FuboTV
- Edisn.ai tracks and identifies athletes and on-field objects
- FuboTV wants to increase non-subscription revenues
- Acquisition will aid betting and interactive gaming products
US-based sports streaming service FuboTV has acquired Indian artificial intelligence (AI) startup Edisn.ai to strengthen attempts to generate non-subscription revenues and deepen engagement with its viewers.
The New York-based firm pitches itself as a “cable TV replacement service”, providing subscribers who want to ‘cut the cord’ with a selection of channels and sporting events. It operates in the US, Canada and Spain, and has attracted more than one million subscribers.
However, like many other over-the-top (OTT) providers, FuboTV wants to expand into adjacent markets to increase its revenue. It has launched free-to-play (F2P) prediction games and is expanding into online betting, while it also sees merchandising as an opportunity.
Founded in 2018, Edisn.ai’s computer technology can identify and track athletes and other elements, such as advertiser logos, allowing broadcasters to overlay graphics and data. For example, it is possible to add player statistics, sponsorship activations, or betting information into a live stream.
Earlier this year it was named as one of SportsPro’s 20 sports tech ideas to invest in now.
“With Edisn.ai, we will be able to create new experiences that integrate interactivity and data directly within our live TV feeds, pushing the boundaries of innovation even further,” said FuboTV chief executive David Gandler.
“The acquisition also expands our data science and engineering organization globally. Last quarter, we announced the beta release of two new interactive features, FanView, and free-to-play predictive games. Throughout Q3, we continued to iterate on each and expanded their rollout to additional leagues.
“We’re very excited about the potential to further engage our subscribers and ultimately to become gateways to real-money wagering.”
FuboTV has also acquired French TV streaming company Molotov SAS and hopes to use the latter’s technology and engineering capabilities as a foundation for global expansion, including the launch of a freemium tier.
