Monday, July 22, 2019 – A roundup of some of the key sports technology stories you need to know, including SportTechie’s own content and stories from around the web
- The Big Ten Network is shutting down its BTN2Go streaming service in favor of the Fox Sports app. Fox Sports will now stream all of the Big Ten Network’s content—including games, studio shows and original programming. The existing BTN2Go app will be repurposed for the BTN Plus platform, which streams non-televised basketball and football games in the conference. According to the Big Ten, BTN saw a 10% year-over-year growth in linear TV viewership this past year. Video views were also up 40% on the conference’s YouTube platforms, 75% on Twitter and 212% on Instagram.
- The 2019 World Rowing Under 23 Championships will live stream on ESPN3, thanks to a deal between ESPN and USRowing. The five-day event takes place July 24-28 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla. “This is a wonderful opportunity for USRowing to highlight our sport and our athletes on a much bigger platform and to a much larger audience than through our typical USRowing streaming channels,” said USRowing CEO Patrick McNerney in a press release. “This is the first step in what will hopefully expand the reach of our many domestic events moving forward.”
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- Thursday’s Phillies-Dodgers broadcast on YouTube generated more than 200,000 peak concurrent viewers and two million total views, according to Morning Consult. The game, which the Phillies won 7-6, was the first of 13 MLB games scheduled to stream exclusively on YouTube this season. Google did not specify how long a user must watch a video to be counted as a view. According to Morning Consult, the highest-watched MLB game on Facebook last season generated 7.1 million total views while the least-watched game garnered roughly one million views.
- Online sports retailer Fanatics will run all team store operations for the Golden State Warriors for the next 10 years. The deal includes online sales, storefront locations, and kiosks at the new Chase Center. Fanatics also handles merchandising for the San Francisco 49ers, the San Jose Earthquakes and the San Jose Sharks. “We’ve led the league in online retail sales because of the popularity of our team,” said Brandon Schneider, chief revenue officer for the Warriors, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “But retail is a small part of our revenue, and we’d rather let the experts handle it.”
- FanDuel’s first retail sportsbook in New York state opens at Tioga Downs Resort Casino in Nichols, N.Y. Sports betting is currently offered at four upstate New York casinos, though online betting is still illegal. FanDuel’s new 2,600 square foot retail sportsbook features eight betting windows, 27 video displays, and 14 self-service betting kiosks provided by IGTPlayDigital.
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