ESPN said it made a long-term deal with Genius Sports Ltd. to add data-driven storytelling to its telecasts of NBA and WNBA games, as well as NCAA sports.
Genius Sports is the exclusive distributor of official NCAA data, and ESPN said it will expand its college sports coverage using real-time team and player stats from Genius.
“Genius Sports is a proven entity in the space that we know very well from our previous work together,” said Jeff Bennett, VP, Stats & Information Group, ESPN. “The new long-term agreement creates a runway for both sides to ideate into the future using augmented reality live execution concepts in ways that unlock the next generation of fan experiences.”
ESPN will also use player-tracking data to provide insights for its NBA and WNBA games. A tool from Genius will enable ESPN to easily research, identify and produce video clips that break down team and player performance.
Genius Sports has worked with ESPN before on stats-drive alternate telecasts of games, including the NBA Marvel Arena of Heroes broadcast in 2021. It also provided augmented experiences during the 2022 NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
“Following on from our work with ESPN to power the first fully branded sports broadcast with Marvel and immersive March Madness augmented megacasts, we are delighted to strike a major expansion with ESPN,” said Genius CEO Mark Locke. “As well as powering crucial NBA and WNBA insights, ESPN can utilize Genius Sports technology to power all of its NCAA data needs including next generation context experiences through our new GeniusIQ technology.”
