SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Sportradar and Baseball Australia have announced a new streaming platform in the aim of growing the Australian Baseball League (ABL) on a global scale.
A first for the league, the dedicated OTT platform, onDemand, will be powered by Sportradar. The sports tech company will also serve as ABL’s exclusive betting data and audiovisual rights distribution partner.
The pair will aim to connect the game through products and services to Sportradar’s global network of sportsbook operators and media customers.
Dave Edwards, Sportradar’s Director of Sports Media and Partnerships – Oceania, commented: “We’re pleased to partner with Baseball Australia and the ABL to help them reach and engage new audiences both here in Australia and around the world.
“By taking an intelligent, technology-driven partnership approach to content distribution, rights holders can directly control how their assets are commercialised, while learning more about their fans in the process. We look forward to assisting BA and the ABL as they pursue their ambitious growth strategy.”
The first games to be broadcast on the channel will commence on 10 November for the first round of the ABL season. The service will initially launch as a web platform, with a dedicated app to be built by Sportradar for the start of the 2023/24 season.
Sportradar has also been named the ABL’s official integrity partner, with its Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS) being deployed to safeguard the integrity of Baseball Australia and ABL competitions.
“An ability to house Australian baseball content onto the one platform for fans to see is something we are really excited about,” Glenn Williams added, Baseball Australia’s CEO.
“This is a one-stop shop for the fans to consume their baseball content from Little League all the way through to the ABL and Team Australia. Partnering with Sportradar, a global company that works with major sports leagues around the world will be a major boost for baseball in Australia.”
Paul Gonzalez, ABL General Manager, regarded the deal as ‘revolutionary’ in providing high-quality streaming, integrity and opportunity to the league.
“We are proud to partner with such a global brand that works with other elite sports bringing the focus back to the Australian Baseball League and its athletes,” he concluded.
