CFL OUTLINES ITS DEAL WITH GENIUS SPORTS
Partnership with tech company expected to create expanded offerings
Broadcasts catered directly to kids. Marketing targeted toward the individual interests of consumers. Fans having easy access to information that makes betting on games more engaging.
It could all be possible because of the CFL's new partnership with Genius Sports, according to league commissioner Randy Ambrosie.
After months of confusion about what exactly a collaboration between the CFL and the U.K.-based data and technology company might look like, Ambrosie talked about what could be in store at a media availability Tuesday in Calgary.
Details remain light, but Ambrosie provided some insight into the services Genius provides and how he believes they might be able to help the CFL grow.
“Genius really has three core businesses. They have a sports technology business, they have a betting technology business and they have a broadcast technology business,” Ambrosie said.
With that in mind — and with the huge caveat that nothing has actually been put in place — here's what we learned from Ambrosie about Genius Sports and its applicability to the CFL.
1. The sports technology side, Part 1
Date-driven marketing has become an increasingly important part of audience engagement for any business that relies on getting paying customers into their venues.
While that's certainly an area that CFL teams have been exploring and building over the past couple of years, it's a key part of the partnership with Genius.
“From a marketing lens, they will have the capability to develop fan-specific marketing strategy,” Ambrosie said. “You'll see a fan has a specific interest in a certain thing and they can customize marketing messages and strategies for individual fans.”
Data-driven, customizable marketing may not be the most fascinating topic for fans, but it's a critical piece of any modern sports business.
2. The sports technology side, Part 2
The NFL has seen plenty of enthusiasm for its annual broadcast collaborations with Nickelodeon, where games feature slime explosions and all sorts of special effects catered to kids.
Something similar could be in the future for the CFL. Or, at least, it could be possible.
Ambrosie spoke glowingly about the Second Spectrum technology that Genius will be installing at the league's stadiums and how it will enhance the in-game information that is accessible to fans.
“They're going to install at CFL stadiums these incredibly sophisticated cameras,” Ambrosie said.
“It sounds dramatic, but they literally capture thousands of frames a second.
“It's the technology that will allow us at some point to have on TV that a player is running 24.5 miles per hour.
“It's going to be an opportunity for us to consider having a second feed that's entirely for kids, so the ball is in the air with a green slime trail or a red slime trail.”
3. The sports gambling side
The CFL has made no secret about its excitement that Canada legalized single-game sports betting last year.
The federal government estimated that Canadians spent about $10 billion a year betting illegally on the black market, so it's easy to see why the league thinks there could be a massive revenue stream just waiting to be tapped into.
The league provided Genius with exclusive rights to its data as part of their partnership, and a presentation to investors made by Genius earlier this year said the company provides real-time data and odds to over 300 betting sites internationally while allowing leagues to efficiently access the sports betting market.
“It's going to allow us to use it as a fan engagement strategy. I hope we never get to the point where we're seeing a fan betting their paycheque on a CFL game, but boy would I love to see a fan having a $10 bet on a game,” Ambrosie said. “The evidence tells us it is an incredible fan engagement opportunity because it keeps people really attracted to the game. So many of our games end late in the game with lead changes, we think it's going to be tremendous.”
4. The broadcast technology side
Ambrosie didn't go into a lot of detail on how exactly Genius Sports' broadcast technologies side might be integrated into the CFL's plans, although he did specifically mention that the league's American broadcast deal with ESPN is expiring at the end of the year.
In a video for investors from January, Genius outlined the various ways their data feeds and technology could enhance the viewing experience while also providing catered sports betting options and the purchase of merchandise.
“We can allow users to experience alternate broadcasts at the touch of a finger and watch a game from the camera angle or visual interface that suits them,” the Genius video explained.
Of course, with anything CFL-broadcast-related, TSN will have a role to play. Ambrosie even referred to the network as one of professional Canadian football's three partners, alongside the league itself and the players.
5. The partnership itself
It's worth noting that the CFL could have simply paid Genius for their services. Instead, the league created a new arm called CFL Ventures that will share commercial revenue. Genius was given equity in that part of the league's business.
“We moved a good portion of our commercial assets named CFL Ventures. Our broadcast rights, our sponsorship revenues all go into that bucket and Genius is a partner in that business,” Ambrosie said. “Through the lens of a partner, they want us to use all of their technology because the more we can grow that business, the more successful that partnership will be.”