Sportstech & Member News

Today DECKEE announced the launch of NSBC Boating Data, DECKEE's new partnership initiative with the National Safe Boating Council to bring unprecedented data-driven decisions to recreational boating safety across the United States. The industry-first service offers unprecedented insights and analysis of privacy-protected boating activity and behavior informed by GPS movement capture and boater data inputs, helping government, consultants and businesses achieve a variety of operational, economic and environmental outcomes.

The Sport Data Exchange Singapore, SPORTDEXSG, is a digital platform that facilitates the sharing of data and insights between sport ecosystem players in Singapore and beyond. With the digital transformation that SPORTDEXSG will enable, companies can gain the capabilities to expand their business and strengthen their operations for greater sustainable growth in both the Singapore and overseas markets.

ASTN partner, the Global Sports Innovation Center (GSIC) powered by Microsoft has launched its 2nd edition of the International GroundBreakers Sports Challenge. This initiative is at the forefront of driving innovation in the sports industry, inviting companies worldwide to address real-world hurdles faced by sports organisations across five key areas: Business Insights, Fan Engagement, High Performance, Fitness & Health, Media & Sponsorship and Smart Venues & Sustainability.

The Innovation Challenges from partner organisations are listed below. Applications close 18 March 2024.

https://groundbreakers.sport-gsic.com/

The NBA recently announced the latest cohort for its third Launchpad accelerator program. NBA Launchpad is the league’s initiative to source, evaluate, and pilot emerging technologies that advance the NBA’s top basketball and business priorities. The five startups selected include Reboot Motion, Plantiga, Tonsser, TextQL, and Dimension Studio.

NBC Sports Next and Pixellot are expanding their partnership to bring livestreaming to youth and amateur sports venues around North America, combining the streaming and highlight editing capabilities of the former with the AI-automated game-coverage cameras of the latter. Pixellot is already being used at more than 10,000 U.S. high schools to provide AI-automated sports cameras and analytics.

Sports content unicorn Minute Media announced on Wednesday that it has acquired STN Video, a leading North American sports content distributor. The value of the deal is estimated at around $150 million. STN Video holds premium partnerships with every major league in the U.S. alongside an award-winning Online Video Platform. The acquisition of STN will bring additional technology capabilities, distribution and sports highlight content rights to its ecosystem of owned sports content brands, distribution partners and advertisers.

Populous has secured a contract to become the lead architect on the redevelopment of one of the world’s most iconic cricket stadiums, Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. All of Populous’ work in the Asia Pacific region is directed from its APAC headquarters in Brisbane, with 14 offices reporting to this central hub, including in India. Along with Narendra Modi Stadium and the MCG, Populous’ cricket stadium portfolio includes Lord’s in London, England and The Gabba in Brisbane, Australia.

ZIYNX, the innovative early career and NIL (name-image-likeness) marketing app for student-athletes, has launched a partnership with Opendorse, the leading NIL marketplace. The collaboration, driven by a shared commitment to empowering athletes at all levels of sport, is set to deliver one of the largest commitments to student-athletes in women’s sports since NIL’s inception in 2021.With almost 150,000 athlete users, Opendorse will support ZIYNX in sourcing the athletes who will then apply to NIL opportunities on the ZIYNX app by creating 24-second or less videos.

Lumin Sports and the Volleyball League of America (VLA) have entered a performance partnership to support the growth and development of professional volleyball in the United States. The agreement allows the Australian-based technology company to expand its footprint in the United States while the VLA leverage Lumin Sports’ athletic performance software to support its premier teams manage physical performance, monitor health and wellness data, as well as improve team operations and administration.

WWE and Netflix today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories.

To enhance its members' experience in clubs across Australia, Anytime Fitness - with more than 550 clubs and 650,000 members - has recently launched AF SmartCoaching technology and AF App. AF SmartCoaching will provide Anytime Fitness members with personalised coaching that can now be accessed via the app anytime, anywhere. The app also features the ability for members to upgrade to the AF Access Pass and enjoy the convenience of opening the door to clubs around Australia with their smartphone. 

Winter Sports World (WSW), the ground-breaking indoor snow resort proposed for Penrith, has achieved a significant milestone with the granting of approval by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment. Dubbed “The Giant Esky,” the project is set to enter a phase of detailed design and engineering development in early 2024, with negotiations ongoing for suppliers and contractors globally.

Griffith University has partnered with Sports Tech College to develop and deliver a suite of executive education programs designed specifically for sport executives and senior administrators within sport. The programs will focus on inspiring, sharing and discussing cutting-edge advancements, and collaboratively discussing the road-map for blending technology with sports.

adidas Training and Bumble have unveiled a partnership to tackle intimidation felt at the gym, a barrier to training which impacts athletes at all-levels. Coming together to offer a new adidas interest badge (which members can add to their profile to let potential matches see their interest in fitness) the collaboration is designed to create space for next-gen gym enthusiasts to connect and realize the research-backed benefits of training, together.

