From football to cycling, AI and new sensors are transforming athlete data into a multi-billion dollar industry, powering everything from training to betting.
FROM tracking a footballer’s strike to monitoring a Tour de France rider’s power output, athlete performance data is deepening its reach in sports. Specialised firms are now eyeing a multi-billion dollar business opportunity.
The potential is huge, analysts say, not just for refining training and strategies. This data also provides novel content for broadcasters and fuels online betting markets.
Sports data analysis has surged since the days of the 2011 film ‘Moneyball’. Wearable sensors, new camera technologies and artificial intelligence are now drawing in companies looking to exploit the possibilities.
“When a professional club or federation has data on their players, we can analyse it and make recommendations on how to optimise their performance or avoid an injury,” said Frank Imbach, a director of the French group SeeSports.
Some firms use stadium cameras to track individual players at all times. Others rely on body sensors that determine speed, breathing rates or cardiovascular readings.
“This very reliable data lets you recreate 100% of what is happening on the field, without just following the ball around,” said Arnaud Santin, co-founder of the Britain-based start-up SportsDynamics.
This holistic approach, offered as a software-as-a-service model, lets clients analyse their own players and any opponents. “For big games, we can be providing 50 images per second,” Santin said.
Industry experts anticipate exponential growth as European and Asian markets catch up with US adopters. “Reports forecast that the European sports analytics market will swell to multibillion-dollar size over the coming decade,” said Lodovico Mangiavacchi of consulting firm EY.
“One study from Market Research Future predicts it will reach USD 7.5 billion by 2032,” he added. “Behind these numbers lie investments in wearables, sophisticated video analysis tools, and Internet of Things devices.”
The Germany-based Data Sports Group uses live TV coverage of sports like rugby and cricket to provide content to media and gaming clients. For bookmakers, DSG is “giving their bettors some tools, like statistics and reference material over a period of archives, so they can take decisions on that”, said its business director Rajesh D’Souza.
This data can also create content like fantasy league face-offs to keep fans engaged during off-seasons. The surge in valuable data raises questions about control and the need for investment in cybersecurity.
In Europe, such personal data requires compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). “Professional athletes, in the majority of cases, sign a contract that allows their clubs and the league to use their data,” said Santin.
In a sign of expected demand, sports data deals are getting bigger. In February, American data specialist Genius Sports announced a deal to buy the betting and gaming content platform Legend for USD 1.2 billion.
The Sun Malaysia
