Genius Sports Acquires B.LEAGUE Exclusive Data Rights

Sports data and digital content supplier Genius Sports announced today it entered into a multi-year partnership deal with B.LEAGUE to become its Exclusive Streaming and Data Partner for Betting.

League Data Capturing

Under the deal, Genius Sports and the Japanese governing body of professional basketball agreed to give access to live data and video insights from more than 1,000 games from the top two divisions, B1 and B2, in the country for sports fans, administrators, coaches, and players.

“Amidst the huge challenges that sports have faced over the last 12 months, rights holders are looking for innovative platforms to reconnect with fans and generate new revenue streams.”

Thomas Klingebiel, Commercial Director, APAC, Genius Sports

Live data collection tool FIBA LiveStats will ensure advanced play-by-play data is captured and utilized to provide relevant in-play statistics and power box scores, shot charts, and data-driven analytics tools, while broadcast and media partners of the B.LEAGUE will utilize it to enhance the experience for fans across digital platforms.

“We are delighted to partner with Genius Sports and with the technology they provide, will be able to enhance fans’ experience across digital platforms worldwide, while providing new insights to coaches and players and raising the integrity of our league.”

Shinji Shimada, Chairman, B.LEAGUE

GeniusLive, the live streaming solution of Genius Sports, will be deployed to help the B.LEAGUE to broadcast games from its B2 division, as its automated streaming and distribution capabilities utilizing AI technology is the perfect tool to enable the sport to extend its reach and boost customer engagement.

“Together, FIBA LiveStats and GeniusLive will enable the B.LEAGUE to control its live data and video content, transforming how audiences around the world interact with every play.”

Thomas Klingebiel, Commercial Director, APAC, Genius Sports

Distribution of Data and Video Content

The deal granted Genius Sports the exclusive rights to capture and distribute official data and video content from the B.LEAGUE to its portfolio of sportsbook partners across regulated sports betting jurisdictions.

“We’re thrilled to be working in partnership with one of the premier basketball leagues in Asia and look forward to facilitating the next stage of their digital transformation.”

Thomas Klingebiel, Commercial Director, APAC, Genius Sports

Genius Sports’ Bet Monitoring System will ensure games from the two top basketball divisions in Japan are protected against match-fixing and other types of activities that threaten the integrity of the sport.

Following data exclusivity rights for Genius Sports, the data and content distributor and the B.LEAGUE launched a new rights enforcement program to help protect the value and integrity of the league’s official data and will remove unauthorized data collectors from games from both divisions.

The deal with the B.LEAGUE followed in the footsteps of a similar agreement Genius Sports reached with Major League Rugby last month to be named an official sports betting partner of the league and gain exclusive betting streaming and data rights.