Pixellot captures THE Spring Games College Softball Tournament with FloSport
January 6, 2022
Pixellot, a provider of AI-Automated sports video and analytics solutions, and FloSports, a sports streaming service, are stepping up to the plate for THE Spring Games, the world’s largest collegiate softball event company. When the first pitch is thrown in February 2022, Pixellot systems will be installed at a minimum of 10 fields, giving fans expanded views of the games and raising the production values, and the profile, of women’s softball to engage fans and attract new sponsors. THE Spring Games will be streamed exclusively on FloSoftball, the dedicated live softball streaming platform operated by FloSports.
Around 410 college softball programs from NCAA Division 1, 2 and 3, NAIA and junior college levels will participate in the Games, drawing fans in person and online. Even with such high visibility, THE Spring Games and other similar college sports do not always have the budget for top-tier production values with game views typically limited to one manned camera behind home plate.
“The media experience for most college softball programs is not at a level that fairly represents the high-quality play on the field,” said David Shapiro, President North America of Pixellot. “Our systems allow a wider array of college sports to produce more games affordably with a higher degree of production value. We are committed to bringing more visibility and resources to college softball through our partnership with THE Spring Games and FloSports.”
The first of its kind, Pixellot DoublePlay system supports fully automated, multi-angle production with one camera installed behind home plate and another behind centerfield. Both camera feeds are streamed to a computer workstation, which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to track the action and make decisions about when to switch angles between the cameras or zoom in or out. FloSports will then distribute the produced feeds to subscribers who can access these games live and on-demand on multiple platforms, including on FloSoftball.com, the FloSports app (iOS and Android), Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.
“These games are filled with enthusiasm and passion,” said Phil Wendler at FloSports. “The talent of the players and the passion of the fans is clear. Having a cost-effective way to deliver high-quality broadcasts means we can reach even more college softball fans. We are in a position to underline how great a spectacle this sport is and elevate it in the eyes of fans, advertisers and producers. We hope to bring Pixellot’s production solution to hundreds of college softball programs over the next few years.”
“This technology is a perfect match for our events and will play a huge role in promoting and supporting women’s sports and especially fast-pitch softball,” said Alison Strange, CEO of THE Spring Games. “Pixellot is helping to make our event that much bigger not only for fans, families and viewers, but also for the 410 programs that are participating.”
THE Spring Games is the latest sports event to deploy Pixellot camera systems. During the summer of 2021, Pixellot produced about 600 games combined for the Appalachian League and the Draft League, two collegiate summer baseball leagues both affiliated with Major League Baseball. Additionally, about 60 universities and 7,000 high schools are using Pixellot systems in the US.