Thursday, June 11, 2019 – A roundup of some of the key sports technology stories you need to know, including SportTechie’s own content and stories from around the web
- Bundesliga Will Feature First on New UEFA Streaming Service: UEFA has officially launched its free OTT streaming service, and announced that the Bundesliga will be the first national league to join the platform. Starting next season, UEFA.tv will air highlights of weekend German soccer matches and original programming such as the Bundesliga Special. Archives of past top Bundesliga matches and UEFA Champions League matches involving German teams will also be available on the channel. The Bundesliga content on UEFA.tv will be available in major European markets, the Middle East, and Africa.
- New Jersey Sportsbooks’ Revenue Total Reaches $3 Billion: Retail and online sportsbooks in New Jersey collected $318.9 million in May, and have now generated nearly $3 billion since legal sports betting launched in June 2018. According to PlayNJ.com, New Jersey’s monthly sports betting earnings for May could beat Nevada for the first time. Nevada generated $315.5 million in May 2018 and will release its May 2019 data later this month. Online sports betting accounted for 82.6 percent of May’s handle in New Jersey, with FanDuel again leading the online market. “Clearly [New Jersey] is on its way to becoming the largest legal sports jurisdiction in the country,” said Dustin Gouker, lead sports betting analyst for PlayNJ.com.”
- Immortals Gaming Club Buys Infinite Esports for $100 Million: Immortals Gaming Club has acquired Infinite Esports, the parent company of OpTic Gaming, in what is the competitive gaming industry’s first $100 million transaction, according to the Associated Press. Immortals will acquire all OpTic esports franchises including those that compete in the Overwatch League, Call of Duty World League, and the League of Legends Championship Series. Infinite Esports’ investors included Neil Leibman and Ray Davis, co-owners of MLB’s Texas Rangers. They will now become shareholders in IGC. The company claims its audience size is nearly three times larger than its nearest competitor.
- Sportsnet Signs Exclusive Canadian Rights Deal for Premier Lacrosse League: The Premier Lacrosse League announced that Sportsnet will become the league’s exclusive Canadian distribution partner for the 2019 season, which began earlier this month. Sportsnet will air 16 PLL games over the remainder of the current season across its Sportsnet, Sportsnet 360, and Sportsnet ONE channels. PLL games will also be available to watch online in Canada via the network’s direct-to-consumer streaming platform, Sportsnet NOW+.
- Kayo Sports Streaming Service Partners With Media Producer Thuuz: Australian sports streaming service Kayo Sports will receive automated highlights as part of a new partnership with media production company Thuuz Sports. Thuzz’ artificial intelligence uses data on fan engagement around individual sporting events to create highlights packages. The partnership launched with Kayo’s coverage of the ongoing Cricket World Cup. Thuuz Sports will also produce highlights for the Australian team’s home cricket matches, the Rugby World Cup in Japan, the Basketball World Cup in China, and Australian soccer’s A-League.