New York, NY (Date TBD) – NBC Sports Next continues its investment in innovation by joining an elite group of sports leagues, teams, organizations and brands as a part of the Global Sports Venture Studio. GSVS is a joint venture between R/GA Ventures and the L.A. Dodgers’ Elysian Park Ventures. This collaboration brings together leaders from the world’s top sports organizations to identify, develop and operationalize new athlete and fan experiences through startup pilots and investments, and the build-out of new products, services and technologies.
The two parties will work together to find key opportunities and technologies related to strategic areas of focus for NBC Sports, which are part of a newly formed group called NBC Sports Next, led by Executive Vice President Will McIntosh. The NBC Sports Next brand unites SportsEngine and GolfNow, two leaders in their respective industries, as well as NBC Sports Enterprises, the high-growth portfolio of gaming, betting and content products led by SVP and General Manager, Nicolina O’Rorke.
NBC Sports Next will work with GSVS to find new and exciting ways to engage customers’ passions in the areas of youth and recreational sports and golf, while exploring growth markets like emerging media, gaming and sports betting.
NBC Sports announced in 2020 PointsBet as its official sports betting partner across NBCUniversal’s sports assets, furthering its commitment to sports betting. Both parties then collaborated with the PGA TOUR to launch the first-ever betting companion show during the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
“Having a dedicated partnership for sourcing the right players within sports tech will enable us to innovate a little bit faster across all our areas of interest. Our goal is always to grow viewership and engagement on our platforms, and ultimately grow the fandom of sport. GSVS will help us do just that,” O’Rorke said.
GSVS provides its partners with cross-collaboration learning and opportunities, access to cutting-edge startups, and private programming centered around critical topics shaping the sports industry’s future, including the importance of youth sports, the power of data, the rise of sports betting, and more. With its partners, GSVS plans to lead the transformation that is imperative to the continued success of the global sports industry.
“We are thrilled to add NBC Sports to the GSVS community. The history and powerful portfolio of sports properties that NBC Sports brings to the table is unmatched and their history of pushing innovation in the media industry is exciting. We look forward to partnering with their team and the innovation ecosystem to bring new sports media experiences to consumers,” said Kyle Bunch, VP, Managing Director of GSVS.
About GSVS
The Global Sports Venture Studio brings together leaders from the world’s leading sports organizations to engage with the sports innovation ecosystem. Our partners–including Angel City FC, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Fox Sports, LAFC, Levy Restaurants, the Los Angeles Dodgers, UEFA, the USTA, and Verizon–are actively working together to drive growth in the sports industry by identity, develop, and deploy new athlete and fan-focused innovations through pilots, investments, and the development of new products, services, and technologies.
About NBC Sports Next
NBC Sports Next is a subdivision of NBC Sports and home to all NBCUniversal digital applications in sports and technology within its three groups: Youth & Recreational Sports, Golf, and Betting, Gaming & Emerging Media. NBC Sports Next, known for its sports technology product innovation, equips more than 30MM players, coaches, athletes, sports administrators and fans in 40 countries with more than 25 sports solution products, including SportsEngine, a youth sports club, league and team management platform; GolfNow, the leading online tee time marketplace and provider of golf course operations technology and services; GolfPass the ultimate golf membership that connects golfers to exclusive content, tee time credits, coaching, tips and other benefits; TeamUnify, swim team management services; GoMotion, sports and fitness business software solutions; and NBC Sports Edge, (formerly Rotoworld) a leading platform for fantasy sports information and betting-focused tools. NBC Sports Next is fueled by its mission to innovate, create larger-than-life events and connect with sports fans through technology to provide the ultimate immersive experiences.
Media Contact
Melanie Mahaffey
Global Executive Director, Marketing & Communications
melanie.mahaffey@rga.com
+1 512 736 6022