Sports data intelligence and sport entertainment solutions provider Sportradar has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Synergy Sports, a pioneer in automated sports technology solutions and data and video analytics in the US college and professional sports space.
The acquisition, said Sportradar, complements its 360-degree product suite, as well as supports the company’s drive to deepen and broaden its relationships with key sports organizations globally. Closure of the deal is expected in the second quarter, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.
In the US, Sportradar is the official partner of the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB, while Synergy Sports has league-wide relationships with the NBA and MLB, as well as all of NCAA Division I women’s and men’s basketball and over 90% of NCAA Division I men’s baseball.
Internationally, Synergy’s landmark partnership with FIBA to create the FIBA Connected Stadium provides basketball teams, leagues and federations with a full end-to-end technology platform offering automated video production and graphics.
This combination of Synergy’s US and international business will, said Sportradar, be a seamless fit with its vision for the “…continuing evolution of the way sports content will be created, digitized and delivered”.
In addition, the firm will build on the popularity of Synergy Sports’ video technology, Synergy Automated Camera System, by layering on top its own video and OTT product suite enabling the development of deeper technology-enabled relationships with sports organizations.
Carsten Koerl, Sportradar Group CEO, said: “Sportradar is the leading data and technology provider to betting operators as well as media companies and sports leagues globally. Adding Synergy Sports to the Sportradar family will expand our product offering into US college sports data and video analytics and further cements our relationships with the major sports organizations in the US and around the world.
“We have huge respect for the talented, energetic and passionate management team that Nick Maywald and Mark Silver have built at Synergy Sports. Like Sportradar, their focus is always sport and the customer, and we are looking forward to working with them to expand the business and unlock exciting new commercial opportunities for our sports partners.”
Maywald, Executive Chairman of Synergy Sports, said: “Sportradar is the perfect partner to accelerate the evolution of Synergy Sports in the US and around the world. Our team is extremely excited to become part of the Sportradar story, the global leader in understanding and leveraging the power of sports data and content.
“Their extensive knowledge in providing mission-critical content to all types of sports-related customer groups complements our technology-based league relationships centered around our video technology and analytics products. Data is in the DNA of both companies and this partnership will deepen our relationships with both Professional and College sports in the US and internationally.”
