Jul 23, 2021

Sports Tech Live - Issue #138

Issue #138 — View online — Suggest a link

Sports Tech Live

All your Sports Tech news in one place, covering topics like AR/VR, Data Analytics, eSports, Live Streaming, Sports Betting, Wearables, etc.

Hey Sports Tech Fans,

The Olympics have already kicked off and the opening ceremony is on as I write this.

It’s been a very turbulent time for the IOC and Tokyo.

The games have been in question a number of times and even in the last few days it was still being discussed.

We have a lot of Olympics content below that is worth checking out.

Some of the social content coming out from the athletes this year has been incredible, I think this brings fans closer to the action than ever before.

With no fans being allowed to attend the games, this will be a crucial way for fans to be able to show their support.

Enjoy the games! I have my fingers crossed Ireland wins some gold at this Olympics!

Have a great sporting weekend,

Will

Olympics

Tokyo Olympics staff will be given ear-worn devices to reduce the risk of heatstroke | Engadget

Alibaba has designed a cloud-based solution to help protect the Tokyo Olympics staff from heatstroke.

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A favorite target of Russian hackers, the Olympics are on guard

Russian hackers have targeted the Olympic Games since 2016, when Russia was suspended from full participation. The Tokyo Olympics are on guard for 2021.

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Tokyo Olympics: from wearables to 3D printed shoes and AI-powered coaching, athletes are using technology to aim for gold | South China Morning Post

Sports technology that monitors technique and apparel to improve performance helps athletes, but critics say this can equate to ‘technological doping’.

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Tokyo 2020: Virtual reality and augmented reality bringing spectators closer to the action | Euronews

Tokyo 2020: Virtual reality and augmented reality bringing spectators closer to the action.

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With fans barred from the Olympics, the question looms: Why isn't Japan more vaxxed?

At a time when vaccinations have allowed sports to return to normalcy across much of the globe, Japan remains an exception. Why?

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IOC’s Olympic Virtual Series Reaches 250,000 Competitors

Nearly 250,000 people from more than 100 countries competed in the inaugural Olympic Virtual Series hosted by the IOC.

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Advances in spike technology are laughable and unfair, says Bolt | Reuters

Usain Bolt said that advances in spike technology that could help wipe out his world records are laughable and that the new shoes also give an unfair advantage over any athletes not wearing them.

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Streaming Wars

beIN agrees Bundesliga rights deal in France and Turkey – Digital TV Europe

beIN Media Group has agreed a broadcast rights deal with the Bundesliga in France and Turkey. The deal will see beIN broadcast the German league in both countries until 2025, and extends the relationship between the broadcaster and the Bundesliga in France to more than a decade.

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ESPN Sets NHL Opening-Night Doubleheader Featuring Expansion Seattle Kraken; TNT’s First Games Slated

The NHL’s 2021-22 regular-season schedule is out. New TV partner ESPN will air an opening-night doubleheader featuring the expansion Seattle Kraken.

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NBC Revs Up Broadcast-Heavy IndyCar Rights Renewal – Sportico.com

NBC Inks Three-Year IndyCar Renewal That Includes Heavy Broadcast Play and Two Peacock Exclusives

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Peyton, Eli Manning to call 'Monday Night Football' on alternate ESPN broadcast

ESPN has finally landed Peyton Manning for its “Monday Night Football” broadcast. Kind of.

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Vodafone Spain gets LaLigaSportsTV app – Digital TV Europe

Vodafone Spain has announced a deal to integrate the LaLigaSportsTV app into its TV service. LaLigaSportsTV offers to access more than 30 sports competitions for free, ranging from badminton and basketball to handball and water polo.

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Channel 4 to provide FTA coverage of Formula E's London comeback | Featured News| News | Sportcal

Formula E, the international electric car racing series, has today announced a free-to-air rights deal in the UK with commercial broadcaster Channel 4 for its upcoming London races.

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Gambling

Sportradar announces five-year sports betting deal with Bally’s Interactive - SBC Americas

Sports betting firm Sportradar has announced a five-year partnership with Bally’s Interactive, a division of Bally’s Corporation.

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DraftKings agrees Autograph deal for new NFT marketplace - SportsPro Media

US betting brand’s platform to work on exclusive digital collectibles with Tom Brady-backed firm.

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Nesine extends Euroleague basketball sponsorship until 2025 | Sponsorship | iGaming Business

Euroleague Basketball and Turkish sports betting operator Nesine have announced the extension of their sponsorship deal until 2025.

