Exclusive data deal
In a surprising U-turn, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has agreed to sell its data to sportsbooks via a deal with Genius Sports.
previous reluctance to market its sports betting data
According to SportsPro, the NCAA has ditched its reluctance to market its sports betting data. Its executives previously expressed concerns about the impact increased betting could have on student-athletes.
News emerged Monday that the NCAA will sell data from March Madness and other championship events to licensed sportsbooks via an expanded tie-up with Genius.
The deal gives London-based Genius exclusive provider status of NCAA data for the March basketball event and “all post-season tournaments through 2032.”
Change of heart
Last year, NCAA President Charlie Baker called for a ban on athlete-specific prop bets. Baker went a step further in January when he urged Congress to limit college sports betting, citing approaches by gamblers to 100s of athletes wanting them to change their performance.
deal will give the body a major new stream of income
While the NCAA’s change of heart over its data distribution has raised eyebrows, the deal will give the body a major new stream of income. Genius’ data rights deal with the NFL, for example, gave the league minimum $450m in stock and cash.
According to reports, the NCAA hopes the Genius partnership will inject additional income outside of the $1.38bn it coined in revenue during the 2024 financial year, with most of that money coming from March Madness broadcast deals.
In addition, the London-based sports data giant won’t pony up any extra fees for the sportsbook rights, with the deal struck last week extending a revenue sharing agreement Genius and the NCAA inked in 2018.
Changing the game
According to a Genius news release, all member schools will continue to access NCAA LiveStats for free, giving them data for over 70,000 games annually.
The London firm also stated it would, in conjunction with the NCAA deal, employ AI to power real-time analytics, immersive fan experiences, and advanced insights from coaches.
Genius’ CEO Mark Locke stated the expanded deal was a “powerful endorsement” of his company’s vision to deliver official, high quality NCAA content to sportsbooks and “cutting-edge data solutions to support NCAA schools.”
The Genius CEO added the partnership with the NCAA was based on “innovation, integrity, and a shared commitment to the future of collegiate athletics.”
