Sportradar to score $250m NBA deal – report

Sportradar is said to be close to securing a six-year data partnership with the NBA North American basketball league.

According to the Bloomberg news agency, the deal, which will also include data analytics firm Second Spectrum, is worth around $250 million (€221.7 million).

The contract covers an array of rights that includes selling official league data to betting houses, data analytics to teams and the development of a streaming product, according to the Bloomberg report.

Should the partnership be agreed, Sportradar will be the official data partner of three of the four major US sports leagues, including the NHL hockey league and NFL American football league. It also has deals in place with organisations such as Uefa and the International Tennis Federation.

The NBA previously partnered with Perform, while Stats has Major League Baseball’s data contract.

While the NBA has long been an opponent of sports betting in the US, its attitude has softened in recent times. In 2014 commissioner David Stern called on Congress to allow states to authorise betting on professional sports, while three major investors in Sportradar, Mark Cuban, Michael Jordan and Ted Leonsis, also own NBA teams.

As well as providing data to gaming operators, Sportradar also has major partnerships with media and technology companies, including Facebook, Google, Twitter and the Associated Press.

Related article: Sportradar touches down with NFL distribution deal