Microsoft and Premier League Forge Five-Year AI Partnership to Revolutionize Fan Experience

Microsoft Signs Deal to Power Premier League's AI Tools

Microsoft Corp. has signed a cloud computing deal with the Premier League, a pact that will let the software company tout its AI technology to a captive audience of sports fans. A five-year "strategic partnership" will see the UK soccer league, the world's most watched, migrate its "core technology infrastructure" to Microsoft's Azure cloud-computing service, the company and league said in a statement on Tuesday. The Premier League's mobile apps and website will feature an artificially intelligent chatbot powered by Microsoft's AI services, as will the league's fantasy games.

Premier League forms five-year AI partnership with Microsoft

July 1 (Reuters) - The English Premier League and Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab on Tuesday announced a five-year partnership where the cloud giant will infuse its artificial intelligence Copilot into the league's digital platforms to provide quick facts and statistics about matches. Audiences and fans will be able to learn about Premier League clubs, players, matches through an AI companion powered by Microsoft's Copilot which can pull information from over 30 seasons of stats, 300,000 articles and 9,000 videos, they said. AI has strongly resonated with sports leagues and sports entertainment companies as they look to streamline the vast troves of data to attract larger audiences and drive engagement. Spain's LaLiga soccer league, which features clubs such as Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, also uses AI in match analysis and media production while clubs roll out AI-driven experiences to engage more fans. The Premier League, England's top soccer league, is also migrating its core digital infrastructure to Microsoft Azure to allow for easier AI integration and create a unified platform for the league. Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Artificial Intelligence

English Premier League integrates Microsoft AI into fan app in new 5-year deal

Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Aston Villa FC at Old Trafford on May 25, 2025 in Manchester, England. The English Premier League is bringing artificial intelligence to the soccer pitch through a new partnership with Microsoft. The five-year agreement will integrate Microsoft's Copilot AI into the English Premier League app, offering fans access to more than 300,000 articles, 9,000 videos and statistics from the league dating back to its founding in 1992. Future iterations of the technology will translate text and audio into a user's native language and will enhance the digital Fantasy Premier League offerings. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. "This partnership will help us engage with fans in new ways -- from personalized content to real-time match insights," Richard Masters, English Premier League CEO, said in a news release. The English Premier League is widely seen as the most prestigious soccer organization in the world and is the most-watched, airing matches in 189 countries and reaching 900 million homes globally, according to the league. "By leveraging our secure cloud and AI technologies -- including Azure AI Foundry Services with Azure OpenAI, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Dynamics 365 -- we will transform how football is experienced, delivered, and managed on and off the field," Judson Althoff, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Microsoft, said in a statement. Under the partnership, Microsoft is also becoming the league's cloud computing partner after a previous contract with Oracle ended. The English Premier League season begins Aug. 15. Before that, fans can watch the Premier League Summer Series, a tournament of "friendly," or exhibition, matches, from July 26 to Aug. 3 in the U.S. The first matches will be held at MetLife Stadium near New York City with Everton facing AFC Bournemouth and Manchester United facing West Ham United.

Premier League and Microsoft announce partnership using AI to improve fan experience

LONDON (AP) -- The Premier League and Microsoft have announced a partnership to provide AI support to fans across the league's digital platforms. Fans will be able to access information from more than 30 seasons of stats, 300,000 articles and 9,000 videos to provide enhanced analysis and engagement when watching the world's most popular soccer league. Features will include open-text questions and answers in a fan's native language through text and audio translation. "This partnership will help us engage with fans in new ways -- from personalized content to real-time match insights," said Premier League chief executive Richard Masters.

Microsoft teaming with Premier League to enhance soccer fans' digital experience using AI

Microsoft announced a new strategic partnership with the Premier League on Tuesday in which the tech giant will use its cloud an AI technology to provide a boost to the soccer league's digital infrastructure and fan-facing platforms. At the heart of the five-year deal are new digital features to make the fan experiences more intelligent and intuitive. The tech transformation is considered one of the most significant in the history of Premier League, which is watched in 900 million homes across 189 countries, according to a news release. The four key areas being addressed include: fan engagement, match insights and analysis, cloud transformation, and organizational productivity. Fans can learn more about the clubs, players and matches of their choice through a new digital "Premier League Companion" powered by Microsoft Copilot. The experience leverages Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI to pull information from over 30 seasons of stats, 300,000 articles and 9,000 videos. Premier League Companion is available on the new official Premier League mobile app and web platforms and will be enhanced throughout the upcoming season. Additional functionality is set to include open-text questions and answers in fans' native languages through text and audio translation. Microsoft AI will also be included within the app and website's enhanced Fantasy Premier League experience, giving fans their own AI assistant manager to help them steer their fantasy squad. Microsoft Azure cloud services will also be used to enhance the live match experience with real-time data overlays and post-match analysis. The league is migrating its core technology infrastructure to Azure for, which it says will allow for greater scalability and security as well as faster innovation and integration of AI services. Microsoft has other sports-related partnerships, most notably with the National Football League. Earlier this year, the company rolled out a new AI assistant within its NFL Combine App used by coaches and scouts. Microsoft Surface tablets are used by teams across the league. Microsoft also works with individual teams to boost internal operations. Teams are using Copilot to build marketing plans and create social media campaigns, for example.

Microsoft signs deal to power Premier League's AI tools

(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. has signed a cloud computing deal with the Premier League, a pact that will let the software company tout its AI technology to a captive audience of sports fans. A five-year "strategic partnership" will see the UK soccer league, the world's most watched, migrate its "core technology infrastructure" to Microsoft's Azure cloud-computing service, the company and league said in a statement on Tuesday. The Premier League's mobile apps and website will feature an artificially intelligent chatbot powered by Microsoft's AI services, as will the league's fantasy games. "This is the future of football," Microsoft UK chief Darren Hardman said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. "It's data-driven drama, it's smarter stats, it's deeper stories, it's a better connection of the fan to what's going on." He and Will Brass, the Premier League's chief commercial officer, declined to discuss the financial terms of the deal. Oracle Corp. previously provided cloud-computing services to the league, but the arrangement expired at the end of the season earlier this year. Technology and sports marketing tie-ins are a crowded field, particularly in global soccer. Microsoft's Copilot brand is the sponsor for Beyond Stats, a service that provides game and team analysis for fans of Spain's top soccer division, La Liga. The stats that pop up during Germany's Bundesliga are festooned with the Amazon Web Services logo. Such deals are prized by technology companies because sports is the rare entertainment that people still watch live. In the 12 years since Microsoft struck a deal with the National Football League to place its tablets in the hands of team coaches, the tech industry has looked for creative ways to go beyond plastering their brand names on league signage. -With assistance from Ed Ludlow and Caroline Hyde.

Premier League forms five-year AI partnership with Microsoft - The Economic Times

The English Premier League and Microsoft on Tuesday announced a five-year partnership where the cloud giant will infuse its artificial intelligence Copilot into the league's digital platforms to provide quick facts and statistics about matches. Audiences and fans will be able to learn about Premier League clubs, players, matches through an AI companion powered by Microsoft's Copilot which can pull information from over 30 seasons of stats, 300,000 articles and 9,000 videos, they said. AI has strongly resonated with sports leagues and sports entertainment companies as they look to streamline the vast troves of data to attract larger audiences and drive engagement. Spain's LaLiga soccer league, which features clubs such as Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, also uses AI in match analysis and media production while clubs roll out AI-driven experiences to engage more fans. The Premier League, England's top soccer league, is also migrating its core digital infrastructure to Microsoft Azure to allow for easier AI integration and create a unified platform for the league.