Global supplier of sports betting data Sportradar Group announced today it entered into an expansive new partnership deal with the National Basketball Association (NBA) beginning with the 2023-24 season of the professional basketball league.
Grow NBA, WNBA and NBA G League Popularity
The multi-year agreement reached between Sportradar and the NBA will see the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and NBA G League utilize the data supplier’s capabilities to grow their domestic operations, strengthen engagement with their fans and increase the popularity of the leagues internationally.
“Basketball is the largest U.S. sport in the world by popularity and, as a market leader, we are best positioned with the technological expertise and industry relationships to help the NBA entertain fans globally,” said global CEO of Sportradar Carsten Koerl, delighted at the opportunity to drive “global popularity and explosive growth of the game.”
The new partnership deal that enters into force with the beginning of the 2023-24 NBA season has provisions for the professional basketball league to acquire a stake in the global data and technology group.
It extends on a relationship that commenced in 2016 when the NBA made Sportradar an Official Provider of Real-Time NBA League Statistics. The addition of iconic NBA star Michael Jordan in an advisory role at Sportradar in September this year further strengthened the link between the data tech company and the league.
“The remaining time left on the existing deal, and this new multi-year agreement, gives us significant runway to partner with the NBA and develop exciting solutions across our teams, betting and sports entertainment verticals,” Koerl concluded.
Scott Kaufman-Ross, Senior Vice President, Head of Gaming & New Business Ventures, NBA, outlined what a “terrific partner” Sportradar has been for the NBA, supporting the league while it “navigated its exploration into the global sports betting landscape.”
As the market matures, we are thrilled to extend our partnership with Sportradar to utilize data and insights to create new fan experiences and innovate around the NBA globally.”
Scott Kaufman-Ross, SVP, Head of Gaming & New Business Ventures, NBA
Data Exclusivity Maintained
The new expansive agreement will maintain Sportradar’s position as the exclusive supplier of official NBA data across the globe to help fans of the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League engage with the action. The Swiss-based data technology group will also become the distributor of live game video to international sports betting operators willing to offer their fans to experience the action in real-time.
The new agreement will also grant Sportradar with expanded distribution rights related to the use of player tracking data, as the tech company committed to setting up a dedicated team that will look to transform fan experience via innovations and new data products.
Sportradar also will continue to use its Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS) under the new deal to monitor the sports betting space worldwide and help the NBA protect the integrity of the sport.
The expansive agreement is the latest in a series of high-profile deals Sportradar signed with sports organizations worldwide this year, including UEFA, International Tennis Federation (ITF), International Cricket Council (ICC) and the National Hockey League (NHL).