Genius Sports has launched an agreement with the Mid-American Conference, becoming an official sports data, fan engagement and integrity partner of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Conference.
Under the provisions of the partnership, Genius Sports will ‘capture, manage and distribute’ official MAC statistics, aiming to create a more immersive fan engagement experience.
“Recognizing our unique capabilities across data collection, tracking, personalized marketing and more, the MAC has embraced our vision of providing college sports fans with immersive and highly engaging experiences,” said Genius Sports CEO Mark Locke.
“Furthermore, the MAC also selected Genius Sports, as one of the most established sports integrity providers in the market, to help ensure its competitions, teams and players are protected against the potential threats of betting-related corruption.”
Additionally, MAC will leverage data tracking and video augmentation solutions for its Men’s Basketball Championship alongside a full suite of free-to-play games and live data integrations, enabling ‘new layers of gamification’.
Lastly, via a sub-licensing agreement with JMI Sports, Genius Sports will also be able to provide its network with access to the MAC sponsorship inventory across its annual Football Championship Game and Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments.
“After significant discussion with our membership, I am pleased that we have reached an agreement to partner with Genius Sports, including both a sponsorship alongside a licensing deal that includes the marketing and managing of our statistical data,” noted Mid-American Conference Commissioner Dr. Jon A. Steinbrecher.
“This partnership will permit us to exert greater control of our statistics, provide increased oversight over events through the utilization of integrity services and provide support and financial benefits for the Conference and its membership.
“We have the responsibility to manage our assets and leverage those assets for the benefit of the student-athletes and our member institutions. The partnership with Genius Sports will assist us in those efforts.”
