The National Football League on Mondays took a step closer to growing its new relationship with the US sports betting industry. It closed a deal with Sportradar that will see its existing data partner become its exclusive data distributor to sports bookmakers
This, the NFL says, is to:
- Beef up the NFL data supplied to US sportsbooks and give them many more live, in-play betting options.
- Enhance the way football fans experience the game.
Here is how Hans Schroeder, CEO NFL Media, put it when announcing the new move.
“Sportradar,” he said, “has been an excellent partner for the last four years. It has
provided the League, our teams, and the media marketplace with innovative data products.
“We now look forward to working with them to deliver fast, accurate official league data that will innovate and improve experiences for our fans across all platforms.”
In reply Carsten Koerl, chief executive officer of Sportradar, said: “We are thrilled to become NFL’s exclusive data distribution partner.
Sportradar set to deliver ‘ground-breaking’ data products
“This is undoubtedly one of the most important partnerships in Sportradar’s history. We are confident we can deliver ground-breaking products across the gaming, fantasy and the media worlds.
“We are ideally positioned to support the NFL in providing innovative products to enhance the way fans experience the game. We’ll also help them maintain the integrity of NFL competitions.”
Along with Next Gen Stats (NGS) player tracking data, Sportradar will now have access to real-time, play-by-play data. This will allow sportsbooks like New Jersey’s 15 to offer a greater variety of the increasingly popular in-play bets.
It will also help them to open new, in-play markets targeting the performances of individual football stars.
This later feature may run into some resistance from the NFL Players Association, however. Last year they, along with representatives from the NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL were asking for a “seat at the table”.
In short, they wanted to play a part in any negotiations between their respective leagues and the sports betting industry. This is to ensure that a player’s right and the integrity of their game are protected. 