Industry leaders agree new extension to data and streaming partnership that will see FIRST – Best in Sports turbo-charge global growth and boost annual revenues for Genius Sports

 FIRST – Best in Sports, the Tier 1 provider of sports betting solutions, and Genius Sports, the leading sports data and technology company, today announce that they have extended their landmark partnership that will see Genius Sports continue to deliver its industry-leading betting data and streaming technology to FIRST – Best in Sports.

As part of the new agreement, FIRST – Best in Sports will distribute Genius Sports data and streaming content to its expanded B2B network and grow the data company’s volume, reach and annual revenues in a major way as it brings partners onstream in Latin America, with Brazil as a major focus.

• FIRST’s growth in Brazil and leading position as a LATAM-focused sportsbook solution will be further enhanced by Genius’s focus in South America.
• This includes coverage of Brazil’s Serie A, Serie B, Campeonato Paulista, Mexico’s Liga MX and the Primera Ligas in Uruguay, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay.

The deal extension is part of a comprehensive agreement between two companies that are setting industry standards for the speed, accuracy and depth of their online sports betting offerings. The new partnership also sees FIRST become the official betting partner of Genius Sports, with the group set to recommend FIRST – Best in Sports to operators seeking fully-managed sports betting solutions.

Tom Light, CEO of FIRST – Best in Sports, commented: “We have been working with Genius Sports for many years, and I am delighted to be extending and deepening our relationship with such an industry leader. FIRST – Best in Sports and Genius Sports represent the gold standard in their respective fields and the new agreement will enable us to continue growing revenues for Genius Sports as we launch new partners and expand our network. We look forward to providing the most complete and data-rich solution to sports betting operators in the world’s fastest-growing markets.”

• Genius Sports continues as the NFL’s exclusive distributor of official data feeds and watch & bet, powering Genius Sports’ BetVision product
• Expanded partnership includes certain global digital advertising within BetVision as well as the NFL’s owned and operated digital platforms which is available to advertisers via the Genius Sports FANHub platform
• The new extended deal will run through the end of the 2029 NFL season

The National Football League and Genius Sports Limited have agreed to a multi-year extension and expansion of their existing strategic technology partnership to power the next generation of NFL fan experiences through official data and video distribution.

Genius Sports will remain the NFL’s exclusive distributor of real-time, official play-by-play statistics, proprietary Next Gen Stats (“NGS”) data and the League’s official sports betting data feed to media companies and sports betting operators globally.

In addition to exclusively distributing official NFL data, Genius Sports will continue as the sole supplier of official NFL watch and bet low latency live games to sportsbooks internationally and will now exclusively represent the in-game advertising inventory. Genius Sports continues to be an official reseller of the NFL’s international owned and operated advertising inventory and the NFL’s legalized sports betting advertising inventory in the US, all leveraging Genius Sports’ proprietary FANHub platform. As part of the agreement, Genius Sports and the NFL will also collaborate on further activation opportunities with FANHub.

The expansion of the partnership will also see the NFL and Genius Sports powering ground-breaking innovations across the NFL ecosystem. In 2023, the partnership launched BetVision, the world’s first immersive sports betting streaming solution for local and national NFL low latency live games on phone and tablet in the U.S, as well as the EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast in 2024, a first-of-its kind, fully branded live broadcast. GeniusIQ, Genius Sports’ next generation sports data and AI platform, will continue to deliver breakthrough solutions across betting, advertising, broadcast and fan experiences for millions of NFL fans.

Integrity of the game remains paramount to the NFL’s legalized sports betting ventures, and Genius Sports will continue to provide robust integrity services across all NFL games and tentpole events.

“Across data, video, advertising, and integrity services, Genius has proven to be an important strategic partner through the first four seasons of our partnership,” said Brent Lawton, VP of Business Development & Strategic Investments at the NFL. “We are excited to extend and expand our partnership as we continue to partner on innovative ways to deliver content to NFL fans.”

“The NFL delivers a tremendous platform to accelerate our business, and we are thrilled to extend and grow our strategic partnership,” said Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports. “Our expanded NFL partnership further strengthens our leading position at the heart of the sports technology ecosystem, and represents a key milestone in our FANHub rollout, setting a new standard for data-driven immersive experiences for NFL fans, broadcasters, teams, sportsbooks, brands, and sponsors.”

The Los Angeles Rams (“Rams”) have collaborated with Genius Sports Limited to provide their fans with augmented, data-driven in-game highlights within SoFi Stadium.

During every Rams home game, immersive highlights leveraging the NFL’s proprietary Next Gen Stats (“NGS”) data will be displayed on SoFi Stadium’s iconic Infinity Screen. These highlights, powered by GeniusIQ, Genius Sports’ next generation data and artificial intelligence platform will include crucial NGS insights such as player locators and speeds, time for the quarterback to throw and a complete minimap.

As a long-term partner of the Rams, Verizon will be integrated at crucial times within the highlights, unlocking premium new augmented advertising inventory in front of a highly engaged audience. Verizon’s logo and messaging will take center stage creating a dynamic new platform for them to strengthen their brand affinity with Rams fans.

GeniusIQ applies powerful machine learning and AI to translate huge volumes of NGS data into a semantic understanding of football. It then powers real-time insights and brand activations, creating meaningful connections with fans when the on-field action is at its most compelling.

“Since opening SoFi Stadium in 2020, we continuously look to team up with best-in-class companies to set the gameday standard at the Rams House,” said Kathryn Kai-ling Frederick, Chief Marketing Officer, Los Angeles Rams. “We are thrilled to work with Genius Sports to deliver this unprecedented experience to our fans and grateful to our partner Verizon for elevating this content.”

“Connecting our partners and sports fans with the excitement of live sports through memorable experiences is intrinsic to our GeniusIQ offering,” said Steve Bornstein, President, North America of Genius Sports. “Our partnership with the Los Angeles Rams breaks new ground in sports fan engagement, combining immersive highlights and rich tracking insights for brands like Verizon. We’re delighted to showcase the enhanced value of Genius Sports with the NFL and the Rams.”

Genius Sports is the exclusive distributor of NFL Official League Data.