(Football news) ELCLASICO will be enhanced thanks to LALIGA technology partner Microsoft, which has, through the Beyond Stats project, provided clubs with Surface Pro devices to work with advanced metrics from the dugout and helped fans gain deeper insights into the game through the Powered by Microsoft graphics.

Between a blockbuster and a next-generation video game. That’s what the first ELCLASICO of the 2023/24 season will look like. Featuring the latest technological innovations, artificial intelligence, big data applied to the game via Microsoft, augmented reality, and with all the audiovisual features of ELCLASICO amplified for this most eagerly anticipated encounter. The match broadcast produced by LALIGA will be seen across the world through LALIGA’s international broadcasters.

ELCLASICO is the most-watched club game in world football, reaching a potential audience of 650 million people from all corners of the world through the international broadcasters. The upcoming ELCLASICO, which will take place on October 28th in Barcelona, will be the first of the New Era of LALIGA and, as such, it arrives with various technological innovations and enhancements to the usual audiovisual display:

• It will be the first match of the New Era of LALIGA to have its own graphic identity. The graphics of the broadcast will be unique and adjusted to the new visual identity of ELCLASICO, aligned with the concept of eclipse: this is a match “that eclipses everything.” With that in mind, the aesthetic will combine black and white with an astronomical look and feel.

• The ELCLASICO will feature artificial intelligence and big data from Microsoft, in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Clubs will debut the new Surface Pro performance tablets this weekend, with these devices in place to enhance the use of data for decision-making from the dugout. Microsoft has provided every club with two Surface Pro tablets, each one integrated with the LALIGA Mediacoach data analysis tool. The tablets, which are being provided as part of the Beyond Stats project, will be available in the dugouts and training sessions from this matchday onwards. Through them the coaching staff can receive alerts and game metrics in real time.

Similarly, the audiovisual match broadcast will be complemented by real-time statistics and 3D graphics from Beyond Stats powered by Microsoft. Installing Mediacoach onto the Surface tablets and homogenising its use across the 42 LALIGA clubs will optimise the use of this technology, opening up new features that wouldn’t have been possible without this integration. It will boost the agility and speed in obtaining and synchronising the data collected by the 16 optical tracking cameras and the three tactical cameras in place at the 42 LALIGA stadiums, with the immediate processes allowing for real-time consultation of performance and medical data from the dugout.

• Fans in Spain can comment live. As part of the continuous effort to advance and improve the fan experience, LALIGA has also launched a new option for fans in Spain to be able to comment live on the match. Users who tune in to the multi- camera signal will have the opportunity to enter the match chat and comment live on what is happening on the pitch. Through a QR code displayed on screen, viewers can access this new experience to discuss the events taking place. The messages will be displayed on the television as part of the multi-screen experience offered by the channel.

In addition to these new features, the ELCLASICO match will showcase an unprecedented audiovisual display enhanced with 38 cameras providing the viewer with unique shots and angles, including two Ultra Slow cameras following standout players from each side, two robotic cameras roaming behind the goals and two cinematic cameras with super slow repetitions, exclusive to LALIGA and MEDIAPRO. Multi-camera signals, artificial intelligence applied to data, the latest audiovisual production and state-of-the-art augmented reality graphics will make this match the greatest television experience for fans around the world.

About LALIGA

LALIGA is the largest football ecosystem in the world. It is a private sports association, made up of 20 football clubs/SADs in LALIGA EA SPORTS and 22 in LALIGA HYPERMOTION, and is responsible for the organization of professional and national football competitions. It has over 200 million followers on social networks globally, across 16 platforms and in 20 different languages; and has the most extensive international network of any sports property, through which it is present in 41 countries and 11 offices, with headquarters in Madrid (Spain). The association is socially active through its Foundation and is the first professional football league in the world with a competition for players with intellectual disabilities: LALIGA Genuine.

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