Israeli sports-tech company WSC Sports has reported more than 60 million views of its AI-driven real-time FIFA World Cup highlights on Google Search during the recent tournament in Qatar.
The company supplied more than 15 national broadcasters and rights-holders with its automated, machine-learning video solutions, which relayed video highlights of key incidents directly to Google Search as the action unfolded.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, confirmed that Google Search recorded its highest ever traffic during the final of the World Cup, proving the enduring popularity of soccer.
Of total video views, more than 16 million users clicked through to WSC’s client’s native digital assets, meaning one in three people who watched a “Web Story” on Google Search went on to consume more content on the broadcaster’s native platform.
“Reaching fans at the World Cup, and any major event, is about understanding where they are looking for content,” said WSC Sports VP for Growth Vadim Drozdovski.
“For brands and media partners, our results speak to the scale of opportunity that the World Cup creates with search showing intentionality and highlighting the opportunity to bring consumer directly into a marketing funnel.”