Australian Sportstech News

Australian sports technology company Catapult Group has acquired athlete monitoring platform and Massachusetts Institute of Technology spinout Perch. The $US 18 million ($AUD 28 million) acquisition was completed on 4 June, with $US 3 million cash to be paid out of Catapult’s existing cash reserves at close. The remainder will be paid out in Catapult shares across four tranches. Perch, founded in 2016, has an annual contract value of about $US 2.5 million and has trained its computer vision algorithm across 40,000 unique users. Perch’s uses 3D cameras combined with computer vision and AI to automate tracking of athlete strength training, aiming to deliver real-time feedback and saving time compared to manual data collection.

After powering 4,000 events, serving more than 130,000 athletes and recording two million scores globally last year, Sydney-based digital scoring startup Liveheats has raised $AUD 1.3 million in a seed funding round that it expects to drive a fivefold surge in revenue by 2028. The startup, which was founded in 2016 by surfing mates Chris Friend and Fernando Freire to streamline competitions at their local boardriders club, has developed a platform to revolutionise the way action sports are scored, shared and experienced. Liveheats has deployed its platform across more than 60 countries and recently hit the $2 million revenue milestone.

HITIQ has announced a new three-year partnership with AFL Barwon, bringing its breakthrough concussion management system, PROTEQT, to more than 25,000 players across regional Victoria. As the newly named Official “Concussion Technology Partner” of AFL Barwon, HITIQ will collaborate with over 50 clubs across the region to support safer play, smarter care, and stronger concussion protocols across all levels of the game. PROTEQT is a first-of-its-kind consumer solution that combines smart impact monitoring with medical-grade support. From the Shock Doctor Easy Fit mouthguard that logs impacts, to in-app tools for symptom tracking, education, and telehealth access, it provides families, coaches, and athletes with a complete, end-to-end approach to concussion care.

Octane Racing Group, the official promoter of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix has selected PAM, the global leader in smart navigation and fan experience technology, to drive their Smart Navigation experience. This collaboration aims to revolutionize how over 350,000 fans experience Canada's Formula 1’s race. PAM’s state-of-the-art smart navigation platform will streamline transportation logistics, guiding fans efficiently through optimized routes to and from the event.

The seventh annual Global Elite Sports Conference will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 2 July. The conference features world-class speakers from leading professional sport organisations and leagues including the NFL, NBA, AFL, and US colleges. Conference topics cover high performance, coaching, athlete engagement and development, fan engagement, venue and facilities management, event management, and international sports diplomacy. 

Cricket Australia (CA) has partnered with global technology company Partnerbrite to launch CrowdCatch, a cutting-edge ad tech platform designed to redefine how brands engage with cricket fans across the digital landscape. CrowdCatch allows CA’s commercial partners to tap into engaged audiences and seamlessly activate campaigns across top-performing digital channels, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

FrogBox has announced the extension of its partnership with Cricket Australia, continuing a shared mission to make community cricket more accessible, engaging and connected. This season alone, more than 20,000 community cricket matches have been live streamed using FrogBox technology, generating over 10 million highlight views via the Play Cricket app and 27 million views of FrogBox content on Play Cricket's social media channels.

Sports Tech World Series (STWS) has announced the launch of the inaugural Sports Innovation and Technology Summit (Beyond the Game) to be held in Bengaluru from 16-18 July 2025. STWS is partnering with MM Activ to deliver the event. This summit will be a first-of-its-kind in India, bringing together industry leaders, investors, startups and athletes to showcase cutting-edge advancements and build an accessible, thriving sports tech ecosystem

The Investment League, a company providing expert insights at the intersection of finance and sports, has identified three emerging themes shaping Sports M&A in Australia. These themes include, streaming consolidation (eg. DAZN x Foxtel), infrastructure-led club plays (eg. KAM Sports x Western United) and private equity optimisation of undervalued teams (eg. Altor x JackJumpers)

Catapult, which makes wearables that enable data analytics for professional sports teams, announced that revenue for the full year to March 2025 rose 19% to $US116 million ($A180 million). The company is earning more money from its agreements with 3,600 professional sports teams around the world, and those contracts are lasting longer. A total of $US66 million of revenue came from Catapult's "Performance & Health" segment, which are the wearables it sells to teams that allow them to track player performance and biometrics. Its secondary segment, a video solution used for coaching, brought in $US32.6 million ($A50 million), an increase of 42% from the previous year. Catapult shares were 10.2% higher at $4.74 around midday on Wednesday, lifting its market capitalisation to $A1.3 billion.

