Synthetic Interview Studio

NASCAR on FOX: Ask the Pros

Client

FOX Sports is a division of the FOX Broadcasting Company and the exclusive home of the Daytona 500.

Challenge

FOX Sports wanted to allow NASCAR enthusiasts to ask questions of Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds (three of the sport’s most knowledgeable experts) and receive simple, concise explanations about topics that might come up during a NASCAR on FOX race.

FOX Sports also wanted to update this Synthetic Interview throughout the NASCAR season, adding new video content to address unanticipated questions and drawing from visitor feedback to improve the SI experience.

Solution

We began by taking the existing proof-of-concept code and rebuilding it to conform to ActionScript 3.0 best practices. We then took the video assets provided by FOX Sports and integrated them with Synthetic Interview technology, tailoring the natural language processing index, designing and implementing an interface to FOX Sport’s specifications, and adding extra features such as a visitor feedback mechanism. Within a two-week time frame, we went through thirty working iterations.

On Sunday, February 17th, during the 50th Daytona 500, the NASCAR on FOX: Ask the Pros Synthetic Interviews were featured on national television. Thousands of viewers came to the FOX Sports web site to see the Synthetic Interview technology and ask questions of the commentators.

After NASCAR on FOX: Ask the Pros weny live, we montitored performance and visitor feedback, continually improving the natural language processing index, and adding new video content, new questions, and new features.

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