Monday, Apr. 1, 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.
- Twitch Debuts Four-Way Streaming Feature for Group Content: Twitch announced a new Squad Stream feature that will let up to four content creators go live simultaneously in one window. (Viewers watching Squad Stream on mobile will be limited to watching three channels at once.) “Creators can join forces right from the dashboard, stream content they wouldn’t normally stream, and grow their communities all at the same time,” said Hunter Thieblot, Twitch’s VP of creator experience. “Viewers get more angles on the action, a way to support more of their favorite streamers with ease, and a chance to chat with several great communities at once —or join a new one.”
- Number of MLB Games Live Streamed on Facebook Drops to Six in 2019: A new one-year deal between the social media giant and MLB will see Facebook livestream just six non-exclusive regular season games this season, according to Morning Consult. During last year’s MLB season, 26 regular season games were broadcasted on Facebook Watch, of which 25 were exclusive. Facebook reportedly paid around $30 million in 2018, but the details of this season’s deal have not been disclosed. The six games on Facebook this year—one each month of the 2019 season—will be subject to blackouts in the local markets where they air on regional sports networks.
- The USL Expands Data Partnership With DAZN Group’s Opta: The United Soccer League has signed a new partnership with Opta, a performance data distribution platform owned by the DAZN Group. The expanded deal will cover all regular season and postseason games throughout USL League One’s inaugural season, which kicked off last Friday. USL League One’s website and club sites will now include live statistical updates, game-activity mapping, and player heat maps. Opta’s statistical data will also be integrated into broadcasts of all USL League One games, which will stream on ESPN+ this season.
- La Vida Baseball Live Show Launches Across Social Video Platforms: TeamWorks Media has announced the launch of La Vida Baseball Live, a four-hour daily weekday show that will appear on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram Live, YouTube, and LaVidaBaseball.com. The new show will be specifically produced for each social platform. La Vida Baseball is an English-language digital media company aimed at Latino baseball fans. “Our fans will be fully integrated into the show by allowing them to participate in real time with suggestions and commentary, helping us drive the conversation and subject matter,” said Jay Sharman, CEO of La Vida Baseball and TeamWorks Media, in a press release.
- Fantastec SWAP Adds Borussia Dortmund to Blockchain Collectibles: The blockchain-powered app Fantastec SWAP has added German soccer club Borussia Dortmund to its digital collectables platform. The app allows fans to collect and trade official player autographs and team video content. Dortmund is the second soccer club to join Fantastec SWAP’s platform after English giant Arsenal. “The innovative format provides exclusive player profiles containing a variety of special features including authenticated player signatures, one-off content and dynamic stats,” said Steve Madincea, Fantastec’s Managing Partner, in a press release.