Switzerland.- December 20, 2023 www.zonadeazar.com [1] Sportradar will begin a six-year deal for the global ATP data and betting streaming rights from January 1, 2024. The agreement will open up significant new sports betting-related AV opportunities at the heart of men’s tennis, according to Sportradar’s Director, AV Global Products, Erich Zach.
Q: Why is this such an exciting deal with the ATP?
EZ: “This is a collaboration that can reshape the market, and it touches all of our AV products, from Live Channel Online, to Live Channel Promotion or our Live Channel Retail offering, as well as the newest addition to our portfolio – Augmented Streaming. This deal not only gives us the opportunity to develop existing products, but we will also be able to collaborate on innovative new solutions with the ATP.
“Tennis is a very attractive sport for bookmakers, particularly as it has a year-round calendar, with matches taking place throughout the week and at different times of the day. A quick look at the rankings and schedule show the global appeal and reach of the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour, with players and tournaments across the world. Therefore, we are anticipating a great deal of interest from sportsbooks that are looking to strengthen their proposition in key markets.”
Q: Give us a flavour of some of the AV developments that are in the works…
EZ: “There are several offerings that will be launched straight away at the start of the New Year, and beyond that, we have a roadmap of planned developments that will stretch across 2024 and into the coming years.
“With Live Channel Online, we will be able to offer an alternative streaming service called Live Channel Online HQ, which will have an enhanced picture resolution and be available in full screen. LCO HQ will be available for the ATP Challenger Tour, which is the stepping-stone to the ATP Tour.
“And by making use of our Live Channel Promotion product, which of course will also be available for ATP events, our clients can inform their customers in a visually appealing way about live matches they should not miss out on, and bring them back to their sportsbook. We identify important moments of the match and create and distribute short video clips of those, while the match is still being played and in-play bets can be made.
“Another offering that will launch at the start of 2024 will be three new dedicated tennis channels through Live Channel Retail. One channel will show the top two tiers of ATP tournaments – the ATP Masters 1000 and the 500 series – while another will be an overflow channel for matches from the same events. The third channel will focus on the ATP Challenger Tour.
“And of course Augmented Streaming is something that must be mentioned. We will be adding this exciting, enhanced variant of our Live Channel Online product to the ATP offering in Q1 of 2024. It provides a unique, enhanced viewing experience and lays the foundation for new in-play micro-betting offers.”
Q: Why does Augmented Streaming offer such potential with ATP AV content?
EZ: “Tennis is a perfect fit for Augmented Streaming. The action is heavily data-driven and there are so many datapoints that can be visualised during coverage, from shot directions to serve speeds and so much more. In fact, given the volume of datapoints, we need to select elements of each rally and match that are of most interest to the punter so we can ensure they are presented with the most relevant data they need to support their next betting decision.
“Tennis will be the second sport to launch through our Augmented Streaming offering. We started with table tennis in 2023 and have already demonstrated how the technology can add value to a fast-paced sport. This Augmented Streaming service with ATP content will showcase the technology’s capabilities in a different setting with some of the most famous athletes in world sport on the screen.”
Q: What other AV developments are on the 2024 roadmap?
EZ: “There are numerous other items on the roadmap through this partnership. With Live Channel Retail’s hosted solution, for example, there will be a multi-view function, providing simultaneous coverage of up to four matches, and for Live Channel Online we will introduce a technology which will allow users to rewind to big moments in a match that they may have missed. This functionality will ultimately be highlighted by timeline markers.”
Q: What are your expectations for this collaboration with the ATP?
EZ: “This collaboration represents a fantastic opportunity. We see ourselves as an innovative tech company that works at the intersection of sport, media and betting, and we work closely with all of our partner rights-holders to develop and amplify the qualities of their sports.
“That is why we have built the biggest AV portfolio in the betting industry, and we have shown previously how we work successfully with rights-holders across various sports, from the NBA in basketball to the International Tennis Federation.
“We see this collaboration with the ATP as a true partnership and, like a sports team, we will all work together to strive for the best possible results.”
To find out more about our audiovisual product offering for betting operators please click here [2].
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