Genius Sports has added the NBA’s Africa League to its data partnerships. The deal follows a data arrangement with the NFL.
The NBA deal will provide real-time data as well as bring in new technology. The agreement might be the first in what could be a flood of new data-induced gaming features for the media and sportsbooks.
The partnership with Basketball Africa League doesn’t include sports betting but could lead to artificial intelligence technology and augmented features, according to CNBC. Genius built the NBA’s next generation stats system and envisions rolling out new viewing experience features with the African League.
“Through this partnership, Genius Sports will provide the league with a LiveStats data collection tool,” which can define advanced play-by-play statistics from courtside at every game including shot, foul and turnover locations, the company said.
Genius other clients include Penn National, DraftKings and FanDuel, and networks Disney’s ESPN and ViacomCBS.
The league, which just launched its rookie season, was the result of a partnership between the NBA and the International Basketball Federation. The league has two conferences, and 12 teams. The top six clubs will compete in a single-game elimination tournament at the conclusion of the regular season.
“The league will showcase and develop the most exciting talent from across African basketball, and we’re very proud that our statistics technology will be at the heart of this new competition,” said Genius Sports CEO Mark Locke.
