Aditya Aditya, Head of Media Business Strategy & Intelligence at the International Olympic Committee, highlighted the impact of including cricket in the Olympics and the potential of AI in revolutionising the viewer experience at the quadrennial extravaganza. Addressing the gathering at the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit on reinventing Olympic broadcast consumption for next-generation fans, Aditya spoke about the significance of cricket’s inclusion in the Games and how it could drive wider interest in other sports. “Cricket was one of the big things for us. We wanted to make sure that cricket becomes part of the Olympics. And the mission was very clear: how can we get closer to every fourth person in the world that is living in India and the subcontinent? Imagine cricket stars sitting and watching athletics and swimming or hanging out with Neeraj Chopra. Those moments go a long way in creating those stories.” he said. Expanding on India’s influence in global sports media, he added, “India is a leader in media consumption and digital innovation. With a massive audience of over 1.4 billion people, the opportunities are tremendous. We are excited about the prospects in commercial programs and how they can translate into new opportunities for our partners to engage.” On the role of AI in enhancing fan experience, Aditya outlined ways technology could personalise content for viewers. “We could be using AI to make sure that fans can have the voice of a leading commentator. Translating to India, it could be a leading commentator that exists now, or a leading Bollywood character or the character of your choice.” He also emphasised the importance of building athlete stories well in advance of the Olympics, saying, “We need to start way early in terms of planning and all the promotion that goes into building the stories about athletes, that must go one year in advance. Looking at the Indian context, imagine if we knew Dipa Karmakar and millions of people knew she was a potential talent. This would have created an amazing buzz ahead of Rio 2016.” Aditya stressed the need for a broader storytelling approach to connect audiences with athletes. “We are looking to create an Indian audience or local audience in any market. Knowing about their athletes, possibly six months or a year in advance, however early we can create, and then transcend the boundary of sports as well. We want to look at movies, look at TV shows, look at digital creators, and create those relevant stories around the year.” The second edition of the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit Powered by Leaders in Bengaluru is currently underway at the Padukone Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence on 14 and 15 March.