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Sports Tech Live - Issue #107

Hey Sports Tech Fans, Very quick one this week as we enter the busy festive period. I am looking forw
Issue #107  •  December 4  •  View online  •  Suggest a link
Sports Tech Live
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,
Very quick one this week as we enter the busy festive period.
I am looking forward to 2021 and I think it would be amazing to democratise this platform.
Looking through the subscriber list, I can see a lot of very interesting people and I would love to open up this platform to get their insight and knowledge and be able to share it with the rest of the community.
This is not a sell your wares opportunity (although I am happy to share those with the community at any time, just send me an email with a link to some news).
What I am looking to do is to allow people to contribute to the weekly pieces that I publish here for the 700+ sports tech fans.
It’s not a massive following but it is hyper-focused on sports tech.
If you want to write a blog, create a video, offer your opinion on a Zoom call or as an audio recording, please do get it touch.
Just send me an email at will.martin@startupdigestmail.com
Have a great sporting weekend,
Will

Calling Startups in Supply Chain Innovation

Techstars Sustainability ChallengeThe Techstars Sustainability Challenge is an equity-free challenge that brings together founders with industry leaders in sustainability. Top Supply Chain solutions in the areas of Data & Automation and Materials & End-of-life Impact will have access to potential commercial opportunities with our corporate partners. We are looking for proven technologies that are able to be pilotable in 2021.
Applications are now open and close March 1, 2021.
Streaming Wars
December’s Cardinals vs. 49ers game will skip national TV for Prime Video and Twitch - The Verge
December’s Cardinals vs. 49ers game will skip national TV for Prime Video and Twitch - The Verge
The December 26th Arizona Cardinals / San Francisco 49ers game won’t air on national television. Instead, it’ll stream on Amazon Prime Video, Twitch, and local affiliates. The game is part of Amazon’s expanded NFL deal through 2022, and it’s the first of the company’s Saturday exclusives, which it will host once per season.
www.theverge.com  •  Share

NBC had to decide between football and lighting a Christmas tree. It chose the tree - CNN
NBC had to decide between football and lighting a Christmas tree. It chose the tree - CNN
Dolly Parton and Christmas cheer will get precedence over football this year.
edition.cnn.com  •  Share

Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr pulled in 1m pay-per-view buys, reports reveal
Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr pulled in 1m pay-per-view buys, reports reveal
And at the end of the contest, both 54-year-old Tyson and 51-year-old Jones Jr had their hands raised after the fight was scored a draw. The 1.2m figure includes television, satellite and online numbers, as well as other platforms such as Triller.
www.independent.co.uk  •  Share

Gambling
Legal Single-Game Sports Betting In Canada Closer To Reality As Government Backs Bill
Legal Single-Game Sports Betting In Canada Closer To Reality As Government Backs Bill
The holiday season just turned a bit merrier for anyone in Canada interested in more than just sports betting through parlays.
www.legalsportsreport.com  •  Share

Detroit Pistons enter sports betting partnerships with FanDuel and DraftKings
Detroit Pistons enter sports betting partnerships with FanDuel and DraftKings
The partnerships also include a new Detroit Pistons game day experience at the MotorCity Casino Hotel in downtown Detroit.
www.freep.com  •  Share

The long-awaited review, which could roll back vast swathes of the 2005 Gambling Act 2005, will begin as soon as Monday with an initial call for evidence.

esports & Gaming
Fortnite World Cup won’t return in 2021 over safety concerns
Fortnite World Cup won’t return in 2021 over safety concerns
Epic has announced competitive plans for Fortnite in 2021, which won’t include the Fortnite World Cup.
www.ginx.tv  •  Share

Narrated by Cillian Murphy, Fight For First: EXCEL ESPORTS will be available on BBC iPlayer early 2021
www.bbc.co.uk   •   Share

GreenPark Sports Partners With League of Legends Championship Series in North America
GreenPark Sports Partners With League of Legends Championship Series in North America
Interactive mobile gaming startup GreenPark Sports has announced a partnership with the North American League of Legends Championship Series. GreenPark was co-founded by former YouTube CEO Chad Hurley and Zappos founder Nick Swinmurn.
sporttechie.com  •  Share

Amateur esports players to battle it out across a variety of top esports titles; all competing for cash, scholarship dollars, and other exciting prizesSANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Super League Gaming  (Nasdaq:
crweworld.com   •   Share

Marketing & social
The College Athletes Who Are Allowed to Make Big Bucks: Cheerleaders - The New York Times
The College Athletes Who Are Allowed to Make Big Bucks: Cheerleaders - The New York Times
Because cheerleading is not governed by the N.C.A.A., its participants can sign lucrative endorsement deals that would lead to punishment for most college athletes, including soon-to-be N.F.L. and N.B.A. millionaires.
www.nytimes.com  •  Share

The show was a combination boxing card/hip-hop concert, and it worked very well in large part because of the way it was produced.