DoubleTake Sport hosted the broadcast services for the inaugural Trans-Tasman Throwdown on behalf of TEG Sport, Basketball Australia, and Nine. The three-game series, held in Adelaide, the Sunshine Coast, and Hamilton (NZ) in early May, featured the Boomers and Opals taking on the Tall Blacks and Tall Ferns, and was broadcast in Australia on 9Go!, in New Zealand on Sky, and to viewers worldwide. The broadcast provided Multi-camera coverage, live stats integration with FIBA LiveStats/Genius Sports, remote production and commentary, courtside commentary and hosting with full production integration.

US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the United States, has announced a new multi-year partnership with Zhik, global leader in high-performance water wear. As the Official Technical Apparel Supplier for the US Sailing Team, Zhik will provide cutting-edge gear designed to enhance athlete performance on the water, with a focus on innovation, comfort and endurance.

Komo Technologies has officially become a Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) Partner. CTS collaborates with best-in-class tech innovators from around the globe. This partnership underscores the strength of Komo’s platform to deliver seamless, scalable, and cutting-edge engagement solutions to the media and entertainment industry. CTS has nearly 80 partners globally across areas such as content delivery, video analytics and media production.

The South Australian Sports Institute, University of South Australia and Sportmatch have partnered to provide students an opportunity to experience a day in the life of a professional athlete as told by the athletes themselves. The experience also provided exposure to a high performance sporting environment and the tools of the trade that sport scientists use to create the greatest athletes on the world stage. The organisations launched the 'Discovering Greatness' program with Loreto College Marryatville this week.

Virtually Human Studios is launching a reworked version of its digital horse racing game ZED Run as ZED Champions on the Base blockchain. ZED Run, once among the most recognisable blockchain games, saw a sharp decline in activity and trading volume by early 2025.  Zed Champions is a digital horse racing game that maintains core ideas from Zed Run—such as breeding and competing with virtual horses—whilst modifying the underlying mechanics. The game will launch with 4,320 digital horses, each tied to a balance of $ZED tokens.

Techtel, a leading independent broadcast technology systems specialist in the Asia-Pacific region, has announce a new distribution partnership with Cartoni, a globally renowned manufacturer of professional camera support systems. This agreement sees Techtel become an official reseller of Cartoni products across Australia, expanding its portfolio of premium equipment for the broadcast, film, and live production sectors.

Basketball Queensland (BQ) has announced a step forward in its commitment to developing athletes and coaches through the integration of state-of-the-art Hudl video technology. BQ’s continued partnership with Hudl has seen Hudl Focus Indoor cameras installed across all courts at BQ’s home base, complemented by the portable Hudl Focus Flex used for offsite high performance events. The fully automated system will automatically record high-definition video from optimal angles.

Tennis Australia has launched the next edition of its AO Startups program. AO Startups accelerates elite founders through priority access to the Australian Open and professional and community sport. It provides a unique opportunity for startups solving large problems in sport, health and entertainment to build, test or pilot on the world stage with Tennis Australia and the Australian Open. AO Startups are seeking exceptional founders across four key areas - the quantified human, the event experience, the padel and pickleball experience and  the 'wildcard' (anything in sports, entertainment, health and sustainability). Applications close 28th May 2025.

Little Athletics Australia and Playbk Sports joined forces to launch a first-of-its-kind eLearning partnership designed to revolutionise volunteer training and elevate the experience of more than 89,000 young athletes across the country. At the centre of this national collaboration are two flagship digital courses: Introduction to Teaching Little Athletics Skills (ITLAS) and Tiny Tots. These initial offerings mark the beginning of a broader digital learning ecosystem, purpose-built to support the Little Athletics community and hosted on a new, custom-designed Learning Management System (LMS).

