The National Football League (NFL) has signed a multi-year agreement with Sportradar US, which will see the company become its exclusive distributor of statistics to digital outlets.
Sportradar US is effectively replacing Stats, which has counted the NFL as a client since 2005, with the deal including distribution rights for real-time scores, play-by-play data and player statistics. The deal begins at the start of the next NFL season in September.
The SportsBusiness Daily website reported that the league has taken an equity stake in Sportradar, which is based in Switzerland, and that the US arm of the company – Sportradar acquired SportsData in December 2013 and has since rebranded it Sportradar US – will be paying around US$5 million per year for the right to distribute and license NFL data over the next four years.
Ulrich Harmuth, the president of Sportradar US, said: “Coming right after our decision to rebrand SportsData as Sportradar US, this deal is an important milestone for our company and in particular underlines our commitment to securing a leading position in the US sports data market.
Harmuth added: “We are thrilled to partner with the NFL in developing a completely new data category that will boost the fan experience as well as improve how the NFL and its partners interact with their fans. At Sportradar we pride ourselves on being both a development and a technology partner to leagues and customers, and we are looking forward to working hand in hand with the NFL and exploring all the innovative possibilities this partnership opens up for both organisations.”
