Discovery: Revolutionising Real-Time Sports Data Management for Global Audiences

About Discovery

Discovery, the world’s largest broadcaster of factual and documentary programming, has made significant strides into the sports broadcasting arena in recent years. With the acquisition of Eurosport, Olympic broadcast rights, and rights to major sports like cycling and golf, Discovery has positioned itself as a global leader in sports broadcasting, delivering high-quality content to millions of viewers worldwide.

Challenge: Managing Complex Global Sports Data

Aggregating and Normalising Vast Data Sets

Sports data is known for its complexity and variability, encompassing a vast array of information such as schedules, leaderboards, player stats, event details, and venue information. Following Discovery’s acquisition of global rights for a major sporting vertical, the challenge was set: how to aggregate, normalise, and enrich this massive amount of data to power Discovery’s Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) applications in real-time, across 250 countries and in multiple languages.

This challenge was compounded by the need to manage data from numerous sources, each with its own format, reliability, and frequency of updates. The solution required not only the ability to handle this complexity but also to deliver the data with minimal latency and maximum reliability, ensuring a seamless experience for sports fans around the globe.

Solution: Developing a Bespoke Sports Data Warehouse

Real-Time Data Aggregation and Normalisation

To meet this challenge, Spicy Mango developed a bespoke sports data warehouse solution that aggregates data directly from its sources in real-time, with no delays. The solution normalises the data into a unique sports data schema, ensuring consistency and reliability across all outputs. This normalised data is then made available through a set of structured and secure RESTful APIs, designed to be simple to use while supporting the demands of global scale.

Operating at Global Scale with Minimal Latency

The solution was developed and operated entirely within the cloud, ensuring it could support the global reach required by Discovery. With an average latency of less than 50 milliseconds, the system delivers real-time data to DTC applications and third-party platforms, providing a seamless experience for users. The design focused on high availability rather than disaster recovery, ensuring that the system remains robust and reliable even in the face of potential disruptions.

Addressing Common Challenges in Sports Data Management

One of the key benefits of this solution is its ability to alleviate common challenges associated with sports data management, such as discrepancies in data formats, authentication issues, data ephemerality, and reliability concerns when dealing with a diverse array of data sources. By designing a system that prioritises high availability and consistent data formatting, Spicy Mango has provided Discovery with a reliable foundation for delivering sports content to a global audience.

Impact: Enhancing Discovery’s Global Sports Broadcasting Capabilities

Harmonising Data for a Seamless User Experience

The solution developed by Spicy Mango has significantly enhanced Discovery’s ability to aggregate and normalise sports data from multiple sources, allowing for effective querying and syndication across its global platforms. This harmonisation of data ensures that Discovery can deliver a consistent and rich consumer experience, regardless of the source or format of the original data.

Monetising Sports Content Through Real-Time Data

By providing real-time data with minimal latency and high reliability, Discovery is able to offer a superior user experience across its DTC applications and third-party platforms. This enhanced consumer experience is critical in monetising the sports content and obtaining a return on the significant investment made in acquiring global sports rights. The ability to deliver timely and accurate data enhances viewer engagement, driving both subscription revenue and advertising opportunities.

Future-Ready: A Scalable Solution for Expanding Sports Coverage

Supporting Ongoing Growth and Innovation

The bespoke sports data warehouse solution developed for Discovery is not just a short-term fix but a long-term, scalable platform that will support the company’s ongoing expansion into sports broadcasting. As Discovery continues to acquire new rights and expand its sports coverage, this solution will enable the company to integrate new data sources quickly and efficiently, maintaining the high standards of data reliability and user experience that its viewers expect.

Navigating the Challenges of Global Sports Data

Consistency and Reliability Across Diverse Data Sources

One of the most significant challenges in global sports data management is ensuring consistency and reliability across diverse data sources. The solution provided by Spicy Mango addresses this challenge by normalising data into a single schema, ensuring that all data is presented in a consistent format, regardless of its origin. This consistency is crucial for delivering a seamless experience to users, who expect accurate and timely information at all times.

High Availability Without Compromise

In the world of live sports broadcasting, downtime is not an option. Spicy Mango’s focus on designing for high availability rather than simply disaster recovery ensures that the system remains operational and reliable, even under the most demanding conditions. This approach provides Discovery with the confidence that its platforms will continue to deliver the high-quality experience its viewers expect, no matter what challenges arise.

Discovery’s Digital Success Story

Through strategic planning, innovative design, and seamless execution, Discovery, with the support of Spicy Mango, has successfully transformed its sports data management capabilities. This project not only addressed the immediate challenges of aggregating and normalising vast amounts of sports data but also laid the groundwork for future growth and innovation in sports broadcasting. The collaboration between Discovery and Spicy Mango exemplifies the power of well-designed technology in enhancing the viewer experience and driving business success in the competitive world of global sports media.