Monday, May 20, 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
- Turner Sports Sets New Streaming and Social Records for PGA Championship: Turner Sports’ coverage of this year’s PGA Championship achieved all-time viewership records. Thursday’s action generated an all-time single day high for live hours of consumption, up 22 percent compared to 2018. Turner’s Watch TNT streaming platform established a new mark for its opening round coverage of the major tournament and delivered a nearly 50 percent lift in video consumption compared to last year’s coverage. According to Turner, PGA social media accounts managed by Turner Sports generated 48 increase in video views compared to the first day of the 2018 PGA Championship.
- Riot Games Creates Governing Body for Collegiate League of Legends: Video game publisher Riot Games is creating a governing body for collegiate League of Legends competitions, according to Sports Business Daily. The move comes three weeks after the NCAA Board of Governors voted unanimously to not govern esports. Riot will reportedly be challenged with recruiting schools, esports programs, and conferences to buy-in to its new governing body. The organization will remain wholly owned and controlled by Riot but will operate under a separate division to Riot’s pro esports leagues and video game publishing department.
- USA Volleyball Partners With NBC Sports-Owned SportsEngine: USA Volleyball announced a technology partnership with SportsEngine, a management software company owned by NBC Sports. Effective Sept. 1, USA Volleyball and its 40 affiliated Regional Volleyball Associations will use SportsEngine’s member management software suite to manage regional, club and athlete membership data. SportsEngine’s platform can be integrated with a number of third-party tools, including both motion sensor tech platform Blast Motion and automated video company Pixellot.
- Air Race E Invites Applications From 2020 Inaugural Season Host Cities: Air Race E announced today that the organization will start accepting applications from cities interested in hosting the league’s inaugural electric airplane races. Applications are being accepted online with a final decision expected in December. “It’s an extraordinary opportunity for a city to be at the leading edge of the electric revolution in aviation and demonstrate its public commitment to cutting carbon emissions from air travel,” said Jeff Zaltman, CEO of Air Race E, in a press release. Cities from around the world will be considered but Air Race E notes that a suitable airport will be a critical factor.
- Complexity Gaming Opens GameStop Performance Center at Cowboys HQ: Jerry Jones-owned esports organization Complexity Gaming has opened a new headquarters dubbed the GameStop Performance Center in Frisco, Texas. The 11,000 square foot facility is located on the same campus as the Dallas Cowboys’ world headquarters and allows Complexity’s esports athletes to train at the same facilities used by Cowboys’ players. The facility also includes a content studio, an innovation lab, Miller Lite Player Lounge, a decompression recovery area, and a mental wellness gym built in partnership with Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy and HyperX.