IMG ARENA and ATP Media to launch ATP Masters 1000 virtual tennis product
News on 30 Mar 2020
News on 30 Mar 2020
IMG ARENA, a leading sports betting service and content hub, is launching an official virtual tennis product in partnership with ATP Media, the global sales, broadcast production and distribution arm of the ATP Tour. The game will be available in April and will help sportsbook partners fill the void whilst the ATP Tour is suspended.
This new deal expands the longstanding partnership between IMG ARENA and ATP Media and is the first time they have launched a virtual sports offering.
IMG ARENA is using licensed assets to create the first-ever officially branded virtual tennis product, featuring logos from the ATP Masters 1000 series along with official tournament names, to deliver an authentic, fan-first experience.
This unique and exclusive product is evidence of the ATP Media’s innovation strategy and adds to IMG ARENA’s growing portfolio of virtual products, which also includes golf, motorsport, football, horse racing, speedway, greyhound racing and cycling.
As the broadcast arm of the ATP Tour, ATP Media provides centralised media distribution across the ATP Tour, host broadcast production for the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000s, world feed production for the ATP 500s, Next Gen ATP Finals and certain ATP 250s, as well as the international distribution for the ATP Cup.
Mark Webster, CEO of ATP Media, said: “This is a landmark agreement for ATP Media at a challenging time. We are excited to be working with IMG ARENA to deliver fans around the world innovative content and new ways to enjoy their favourite tennis tournaments.
“Together we are creating a compelling, always-on product that will boost and diversify our sports betting offering, while helping to continue to further develop our international footprint.”
Freddie Longe, Managing Director at IMG ARENA, said: “ATP Media are one of the most progressive and forward-thinking media companies – we are delighted to partner with them to launch the world’s first officially branded virtual tennis product.
“When we invested in virtual sports specialists Leap Gaming, our vision was to create official products and unlock new revenue streams and forms of fan engagement for our clients. ATP Media share this vision and desire to evolve the way that its fans could connect with tennis. The result is a game-changing product that maximises player engagement and operator returns. As with all of our virtual sports offerings, we have developed the most realistic look, feel, and betting experience.”
Headquartered in London, IMG Arena works with more than 460 leading sportsbook operators worldwide, providing always-on services including 24/7 live streaming and on-demand virtual sports products designed to evolve and inspire engagement by placing fans at the heart of the action. Its ground-breaking data collection system ensures that the fastest and most accurate sources of data are delivered live from the action to the end user in less than a second.
IMG Arena processes official data for more than 45,000 sporting events per year. In 2019, more than 175 million hours of IMG ARENA content was watched by 56 million unique viewers around the globe.
