International Sportstech News

ESPN in the US has launched its new direct-to-consumer streaming service and a set of new features on an enhanced ESPN App, making ESPN’s full suite of 12 networks and services available directly to fans for the first time ever. The unique combination of ESPN DTC within the updated ESPN App gives fans more choice and unprecedented access to all of ESPN, with an elevated viewing experience that makes watching sports more personalized, dynamic and engaging for fans.

Success is certainly synonymous with Loughborough University. The university has an unparalleled reputation for sporting excellence, both in terms of student performance and research, and has topped the QS World University Rankings for sports-related subjects nine years in a row. And to ensure that aspiring analysts are fully prepared for demanding elite environments, the University has integrated Hudl Statsbomb and Insight into the curriculum of their performance analysis courses.

The NBA is launching a league-wide biomechanics program with motion capture labs to be installed at the training facilities of all 30 teams within a year. The protocols have been developed in consultation with the NBPA as well as sports medicine and performance experts. Provisions for such a screening program are codified in the current collective bargaining agreement, requiring players to participate in up to four assessments per season. The goal is to have identical setups, with the same technology vendors and the same prescribed athlete motions, to ensure standardized data collection. The four tech companies that won the league's RFP include Qualisys, Theia Markerless, Bertec and BreakAway Data. P3, a performance expert company, will be a consultant to the program.

Batbox is launching its first Topgolf-style baseball venue in September, and soon its simulators may be in hotel lobbies and airports too, all connected through one digital network. Think Topgolf, but for baseball. With $US 3 million in new funding from EMERGING, Batbox announced plans to license smaller, self-serve simulators to hotels, airports, and office buildings starting this quarter. The latest funding brings Batbox’s total raised to more than $US 10 million, including a previous $US 7.3 million Series A.

Hudl, one of the world’s leading provider of cloud-based video and data tools for sports, announced the acquisition of SportContract, a hockey-first software platform built to streamline video, data, and communication workflows for professional and youth teams.

SailGP, the global racing championship has launched a new mixed reality app, 'SailGP RaceScape XR'. Designed for Apple Vision Pro, the first-of-its-kind XR experience in sail racing app will be available via Apple’s Vision Pro store, bringing global fans a front-row seat to every event of the Rolex SailGP Championship. RaceScape has been built on SailGP’s industry-leading production technology - LiveLine. The cutting-edge technology provides fans multi-screen viewing, AR tabletop racing and live data integration. 

TNQ Tech,Co., a sports technology innovator at the intersection of sports science, neuroscience, and behavioral science, announced the US launch of its JUMP! Performance Platform — the world’s first mobile-based athlete monitoring system that integrates physical, cognitive, and vision performance measurement into a single ecosystem. The platform connects TNQ Tech’s suite of AI-powered mobile applications — SAQ!, FAST!, Move!, Load!, BRAIN!, and EYES! — enabling coaches, teams, and sports scientists to collect, analyze, and store athlete data in one secure, centralized hub.

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games will, for the first time in Games history, allow venue naming rights, unveiling Comcast and Honda as inaugural partners in a move aimed at boosting commercial revenues. The pilot program, developed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will let qualifying LA28 partners retain existing venue names during the Games and buy additional marketing assets.

The sports media landscape is shifting, with viewers increasingly turning to streaming via digital platforms, and parting ways with traditional broadcast and cable. But streaming services must deal with technical issues such as latency and buffering, as over half (57%) of sports viewers face challenges when streaming sports. This is according to a new paper released by InterDigital, Inc., a wireless, video and AI technology research and development company. The report, “Streaming Live Sports: Where Opportunity Meets Complexity”, reveals how streaming infrastructure must evolve in line with changing consumer viewing habits, especially with streaming players increasingly paying for sports broadcasting rights. A total 42% of US internet households paid for a traditional pay TV service in Q1 2025, down from 62% in Q1 2020, whilst over half (55%) of subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) households subscribe to five or more SVOD services.

Burnley Football Club has announced the launch of the Burnley FC Innovation Hub, a new accelerator programme created to help the next generation of sports tech start-ups turn bold ideas into real-world impact. The Innovation Hub offers early-stage companies the opportunity to pilot their products within Burnley FC’s elite Premier League environment. Over a six-month period, selected start-ups will work directly with club staff to test their solutions in live settings, gain structured feedback, and generate the traction needed to take their businesses to the next level.

