Monday, Apr. 8, 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.
- U.S. Open Cup Soccer Matches Will Stream on ESPN+ Until 2022: U.S. Soccer and ESPN have partnered to exclusively broadcast all Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup games on ESPN+ through 2022. The U.S. Open Cup is the longest running soccer cup competition in the U.S. The tournament gives semi-pro and amateur soccer teams in the U.S. a chance to compete against MLS clubs, should they survive the first three rounds of the competition. The winning team qualifies for the CONCACAF Champions League and will pick up $300,000 in prize money. This year’s 106th edition of the annual tournament kicks off on May 7.
- MGM Resorts Reportedly Owns Rights to AAF Technology: Alliance of American Football controlling owner Tom Dundon may not own the former league’s gaming technology, according to The Action Network. When MGM invested money into the AAF’s tech business last June, that deal reportedly included a provision that would give MGM the rights to own the tech if the league went out of business. “We really were in it for the technology,” said Scott Butera, President of Interactive Gaming at MGM. “They have a technology that’s eliminated latency. If you actually watch the game in the app, you see the play before it happens on TV.”
- HYPE Sports Launches $75 Million Fund for Sports Technology Startups: HYPE Sports Innovation has announced plans for a $75 million capital fund to support elite sports technology startups. The fund is being managed by Uli Becker, ex-president of Reebok, and Bernd Wahler, former president of VfB Stuttgart and former CMO at Adidas. HYPE will connect selected startups with its global accelerator network, which hosts more than 40,000 members. “To reduce the risk for investors we only work with elite startups, whom we know personally and are part of our deal flow. Once we get them onboard, we connect them to corporations in our accelerator program, giving them an outstanding global platform,” Wahler said in a press release.
- Indycar’s New Streaming Service Is Built on Harmonic’s Cloud Video Platform: Video technology company Harmonic announced that Indycar is using its VOS 360 service to stream live NTT IndyCar Series races this season. “It took less than five weeks to design, set up, test and deploy VOS360 SaaS for live streaming of NTT IndyCar Series races,” said Brad Lee, director of business solutions at Hulman & Company, parent company of Indycar. “Using VOS360 media processing as a service, we can deliver exceptional video quality to any screen, which is a must for live sports events.”
- WWE Wrestling Avatars to Feature on Roblox Video Game Platform: Roblox will allow users to play as real-life WWE avatars as part of a new partnership with the wrestling organization. Roblox allows users to design their own games and play games created by other users. WWE superstars including Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Xavier Woods as well as exclusive virtual items will be free to download on Roblox through May 3. “Roblox is also a unique way to immerse a new generation of fans into WWE as they can create, share, and bring Superstar avatars and experiences to life” said Craig Donato, Chief Business Officer at Roblox, in a press release.