Next Level Racing®, a global leader in simulation hardware, today proudly announces the launch of the Next Level Racing® HF8 Pro Haptic Feedback Gaming Pad, the latest evolution in immersive gaming technology. Building on the global success of the original HF8, the HF8 Pro introduces over 200% increased torque, 400% more motor power, 60% faster motor RPM, and a new 75fps real-time haptics system, creating deeper, sharper, and faster sensations than ever before. 

Behind every Formula 1 race is a live operating system built to manage the chaos in real time. It’s called RaceWatch and was developed by Catapult and the FIA – Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile through 15 years of collaboration. Every car transmits data through 300+ sensors, every camera feed is integrated, and every metre of track is monitored, allowing officials to build a full picture instantly and act without delay.

Australian web3 fitness app STEPN has announce a long-term partnership with the Argentina Football Association—home of the reigning World Champions. This collaboration marks a major step forward for sport and Web3 which will include a series of co-branded Genesis Sneakers, real-life rewards, including signed jerseys and match tickets and a shared vision to inspire the next generation of movers,

The players union for the USL Super League has partnered with women's soccer footwear company IDA Sports to provide its cleats to all the league's athletes. IDA Sports is the only company devoted solely to soccer footwear specifically engineered for women, based on biomechanical needs. All interested players in the USL Super League will receive IDA Sports Rise Elite cleats for game day. The players will also provide feedback that will help the company with future designs.

Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) has announced a partnership with Australian Made through its cutting-edge technology, SEN Sync. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for SEN, as SEN Sync becomes an Australian Made licensee, with its source code built in Australia by Project Diamond, SEN’s software development studio. As part of this partnership, Australian Made will be the naming rights partner of SEN Sync across the AFL season, reinforcing the commitment to supporting locally made products and innovations.

Evolt has announced a strategic integration with Technogym, a world-leading brand for fitness, wellness, sport, and health. The integration between Evolt and Technogym will provide customers with a unified, holistic fitness experience, combining Evolt’s body composition analysis with Technogym’s fitness equipment and wellness solutions. Mywellness by Technogym enables collection and tracking of profiled big data from all Technogym digital ecosystem touchpoints and from a wide variety of integrated software or equipment. 

Evolt has announced an expansion into the UK with new distribution partner, Inspace Fitness. This strategic partnership will enable gyms and fitness businesses across the UK to deliver measurable health outcomes, increase client engagement, and grow revenue through advanced body composition analysis.

Hard Rock Bet has launched its latest sports betting tool, Stats Hub, powered by GTG Network. The new Stats Hub provides bettors interesting insights across a variety of sports including the NBA, NHL, MLB, and NFL . Hard Rock Bet is currently licensed and accepting legal bets in eight states in the USA, all of which now have access to the new Stats Hub. 

Sideline Sport partnership with NSW Rugby TV has delivered over 100 games live and on demand across Sydney metro and regional New South Wales over the weekend. Sideline Sport is utilising Broadercaster which provides a multitude of different production models, including traditional onsite camera and cameraman, to remote operator controlled cameras, through to fully autonomous AI based vision capture. Broadercaster allows sports to promote and control their brand, while delivering a professional streaming experience to key stakeholders including participants, fans and sponsors.

SportVot and FrogBox have announced a strategic partnership bringing FrogBox's cricket highlights solution to the Indian market through SportVot's local network of grassroots tournaments. FrogBox is now the official highlights partner across several grassroots cricket tournaments powered by SportVot. 

Healthtech start-up Superpower, co-founded by 24-year-old Australian Max Marchione, has raised $US 30 million in a Series A round led by Forerunner Ventures. Two years after its founding, the deal values the company at more than $US 300 million. Superpower is building what it calls the world’s first “health super-app,” selling diagnostics, personalised health protocols and 24/7 care for $US 499 a year. The membership includes a bi-annual lab testing that analyses over 100 blood biomarkers and combines data with AI and physician oversight to create personalised plans.

