In a recent announcement, ESPN revealed that it has established a new long-term partnership with Genius Sports. This agreement will play a critical role in revolutionizing the way ESPN presents live sports analysis, not only for NCAA games but also for NBA and WNBA broadcasts.
With this collaboration, ESPN will have access to real-time team and player statistics from Genius Sports, the sole provider of official NCAA Data. This means that ESPN can now access data from over 65,000 NCAA games annually, covering various sports such as basketball, football, ice hockey, volleyball, and soccer
“Genius Sports is a proven entity in the space that we know very well from our previous work together,” said Jeff Bennett, Vice President, Stats & Information Group, ESPN in a release. “The new long-term agreement creates a runway for both sides to ideate into the future using augmented reality live execution concepts in ways that unlock the next generation of fan experiences.”
In addition, ESPN and Genius Sports are extending their partnership to include WNBA player-tracking data insights. Through this deal, ESPN gains access to Insight, a state-of-the-art tool used by all NBA and WNBA teams. This technology will allow ESPN to efficiently research, analyze, and create video clips showcasing team and player performance in both leagues.
“Following on from our work with ESPN to power the first fully branded sports broadcast with Marvel and immersive March Madness augmented megacasts, we are delighted to strike a major expansion with ESPN,” said Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports in a release. “As well as powering crucial NBA and WNBA insights, ESPN can utilize Genius Sports technology to power all of its NCAA data needs including next generation context experiences through our new GeniusIQ technology.”
