s global fan base in much the same way as the Premier League plans to provide rich data support for football fans.

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