Monday, Sept. 23, 2019 — A roundup of the key sports technology news you need to know, including SportTechie’s own content and stories from around the web.
- FC Barcelona was announced as the first sports team to join Facebook’s new Fan Subscription service. The service operates on a monthly subscription basis and offers subscribers access to join exclusive Facebook groups for Barcelona fans and get exclusive Barça content to share on Facebook walls. Subscribers, who can have the official FC Barcelona logo appear alongside their Facebook accounts, will also have the ability to join Watch Parties and Facebook Live sessions presented by FC Barcelona and receive discounts on club merchandise and on-demand video products.
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- The San Francisco 49ers announced a multi-year partnership with internet equipment provider Foxconn Industrial Internet to install 8K video production capabilities at Levi’s Stadium. FII’s 8K camera technology was first used by the 49ers to capture the team’s post-game press conferences after beating the Steelers on Sunday. “The 49ers and Levi’s Stadium continue to strive to be one of the most innovative teams and venues in the world, and courtesy of our partnership with Fii we will have the ability to be the first stadium to roll out 8K to our fans in a prominent fashion,” Brent Schoeb, the 49ers’ chief revenue officer, said in a press release.
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- Varcis Capital has launched an investment firm focused on growing sports technology companies in Asia. Varcis will establish offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Melbourne in 2020, and will make seed and Series A investments between $500,000 and $5 million. The company’s core interests lie in sports, fitness, health, medical, wellness, esports and human performance. “Varcis Capital and its partners aim to co-create an open end-to-end ecosystem for sports technology that seamlessly connects, celebrates, supports and turbo-charges the best and brightest sports technology and human performance across 48 countries in the Asia region,” said Phillip King, founder and managing partner at Varcis Capital.
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- The PGA Tour has signed a multi-year deal with GameOn Technology, a company that builds custom chatbots for Facebook Messenger. Fans can now message the PGA Tour’s Facebook page to receive automated updates on news, tournament leaderboards, player stats, season schedules, FedEx Cup standings and video highlights. GameOn will also let fans customize their chatbots to receive updates on specific players. Over the course of the 2019-2020 season, the PGA Tour plans to expand GameOn’s chatbots to other messaging platforms and add more functionality. GameOn has also built chatbots for the NHL, Arsenal F.C., and Sky Sports. “Our collaboration with the PGA Tour represents a huge step towards addressing the evolving content delivery model of sports leagues and the changing habits of their fans, giving the PGA TOUR a new and unique way to authentically and creatively connect with fans across the world,” Kalin Stanojev, chief product officer at GameOn Technology, said in a press release.
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- The Dallas Mavericks have partnered with the Carbon Fund foundation to support the Envira Amazonia Project, which aims to protect the Amazon rainforest. The Mavericks will offset all of the team’s corporate travel carbon emissions via pledges, which will use the payment to preserve wildlife habitat in the Amazon, prevent erosion, and provide local Amazonian communities with free agricultural extension training courses. “We are at a crucial moment for protecting the Amazonian Basin and reducing climate change, and we appreciate the Mavericks’ leadership on and off the court,” said Eric Carlson, president of Carbonfund.org Foundation.
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