SportsTech Weekly: When AI Meets the Beautiful Game
Week 5 of 2025 sees major leagues embracing AI officiating, crypto partnerships evolving, and LeBron making waves in electric sports
Hello sports tech enthusiasts 👋🏼
Welcome to week 5 of 2025, where the intersection of sports and technology continues to push boundaries in unprecedented ways. From the NFL's groundbreaking experiment with 8K AI officiating to LeBron James's strategic entry into electric powerboat racing, we're witnessing a transformation that spans traditional and emerging sports alike. This week's developments showcase how technology is not just enhancing sports – it's fundamentally reimagining how we officiate, engage, and experience athletic competition.
Without further ado:
PARTNERSHIPS & SPONSORSHIPS 🤝🏼
Following the conclusion of Redbull Racing’s partnership with Bybit, the F1 team is in advanced talks with Gate.io, the crypto exchange, to be their new sponsorship
LaLiga has agreed a new partnership with CoinW, the Asia-based crypto exchange, who will serve as the official regional crypto exchange of LaLiga in Taiwan and Hong Kong
NASCAR has named Samsung as an official Technology Partner, providing advanced digital displays to enhance race officiating and fan engagement
U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Ski Austria, announced a partnership around sports, marketing and commercial opportunities
AXS, a ticketing technology platform, and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, announced a partnership renewal, with AXS continuing to manage tickets to the BNP Paribas Open
The European League of Football (ELF) have agreed to an 8-year partnership with DAZN that will see the streaming platform broadcast all 101 games of the 2025 season
Hexagon Cup, a padel event for teams, has renewed its partnership with Story10, the sports video production and distribution agency, to increase international exposure of the Alpine Hexagon Cup 2025
The European Handball Federation governing body has agreed to a partnership extension with Kinexon Sport, to cover the next 6 EHF tournaments through to 2028
Image source: Sportcal
The McLaren Formula 1 motor racing team have unveiled a multi-year deal with identity management technology firm Okta, becoming a new commercial partner
Los Angeles Football Club and BMO Stadium have partnered up with PAM’s smart navigation platform to redefine the fan experience via real-time traffic and parking updates
The American Physical Therapy Association announced a partnership with VALD, as their data partner, to advance musculoskeletal health technology solutions
Formula E has partnered with 11 influencers, including Sergio Agüero and Brooklyn Beckham, to compete in an electric race, as part of the newly launched ‘Evo Sessions’
The Kings League and Serie A announced a new partnership, in a collaborative effort to foster new forms of fan engagement between the two entities
The German Football Association’s DFB announced a partnership with TCG Digital, a data intelligence & AI driven enterprise, transforming innovation and fan engagement
Serie A club Como 1907 have announced a multi-year partnership with Playbet.io, an online entertainment and betting platform, to become the Official Entertainment Partner
Image source: P11 Group
Why This Matters: The NFL's adoption of Hawkeye's 8K AI technology for officiating represents a big moment in sports technology. This could set a new standard for officiating accuracy and transparency across all major sports, potentially eliminating controversial calls that have plagued the game for years.
INVESTMENTS & FUNDING 💰
Satisfi Labs, the premier conversational experience platform, announced the securing of new growth financing, provided by Level Structured Capital
Strike, the web3 project powering the fight league and full stack media company, announced its $7.6 million fundraising round led by major angel investors and athletes
Output Sports, a Dublin-based healthtech company, announced that it had closed a €4.5 million pre-A funding round, led by Apex Capital, Uni.Fund, and Dopamine Sports
SportAI, an AI-powered racquet sports technique analysis platform, has raised $805K in grant funding, administered by Innovation Norway and Eureka Network
Why This Matters: Output Sports' €4.5M funding round signals growing investor confidence in health tech solutions for athletes. This investment could accelerate the development of more sophisticated training and injury prevention tools, potentially revolutionising how athletes prepare and recover.
PRODUCT LAUNCHES & INNOVATIONS 🔬
Image source: NHL
The National Hockey League announced "NHL HOCKEYVERSE Matchup of the Week," a 30-minute animated programme, using EDGE data to recap games
Major League Baseball is preparing to experiment with the automated ball-strike system for the first time by major-league players
Over 240 Sony broadcast cameras are set to be used at this year's Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles
Six Nations Rugby set to continue the law trials and innovations that will feature across its Men’s, Women’s and U20s championships in 2025
Cal Dental USA announced a partnership with XSport Mouthguards and NFL icon Tiki Barber, combining AI tech and innovation to prevent concussions and CTE
Why This Matters: The NHL's "HOCKEYVERSE" programme represents an innovative approach to engaging younger audiences through animation and data visualisation. This could pioneer new ways of presenting sports content, making complex game data more accessible and entertaining for fans.
INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS 🏗️
E1, the all-electric powerboat championship, has revealed LeBron James as its latest team owner, who is set to launch a new team in the UIM E1 World Championship
Juventus are the first Italian team to be invited to take part in the 2nd edition of Infinity League, DAZN’s indoor tournament that combines sport, technology and entertainment
Next League, the digital growth and technology services consultancy announced the appointment of Shripal Shah, a sports industry veteran as its first Chief Digital Officer
Chiliz announced they are set to participate in Moca Day, an event in Istanbul, alongside Mocaverse and The Sandbox
Fastbreak AI, announced a multi-year partnership with The Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL), the AI-powered sports operations engine, to enhance the league's scheduling processes
Image source: Sportcal
FIBA have agreed a multi-year partnership with Scoreplay to automate the league’s indexation, management and distribution of digital assets
Why This Matters: LeBron James's entry into E1 powerboat racing demonstrates the growing appeal of sustainable sports ventures among high-profile athletes. This could accelerate the adoption of electric technology in motorsports and attract more mainstream attention to eco-friendly sporting competitions.
As this past week comes to a close, we're seeing a clear trend toward technology-driven solutions across all aspects of sports. From AI-powered officiating to sustainable racing ventures, the industry is embracing innovation while maintaining the core elements that make sports compelling. The convergence of traditional sports institutions with cutting-edge technology is creating new opportunities for engagement, competition, and entertainment.
What's particularly exciting is seeing how established leagues are adopting technologies that were once considered experimental. As we look ahead, it's clear that the fusion of sports and technology will continue to create new possibilities for athletes, fans, and stakeholders alike. Stay tuned for next week's roundup as we continue to track these exciting developments and uncover the next wave of innovations in the world of sports technology!
Track the Trends. Spot the plays. Shape the game.
Dean