Finally, WorldLink's NetTV app is live streaming World Cup football | How does AI know when a player is offside in the World Cup?

Finally, WorldLink's NetTV app is live streaming World Cup football

Internet service provider Worldlink's IPTV service NetTV's mobile app can also be used to watch World Cup football live. The company is going to show it live in collaboration with Media Hub, which has the right to broadcast World Cup 2022 from FIFA for Nepal.

At present, only the television distributors are legally broadcasting the World Cup football live through Himalaya Premium Channel in Nepal. For that, the customer has to take a subscription for 565 rupees including VAT.

Out of the total 64 matches of the World Cup, 52 matches have been completed till the time of preparing this news. Now, with only 12 matches remaining, how much will the customer who wants to watch the live broadcast of World Cup football through the mobile app have to pay?

Som Dhital, owner of Media Hub, said that the topic of collecting or reducing the fee of Rs 565 including VAT from each customer is under discussion. "When most of the World Cup football matches have been completed, charging 500 rupees (excluding VAT) may be expensive for customers," he said.

According to Dhital, an agreement has been reached between NetTV and Media Hub to broadcast live football on the mobile app in terms of 'revenue sharing'. Niran Rajbhandari, CEO of NetTV, said that the necessary technical preparations have been completed to show the Football World Cup live through the mobile app.

How does AI know when a player is offside in the World Cup?

FIFA is using artificial intelligence to inform referees of offside in the ongoing World Cup. New AI technology detects offsides faster than previous technologies.

FIFA has mentioned that on average, offside is detected within one minute.

How does it work?

This system is called semi-automated offside technology. In this, 12 cameras placed on the roof of the stadium track the ball and every player's activity. Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) identifies players using artificial intelligence (AI).

It tracks the ball and player and calculates the position 50 times per second. The sensor has been used on the official AL Rihla ball used in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Every time the ball is touched by the player, the ball sends its location data.

When it is offside, it is very important for the referee to immediately call the ball offside. In some cases, if the referee does not know that the ball is offside, it makes the whole game controversial. All these problems are helped by semi-automated offside technology.

When the semi-automated offside technology detects offside, the technology sends an alert to the technician in the video room. They give that information to the referee. This process is so fast that the information reaches the referee at the moment of offside. That is why this technology is called semi-automated.

Advanced technology for offside detection

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system is used in normal football matches. They take 70 seconds to identify any offsides. Which is more than the semi-automated offside system.

When using VAR technology, the official identifies the situation where the ball has been touched by the player. And, they make an offside line. Semi-automated offside technology is used only to confirm that the action is correct. This new technology helps to make accurate offside decisions.

If the offside has to be shown to all spectators, the system creates a 3D animation to show the offside. According to FIFA, this technology was tested for three years and finally used in the World Cup.

How does the computer recognize the stadium and other objects to watch the World Cup?

Data scientists have developed various new techniques to identify people. One of them is Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). You can see how this technology works by clicking here.

The CNS has identified the layers of every object. Let's take an example to understand how it works. Just as we use the same process to identify an object in a dark room, AI also uses a similar process to identify objects and people in a stadium.

We touch with our hands to identify objects in a dark room. Then we identify whether the object is big or small. And we look for answers to other necessary questions about it. And, in others, we identify what the object is.

The same procedure is applied in the stadium. In that, the computer also starts identification work from every level. Similarly, computers also use cameras and artificial intelligence. And, it takes different information from every level. Thus, once it gathers enough information to make a guess, the computer guesses what the object might be.

Artificial intelligence such as semi-automated offside techniques are trained to recognize objects and people from videos containing thousands of objects and people. This is how artificial intelligence learns what any player looks like.

After various trainings, the artificial intelligence recognizes the objects in the daytime through various cameras and videos. AI trained in this way can track or identify players.