Tennis Australia has formally launched Beyond Tennis powered by Infosys, a gaming application designed for tennis fans as well as Gen Z gaming enthusiasts. Within the gaming application users will be able to step into the shoes of a player’s coach or agent in turn guiding the careers of AI-powered tennis players. This gaming application will witness the world’s first AI-driven tennis league. Alongside being a Digital Innovation partner for Tennis Australia, Infosys will also own a team within the AI-driven league, the Infosys Aces. Tennis Australia has also partnered with OneFutureSport, a Melbournebased company, to capitalise on its creative technology, and digital expertise.

AFLW players are stepping up as role models in a groundbreaking new program set to inspire thousands of young Queensland girls through sport and education. The Brisbane Lions, in collaboration with Playbk Sports and supported by the Queensland Government’s ActiveKIT initiative, launched Inspire, a first-of-its-kind digital education program housed on Lions Learning—the club’s new online platform. The Inspire Program is designed to empower young girls aged 13-18 by providing leadership, body confidence, health, and physical activity education, guided by elite AFLW players who serve as mentors and role models.

Catapult has announced the launch of Vector 8, marking a major leap forward in athlete performance monitoring. With Vector 8, teams can make precise real-time decisions with an live experience, save time with faster and more efficient workflows, and get a clear picture of athlete performance through a completely new user experience. The Vector 8 athlete monitoring system includes a wearable device, fastest power dock ever built, a receiver and relay network that covers 120 athletes across a 400 x 400 metre field and a new App with live and post-session sync, integrated data and video, and AI-powered performance insights.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of competitive gaming and mind sports, maintaining integrity has become increasingly complex. As AI systems grow more sophisticated, the line between human and machine capabilities continues to blur, creating new challenges for platforms committed to fair play. Checkmate Live has announced a significant step forward in addressing these challenges. It has become the first competitive gaming platform to implement a machine-readable Fair Play Protocol for artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs).

Former ASTN Chair, Co-Founder and Lifetime recipient James D has been nominated for a CYDIA Award for his contribution to sports. These awards will be presented on the final evening of the Cyprus Diaspora Forum 2025 on 10th May 2025.

Follow Me AI announced the first commercial implementation of our Kinelitics™ technology platform, by the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS). After an exhaustive international scouting process, the QAS selected Follow Me AI to co-design, develop and host a Talent ID mobile native app that harnesses the capabilities of our core platform. Our Kinelitics™ platform enables large-scale remote testing of fitness and mobility, by delivering a battery of industry-accepted testing protocols through a standard mobile device and AI Computer Vision. 

DAZN, one of the world’s leading sports entertainment platform, has announced the completion of its acquisition of Foxtel Group, marking a major milestone in its expansion into the Australian market. Foxtel Group, Australia’s premier subscription television provider, will continue to operate as a standalone business while benefiting from the UK-based DAZN’s global reach, market-leading technology, and investment in sports entertainment innovation. Foxtel, Kayo Sports, BINGE, and Hubbl will retain their brand identities, continuing to produce the world-class programming, sports coverage and entertainment.

Australia and New Zealand startup sportstech companies, Refbook (AU) and Glory League (NZ), have commenced an integration and commercial alliance that will enrich the community basketball officiating digital ecosystem. The integration functionality will provide a seamless solution for curating and accessing game vision to facilitate the coaching and wellbeing of officials at the grassroots level.

At major events, accessibility isn’t just about ramps and elevators—it’s about ensuring every fan has a comfortable and enjoyable experience. That’s why, at this year’s Australian Open, PAM worked closely with event organizers to highlight sensory rooms in the tournament’s digital navigation platform. Through PAM’s eXplorer Maps, guests could effortlessly find their way to these rooms via the tournament’s website or app—helping create a more inclusive and welcoming Grand Slam experience for all.

K-Sport, a global leader in athletic performance tracking technologies, has today completed the acquisition of 67% of SPT – Sport Performance Tracking, an Australia-based company with over eleven years of activity in the Australian market and operating in the United States since 2018. This strategic move marks a key milestone in K-Sport’s international expansion, providing direct access to the English-speaking markets through a well-established and recognized brand in the sport-tech sector.