Wednesday, July 10, 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
- Fox Sports Mics Players at MLB All-Star Game: Fox Sports gave several players mics during last night’s MLB All-Star Game in Cleveland. The players wore the mics both on-field and in the dugout, and could chat with Fox Sports announcers. Atlanta Braves first-baseman Freddie Freeman was mic’d up throughout his entire first at-bat—and strikeout—against Detroit Tigers All-Star Justin Verlander. Other All Stars including Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, George Springer, and Michael Brantley also chatted to each other on the field during the game. The American League defeated the National League 4-3.
- NBA Coaches Will Be Able to Challenge Calls Next Season: The NBA Board of Governors has voted to implement in-game challenge flags for head coaches during the 2019-20 season, according to The Athletic. The NBA has been testing allowing coaches to challenge referee calls during the 2019 Las Vegas Summer League. ESPN reported earlier this month that the NBA’s new challenge system would limit coaches to one challenge per game, and that challenges can only be made on called fouls, goaltending, basket interference, and plays where the ball is knocked out of bounds.
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- The Stars Group and Mohawk Casino Plan NY Sportsbook: The Stars Group has announced an agreement with the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort to bring online sports betting and a retail sportsbook to the state of New York, once sports betting is legalized. Fox purchased a five percent stake of The Stars Group in May to help bring its sports betting product Fox Bet to market. “We are excited to announce this agreement with Mohawk, which further strengthens our market access as we work to build our FOX Bet business into one of the leaders in the emerging U.S. online betting and gaming market,” said Robin Chhabra, CEO of FOX Bet, in a statement. Mohawk Casino is also preparing to open a 5,200 square foot sports betting lounge in time for the upcoming NFL season.
- Daktronics Will Install New AV System at Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field: The Texas Rangers have hired Daktronics to implement a new audiovisual control system to Globe Life Field, which the Rangers expect to open before the 2020 MLB season. Daktronics is installing Live Clips, a dual channel broadcast server that can deliver both clips and graphics using layers, effects, and transitions. The Rangers’ new production room will also have Camino, a render engine that can overlay real-time data graphics during broadcasts. The new ballpark will additionally feature nine Daktronics LED video display boards.
- NBC Sports Adds EPL Soccer Streaming Options: NBC Sports has announced upgrades to its Premier League Pass and also plans to debut a new MatchDay Pass for the 2019-20 EPL season. The Premier League Pass will offer same-day, full replays for all 380 matches on demand, as well as access to Sky Sports studio shows discussing EPL highlights and storylines of the week. In total, the pass offers 1,400 hours of Premier League shoulder programming and is priced at $64.99. The new MatchDay Pass on NBC Sports Gold will stream 140 Premier League matches, including at least four matches per club, for $39.99.
- London’s O2 Arena Will Host eWorld Cup for Third Year in 2019: The 2019 FIFA eWorld Cup will return to the O2 Arena in London on Aug. 2-4. This will be London’s third-consecutive year hosting the esports tournament. The eWorld Cup began as the Interactive World Cup in 2004. This year’s tournament will feature 32 of the world’s elite FIFA 19 players competing for a prize pool of $500,000. The winner will receive a grand prize of $250,000. Tickets are on-sale now via FIFA’s website and the three-day tournament will be live-streamed on FIFA’s and EA Sports’ digital platforms.
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