SportsTech Weekly: Leagues Embrace AI, Blockchain and On-Field Technology
Week 14 marks advancements in on-field technology, strategic partnerships, and digital transformation reshaping how fans experience and interact with sports
Hello sports tech enthusiasts 👋🏼 Welcome to Regen Sports, your twice-weekly deep dive into the intersection of sports and technology. Every Monday, catch up on the week's most important developments in sports innovation, and every Thursday, explore in-depth analysis of trends, companies, and technological breakthroughs reshaping the future of sports.
Before we get started, if you didn’t manage to get last week’s developments, be sure to find the recap of week 13's sports tech highlights.
As we close off week 14, the sports technology landscape continues to evolve at a remarkable pace with innovations that are fundamentally changing how sports are played, broadcast, and experienced by fans.
The UFL's pioneering body cameras and smart balls signal a new era of immersive fan experiences, while blockchain continues its powerful integration into sports through partnerships like Paris Blockchain Week featuring Chiliz and Tabi's sponsorship of the Bangladesh Cricket Championship. Meanwhile, strategic acquisitions and investments, highlighted by FloSports' impressive $100 million Series D round, demonstrate the industry's robust financial health and continued growth trajectory.
These developments collectively illustrate how technology is no longer just enhancing sports but actively transforming its core experience for athletes, leagues, and fans alike.
Without further ado;
ON-FIELD TECHNOLOGY 🖲️
Ahead of the 2025 season, the UFL’s second season will mark the launch of player-worn body cameras and chipped smart balls
The NFL is set to use 'Hawk-Eye' technology to measure first downs in 2025, replacing chain-gang measurements
The University of Bradford is researching how artificial intelligence can potentially change the sport of boxing to make it safer
Braineye, a brain screening app, has completed a successful concession assessment trial with AFL, changing the way players deal with concussions
Why This Matters: The NFL's adoption of Hawk-Eye technology for first down measurements represents a watershed moment in the modernisation of football officiating. By replacing the century-old chain-gang system with precision tracking technology, the league is addressing one of its most visible and consequential officiating challenges. This move could dramatically improve the accuracy and speed of game-critical decisions while reducing controversy around spot placements in crucial situations. Beyond the immediate impact on gameplay, this technology implementation signals the NFL's increasing willingness to embrace technological solutions for traditional aspects of the game, potentially opening the door for further innovations down the line.
BLOCKCHAIN & WEB3 ⛓️3️⃣
Image source: GlobeNewswire
Tabi, a Web3 entertainment and consumer blockchain platform became the official title sponsor of the 2025 Bangladesh Cricket Championship
EU blockchain conference, Paris Block Chain Week is hosting it’s 6th event in Paris, France from the 8th-10th April, with Chiliz CEO set to speak on blockchain in sports
Fanton, a fantasy football game on Telegram, has partnered with the Russian Premier League to offer licensed NFTs to enhance user engagement
Why This Matters: Tabi’s title sponsorship of the Bangladesh Cricket Championship signals a shift in how blockchain companies are positioning themselves within traditional sports ecosystems. Rather than simply offering technological solutions, Web3 platforms are now leveraging their financial resources to secure premium sponsorship positions in established sporting competitions. This move allows blockchain platforms to gain mainstream credibility while introducing their technology to broader audiences through familiar sporting contexts. For cricket in markets like Bangladesh, such partnerships could accelerate digital transformation and create new revenue streams through tokenised fan experiences.
PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS 🤝🏼
Image source: Brentford FC
Brentford FC has announced a partnership with DeterTech, with the site security and crime intelligence firm becoming the club’s official site security partner
UFC and Meta’s partnership is set to introduce fan tech with the MMA promotion integrating Meta’s AI, mixed reality and social media platforms into its events
IBM and the Masters Tournament announced a series of digital fan features set to enhance fan engagement ahead of this year’s tournament
Fanatics has strengthened its digital ecosystem by partnering with Google Cloud, using the Vertex AI Search for Commerce tool to assist fans find merch during March Madness
Tata Consultancy Services has partnered with Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris, becoming the Official AI & Technology Partner of the marathon event
The London Marathon has announced a 3-year partnership with Hubspot, with the software company becoming the Official Customer Platform of the event
AZ Alkmaar and AFAS partner up once again on a 5-year deal, with the software company becoming the front-of-shirt sponsor ahead of the 2025-26 campaign
DAZN, the sports streaming platform, announced a partnership with the Global Running League to broadcast all RunGP events this year for free
Volleyball World has partnered with Dizplai, a media experience company to transform fan viewing experiences for the Beach Pro Tour and Volleyball Nations League
Australia’s Refbook and New Zealand’s Glory League startup sportstech companies, have partnered up to enhance the community basketball officiating digital ecosystem
iReel and Sports Cloud Australia have announced a partnership to accelerate the growth of generative AI in sports
Why This Matters: The partnership between UFC and Meta represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of combat sports fan experiences. By integrating Meta's AI, mixed reality, and social platforms into its events, UFC is positioning itself at the forefront of immersive sports entertainment. This collaboration could transform how fans engage with fighting events, moving beyond passive viewing toward interactive experiences where viewers can potentially choose personalised camera angles, access real-time fighter metrics, or even experience portions of events through mixed reality overlays. For Meta, this partnership provides a high-profile testing ground for its next-generation fan engagement technologies, establishing blueprints for similar implementations across other sports properties.
