The Premier League’s Summer Series kicked off in the US on Saturday with matches between Everton and AFC Bournemouth, and Manchester United and West Ham, both at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The matches were also a way to showcase the League’s new AI capabilities, the first efforts of a five-year strategic partnership with Microsoft, inked at the beginning of July.
The Premier League is the highest level of the interconnected leagues in the English Football League (EFL), consisting of 20 clubs. It’s the world’s most-watched football league, reaching 900 million homes in 189 countries, and this new partnership with Microsoft represents one of the most significant technology transformations in its 33-year history, says the League.
“Historically, the mandate of the Premier League and the role has been to run the competition in terms of media sales and a small, central sponsorship program,” says Alexandra Willis, director of digital media and audience development for the Premier League. “Therefore, we haven’t needed to have technology, a technology architecture, or a technology stack to service our global fan base.”
