Adam Kelly, President of IMG, views sport as a unique counterweight to the proliferation of AI-generated content, asserting that its live, appointment-viewing nature and inherent human stakes will make it even more valuable in an AI-saturated world. He highlights that sport taps into the "highest-value part of the attention economy" and the "experience economy," driven by scarcity, community, and passion, requiring active engagement from audiences. Kelly notes that while AI can replicate many forms of media, the authentic, human-led element of live sport, exemplified by continued engagement with human chess players despite AI superiority, cannot be truly replicated.
Kelly emphasizes that rights holders need to ensure sport is consumed in new ways while remaining sustainable and fair. He acknowledges the growing share of digital-first platforms like YouTube and Netflix, which now account for approximately 20% of spending on sports media rights, and anticipates this trend to continue. He stresses the importance of sports organizations becoming verified and authoritative sources that AI can trust, ensuring content is delivered appropriately to fans without being solely at the mercy of algorithms.
Ultimately, Kelly's theory is that sport will become the "last bastion of human content" that can cut through the "AI noise" or "AI slop," driven by authenticity, human values, and storytelling. He cites the success of shows like CBS's UEFA Champions League coverage, which demonstrates deep audience engagement with human narratives alongside the live action. This "human premium" and reinforcement of community and loyalty will, in his view, increase sport's overall value, leading investors, rights holders, and brands to prioritize measurable commercial outcomes over obscure metrics, thereby fostering innovation in new digital models.