Global Sustainable Sport understands that more than 1,000 amateur clubs have already applied for financial support for climate protection projects since the launch of UEFA's Climate Fund last week. Based on pre-tournament projections, about €7m will be made available for climate protection projects. Clubs can choose from a set list of projects in the fields of energy, water, waste management and smart mobility.

Samsung announced at Unpacked 2024 that it will soon launch the Galaxy smart ring. The Galaxy Ring announcement was made by Dr. Matthew Wiggins, clinical research scientist at Samsung Research, after a segment demonstrating a new Samsung health experience powered by Galaxy AI. The Samsung Health experience will include the ability to monitor for potential sleep apnea symptoms by tracking sleep patterns, blood oxygen changes, and maintaining heart rate alerts during sleep. 

Sports Environment Alliance (SEA) has announced that it has been successful in its application for grant funding from the Waste Sorted program, an initiative of the WA government’s Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER). SEA’s successful submission was titled Reducing Community Waste: A team sport, and our project brings together five of SEA’s WA member sporting clubs from grassroots to elite level, to identify and implement behaviour change and education programs that reduce waste to landfill. Partners include Fremantle Dockers Football Club, West Coast Eagles, Western Force Rugby, Vasse Soccer Club and Youngs Siding Swamprats Cricket Club.

The Australia Open tennis tournament is using BindiMaps wayfinding solution for the 3rd year running. The app allows fans of all abilities to find what they need at the AO. BindiMaps have also introduced table-top kiosks for quick visual route checks. 

Centr, founded by Chris Hemsworth, has launched a new program, 'Centr Circuit: Elevate', to support members on their health and wellness journey. The six-week program features an all-new format to energize daily workouts with a wide variety of movements that promote strength and mobility, and conveniently offers a bootcamp style of functional fitness that’s accessible from the comfort of home, or at the gym through the Centr app.

GoPro announced an agreement to acquire Forcite Helmet Systems, a pioneer in embedding technology into helmets based in Australia. GoPro intends to accelerate Forcite's vision to provide a safer, more dynamic motorcycling experience through tech-enabled motorcycle helmets with the long-term goal of tech-enabling other categories of helmets over time.

Kinvent, the European leader in connected physiotherapy solutions, recently announced the securing of a 16 million euro investment during its third round of fundraising. This investment will enable the company to enter a new phase of acceleration, including market penetration in the United States in 2024, increased R&D projects, as well as massive external expansion.

Fastbreak.ai has announced the NBA as their latest customer and NBA Equity as a seed round investor as part of a long-term agreement. The NBA will incorporate Fastbreak.ai's solution into their scheduling process. As part of this agreement the NBA will also leverage Fastbreak.ai for scheduling the WNBA, G League, and the NBA2K League.

Teamworks has announced the acquisition of Kairos, a communication and messaging software for professional sports. Teamworks currently works with 200 pro organizations around the globe, having entered the market more than a decade ago. In the past three years, Kairos has built an extensive customer roster of over 100 organizations, primarily in global football and rugby.

Leading global sportstech investor, APEX (which invests with 100+ elite athletes), has announced their inaugural investments as part of their Impact Program, a key component of the firm’s Elite Performance VC Fund.

Following the programme, APEX has invested in three companies: Hexis, a personalised nutrition platform; VRTL, a virtual fan engagement platform, and ASTN Accelerator-alumni, Traits Insights, an athlete profiling solution.

See Traits Insights Press Release at https://www.traitsinsights.com/articles/traits-insights-apex-partnership

See the ASTN Case Study on Traits Insights at https://www.astn.com.au/case-study/traits-insights-translating-complex-sports-data-into-meaningful-player-insights.

The partnership, which officially launched as of January 2024, will see the ESFA’s international teams trial the i-Brain technology and provide schools across the country the opportunity to learn more about how the technology can support their pupils in their schools’ football endeavours. The i-Brain system unlocks new frontiers in brain analytics, providing unparalleled insights for progress tracking and talent identification.

Sportradar today announced the launch of Sportradar FanID, a unique, end-to-end first-party marketing solution combining the first data clean room for the sports industry with the company’s proprietary marketing activation technology, to offer rightsholders and brands personalized fan engagement in a post-third-party cookie world.

Sportway has unveiled a landmark collaboration with Hockey Australia, solidifying its role as the exclusive broadcast production partner for National Championships for the next three years. This alliance will introduce cutting-edge technology and AI-driven cameras to create an unparalleled LiveHockey.com.au experience for fans nationwide.

Fans can experience BatFast’s new dynamic tennis simulator at #AO2024 with the innovative technology showcased as part of the AO StartUps program.

The UK startup uses data, augmented reality technology, machine learning and robotics to re-engineer how sports are played, helping drive participation and access to sport globally.
 

Nearly 28 million total viewers watched the first-ever exclusively streamed NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins on Peacock. Viewers flocked to Peacock, setting records for the most-streamed live event in U.S. history and driving the Internet to its largest U.S. usage ever on a single day and the largest Internet event ever, consuming 30 percent of Internet traffic during the game.