Paramount has announced a seven-year media rights agreement with TKO Group under which Paramount+ will become the exclusive home of all UFC events in the USA, pulling the mixed martial arts events from ESPN. Disney’s ESPN had secured a deal that, starting in 2019, featured the MMA promoter’s matchups on TV and pay-per-view in ESPN+. The seven-year term, which begins in 2026, has an average annual value of $US1.1 billion, with an overall value of $US 7.7 billion over that period. 

Jump, a New York City–based fan experience and sports technology startup, has raised $US 23 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six, with participation from Courtside Ventures, Will Ventures, Forerunner, and Steve Malik, owner of the NC Courage. Founded by Jordy Leiser, Marc Lore, and Alex Rodriguez, Jump offers a purpose-built platform for sports teams and venues, integrating ticketing, content, commerce, and gameday operations. The announcement follows the company’s recent partnership with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx of the NBA and WNBA.

Garmin has acquired MYLAPS, a leading Dutch provider of integrated timing, live tracking and performance analysis tools that helps create the sports experience for millions of athletes and spectators. With operations in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, MYLAPS supports elite brands and race management companies around the world with easy-to-use data-driven technology solutions for running, cycling, motor sports and equine competitions.

Canadian sports administration technology startup TeamLinkt has closed more than $US 6 million in Series A funding from San Francisco’s Growth Street Partners to accelerate product development and expand its customer support team. TeamLinkt offers sports management software that helps leagues, clubs, and associations simplify registration, scheduling, communication, and website management. The company plans to use this minority growth investment to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) usage, digital fundraising, payment automation, and advanced analytics capabilities. The funding will additionally fuel continued expansion across North America.

Two of the most prominent athlete-led investment groups are joining forces to create the world’s largest global athlete investor community. The Players Fund (UK) and The Players Company (US) have announced a strategic partnership that brings together over 850 athletes and artists under a shared mission of empowerment, education, and cross-border collaboration. For UK and European athletes, it provides access to the more mature US athlete investor ecosystem, where financial literacy, community deal sharing, and athlete-led venture models are more mature. For US athletes, it offers a gateway to international markets, ideas, and founders they might otherwise never see.

Burnley Football Club has announced a pioneering virtual reality matchday collaboration with Rezzil, a global leader in VR sports technology, marking a major step forward in how fans experience football. As part of Burnley FC’s ongoing partnership with Rezzil, the club will deliver a first-of-its-kind, immersive virtual reality broadcast of the Clarets’ pre-season friendly fixture against Lazio on Saturday 9th August 2025. Through this collaboration, fans can use the Premier League Player app on Meta Quest headsets.

The NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator returns for a second edition. NBA Africa, in collaboration with ALX Venture and ServiceNow through the Triple-Double Accelerator, is looking to identify startups and help grow and develop these businesses through financial support and mentorship. Last year, NBA Africa received over 700 applications, with 10 finalists advancing and participating in the program. Applications close 29th August.

Kinexon and other companies have spent years refining connected-ball technology to enhance sports analytics, improve training, and collect more data than ever. As professional leagues begin adopting the new tech, questions remain about potential minute changes to basketball physics. About half of the NBA games played in Las Vegas earlier this month used balls equipped with smart tracking technology. According to Kinexon, the sensors can detect the exact moment a ball enters play, potential fouls, shot accuracy over time, the number of passes, and other information to provide a more detailed look at each match.

The National Hockey League (NHL) and DAZN today announced a multi-year strategic partnership which will see DAZN become the exclusive home of NHL.TV in nearly 200 countries beginning with the 2025-26 season. NHL.TV will be promoted and integrated across the DAZN platform to its fast-growing base of more than 120 million registered sport fans.

The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Innovation Programme is a bold initiative designed to help the European football community address real-world challenges in women’s grassroots football. By bringing together commercial partners (such as adidas, Amazon and The Walt Disney Co), Swiss academic institutions, the Swiss Football Association (SFA) and local football communities, the programme is testing new ideas and creating scalable solutions that can shape the future of the game across Europe. The Programme and its pilots tackled real challenges in the women’s game—from redesigning changing rooms to be more inclusive, to rethinking coaching styles, inspiring future female coaches, and keeping young girls engaged in football after their first steps in the game.

