EBU issues broadcasting guidelines to limit sexualized camera angles in sports
The European Broadcasting Union has released new guidelines advising sports broadcasters to limit camera angles and replays that sexualize athletes. The guidance emphasizes the use of AI-driven brand protection and monitoring tools to detect and manage the redistribution of manipulated content.
Key Takeaways
- New EBU guidelines recommend avoiding prolonged close-ups of specific body parts and low-angle shots beneath athletes.
- World Athletics data identified that sexualized and sexist abuse accounted for over 40% of all abusive content during the 2022 World Championships.
- Broadcasters are encouraged to use AI-driven tools like Alteria to monitor social media for infringing or manipulated performance footage.
- Guidelines were developed in collaboration with Olympic pole vaulter Holly Bradshaw and sprinter Amy Hunt following online harassment concerns.
Why It Matters
Broadcasters face increasing pressure to balance high-speed technical storytelling with athlete safety as fragmented social media distribution facilitates the misuse of live feeds. By standardizing framing and replays, the EBU is attempting to reduce the raw material available to bad actors who manipulate slow-motion footage for inappropriate purposes. This move signals a shift in the streaming ecosystem toward a security-first production model, where AI monitoring is no longer an optional brand protection tool but a core infrastructure requirement for rights holders. Watch for World Athletics to potentially adopt these guidelines as mandatory rules for all member federations by late 2026.
Additional Context
The EBU guidelines, titled 'Raising the Bar,' arrive amid a broader industry push to deploy artificial intelligence for athlete protection. Per the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in May 2024, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games marked the first large-scale implementation of an AI-powered monitoring system covering 15,000 athletes across multiple platforms. This system was designed to flag abusive messages in real-time across 35 languages, often before athletes could see them. Similarly, a longitudinal study by World Athletics released in December 2024 revealed that while sexist abuse remains high, automated detection and platform escalation resulted in a significant removal rate for discriminatory posts during the 2023 and 2024 cycles.
Technological solutions are also expanding into the professional leagues. Per Manchester United in October 2025, the club automatically removed over 197,000 unacceptable posts in a single month using AI monitoring technology. Meanwhile, the WNBA’s Chicago Sky launched an AI-fueled app in late 2024 to help players block negative social media content, reflecting a growing prioritization of mental health in sports broadcasting. These initiatives coincide with a commercial boom in women's sports; per Forbes, the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship viewership surpassed the men’s final for the first time, increasing the stakes for broadcasters to maintain professional, performance-focused coverage as global audience engagement scales. Australia targets nudify apps as deepfake abuse reports surge.
Read full article at edinburghchamber.co.uk
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