IMG Arena is upgrading its live and micro-betting products through a deal with nVenue.
On Friday, nVenue and IMG Arena announced a partnership to deliver live and micro-betting offerings for Major League Soccer. The deal allows IMG Arena to leverage its official MLS data rights to provide a slew of in-play betting markets powered by nVenue’s predictive platform. IMG Arena selected nVenue as a live and micro-betting provider after an extensive review process that had nVenue compete with other gaming tech providers.
“As we looked to expand our live betting portfolio for MLS, it was essential to find a technology partner with the capability to deliver at scale,” said IMG Arena Director of Commercial Partnerships for Americas Andrew Turner. “After an in-depth review, nVenue emerged as the clear leader in delivering real-time, live and micro betting products that match the speed and energy of the game.”
IMG Arena’s partnership with nVenue adds to the more than 470 gambling brands it works with. Its portfolio of rights holders host roughly 39,000 annual official data events.
IMG Arena’s reach extends to 14 global sports across six continents.
The company acquired official data distribution rights to MLS in 2022. The two entities worked together to launch new data feeds and drive global fan engagement.
IMG Arena acquired by major sports data aggregator
The deal between IMG Arena and nVenue will create new revenue opportunities for operator partners following a blockbuster deal involving Sportradar and IMG Arena.
Earlier this year, Sportradar reached an agreement to acquire IMG Arena from Endeavor Group Holdings. The deal also included IMG Arena’s global sports betting rights portfolio.
The transaction had a total financial consideration of $225 million. The acquisition includes rights tied to basketball, soccer and tennis—the three most popular sports for bettors.
In addition to MLS, the rights include the PGA Tour, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
Sportradar acquired IMG Arena after former owner Endeavor attempted to merge the property with OpenBet into a single entity and sell it to OB Global Holdings.
Endeavor acquired OpenBet from Light & Wonder in 2022 for roughly $800 million.
Last October, nVenue announced a partnership with OpenBet to distribute live betting markets through OpenBet’s Trading System, which delivers real-time odds and pricing.
