Major League Baseball (MLB) has acquired an equity stake in Sportradar as part of their partnership extension.
The new terms will incorporate the creation of a range of new artificial intelligence tools.
Sportradar and MLB will collaborate on AI-driven products that use player tracking data to create immersive fan experiences.
The sports technology company will continue to broadcast the baseball competition’s official data, media content and AV content to its operator and media partner network.
Sportradar will furthermore continue to provide integrity services through its Universal Fraud Detection System while offering investigative and educational support to MLB.
The companies said that the extension was driven by the growing popularity of baseball in markets such as Latin America and Asia, alongside the increasing legalisation of sports betting, which is creating an opportunity for expanded utilisation of MLB content and data.
Sportradar will pay applicable licence fees and MLB will be issued with up to 1.86 million Class A ordinary shares.
“By combining our strengths, we can unlock new opportunities and reach more sports fans around the globe to shape the future of sports entertainment,” said Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl.
“This deal, which is immediately accretive to our business, will drive value for our shareholders as we continue to expand margins and generate strong cash flow.”
MLB’s executive vice president of media and business development, Kenny Gersh, said: “Over the course of our partnership, Sportradar has consistently developed great products utilising MLB’s best-in-class data.
“MLB is delighted to continue innovating with Sportradar to create engaging products and services for MLB fans globally.”
