EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

The EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast was the NFL’s first-ever “video-gamified” alternate telecast. By bringing together EA’s iconic Madden NFL video game and live NFL action, the Madden NFL Cast provided fans with an innovative, data- and football-strategy-driven viewing experience.

The Madden NFL Cast combined the NFL’s Next Gen Stats data, Genius Sports’ AI platform, GeniusIQ, NBC Sports’ broadcasting and production capabilities, and EA Sports’ Madden NFL elements to deliver a unique telecast. It delivered to NFL fans who grew up playing Madden a new way to enjoy the Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs game on December 21 on Peacock.

AI is transforming what we all thought possible for a live telecast, and the Madden NFL Cast is an example of this reimagination, enabling fans to reconnect with their favorite video game while watching the biggest league in U.S. sports.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

The Madden NFL Cast has set several new benchmarks in the era of immersive sports broadcasts. It was a first-of-its-kind “video-gamified” alternate telecast that lays the groundwork for integrating video game elements into an experience for the modern fan.

Alternate telecasts are only just beginning in global sports, and the Madden NFL Cast on Peacock has set the gold standard for live action seamlessly interwoven with Madden-specific visual elements, such as PlayStation control buttons and superstar player icons. Crucially, this was all done within a live environment to further create an immersive experience.
The other key benchmark which the Madden NFL Cast has set is how brands insert themselves in a live sports program.

Traditional methods include 30-60 second TV spots and in-stadium advertising, but brands may want to go one step further to authentically engage audiences and further integrate with sports programs. EA Sports was able to leverage the Madden NFL Cast to reach and build meaningful connections with new fans, while also forging a new way of creating emotional ties with consumers of their video game

Objective

Major sports networks and leagues are looking to reach new levels of innovation by providing more choice, insights, and entertainment to fans. The Madden NFL Cast helps achieve such goals.

From the perspective of EA Sports, the Madden NFL Cast provided them with a platform to integrate core Madden elements, themes, and messaging into the telecast in an authentic way to engage fans of the video game, while also reaching new audiences. This was also NBC Sports’ first NFL alternate telecast, enabling NBC to create a unique viewing experience beyond its traditional game broadcast and to test innovations in a different environment.

Genius Sports was a key technology partner at the center of this project, balancing all parties’ objectives to make this innovation possible.

Strategy & Execution

AI is revolutionizing sports telecasts, enabling Leagues and their technology partners to process huge volumes of data in real-time to create more informative and entertaining experiences. For the Madden NFL Cast, GeniusIQ - Genius Sports' next generation sports data and AI platform - applied powerful machine learning to masses of data from Next Gen Stats, as well as EA Sports’ feeds, to deliver real-time insights and near-real-time visualizations.

Viewers of the Madden NFL Cast could enjoy integrated route trail visualizations, play cards, live ratings adjustments, and more. The seamlessness of tech integrations and decreased delay time from main telecast made for a great viewing experience.

This altcast, which was available exclusively on Peacock, included dedicated commentary from Paul Burmeister (NBC Sports play-by-play commentator), Kurt Benkert (former NFL quarterback and Madden expert), and Chad Ochocinco (six-time Pro Bowler) as the real-time player ratings adjuster.

Madden Cast was first announced at half-time of NBC’s Thanksgiving broadcast of the Dolphins-Packers game to 26 million viewers. NBC continued to promote this unique product through its subsequent Sunday Night Football broadcasts, which averaged 20 million viewers in the run up to Madden Cast.

Organizations

• Genius Sports
• EA Sports
• NFL
• NBC Sports
• Peacock

Credits

Josh Helmrich
Senior Director, Media Strategy, Business Development and Next Gen Stats
NFL

Fred Gaudelli
Executive Producer, Sunday Night Football
NBC Sports

Evan Dexter
Vice President, Brand Strategy and Marketing
EA SPORTS

Alvin Anol
Director, Content
Genius Sports

James White
Senior Account Executive
Genius Sports

Stephen Greenberg
Senior Producer
NBC Sports

Darius Eghdami
Senior Director - Business Development
EA SPORTS

Josh Mendoza
Senior Producer
Genius Sports

Aaron Galles
Director, Augmentation Operations
Genius Sports

Paul Iona
Project Manager, Live Augmentation
Genius Sports

Valeria Pelova
Software Engineer
Genius Sports

Ryan Uhlenbrock
Senior Computer Vision Engineer
Genius Sports

Eli Santos
Lead 3D Artist
Genius Sports

Seth Carter
Software Engineer
Genius Sports

Sean Conroy
Executive Vice President, North America
Genius Sports

Josh Kline
Group Creative Director
EA SPORTS