Data and technology supplier Genius Sports has signed an exclusive international streaming and data partnership with Japan’s national governing body of professional basketball, B.League.
Under the multi-year partnership, Genius and B.League agree to provide Japanese basketball fans, administrators, coaches and players with access to live data and video insights from over 1,000 games a season from the league’s top two divisions: B1 and B2.
In addition, Genius has been granted the exclusive rights to capture, manage and distribute B.League’s official data and video content to its global network of sportsbook partners, while its Bet Monitoring System will help to safeguard Japanese basketball from the threats of match-fixing and betting-related corruption.
To help protect the value and integrity of its official data, Genius said it has launched a new rights enforcement programme with B.League, removing unauthorised data collectors from the games.
Advanced play-by-play statistics will be captured by Fiba LiveStats, the data collection tool formed by Genius Sports in partnership with the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).
The statistics will help to power box scores, shot charts and data-driven analytics tools, Genius said. B.League’s official data will also supply broadcast and media partners with fast and accurate statistics to enhance the fan experience across multiple platforms.
Genius’ live streaming solution, GeniusLive, will broadcast B2 games, in a process driven by automated streaming production and distribution through the use of artificial intelligence.
“We are delighted to partner with Genius Sports and with the technology they provide, will be able to enhance fans’ experience across digital platforms worldwide, while providing new insights to coaches and players and raising the integrity of our league,” B.League chairman Shinji Shimada said.
Thomas Klingebiel, commercial director for Asia-Pacific at Genius Sports, added: “Amid the huge challenges that sports have faced over the last 12 months, rights holders are looking for innovative platforms to reconnect with fans and generate new revenue streams.”
“Together, Fiba LiveStats and GeniusLive will enable the B.League to control its live data and video content, transforming how audiences around the world interact with every play.”
Last week, Genius announced it would bring its full portfolio of products under the single Genius Sports brand, ahead of its listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
This meant discontinuing the supplier’s legacy Betgenius and Genius Sports Media brands.
The supplier is expected to trade on the NYSE soon, after announcing its plan to go public with an enterprise value of $1.5bn (£1.09bn/€1.25bn) in October last year.