ACQUISITIONS & INVESTMENTS 💰
Image source: FloSports
FloSports, the sports streaming service raised a new investment of $100 million, with the Series D round led by Indian sports tech firm Dream Sports
K-Sport, specialising in sports performance monitoring technology, completed the acquisition of a 67% stake in Australian company, Sport Performance Tracking
PlayOn, the fan engagement platform for high school sports, announced the acquisition of MaxPreps, to streamline the high school sports ecosystem
The European Business Angel Network has launched EBAN Sports, a sports investment committee dedicated to early-stage investing in the SportsTech sector
Seat Unique, a ticketing platform, has announced England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane as its newest shareholder, joining a roster of high-profile athlete investors
Why This Matters: FloSports' $100 million Series D round, led by Indian sports tech firm Dream Sports, further solidifies the shift in global sports tech investment dynamics. This substantial funding not only validates FloSports' niche streaming model focused on underserved sports communities but also highlights the growing influence of emerging market investors in shaping the global sports media landscape. This cross-continental collaboration could accelerate the development of new content distribution models that serve previously overlooked sporting communities while creating enhanced monetisation opportunities for sports that traditionally receive limited mainstream coverage.
AI & MEDIA TECHNOLOGY 📹
Image source: UCIMTB World Series
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports announced the launch of Cycling Central Intelligence, a gen AI-powered platform developed in collaboration with AWS
VSN and Amplify announced a partnership that will bring AI-powered media content management to sports broadcasting
AI-Media, a company in AI-powered language solutions, announced a partnership with AudioShake to transform multilingual sports broadcasting
DAZN has announced a partnership with the United Football League, broadcasting every game of the UFL’s 2025 season on a free-to-air basis
Pakistan Super League has agreed a streaming rights deal with Begin, the UAE-based OTT streaming platform, via a partnership with digital technology brand Walee
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports has signed a 4-year extension to its current streaming deal with International Federation of Sport Climbing
PlayHQ, a sports management platform, has launched AnalyticsIQ, a tool meant to deliver real-time insights, AI reports, and interactive dashboards for grassroots sports
Why This Matters: Warner Bros. Discovery Sports' launch of Cycling Central Intelligence represents an evolution in how AI is transforming specialised sports coverage. By developing this platform in collaboration with AWS, Warner Bros. is creating a new model for delivering deeply personalised cycling content that adapts to viewer preferences while offering analytical depth. This implementation could revolutionise how niche sports are covered, moving beyond the limitations of traditional broadcast approaches toward AI-curated experiences that serve both casual viewers and hardcore enthusiasts.
INFRASTRUCTURE & FACILITY DEVELOPMENTS 🏗️
If you missed it, MLB teamed up with The Famous Group and Corona Extra to deliver a live mixed reality activation during the Tigers vs. Dodgers game at the Dodgers stadium
The Rugby Football Union has appointed Populous as the Architect and Lead Designer for the Allianz Stadium Masterplan Project
Feldspar Limited, the UK-based technology company, announced the successful completion of early-stage testing of its sensor-enabled, high-performance running track
Why This Matters: The mixed reality activation delivered by MLB, The Famous Group, and Corona Extra during the Tigers vs. Dodgers game showed a glimpse into the future of in-stadium advertising and fan engagement. By seamlessly integrating digital elements into the physical stadium environment, this collaboration demonstrates how mixed reality can create memorable brand moments without disrupting the traditional viewing experience. This technology implementation could transform the economics of stadium advertising by creating premium digital inventory that can be frequently updated or tailored to specific broadcast markets.
LEADERSHIP & INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS 🪜
Image source: Stats Perform
Stats Perform, sports leading provider of AI technology, announced the appointment of Charles Kaplan as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
Why This Matters: Stats Perform's appointment is indicative of the company's strategic pivot toward more robust market positioning of its AI capabilities. As sports data increasingly becomes commoditised, Stats Perform's focus on communicating its advanced AI applications suggests a broader industry shift toward emphasising proprietary analysis and insights rather than raw data collection. Kaplan's appointment likely indicates Stats Perform's intention to differentiate itself through sophisticated AI applications that transform raw sports data into actionable intelligence for teams, leagues, and media partners.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As this week concludes, we're witnessing an acceleration in sports technology adoption across multiple verticals. The integration of AI into everything from broadcasting to performance analytics is creating entirely new possibilities for how sports are played, officiated, and experienced. Particularly noteworthy is the rapid convergence of on-field technology innovations like the UFL's body cameras and the NFL's Hawk-Eye implementation, which are changing both the competitive and viewing dimensions of these sports.
Meanwhile, the robust investment landscape, exemplified by FloSports' impressive $100 million funding round, demonstrates continued confidence in the sector's growth potential in Q1 of this year. We're also seeing increasing globalisation of sports tech initiatives, with significant developments emerging from markets like India, Bangladesh, and the UAE alongside traditional innovation hubs.
Looking ahead, we anticipate that these technological implementations will continue accelerating, with AI becoming increasingly central to both business operations and fan experiences. Organisations that successfully balance innovation with maintaining the authentic core of their sports will likely emerge as the winners in this rapidly evolving ecosystem. The key questions moving forward will centre on how effectively these technologies enhance rather than distract from the fundamental sporting experiences that connect with fans. Stay tuned for next week's roundup as we continue tracking the transformative developments reshaping the global sports technology ecosystem.
Track the Trends. Spot the plays. Shape the game.
Thanks for reading,
Dean
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