#110 📈 Sports Viewing Jumps 30% on YouTube

News, features & insights from the world of Sports Tech & Biz. Every Week.

Our last edition of the year, so time for some reflection. Has been an up-and-down year but always lots to be grateful for.

Our Sports Tech Connect event series hit 3 new cities. This newsletter hit key milestones, 17k+ subs and 420k+ impressions. Our database grew to 3k+ users. Perhaps most excitingly, our first step into the education space Sports Tech Bootcamp has been quite the hit. More projects, clients, partners. All that done, with lots more to come.

We’ll be back on Jan 10, 2025. Until then, have a great end to the year and start to the new one!

SportsTechX 2024: That’s a Wrap! 🎉

What a rollercoaster of a year!

As we get ready for 2025, we look back at what a year 2024 has been, our year of bold moves.

The Highlights:

🎯 Hosted 3 editions of 'Sports Tech Connect': slick events bringing together key players - startups, investors, sports orgs, and corporates - in the sports tech ecosystems across Mumbai, Bangalore and Berlin. 

🎯 Launched the first ever Sports Tech Bootcamp, an online course of live classes designed to present what exactly is happening in sports tech today. Our inaugural cohort exceeded expectations, and we're really looking forward to expanding this program in 2025.

🎯 Our Sports Tech Database crossed 3k users, becoming the go-to resource for industry professionals seeking valuable insights and connections.

🎯 Our newsletter crushed it, now with 17k+ subscribers and 420k+ newsletter impressions. That's like filling 5 massive sports stadiums with sports tech enthusiasts. We're also celebrating 100+ newsletters and 200+ podcasts, showcasing our commitment to delivering top-notch content.

🎯 Spoke at 20+ conferences worldwide, sharing our expertise and cheer for sports tech on global stages. 

While there is good to look back at the successes, there are always…

Some important lessons

1. First, resilience is key. We get a lot done for a small team, and on quite a tight budget. The challenges we faced only made us more determined to succeed.  

2. Second, community is everything. Our growth is never just about numbers – it's about the relationships and connections fostered within our network. Our goal has always been to create value for every individual who comes into our ecosystem.

3. Third, adaptation is strength. The year had started with uncertainty, but we’ve pivoted into new areas, taking on new opportunities. ‘Innovate or die’ is a favourite quote in the (virtual) STX towers.

Looking Ahead

While we're proud of 2024's achievements, they're honestly just the foundation for what's coming next. 

Here's what we're excited about:

• Expanding our Bootcamp program to empower even more sports tech innovators.

• Adding new locations to the STX Connect event series to engage with our growing global community.

• Expanding our network through new initiatives to foster knowledge-sharing, especially amongst Sports Tech founders.

More details to come on the last one, can't reveal all just yet...

A Personal Note & Conclusion

On a personal note, I'm incredibly grateful for a lot of things this year. While it’s been tough-busy-chaotic and everything in between, it really is a joy to talk about the future of sports for a living.

Especially to do it alongside a great team and connected to a fantastic community.

I’m more excited than ever about 2025. For Sports. For Sports Tech. And for SportsTechX. LFG!!!

But before we get there, it’s important to take a minute. We will be off from Dec 24 - Jan 02, as will this newsletter. This is the last edition for 2024, see you next on Jan 10, 2025. 

Until then, have a Merry Christmas and great end to the year. Cheers! 🥂

Download: Global Sports Tech VC Report 2024

Last call in this newsletter. You might have enjoyed our Mulled Wine, tutorial which pairs perfectly with out report. Here are some highlights.

⚡ OFFER TILL DEC 31: The PRO edition of the Global Sports Tech VC Report 2024 also includes a 1 year FREE access to the SportsTechDB PRO (worth 999!).

Top News from the World of Sports Tech & Biz

🎮 Chess.com and GM Magnus Carlsen announced a major partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), through which competitive chess will be featured for the first time in the 2025 Esports World Cup .

🏈 Pro Football Hall of Famer LeRoy Butler partnered with August Allen AR, pioneering the future of AI and AR for innovative athlete access and brand growth.

📈 YouTube provided a wrap-up of viewing trends in 2024 that showed a 30% uptick in interest in sports content, with viewers watching an average of 1 billion minutes each day of YouTube content on their television sets.

🎮 The Electronic Sports Committee of China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association (ESC) published its 2024 China Esports Industry Report. 

🕶️ Google announced Android XR, an operating system the firm purpose-built for XR devices and services, which Google calls the “next generation of computing.” Samsung is also poised to release a headset in 2025. 

🚫 YouTube announced its partnership with the entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to protect public figures from deepfakes. 

⚽ Organisers of the original European Super League announced that the competition has now changed its name to the "Unify League", favouring "open competition".

Money Talks:

💰 Players Health, a provider of risk management and insurance solutions for sports organisations, raised $60 million in a Series C round led by Bluestone Equity Partners.

💰 Cycle insurer Bikmo raised an additional £4.75 million ($5.9 m) in growth funding, building on a £3.4 million investment led by Puma Growth Partners in October 2023.

💰 Nazara Technologies’ subsidiary NODWIN Gaming announced that it acquired another 93% stake in gaming and esports media company AFK Gaming for INR 7.6 Cr ($900 k).

💰 Copabet raised € 512 k ($ 532k) on Crowdcube. Copabet aims to challenge the betting industry by providing a safe and social-first platform for predicting sports event outcomes without involving money bets or betting affiliations. 

🤝 Gambling.com Group announced plans to acquire Odds Holdings, the parent company of OddsJam, in a deal valued at up to $160 million. 

🤝 Spiideo announced the acquisition of Signality, an optical tracking and sports data generation company, for an undisclosed amount.

💰 CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo and FedEx founder Fred Smith are among the newest investors in Light Helmets. The duo are part of a $10 million Series A round that is close to being completed.

💸 Saudi Arabia’s PIF is nearing a deal to acquire a minority stake in PGA Tour Enterprises. The sovereign wealth fund is in advanced talks about taking a roughly 6% stake in the PGA Tour’s commercial arm. 

💸 Triple B announced a $4 million investment in INTENNSE, an innovative team-based tennis league set to debut in 2025.

💸 Baller League, supported by legendary football icons like Ronaldinho, Gary Lineker, and Luis Figo, additionally secured a $25 million investment from EQT Ventures, the venture arm of the Swedish private equity group.

💸 Women’s Pro Basketball League, Unrivaled, secured $28 million in its Series A funding round.

💸 Avenue Sports Fund made a significant investment of an undisclosed amount in Mercury/13. In this new partnership, Mercury/13 will continue its mission to build the world's leading multi-club ownership group by acquiring women's football franchises in Europe.

Latest from our channels

🔙 STX Article: The Rise of Esports- Transforming the Future of Competitive Gaming.

✅ STX Monthly: Last month’s sports tech dealflow, in case you missed it.

💪🏽 SportsTech AllStars Recap: Innovation in Broadcasting Tech