Sir Ian Taylor now calls a prized technological innovation that has enhanced the understanding of cricket “the Bumrah”. The Kiwi who has taken Virtual Eye to the world said he had never seen his technology work more effectively than when it explained the unique biomechanics that made Jasprit Bumrah from India almost unplayable against Australia last summer. Through technology capable of catching 250 frames per second, Virtual Eye was able isolate the distinctive characteristics of the champion and explain how he was befuddling Australia’s top order. Taylor was hailed at a function in Sydney last Wednesday night by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers for the work pioneered by Virtual Eye.

Adobe and the Premier League announced a multi-year partnership to bring new AI-powered personalised digital experiences to fans around the world and provide new opportunities for fans to express their creativity. Adobe's creativity, marketing and AI technology is central to the Premier League’s digital transformation and is unlocking new ways for fans to create and share Premier League content, engage with their Fantasy Premier League teams and enjoy more personalised digital experiences. Adobe Express and Firefly generative AI, will give fans new ways to create and share Premier League content and enhance their digital and Fantasy Premier League experience.

Hudl launch an enhanced Statsbomb analysis platform, integrating Wyscout’s video library with Statsbomb’s industry-leading data and analytics. Recruitment workflows have previously been disjointed and fragmented, forcing users to switch between platforms and solutions to collect all the information they need to make informed decisions. Now, in the new platform, they can perform talent identification, video scouting, clip generation and playlist creation all in one unified solution that will save analysts and scouts hours every single week.

SailGP has officially opened SailGP Technologies, its new innovation, design and engineering centre in Southampton, UK. The site, which will serve as the technical base for the global championship, currently employs over 100 designers, engineers, boat builders and specialists across areas including composites, hydraulics and aerodynamics. The global racing league says the $US 10m facility has been established to support the ongoing development and maintenance of the league’s F50 catamarans and accelerate the construction of additional boats.

SURJ Sports Investment has announced its investment in the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) as part of the organisation’s Series C funding round, alongside founding investor Sir Michael Moritz, Cordillera Investment Partners and Verance Capital. The funding will support the PTO’s continued international growth at both elite and mass participation levels, plus innovation in race formats and long-term athlete and fan engagement. SURJ is understood to have invested around $US 20 million to make its first move into triathlon.

Flutter Entertainment, one of the world’s leading online sports betting and iGaming operator has announced the extension of its long-term strategic partnership with Boyd Gaming Corporation to 2038 and the buyout of Boyd’s 5% stake in FanDuel Group. Under the terms of the Agreement, Flutter will pay Boyd approximately $US 1.755 billion to acquire Boyd’s 5% stake in FanDuel at an implied valuation of $US 31 billion. FanDuel is the clear number one in the market with a 43% market share in sports betting and 27% in iGaming.

Leading sports streaming company, DAZN, has launched a sports tech Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Hyderabad, India. The GCC, which will be a base for the company’s global sports tech operations, will have 3,000 employees by the end of 2026. The centre will drive the development of next-generation sports technologies by scaling engineering and product innovation.

Leading sportstech investment advisory firm Drake Star has reported $US 52 billion in sportstech deals in first half of 2025. The first half was particularly active with consolidation and private financing across youth sports and digital media segments. M&A activity is anticipated to continue being strong as both strategics and private equity-backed platforms are very active in the market. 

Veloce Media Group has acquired a majority stake in Quadrant, the digital media and apparel business founded by Formula 1 driver Lando Norris in 2020. As part of the deal, Norris has become a shareholder in Veloce while retaining more than 20% of Quadrant and continuing to license his name and brand to the company. Quadrant has built a following of over 6.9 million across digital platforms. The brand has expanded its presence from gaming and esports into merchandise, digital content, and live experiences.

Followers of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 are witnessing a technological breakthrough with the first-ever FIBA event with full activation of GeniusIQ (from Genius Sports) – an AI platform showcasing how data and automation will shape the future of basketball.  GeniusIQ utilizes the Dragon system, which is a fully automated optical tracking solution. The cutting-edge setup of 12 strategically placed iPhones captures every movement on the main court in Lausanne. This AI-driven system enables real-time in-game optical tracking, powering augmented broadcasts with live data overlays such as player speed, shot charts, and momentum swings.

Just over a week after the European Commission authorised Liberty Media’s acquisition of Dorna Sports (commercial rights holder of the MotoGP), the American company has finalised the purchase of 84% of the Spanish firm, following a payment of €4.3billion. The announcement concludes one of the biggest takeovers in recent times in the sports entertainment industry. With this acquisition, Liberty Media - which bought the rights to Formula 1 in 2017 for $8bn - will now also control the second-most followed motorsport championship worldwide.

