Genius Sports and NCAA announce tie up
News on 15 May 2018
News on 15 May 2018
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is about to overhaul its data statistics service in a new partnership with London-based Genius Sports who will also be come the NCAA’s exclusive data licensing agent.
Described as a landmark initiative, the partnership will transform the digital collection and distribution of intercollegiate sports data which the NCAA says will benefit its 1,100 plus member institutions across all three divisions and will be used in select NCAA championships, starting with men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in 2019.
The technology will subsequently be rolled out to schools for other NCAA sports, including volleyball, football, soccer, baseball and softball, the Association said.
The software platform will be offered to members at no cost for an introductory period as the NCAA believes the adoption of the platform will be of benefit in terms of improved efficiencies that include “enhanced data capture and distribution services, richer coaching insights, and the ability to captivate fan and media experience by delivering engaging statistics to multiple platforms in real-time”.
In addition to the technical agreement, Genius Sports will serve as the NCAA’s exclusive agent in licensing real-time official data from championship events, including NCAA March Madness, to media platforms and other companies.
“This digital transition comes at a time when data for all intercollegiate sports are increasingly important to our fans, our institutions and our partners,” said Oliver Luck, executive vice president of regulatory affairs and strategic partnerships for the NCAA.
“This initiative will transform the way we collect, use, and distribute the vast amount of sports data being consumed across all sports at every level. It will allow our schools to upgrade to state-of-the-art technology.”
“This technology will deliver a world-class experience for NCAA fans, coaches, players, athletic directors and administrators alike,” added Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports. “We’re delighted to be playing a pivotal role in the NCAA’s digital transformation, implementing one of the most advanced technology systems in sports.”
