NBA signs first data supply partnerships
Sportradar and Genius Sports have become the National Basketball Association's (NBA) first data partners in the US, in a deal that allows the pair to offer official NBA data to sports betting operators across the country.
The two sports data and integrity solutions giants can now distribute data-driven products to licensed sports betting operators and platform providers in states where betting is legal. The partnerships, which are non-exclusive, will cover betting data across the NBA and WNBA competitions.
The NBA said it will work closely with Genius Sports and Sportradar to ensure punters in betting states have access to official NBA betting data. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league is determined that its fans benefit from reliable data when betting on its games.
“Sportradar and Genius Sports are proven leaders in data distribution and will deliver unparalleled, real-time official NBA betting data,” said Silver. “As the sports betting landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace, these new partnerships will provide robust and reliable data to ensure the best possible gaming experience for our fans in the US.”
The NBA had an established partnership in Sportradar in place, with the supplier having having inked a deal ahead of the 2016-17 season to distribute the league’s data and statistics in overseas territories. Sportradar also has partnerships with the other major US sports bodies including the National Football League, National Hockey League and stock racing governing body NASCAR.
Earlier this month, Sportradar became the exclusive provider of sports betting data in the US for the MGM GVC Interactive joint venture. MGM became the NBA’s official betting partner at the end of July.
Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl described the US-facing deal as a “tremendous opportunity” that would benefit the parties as well as basketball fans.
He added: “With sports betting being so new to the US, we will look to utilise our vast global experience in the space to implement innovative feeds and products to give fans and partners an amazing experience.”
The deal is Genius Sports’ first data agreement with a major US professional sports league, although it is already partnered with college sports’ NCAA and FIBA, the international basketball federation.
“We are world renowned for driving innovation in basketball sports betting and look forward to inspiring a more engaging betting experience for NBA fans” Genius Sports chief exceutive Mark Locke said.
Figures published earlier this year by the American Gaming Association (AGA) suggest the NBA could be set to earn an additional $585m in annual revenue if it embraces the betting industry.