Sportradar Looking to Bounce Back with New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens Deals

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Jayson Oweh is announced as the 31st pick to the Baltimore Ravens. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Gregory Shamus / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Just last month Swiss gambling data company, Sportradar “the leading global provider of sports data intelligence” was dealt a body blow when they lost out to Genius Sports in a battle to maintain exclusive rights as the NFL’s sole data provider. The company proved this week that it is ready to move on with a new strategy – targeting individual NFL teams in need of marketing help.

Sportradar, on Thursday announced that it had come to a strategic agreement with the New York Jets and the Baltimore Ravens to help the NFL clubs enhance their brands with already existing betting providers. Both teams currently have BetMGM as a Official Sports Betting Partner.

Sportradar head of United States advertising Mike Smith said, “Sportradar is thrilled to be working with the Jets and the Ravens on this strategic initiative in the ever-evolving U.S. market. Legalized sports betting presents new and unique opportunities for teams, as well as betting operators, and the Jets and Ravens are taking a step in raising the value of their brands for their respective betting sponsors.”

Making the Ravens and Jets Brand More Efficient

Sportradar, through their partnerships hopes to create a more efficient brand and to support the teams’ efforts “in maximizing sponsor performance and unlocking new opportunities for their partners in the rapidly growing legal sports betting category.”

Essentially, Sportradar has been enlisted to help individual teams marketing campaigns find a way to enhance the bettors’ overall experience through data solutions. It is hoped that Sportradar technology will aid teams in separating themselves from others while making them more attractive for future sponsorship deals.

More Details

Sportradar will employ what has been deemed “ad:s”, or ““full service, data-driven marketing solution, to help each team enhance and refine their sponsorship and affiliate marketing strategies for legal sports betting partners.”

Sportradar will use their proprietary technology to create content for unique advertising that will, in theory, bolster fan experience with betting providers. Hopes are that the increased data-driven focus will further enhance fan engagement which helps not only the betting providers but also the individual teams that currently have Official Sports Betting partnerships. Sportradar technology should help teams and providers reach a broader audience than just their typical networks.

“Our end-to-end platform provides each team a number of levers they can pull to ensure they’re delivering a personalized experience based on their distinct fanbases, while maximizing their marketing investment,” said Mike Smith.

The Value of Data

As the US legal sports betting scene has evolved so too has the need to top-tier data, not unlike most modern industries. Betting is now seen as a critical element of fan engagement for sports leagues and

teams across the globe. This engagement drives revenues up, making betting more of a draw for providers, teams, leagues and the jurisdictions that support them.

The ability to bring new and exciting opportunities for bettors and gambling companies is seen as critical for the betting industry going forward, and data will certainly be a major part of that. With everybody trying to get a leg up, Sportradar as one of the top data providers in the world is looking to capitalize on their unique situation within the space.

What the Teams Think

As mentioned, data has become an essential part of the legal sports betting scene. Its need is only growing with the evolution of in-game betting, which is seen as the future of sports gambling. The New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens are aware and have each commented on their newfound relationship with Sportradar.

“As we continue increasing our visibility in the world of sports betting and digital gaming, the Baltimore Ravens are honored to be among the first NFL teams to partner with an industry leader in Sportradar,” Chief Sales Officer Kevin Rochlitz said. “Through its unmatched sports data intelligence, Sportradar provides an efficient and robust outlet for our partners to better engage with and cater to fans in this rapidly evolving industry.”

“This innovative relationship with Sportradar will allow the New York Jets to optimize the overall performance of our legal sports betting partners, both inside and outside of our ecosystem,” said Jeff Fernandez, the team’s vice president of business development and ventures. “The ability to engage, acquire, convert and retain customers in this super competitive and rapidly growing space is of the highest priority for operators. Sportradar’s proprietary technology and expertise in reaching sports bettors via predictive analytics will be extraordinarily valuable to Official LSB Sponsors of the Jets.”

Sportradar Going Forward

Despite losing out on a lucrative deal to stay on as the exclusive data provider of the NFL, Sportradar is moving forward with new and innovative ways to monetise their product.

The company isn’t going away and is still in talks with SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) Horizon Acquisition Corp. II to become a publicly traded company. Adaptation and creativity are critical in the ever-growing and ever-changing legal sports betting industry and Sportradar remains at the forefront of both.