VAR WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!

Welcome back The Sports Road, ladies and gentlemen! Just like that, it is yet again almost the weekend… With that, what better way is there to close out the week than here with us? 😅 Bringing you the very best sports and tech has to offer, enjoy!

Here's what we got for ya today:

  • VAR is Changing FOREVER

  • It’s Your Time…

  • THE NFL IS BACK!

  • This is The Future…

Most Valuable Sports Teams:

Let's get into it!

VAR Could be Getting a BIG Change…

Get ready guys, here we go again…

Video Assistant Referees, or as you probably know better: VAR – what can we say at this point!? Impacting Football matches globally nearly every single week, the technology actually stands as one of the biggest talking points in the sports world.

With the difference between winning and losing being absolutely MASSIVE in today’s sporting landscape, the technology – which can only be used during a game’s most integral moments – can truly change the course of history.

Logically, though, the idea actually makes sense. I mean, with refereeing being naturally based on opinion, human error is bound to exist.

And while, yes, Football fans are some of the most stubborn people you’ll happen to come across, we’re sure they would all agree on one thing… Something has to be done about VAR in its current state.

Riddling games with controversy, over the last few years, the tech has been – how should we put this – FLATOUT WRONG WAY TOO MANY TIMES.

Sorry, we may have gotten carried away there… But, to be honest, we think we speak for everyone when we say that VAR is currently disrupting game flow, somewhat ruining the excitement, and ultimately, not always right!

That could all be changing though…

Approving their system to receive the FIFA Basic Standard certification, Dartfish VAR could begin to take over the Football world.

With the technology looking to rejig the tech in its current use and improve fairness, this is how it differs.

Using multiple different video formats, the system was designed in a way which allows video feeds from a variety of different formats to get to referees. Essentially, that would lead to far less situations like we saw a couple weeks ago with Manchester United and Arsenal.

Being affordable and easy-to-use, it would not be hard for leagues to get their hands on it and we could potentially see VAR’s implementation in a number of more places worldwide.

We are thrilled to receive FIFA Basic Standard certification for Dartfish VAR System. This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of our teams, continuously striving to deliver on our mission which is to make athletes better, teams stronger, official fairer and sport safer”

Jean-Sébastien Mérieux, CEO of Dartfish SA

Sport is changing forever and you do NOT want to miss out…

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Coaching has Never Been Easier

Ever watch or hear about a game and think to yourself “I reckon I could do that”?

You know what we mean. Have a real strong desire to start playing a sport only to then realise how difficult it would actually be and forget about it after two days.

Come on, don’t be embarrassed, we’ve all felt like that before… What if we told you, it didn’t have to be like that, though?

That’s right. With the use of this newest tech, that could all be changing…

Raising $2 million in an investment fund which took place last week, TeachMe.To are bringing their product to the very next level.

Founded in late 2021, the company is looking to create a platform which would connect users to coaches.

Focusing on a number of different sports, using the money from the most recent investment, the firm will look to scale the platform, launch a new app and expand beyond its sports offerings.

“Teachme.To is the first step in getting started… And fascinatingly, while sports lessons might seem like a solved problem at first glance, under the hood it’s ripe for disruption. Beyond these tailwinds, we were compelled to invest because of the team. The team has uncovered a ton of counterintuitive marketplace insights and have quickly scaled the business to five sports and 100 cities. We’re excited to support them as they become the premiere destination for in-person lessons.”

Ramy Adeeb, Founder and General Partner at 1984 Ventures

Facilitating more than 100 training sessions a day, the app also allows high-level athletes the opportunity to coach. In submitting applications, it is stated that around 10% get accepted.

Who knows, maybe this is YOUR time…

The NFL’s Newest Tech!

The NFL is back in the tech game, and guess what? It could have some VERY interesting implications for YOU…

So, betting. If done responsibly the concept is a great outlet to engage with your favourite sports while making (or losing 😉) a bit of money.

Being the case, most of the world’s biggest sporting organisations have deals currently in place with betting companies.

This, though, might just change the entire scene COMPLETELY…

That’s right. Teaming up with Genius Sports – one of the world’s leaders in sports data and technology – the NFL has announced the creation of ‘BetVision’.

Acting as “the world’s first immersive sport wagering experience,” fans will be able to combine live streams with integrated bet slips, statistics, and unique forms of Augmented Reality (AR).

Allowing fans to be immersed into the action while placing bets, the idea – in theory – should lead to more accurate predictions and make you some serious money!

Furthermore, the initiative may deepen the NFL’s already massive fan base.

Mixing the product with the NFL’s current unique mobile experiences, the two will be able to deliver live augmentations with relative ease. Offering a uniquely personalised product, users will hold the ability to tailor the viewing experience to their very own…

“BetVision is leading a new era of immersive sports experiences… The launch brings together our capabilities across data tracking, video streaming, live data and sports wagering to create a game-changing product for sportsbooks. Sports fans and bettors alike increasingly demand personalised interaction, greater customisation and deeper insights combined with an ability to strike a bet seamlessly. BetVision alone offers precisely that, while giving sportsbooks a new way to drive engagement and accelerate the growth of in-game betting.”

Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports

We Need to Talk About: Broadcasting

Look, with the sheer number of massive sporting events going around, it’s getting pretty hard for both fans and broadcasters to keep up…

When pairing that with how difficult it is for fans to access live content now, something has to change.

I mean just listen to this. If you were a fan in the UK looking to have access to all the Premier League games, you would literally have to pay up to £1000!

Adding all the other live sporting events you’d want to watch it all feels a bit crazy… But don’t worry, AI might have the answer…

Come on, you didn’t think we’d get through a full newsletter without mentioning AI, did you!? 😂😂 

In a partnership between Accedo and Magnifi, we could be looking into a glimpse of what the future holds…

Combining Mangifi’s advanced AI sports highlights solutions to Accedo Android TV framework, fans using the system will be able to access key moments from their favourite games at any point.

Potentially pointing to how the future of sport will look, the partnership is directly looking at the current trend of human attention.

More likely to consume shorter forms of content, the product matches the needs of newer generations and fans while exploring how a streaming-based sporting future could look like…

There is a growing demand from sports fans for real-time access to short-form videos showing highlights and key moments from sports events. This integration will enable Accedo Launcher customers to improve engagement by meeting that demand in a cost-effective way. As more TV operators and broadcasters move to cloud-based workflows, seamless integration has become a critical requirement, and this partnership delivers on that front too.”

Bleuenn Le Goffic, VP of Strategy and Business Development at Accedo

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Chat to ya on Monday! ☮️