More details have emerged on Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, a new multi-purpose venue that will form part of Qiddiya, one of Saudi Arabia’s ‘giga-projects’ under its Vision 2030 masterplan. The stadium features an immersive design and “unique” technological features that will seek to enhance the fan experience. Global architectural firm Populous has designed the stadium, which Qiddiya claims will be the world’s first fully integrated venue with a combined retractable roof, pitch and LED wall.

Fans attending the Australian Open 2024 will for the first time have access to intuitive digital navigation on the official AO mobile app and website. Fans will be able to find all the matches, attractions, amenities, and events during the tournament thanks to PAM's Smart Navigation Platform. PAM is a company in the 2024 cohort of AO Startups.

GolfForever, an at-home training system for amateurs and professional golfers, recently announced a $10 million Series A funding round led by Clerisy, a consumer growth equity fund.

Also part of the raise are world No. 1 and reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler and three-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim, who join as equity investors as well as GolfForever ambassadors.

Major League Soccer (MLS) today announced the launch of MLS Innovation Lab, a program designed to shape the future of sports through the identification of cutting-edge startups and advanced technologies to help develop the next generation of athletes, enhance the fan experience and drive continued growth for the League and its Clubs.

Plans for the southern hemisphere’s largest tennis academy to be built 25km southwest of Geelong have been unvailed. CORA’s ambition is to be the southern hemisphere’s ground-breaking venue where the latest innovations in elite sports training, health and wellness are enhanced by a unique and sustainable environment of natural beauty, arts, culture and food (www.cora.net.au).

Amer Sports owner of brands like ARC'TERYX, PeakPerformance, Salomon and Wilson has filed to go public in the United States. Amer's brand Wilson includes high-performance sports equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories for sports like Tennis, Volleyball, Basketball and American Football.

QUT will host Australia’s first national championships for cycling esports during the Brisbane Cycling Festival in March. As part of a partnership with AusCycling, the 2024 AusCycling Esports National Championships will be held at The Cube on the QUT Gardens Point campus in March 2024.

After partnering with A-League team Brisbane Roar towards the end of last year, high-tech water bottle company has annouced a second partnership with Adelaide United FC. The Victorian-based sportstech company provides a high-tech water bottle integrated with UV sanitation, drink reminders and real-time tracking for optimal hydration.

Several fitness and wellness deals, partnerships and funding rounds made headlines in 2023. According to a summary, these could impact the industry for years to come.

Teamworks, who in 2023 acquired Australina-born Smartabase, has announced the acquisition of Front Rush TRAC, an inventory management software. The new acquisition adds to Teamworks' Operating System for Sports.

Match officials at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ will be able to enhance their decision-making process with the Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) system, which will be implemented at all 51 matches of the tournament. The introduction of the technology at Asia’s crown jewel, to be played between 12 January and 10 February, 2024 in Qatar, complements the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.

The global sportstech industry generated US$10.1 billion worth of deals during the third quarter of 2023, according to research from Drake Star Partners, which recorded 317 transactions during the three-month period.

Sports Business Journal’s second annual list of the 10 Most Innovative Sportstech Companies was determined based on the companies creating a technology deployment that changed how people view technology and/or shifts how the industry operates.

Futureverse, a metaverse technology and content company, will spearhead Reebok's efforts to broaden the ways consumers can interact with its products across its entire ecosystem from footwear to apparel.

PlaySpark recently annouced a partnership with the Taranaki Airs a pioneering basketball team in the NBL New Zealand league. The Airs are looking to create a more inclusive and immersive experience for their fans, locally and abroad. By implementing their platform, they will now be able to reward fans for their interactions like playing games, attending matches and interacting with other fun content.

As the countdown to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 continues, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has collaborated with interactive indoor training app Kinomap to offer runners, cyclists and rowers around the world the chance to tackle the Olympic courses remotely ahead of next year’s Games.

Playbk Sports and AusCycling announce a partnership to take the AusBike Digital program into classrooms across Australia.

FIBA, the world governing body of basketball, has expanded its long-term partnership with Genius Sports Limited ("Genius Sports") (NYSE:GENI) to deliver its revolutionary computer vision technology and AI-powered capabilities to Leagues and National Federations around the world from 2025 to 2035.

Basketball South Australia is committed to the growth and governance of basketball in the state and is excited to announce a new partnership with TidyHQ's Tidy Connect, known for its innovative solutions in scaling governance, compliance, and risk in sports. This partnership marks an important stride in fostering sports integrity and highlighting the importance of good governance practices and advanced technology in the sports sector.

QUT has been awarded two grants, worth a total of $2.27 million, to train a cohort of sports data scientists to tackle new challenges faced by Australia’s sportstech industry.

Springbok Analytics, a leading healthcare technology company, recently announced its new full body muscle analysis capabilities, initially for research purposes. Springbok's AI-based technology analyses MRI data and produces personalised 3D visualisations and metrics of muscle health, enhancing the assessment, treatment monitoring, research and diagnostic value of advanced imaging.