Opta Analyst: Using Data & AI to Shape the Global Sports Conversation
The 7th Annual Awards
- Best Use of Technology
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
Opta Analyst is a digital sports platform that advances fan engagement by turning industry-leading data into accessible, engaging and interactive storytelling experiences. We work in tandem with our established AI group to create outputs that act as sources within content rather than relying on AI to create the content itself. With those differentiated data points, our team of data journalists and visualization experts transform numbers into unique insights through sharp editorial, predictive models, and dynamic stat pages.
How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?
Opta Analyst exemplifies excellence in engagement by combining data, technology and storytelling to spark meaningful interaction. Show the right journalist something new, give them time to think about it, and they will make us think about sports differently.
When we publish predictions or update our Opta Power Rankings, the ripple effect is immense. Our insights fuel conversations in media, on social platforms, and even in press conferences. During the dramatic 2023-24 Premier League title race, our predictions were broadcast regularly by Sky Sports, integrated into The Athletic’s coverage, and featured on Match of the Day. These numbers were so widely discussed that they were referenced in press conferences with Mikel Arteta, Ange Postecoglou and Jonas Eidevall. Our content doesn’t just engage fans, it influences sports at their highest level.
Recognition for our work in 2024 has followed in both the US and UK at staff and individual levels. Our writing has been nominated by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), one of the leading organizations in advanced analytics in sports. In the UK, we’ve received four nominations at the prestigious Sports Journalism Awards, including Digital Publisher of the Year alongside The Athletic, The Guardian and Sky Sports.
Objective
We believe the modern-day sports fan demands unique insights to deepen their understanding and enjoyment of the game. But this fan exists in a quantity-over-quality digital landscape, where technology and the pressure for speed often homogenize content. Our goal is to provide fans with unique data-driven insights that contextualize sports. But before we deliver those to fans, we need to equip our team with the tools to create truly differentiated content. That’s where technology comes in. We feel we’ve invested in AI at a different stage of the content creation process than most media.
Whether through written features, data visualizations or interactive tools, we use numbers to deepen understanding and drive the game’s major narratives. We surface those numbers through methods such as machine learning models and computer vision tracking.
Our unmatched access to sports data paired with a team of data journalists allows us to create outputs that answer questions no one else can. Data powers our editorial work, all our advanced statistical tables and predictive models, and underpins unique metrics like our Opta Power Rankings or our patented predictions spanning most major sports.
By layering smart technology over expansive data we make complex analytics engaging, accessible and impactful.
Strategy & Execution
The work we do doesn’t matter if it isn’t coherent to the average fan. We employ data science but avoid burdening readers with data science papers. Our goal is to inform and entertain the fan who seeks interactive experiences over passive consumption.
We live in a media landscape driven by volume and speed. Quality suffers. Originality and ingenuity disappear. We’ve taken a different approach. By investing in technology, we enhance our journalists’ capabilities to deliver the quality we expect.
A key difference in our approach to journalism is where we believe the role of technology sits in the content creation process compared to recent industry trends. Our view is that AI should advance human storytelling, not replace it. That’s why we invest in technology that can create new sources for content rather than the content itself.
Our execution is centered around our presentation of statistics and the stories they help tell in soccer, football, fantasy football, basketball, baseball, rugby, tennis, cricket, golf and hockey. Some visitors read a 1,500-word article; others want to interrogate the data themselves. On our data pages, they can explore win probability models, team and player rating models, and much more through a clean UX.
Organizations
- Opta Analyst
- powered by Stats Perform
Links
Credits
Kevin Chroust
Editor-in-Chief
Opta Analyst
Oliver Hopkins
Managing Editor, Strategy
Opta Analyst
Matt Furniss
Managing Editor, Content
Opta Analyst
Graham Bell
Managing Editor, Social & Multimedia
Opta Analyst
Peter McKeever
Senior Data Visualizations Editor
Opta Analyst
Taylor Bechtold
U.S. Editor
Opta Analyst
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 7th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 24, 2025 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