Partnerships
LaLiga North America teams up with ticketing firm Stage Front
LaLiga North America teams up with ticketing firm Stage Front
LaLiga North America has announced a new multi-year partnership with ticketing platform Stage Front to help drive new customer-centric ticketing strategies using data from both organisations.
www.theticketingbusiness.com  •  Share

Pixellot, FC Barcelona Launch Camera for Academy Clubs
Pixellot, FC Barcelona Launch Camera for Academy Clubs
The Pixellot Air is a portable and lightweight camera designed to be affordable for academy and amateur soccer teams.
www.sporttechie.com  •  Share

Deals
Flutter Accelerates U.S. Push With $4.2 Billion FanDuel Deal
Flutter Accelerates U.S. Push With $4.2 Billion FanDuel Deal
Flutter Entertainment Plc said it’s buying Fastball’s stake in FanDuel for $4.2 billion, giving the Dublin-based gambling company almost full control of its U.S. affiliate. Flutter shares rose as much as 14% in London to a record high. Flutter agreed to pay $2.
www.bloomberg.com  •  Share

Microsoft Now Owns Smash.gg Esports Tournament Platform
Microsoft Now Owns Smash.gg Esports Tournament Platform
It is the holiday season and I hope everyone has eyes on their favourite game or console, and so is Microsoft. Their recent purchase shows Microsoft’s keen interest in the gaming sector. Microsoft’s new major video game purchase is not a studio, but an eSports platform: Smash.
craffic.co.in  •  Share

fuboTV Acquires Balto Sports as First Step Into Online Sports Wagering Market | Business Wire
fuboTV Acquires Balto Sports as First Step Into Online Sports Wagering Market | Business Wire
fuboTV Inc. (NYSE: FUBO), the leading sports-first live TV streaming platform, has acquired Balto Sports, marking the company’s first move into the on
www.businesswire.com  •  Share

Stats Perform Acquires Breakthrough Platforms from Thuuz Sports, Creating New Opportunities to Reach Fans Through Automated Video Highlights and Real-Time Excitement Alerts - Stats Perform
Stats Perform Acquires Breakthrough Platforms from Thuuz Sports, Creating New Opportunities to Reach Fans Through Automated Video Highlights and Real-Time Excitement Alerts - Stats Perform
The patented technology in the SmartReels and SmartRatings products will be incorporated into Stats Perform’s robust product portfolio.
www.statsperform.com  •  Share

Catapult acquires leading sports content platform and community, Science for Sport
Catapult acquires leading sports content platform and community, Science for Sport
Catapult is pleased to announce it has acquired the profitable subscription online sport learning platform, Science for Sport. Founded in 2016, Science for Sport has grown into the number one source of content, online courses, and community engagement, in the global sports science industry.
www.catapultsports.com  •  Share

Hardware & Wearables
Plantiga’s Instrumented Insoles Work As Force Plates for Your Sneakers
Plantiga’s Instrumented Insoles Work As Force Plates for Your Sneakers
Few sports require as many pivots, direction changes, and accelerations as tennis—a training workload the USTA is now tracking using an innovative orthotic made by Plantiga.
www.sporttechie.com  •  Share

Appointments
The NFL has hired away World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper to become its first head of Europe and U.K., where he will be tasked with expanding American football across the continent.

Retail & eCommerce
Under Armour launches brand with Stephen Curry, trying to compete with Jordan Brand
Under Armour launches brand with Stephen Curry, trying to compete with Jordan Brand
Under Armour is launching a separate brand with its top athlete, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry called Curry Brand.
www.usatoday.com  •  Share

Data
How Prozone sparked a football analytics boom – The Athletic
How Prozone sparked a football analytics boom – The Athletic
How Ramm Mylvaganam’s Prozone paved the way for a revolution, from aiding Man Utd’s treble to employing Liverpool’s Michael Edwards
theathletic.com  •  Share

Best of the Rest
VAR: Hit or miss? Fans' poll on football's most controversial debate
VAR: Hit or miss? Fans' poll on football's most controversial debate
The video assistant referee (VAR) was brought in to improve football. But Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish and Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne have all spoken out about controversial decisions made by VAR recently.
www.bbc.co.uk  •  Share

Desser and Kosner: 2021 Sports Recovery Hinges on Adapting to Market – Sportico.com
Desser and Kosner: 2021 Sports Recovery Hinges on Adapting to Market – Sportico.com
The sports industry can heal divisions and recover from the pandemic, say sports media pros Ed Desser and John Kosner. But it must adapt.
www.sportico.com  •  Share
Techstars Startup Digest Sports Tech Live is curated by:
Will Martin Will Martin
will.martin@startupdigestmail.com
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