Thursday, Mar. 21, 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.
- Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures and LeBron’s Uninterrupted Team Up for Video Series: Kevin Durant and LeBron James have joined forces in a partnership between Thirty Five Ventures and Uninterrupted to launch a new three-part video series called FLY BY. The show will be presented by Alaska Airlines and will follow Durant, Kyle Kuzma, and D’Angelo Russell as the NBA stars give viewers tours of their teams’ cities—San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Brooklyn. The series will be released through social channels and also can be viewed on select Alaska Airlines flights.
- AAC Set to Receive $1 Billion in New ESPN Rights Deal: The American Athletic Conference will earn $1 billion throughout the 12 years of its new media rights deal with ESPN, according to Sports Business Journal. The deal goes into effect in 2020 and will pay the AAC an average of $83.3 million per year, about four times what the conference was making in its previous deal with the network. The majority of AAC basketball games and a significant number of football games will stream on ESPN+ under the new contract. AAC baseball, softball, and soccer games also will air on ESPN+.
- Social Streaming Platform SportsCastr Signs Richard Sherman: The blockchain-powered platform SportsCastr has announced NFL star Richard Sherman as the startup’s first brand ambassador. SportsCastr is a real-time live streaming app that enables users to become color commentators for games, and lets viewers select which broadcaster they’d like to listen to. Sherman will use SportsCastr to share exclusive content in his new role, and joins an advisory team that also includes former NBA commissioner David Stern. The NFLPA is also a minority investor in SportsCastr.
- Amazon Adds MLB.TV to Prime Video Channels Lineup: Amazon and Major League Baseball have partnered just days before the start of the 2019 MLB season to add MLB.TV to Prime Video Channels in the U.S. Subscribers will still have to pay MLB.TV’s fees ($24.99 per month or $118.99 per season) on top of their Prime subscription. Amazon’s X-Ray feature will allow subscribers with Fire TV devices to access live in-game stats, team and player details, and play-by-play information while they watch MLB games. Prime’s sports offerings also include NFL Thursday Night Football games, NBA League Pass, and PGA Tour Live.
- FC Cincinnati’s Official Mobile App Will Feature SeatGeek Ticketing: SeatGeek and MLS newcomer FC Cincinnati today announced a partnership that will fully integrate SeatGeek into the club’s official mobile app, set to launch in 2020. SeatGeek’s platform will allow fans to buy, sell, transfer, and scan tickets using their smartphones. “We’re looking forward to fully introducing SeatGeek to our fans for the 2020 season as our primary ticket partner and then integrating a host of exciting technologies and experiences as we open West End Stadium in 2021,” said Jeff Berding, FC Cincinnati’s President, in a press release.