Thursday, Aug. 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.
- Australian TV broadcaster Optus Sport plans to stream a live English Premier League match using its 5G mobile network this season. Optus owns exclusive rights in Australia to broadcast and stream Premier League matches, but did not specify which game will stream in 5G. “Making the Premier League available on Optus Sport through 5G is a world first,” said Clive Dickens, VP of TV, Content & Product Development at Optus, in a press release. “This will be the first of many 5G initiatives we will take at Optus.” U.K.-based internet provider EE previously broadcasted the world’s first 5G sporting event at Wembley Stadium in London last November.
- Artificial intelligence video platform WSC Sports has raised a $23 million Series C funding round, bringing the company’s total funding to $39 million. The Series C round was led by O.G. Tech Ventures, NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Maor Investments, ISF and Go4it Capital. WSC produces automated highlights for top sports entities such as the NBA, the Bundesliga, the PGA Tour, Bleacher Report, and MLS. The new investment will be used to further expand WSC’s growth across new sports, products and geographic regions.
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- Ticketmaster extends digital ticketing partnerships with both Penn State and Ohio State University athletics to include SafeTix. Penn State’s football stadium will be the first college venue to utilize the SafeTix encrypted ticketing platform, which contains a barcode that changes every few seconds. That is intended to prevent tickets from being captured via screenshot and shared. Ohio State will implement SafeTix in the coming seasons, while SafeTix will be integrated across all NFL stadiums in 2019 as well as at MLS club LAFC.
- Boxing legend Mike Tyson is joining the Fan Controlled Football League as a team owner and fan captain. Tyson will also commentate on live games via Twitch once the inaugural FCFL season kicks off. (The start date was originally scheduled for June 2019.) The league’s app enables fans to vote on which plays are called on the field. Tyson joins a star-studded group of team owners that includes NFL players Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Richard Sherman and Marshawn Lynch.
- Los Angeles Dodgers fans can now place mobile concessions orders at Dodgers Stadium via the Postmates delivery service. Order can be picked up at designated Postmates points located throughout the stadium. The service is currently available to fans in the Top Deck section, but the Dodgers plan to expand availability throughout the venue in 2020.
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