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esports & Gaming

Electronic Arts and LPGA partner to bring authentic representation of women’s golf to EA Sports PGA TOUR

REDWOOD CITY, CALIF. - Today, Electronic Arts Inc. and the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) announced the next phase of their long-term partnership with plans to bring the LPGA Tour, the longest-running women’s sports association; The Amundi Evian Championship, one of its five major ch…

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BLAST team up with Twitch and Amazon ahead of inaugural Apex Legends event BLAST Titans – European Gaming Industry News

witch and BLAST will work together to focus on enhancing viewer and fan experience of the tournament through unique features like Twitch chat and Drops – that will reward fans tuning in and watching the second weekend’s Arenas Mode action unfold online.

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[Updated 7/22] California sues Activision Blizzard over sexist 'frat boy' culture - Inven Global

The Department of Fair Employment and Housing registered a complaint in the LA County Courthouse on Tuesday.

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McLaren Racing unveils esports facility in UK - Esports Insider

McLaren Racing has announced the launch of the McLaren Shadow Studio, a space for its esports teams to train, race, and produce content.

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Konami's eFootball PES 2022 - Free to Play Cross-Play, All We Know - eFootball | streetfootie.net

It’s been hinted at for a couple of years now, but it’s finally happened: Konami is dropping the Pro Evolution Soccer moniker for PES 2022 and instead is now called ‘eFootball.’ That’s just one tiny change in this year’s iteration. eFootball is now free-to-play and is going to operate more as a service, with frequent […]

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ESL signs exclusive media rights deal with G4 - Esports Insider

ESL Gaming has granted exclusive media rights to G4, the long-dormant gaming TV network set to return under Comcast NBC Universal in 2021.

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Apex Legends Global Series will attempt to return to LAN in 2022 | The Loadout

The ALGS is undergoing some major changes for Year 2

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PUBG Mobile Announces $3 Million Charity Event

It’s always great to see esports making its own contribution towards the pandemic. PUBG Mobile and Gamers Without Borders have…

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Aston Martin F1 launches fan engagement platform | www.sportindustry.biz

Aston Martin Cognizant Formula 1 Team (AMCF1) launched its inaugural fan and partner engagement platform at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Dubbed I / AM – a play on the historic automotive brand’s initials as well as reflecting the ‘inclusive ambitions’ of the venture – the platform aims to further broaden the appeal of Grand Prix racing in order to build and engage a

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Content

NBC Olympics to Produce 5 Daily Shows for Snapchat Users in the US

AR lens “Train Like an Olympian” will be available via the @Olympics account and Snapcode.

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Social & Marketing

How Cameo is taking on Facebook and TikTok in the race to connect brands with stars

Portillo’s and Infiniti are two of the marketers using the hot app to hire celebs for campaigns.

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WWE is using TikTok to find its next SummerSlam ring announcer - CNET

Applicants with the “most entertaining” videos will win a trip to Vegas for the August event.

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NBCU Sells 85% of Super Bowl 56 Ad Inventory As Part of Biggest Upfront Ever

Company secured as much as $6 million per 30-second Big Game spot.

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Toyota’s Olympics Ads Removed From Japanese TV Over COVID Sensitivity – Sportico.com

Toyota’s Olympics ads won’t air on Japanese television as the Tokyo-based carmaker navigates domestic sensitivity around the COVID pandemic.

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Deals

Carlyle confirms acquisition of live video streaming company LiveU; sources tell us for over $400M – TechCrunch

Following our report yesterday of an impending sale of LiveU — one of the big developers of livestreaming hardware and software, used by some 3,000 major media organizations — today the company and its buyer Carlyle confirmed the deal. The seller is Francisco Partners, another PE firm that acquired LiveU just two years ago for […]

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Gary Neville, Tyrone Mings and Thierry Henry back VR training startup Rezzil

Rezzil Elite, for pro athletes, offers tools for post-match analysis, virtual training and rehabilitation with the ability to monitor and track players’ recovery.

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Zone7 Raises $8 Million In Series A Round To Expand Artificial Intelligence Platform For Predicting Sports Injury Risks

Zone7, an artificial intelligence platform, recently secured $8 million in a Series A funding round to help expand its reach in sports as well as other industries.

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Titan Global Capital Funding Round: App Raises Cash From Andreessen Horowitz - Bloomberg

Titan Global Capital Management Inc., a fintech startup whose “end goal” is to become this century’s answer to Fidelity Investments and BlackRock Inc., raised $58 million in a round led by Andreessen Horowitz.

