Friday, May 31, 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
- NBA Finals Stream Live and for Free on Social Networks Across India: Every game of the NBA Finals is being live streamed in India for the first time on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Fans in India can watch for free via the NBA’s official accounts on the three platforms. The games will also be broadcast in India on Sony owned channels with English and Hindi commentary available. The NBA will also become the first North American sports league to play in India when the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings play a preseason two-game series Oct. 4-5 at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai.
- Cincinnati Bengals Players Sell Fan Shout-Outs on Cameo: Cameo is an app that allows fans to purchase short personalized video shout-outs from their favorite athletes or celebrities. According to The Athletic, several Cincinnati Bengals players have signed onto the platform. Backup quarterback Jeff Driskel is charging $30 for a message while former running back Joe Mixon charges $200. The talent will receive 75 percent of the booking fee, and the other 25 percent goes to Cameo. “It’s quick. It takes about 10, 15 seconds. Shout-out. That’s it,” Mixon said.
- Sportlogiq Named Official Insights Partner for Canadian Premier League: Sports analytics company Sportlogiq has signed a multi-year deal with the Canadian Premier League. Sportlogiq will produce and distribute analytics from every CPL match this season, which began in April. The CPL and its clubs can access the data to assist with performance analysis, opposition scouting, and player recruitment. The data is also being made available to the CPL’s editorial team and media partners, as well as CPL sponsors. Sportlogiq has worked with the Swedish Hockey League and more than 25 NHL teams, but this is the company’s first partnership within soccer.
- Phoenix Suns and Mercury to Transition to Mobile-Only Ticketing: The NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury will begin switching to mobile-only ticketing as part of a renewed long-term partnership with Ticketmaster. The teams share an owner and both play at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. Starting with tonight’s Mercury home-opener, all fans must use the official Sun and Mercury smartphone apps to access their tickets and enter the arena. The Suns also announced plans to launch a mobile wallet app, where fans will be able to pay for concessions, parking, and merchandise in-venue.
- Stadium Network Will Stream 2019 Major League Lacrosse Games: Multi-platform sports network Stadium announced a new partnership with Major League Lacrosse to stream 12 games throughout the 2019 season. Stadium will also air weekly MLL segments as part of the deal. Stadium’s distribution network includes The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Twitch, Samsung TV Plus, XUMO, Sling TV, PlaystationVue, fuboTV, Stadium over-the-air channels across the country, and WatchStadium.com. Sinclair Broadcast Group, BAMTech, the NHL, the PGA TOUR, and Meredith Corp all have ownership stakes in the company.