Sports streaming: Everything except soccer, but with AI
Streaming provider Dyn is breaking new ground in both distribution and production. AI, cloud and fiber optics make it possible.
Laptop instead of mixing desk with flashing buttons and levers: the production of sporting events at Dyn is largely software-based.
(Image: Dyn)
Everything except soccer – but everything in the cloud. This could be Dyn Media's motto. The streaming provider shows basketball, volleyball, field hockey, table tennis and handball. Dyn claims to be particularly successful with the latter. Between 100,000 and 200,000 viewers regularly tune in for top matches in the German handball league. "In some cases, these are ratings that can compete with individual games in the 2nd Bundesliga," said Christian Seifert, founder and shareholder of Dyn Media, at a press conference in Munich at the beginning of August. In comparison: Dyn was launched two years ago, Sky has been around for over 20 years.
"Game changer for handball"
Although Dyn – like some other streamers – does not disclose subscriber figures, both the handball and basketball Bundesliga ended the past season with a record number of viewers. This, according to a study cited by Seifert, is also due to the increased visibility of these sports in the media. "Dyn was an absolute game changer for handball," added Bennet Wiegert, coach of Champions League winners SC Magdeburg, in Munich.
According to Dyn, 70 percent of users watch the service on smart TV. The average viewing time is 15 hours per month. A comparison with other providers is difficult, as such data is not published. Dyn itself describes the viewing time on request as "very high". According to the marketing and analytics company Demandsage, the average monthly viewing time for Netflix worldwide is 29 hours and 24 minutes.
Production level like Apple TV or NHL
However, Netflix is not a direct competitor of Dyn, with DAZN being the main competitor alongside Sky. Even if the international streaming provider focuses on other sports rights, they all compete for the limited media budget of sports fans. In addition, handball, basketball and volleyball are also available on other streaming platforms such as Sportdeutschland.TV, the service of the German Olympic Sports Confederation.
So the competition is fierce, as is the cost pressure. This is why Dyn Media relies on artificial intelligence and cloud services for production. Signal production takes place in Cologne and Munich instead of in the OB van on site with highly specialized employees. Here, the user interface of the "Virtual Production Unit" is loaded into the system via USB stick. Before the start of broadcasting, Dyn invested in the technical setup at the venues and provided fiber optic connections at more than 40 venues.
Media production takes place in the cloud, which makes it highly scalable. Playout at Dyn is already largely software-based. In the future, the streaming provider wants to transform further hardware control systems into cloud-based solutions. As Seifert explained at a press conference around a year after the launch, production is at the technical level of Apple TV or the North American ice hockey league NHL.
AI in content production
In addition to broadcasting live matches, Dyn also produces its own talk shows and documentaries as well as content for the content desk, such as match summaries, interviews and background reports. The Content Desk can be accessed by clubs, sponsors and media companies. The more than 40 media partners include regional and national newspapers as well as TV stations.
AI is used in this content production, for example when editing or creating match report texts. "We have also just automated our production planning and developed our own tool that allows us to plan the more than 3,000 matches per season largely automatically," a company spokesperson told Heise.de. The tool is intended to reduce the manual workload in the editorial and production departments by around 40 percent.
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Dyn comes to free TV
In addition, Dyn Media is now also expanding the distribution of its own offering. Dyn Sport Mix, a free ad-financed channel, was launched on August 20, 2025 on the platforms of Amazon Prime Video, Zattoo, Joyn and Pluto TV. Distribution via the satellites of the Astra fleet at 19.2 degrees East is being planned. In addition to selected live broadcasts, matches will also be shown re-live as well as summaries and in-house formats – in a linear program sequence like a classic TV program, unencrypted and free of charge, but interrupted by advertising.
The goal is clear: "We want to increase awareness and reach for our sports," says Dyn Media CEO Andreas Heyden. This is also the company's response to the competition. Deutsche Telekom, for example, shows international matches of the German field hockey and basketball teams via MagentaTV, in some cases also free of charge and unencrypted. This includes the recent European Hockey Championship finals with German participation in the men's and women's competitions.
At the same time, the Dyn app is also part of the MagentaTV or Sky offering. "Frenemy" is a combination of the English words "friend" and "enemy" to describe this overlap between competitor and partner. Whether friend or foe, sports rights are gaining in importance. However, the top dog, soccer, has so far been more of a loss-making business for many rights holders. "The time in which companies lose money with media rights is coming to an end," Seifert is certain. Dyn wants to prove it.
(nie)