The Premier League and Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced a five-year strategic partnership to transform how 1.8 billion fans in 189 countries engage with the world’s most-watched football league. At the heart of the partnership are the Premier League’s new fan-facing digital platforms, which leverage Microsoft’s cloud and AI technologies to usher in a new era of intelligent and intuitive fan experiences. From today, fans around the world can learn more about the Premier League clubs, players and matches of their choice through a new digital Premier League Companion powered by Copilot.

JioHotstar has recently reached a major milestone, surpassing 300 million subscribers, bringing it just shy of Netflix‘s last reported figure of 301.63 million. This significant leap comes as the platform experiences a surge in user engagement, particularly spurred by the recently concluded Tata IPL. Jiostar, the result of a merger between Reliance-backed Jiocinema and Disney+Hotstar in February 2025, saw many firsts in the IPL season this year. Notably, digital viewership reached an impressive 652 million, surpassing the 537 million viewers on television, as per a report by Jiostar. Digital viewership for the 2025 edition grew by 5.16% compared to the previous year, which had recorded 620 million viewers. On the other hand, television viewers saw a modest 1.6% dip from 546 million last year. 

Prevent Biometrics and Texas Youth Football Association (TYFA) have announce an official partnership to bring Prevent's instrumented smart mouthguard (iMG) technology to the nearly 20,000 young athletes ages 8-11, competing across the state of Texas. For the first time ever, TYFA families and communities will have access to the same level of head safety monitoring trusted by elite organizations around the world, including World Rugby and the U.S. Department of Defense. Prevent iMGs actively monitor player head impacts and deliver alerts in real time via an embedded LED.

Aviron, a maker of gamified, at-home workout machines, is dialing up the energy with a new Les Mills partnership designed to keep home-based workouts from going stale. The collaboration brings more than 300 of Les Mills’ science-backed studio classes to Aviron’s gamified fitness platform, pushing the brand beyond its core rowing, running and riding content into a broader training ecosystem that now includes strength, cardio, mobility, dance and cinematic cycling experiences like Les Mills’ The Trip.

DAZN, a leading global sports entertainment platform, announced a new partnership with Meta to launch an extended reality (XR) version of its app for Meta Quest devices, delivering a fully immersive viewing experience for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Developed in collaboration with spatial computing pioneers Immersiv.io, the experience leverages virtual technology to bring fans closer to the action.  On top of live video streaming with multi-angle camera views and interactive XR stats panels, fans are able to watch every FIFA Club World Cup match with a dynamic 3D tabletop experience that provides a real-time virtual recreation of the pitch and players, providing unique perspectives and interactive controls. 

The NFL and Genius Sports have agreed to a multi-year extension and expansion of their existing strategic technology partnership. Genius Sports will remain the NFL’s exclusive distributor of real-time, official play-by-play statistics, proprietary Next Gen Stats data and the League’s official sports betting data feed to media companies and sports betting operators globally.  In addition, Genius Sports will continue as the sole supplier of official NFL watch and bet low latency live games to sportsbooks internationally and will now exclusively represent the in-game advertising inventory. As part of the agreement, Genius Sports and the NFL will also collaborate on further activation opportunities with FANHub.

Apple has launched at its WWDC 2025 conference Workout Buddy, an AI workout coach. The AI tool gathers data from both your current workout and your fitness history — including paces, miles logged, activity rings closed, and training load — to coach you through workouts in real time. Combined with Apple Intelligence on the iPhone, Workout Buddy relies on a text-to-speech model to translate encouragement into a fun generative voice that sounds like a fitness trainer. 

The Buss family is entering into an agreement to sell majority ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter for a franchise valuation of approximately $US 10 billion, sources told ESPN on Wednesday, the highest ever for a U.S. professional sports franchise. The Buss family will keep a minority share of the team, just over 15%, for a period of time. Walter, the CEO and chairman of diversified holding company TWG Global, has been a stakeholder in the Lakers since 2021, when he purchased Phil Anschutz's share of 26%.

FC Barcelona has tapped Futureverse, a leader in AI, blockchain, and immersive fan experiences, to launch the Barca.Pass, the club’s first official digital collectibles wallet. This marks a milestone in sports history with the largest single Web3 wallet deployment to date. More than 11 million fans with an existing Barça ID now have instant access to a personalized digital identity and exclusive digital experiences, all without needing any crypto knowledge.