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Crowd-safety firm backed by Bill Gates and Peyton Manning makes Wall Street debut - CNN

A security company that uses artificial intelligence and advanced sensors technology to screen for threats at theme parks, sports stadiums and other large venues, is going public.

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LeagueApps Raises $15M In Funding | SGB Media Online

LeagueApps announced it has raised $15 million in a Series B round of funding. The round, led by Contour Venture Funds, brought the company’s total funding to $35 million.

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NFL’s Scientific Advisory Board Awards $4 Million to Fund Hamstring Injury Research | Steelers Now

Share Tweet Flipboard Comment Email In an effort to examine prevention and treatment of hamstring injuries, NFL’s Scientific Advisory Boards has awarded $4 million in fund to a team of researchers led by the University of Wisconsin.

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Partnerships

Manchester United Teams Up With Renewable Energy Group to Create a More Sustainable Future | Business Wire

Manchester United has reinforced its commitment to environmental sustainability through a global partnership with Renewable Energy Group, Inc.

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Tech company TCS renews NYC Marathon rights and will spend $280 million on race sponsorships

TCS has also become the new title sponsor of the London Marathon.

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Crypto & NFT's

Lionsgate, DraftKings Ink Deals With Tom Brady’s Autograph NFT Platform to Launch Digital Collectibles

Lionsgate will create digital-collectible content based on TV and movie franchises under a deal with Tom Brady’s Autograph NFT platform.

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Raptors Announce New NFT Collection - Sports Illustrated Toronto Raptors News, Analysis and More

The Toronto Raptors will post six brand new NFTs for sale on July 23rd giving fans exclusive opportunities to interact with the team

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Team GB offers NFT collectables for Olympics fans | The Drum

Team GB has embraced blockchain technology to underpin a unique storefront of NFT collectables for fans and collectors to support its athletes.

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Sport Buff partners with Blocksport to bring NFTs directly to live sports viewers - SportsPro Media

The two ventures will work together to deliver NFTs to Sport Buff’s interactive overlay, offering a unique experience for users to access the NFT world directly over the top of sports content.

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Women in Sport

At Just Women's Sports, a unique new scoreboard puts all the shine on just that – The Athletic

For decades, finding women’s sports scores online has been a frustrating process. Just Women’s Sports is trying to change that.

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Hardware & Wearables

Peloton® | Exercise Bike With Indoor Cycling Classes Streamed Live & On-Demand

Access high-energy indoor cycling workouts instantly. Discover the Peloton bike: the only exercise bike streaming indoor cycling classes to your home live and on-demand.

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White Sox Become Fifth MLB Team to Sign Recovery Deal With Therabody

Therabody will have a space in the White Sox dugout to host its massage therapy products such as the Theragun PRO.

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GolfTec unveils OptiMotion, a new wireless motion-capture technology | Golf Channel

GOLFTEC has rolled out OptiMotion, a motion-tracking innovation related to swing measurement and golf instruction.

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Mariners, Reds Announce Sleep Tech Partnership With ChiliSleep - Boardroom

Sleep could be the next frontier in MLB analytics, and ChiliSleep is working with top clubs to deliver a better rest and recovery experience.

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Hudl Launches Automated Camera Designed for Soccer

Hudl’s new Focus Flex camera can be controlled through the Hudl Focus app, and video automatically uploads to the cloud.

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AR/VR

World first: Sky Sports and The Hundred unveil ground-breaking technology to enhance the spectator experience | Sky Group

The Hundred (a new 100-ball cricket competition) and Sky Sports have joined forces to develop an industry first augmented reality experience on a scale never before seen in sport by creating avatars using motion capture. Sky and The Hundred have captured players’ full range of movement in accurate detail, which will be used to enhance Sky’s TV broadcast coverage and at home fan experience via The Hundred and Sky Sports apps.

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Globo, WSC Sports bring AI highlights to football in Brazil |

Globo, the mass media group in Latin America, and WSC Sports, the global leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven sports video technology, have announced a partnership to bring automated real-time video highlights and sports content to soccer fans in Brazil across Globo’s digital properties, streaming and social media.

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Best of the Rest

Sports world reacts to Milwaukee Bucks winning first NBA title since 1971

Milwaukee celebrates becoming the third NBA Finals team to win four straight after trailing 0-2

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Wells Fargo Center Resumes $300M Transformation Project | Wells Fargo Center

After pausing construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Comcast Spectacor announced today that it has resumed the Wells Fargo Center’s $300 million, multi-year Transformation project.

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Techstars Startup Digest Sports Tech Live is curated by:

Will Martin
will.martin@startupdigestmail.com

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