Who would have thoughts data and sport can get along famously? These 6 companies believed in running the sports tech industry through data, and succeeded.

Nowadays, sports companies rely heavily on data and analytics to best serve their customers. Data and analytics providers need to be exceptionally reliable. Companies depend on them for critical information. For instance, helping drive business processes. Or improving business outcomes through more effective decision-making. Here are our top 6 online data service providers that are doing the most to empower sports companies!

Opta: mastering sports data analytics

Sports analytics company Opta is based in Britain. Opta uses artificial intelligence to maximise the value of sports coverage. They provides data for over 30 sports to sport leagues, broadcasters, and betting platforms. 

Opta collects, packages and distributes detailed sports data to clients. The company also supplies their clients with innovative solutions. For instance with live broadcasts, online coverage and professional performance analysis. Opta’s client portfolio includes leading media and technology companies, global sportsbooks and teams.

Opta’s products and service offerings help driving fan engagement, improving team performance and enhancing fantasy and betting solutions – quickly, reliably and securely. 

FlashScore: your sports results in one millisecond

The FlashScore mobile app provides the fastest live scores, standings and detailed statistics from sports events. FlashScore covers more than 30 sports with detailed, real-time sports updates.

Boasting over 100 million downloads, FlashScore is available on both Android and iOS. FlashScore offers detailed information such as league tables, goal scorers, video highlights, yellow and red cards, goal alerts and other live information. 

FlashScore also offers free registration when downloading the app. Users can also synchronise data across all their devices and listen to audio commentaries for selected matches.

DAZN : streaming over-the-top

Founded in London, DAZN is a subscription-based OTT – over the top – sports livestreaming service provider. Subscribers get unlimited access to live boxing, football and other sports from anywhere and at anytime. DAZN is a preferred platform for boxing fans because they are free to watch fights without any commercial interruptions or long-term commitments. Users are also able to play, pause and rewind fights whenever they wish. DAZN is accessible across a variety of devices including smartphones, tablets, Smart TVs and game consoles. 

Upon registration, users have multiple payment methods to choose from according to their country. These include PayPal, Apple, Google Play and card payments. And they also offer a 30-day free trial so you can check it out at no cost!

DAZN makes the registration and login process easy to follow with step by step instructions that differ according to whether you’re signing in using a browser, smartphone, Smart TV or gaming console. They also have a customer service team on standby ready to help should you run into a problems while signing in.

Transfermarkt : the soccer sports data bible

Germany-based Transfermarkt is an online sports platform and community where football fans are able to communicate with each other and share their thoughts on players’ performance and participate in the manager community. Which makes the life of their data analysts easier.

Registered Transfermarkt users have access to a variety of perks including:

• writing posts
• sending private messages to other registered users
• setting several individual options in the user profile
• correcting and editing player, club and manager data and match sheets
• participating in the manager game, betting community and “My TM”

Transfermarkt also has more than 500 forums in which users can engage with fellow fans. The “circle of friends” forum is one of the exclusive forums. Access is very limited and users need to pay a joining fee of €10 to become a member.

Sportradar: the betting data provider

Based in Switzerland, Sportradar is a leader in data analytics and cutting-edge solutions. Sportradar helps companies thrive by leveraging sports data and technology to ensure effective management and engagement, keeping the industry clean from unethical activity. 

Sportradar positions at the intersection of the sports, media and betting industries, and offers a variety of services. This makes it a rather well-rounded sports technology company that users can trust to help lead your company to success.

Some of the services offered by Sportradar include the collection and distribution of data to media and betting companies, data visualisation and custom-built data collection systems for over 20 sports.

Boasting a client base of more than 1,700 sports federations, media outlets, betting operators and consumer platforms, Sportradar is definitely taking over the sports data landscape and helping companies thrive. 

NBA Top Shot : a leader in NFTs

NBA Top Shot offers its services through a partnership between the NBA and Dapper Labs. Through NBA Top Shot, users are able to buy, sell and trade video clips of basketball games. Based on Dapper Labs’s Flow blockchain, NBA Top Shot had more than 1 million registered users in 2021. Furthermore, data suggests that more than $1BN has been exchanged on the platform since it was launched in 2020.

NBA Top Shot Moments are video highlight clips that are officially licensed by the NBA and minted with a unique serial number and data. The value of Moments is based on how rare it is. The rarer the clip, the more valuable it is as a collectible. Consequently, NBA Top Shot Moments vary in cost. Depending on supply and demand, some are valued at as little as $9, other at $387,600. If you’d like to purchase your own NBA Top Shot Moment, you’ll need to register and get verified. This way, only verified users can purchase with a debit or credit card, or a cryptocurrency wallet like Bitcoin or Ether.

NBA Top Shot is easy to use, offers users a great collecting experience and lowers the barrier to entry for new NFT collectors. It’s one of the best platform to check within the fast paced sports NFT arena.

Stoppage time: sports data for the players

There you have it! These providers leverage technology to deliver bespoke services to fans. And they haven’t reached their full potential just yet. Who knows what’s to come? Data individualization is an obvious path of development. Players will more and more benefit from injury predictions and valuations that are based on real-time data and analytics. And there will be opportunities for sport players themselves to capitalize on Big Data and NFTs. One thing is certain, younger athletes won’t drop the ball there!

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Written  by Prenelle Pillay
Photo by Jennifer Burk