Thursday, July 18, 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
- Today’s Phillies/Dodgers matchup is first MLB game to stream exclusively on YouTube. In April, MLB signed an exclusive deal to stream 13 second-half games this season on YouTube. Fans worldwide can watch the games for free via MLB’s official YouTube channel. All 13 games will also stream on the YouTube TV subscription service. The Blue Jays will host the Indians on Tuesday in the second MLB game on YouTube, followed by the Tigers squaring off with the Angels on July 29.
- The San Francisco 49ers have announced a STEAM education partnership with top-tier Portugese soccer club Benfica. “We are excited to link with Benfica to provide youth across the Bay Area with opportunities to learn about the concepts of science, technology, engineering, art and math through the lens of soccer, and look forward to bringing 49ers EDU programming to Lisbon in the coming months to young Benfica fans,” said 49ers Museum and 49ers EDU Director Jesse Lovejoy in a statement.
- Discovery’s Eurosport 1 HD and Eurosport 2 HD channels will be on DAZN in four european countries. DAZN subscribers in Austria, Germany, Italy and Spain will now have access to Eurosport’s portfolio of live sporting events such as Formula E races, Grand Slam tennis championships, cycling’s Grand Tours, as well as the next three Olympic Games. The new deal also allows DAZN to stream 45 Bundesliga matches per season in Germany and Austria for the next two seasons. DAZN will be the exclusive broadcaster for 39 of those matches per season.
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- Elite Prospects partners with hockey AI and machine learning company Iceberg. Iceberg’s software platform analyzes video to generate statistics that measure team play, game trends, and individual player performance. Iceberg will provide EliteProspects with advanced analytics and player tracking metrics to boost the site’s coverage of the NHL Entry Draft and NHL prospects. Elite Prospects is based out of Sweden and part of Everysport Media Group AB while Iceberg works with over 130 hockey teams in 17 different countries, according to a press release from Elite Prospects.
- Los Angeles FC and Satisfi Labs add in-stadium ordering bot to Apple Business Chat. Fans with iPhones at Banc of California Stadium can now open the Messages app to communicate with Olly, LAFC’s virtual assistant. Apple Business Chat connects Olly with vendors inside the stadium, allowing LAFC fans to place orders for food and drinks through automated text or voice conversation. “The majority of our customers use iOS, and we always want to exceed their expectations when they come to see a match. Apple Business Chat makes communicating with LAFC as easy as messaging a friend, so we expect it will quickly become our customers’ preferred customer service channel,” said Christian Lau, VP of Information Technology at LAFC.
- Sports betting startup Balto has been accepted into Sportradar’s “Acceleradar” program. The program provides early-stage startups with one year of free access to several Sportradar products such as pre-match and live odds data feeds and a mobile development platform. Balto plans to launch its peer-to-peer sports betting platform in September. The company is based in San Francisco and has received investment from both Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and Y Combinator.
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