Monday, Aug. 19, 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.
- Music streaming platform Spotify is partnering with sportswear brand Puma to create exclusive athlete-driven audio content. The collaboration will have soccer stars such as Romelu Lukaku, Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez create playlists of their favorite songs and take part in exclusive interviews. As part of the partnership, Crystal Palace F.C. defender Mamadou Sakho will be featured on Spotify’s Who We Be Talks podcast. “Sport and culture are intrinsically linked, and this partnership celebrates the pivotal role that music plays for footballers, both on and off the pitch,” said Ruth How, head of marketing & communications at Puma UK, Ireland & Benelux, in a statement.
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- The NBA 2K League will host its first-ever development camp for elite female NBA 2K players this week in New York City. The camp will be held Aug. 20–23 at the league’s studio in Long Island City. Fifteen female gamers have been selected to participate in the camp, where they’ll compete and train alongside NBA 2K League players and coaches. “Our hope is that at least a few of these women end up excelling in the combine because of this camp and getting drafted, which we think will inspire more women to strive to make the league and lead to a stronger player pool,” NBA 2K League managing director Brendan Donohue told The Undefeated.
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- Samsung has announced a partnership with mobile ordering platform FanFood to improve the fan experience at sporting events. FanFood’s mobile app allows fans to order concession food and beverages from their seats and receive orders via express pickup or delivery. The startup previously partnered with Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes in 2017. “The pressure for operators to keep fans engaged and excited to come to the ballpark or stadium is at an all-time high. We’re pleased that FanFood has chosen Samsung SDS as its technology partner to help bring this solution to stadiums and venues across the country,” Mingu Lee, SVP of mobile B2B at Samsung SDS America, said in a press release.
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- Italian soccer club AC Milan has relaunched its mobile app to include new live streaming capabilities as well as integrated ticket and merchandise stores. The app live-streamed Milan’s preseason finale against Cesena this past Saturday. Additional features include team news, player stats, behind the scenes club content, and a fan-voting platform to select the MVP of the match. The app is free to download and currently only available for iOS but will be launched for Android at the start of the Serie A regular season.
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- Sports media company theScore has received initial approval to launch its online sports betting product in New Jersey. The company will soft-launch its sportsbook app with a select group of N.J. sports bettors in the coming days and expects to launch state-wide before the start of the upcoming NFL season. Last December, theScore became the first media company in North America to announce plans to operate its own sports betting platform. Read Joe Lemire’s deep dive into how media companies are approaching the evolving U.S. sports betting market.
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