AI-powered sports media company raises $13 million, led by Alexis Ohanian and Giannis Antetokounmpo

AI-powered sports media company raises  million, led by Alexis Ohanian and Giannis Antetokounmpo


ScorePlay video clipping tool

ScorePlay, an artificial intelligence service for sports clips, has raised $13 million in series A funding, the company announced Tuesday.

The sports storytelling platform’s investors include 20VC venture capital fund founder Harry Stebbings, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six VC firm, NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, former Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg, and soccer star and former captain of the U.S. women’s national team Alex Morgan.

ScorePlay’s technology is used by more than 200 sports organizations around the world and helps teams streamline their highlights and clips using AI. The company’s clients include NBA and NHL franchises and leagues such as Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League.

Ohanian told CNBC that he’s not just an investor, but that he uses the technology through his ownership of NWSL soccer and TGL golf teams, in addition to his new track league, Athlos.

“So many people ask how we’ve been able to have so much success in emerging sports across so many different leagues and ScorePlay is the heart of one of the reasons why,” Ohanian said. “The last two years, they’ve just continued to execute above expectations and ScorePlay has just done such a heck of a job growing here in the States.

“I’ve been very happy to keep putting now millions of dollars at work every single round since,” he added.

Venture capitalist Stebbings said as teams and players move toward producing more of their own media and storytelling content, this tool will allow them to engage fans in new ways.

“Speed is crucial in sports media, with the ability to share highlights within an hour and keep up with [the] fast-paced news cycle,” he said.

ScorePlay’s service, created in 2021 by Victorien Tixier and Xavier Green, automatically tags and organizes content, allowing teams to speed up the delivery to everyone from broadcasters and sponsors to the athletes themselves.

“The idea is to maximize the distribution, both on your own social channel, but also distributing the content to your athletes, who are your best storytellers,” Tixier said.

He added that with so many different channels from social to broadcast and digital, it’s important that users are distributing the best content for each platform.

ScorePlay touts threefold year-over-year growth, and the company said it is profitable, with total funding at $20 million.

Previous investors include Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s 35V family office and Eli Manning.

Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO



Source

Insurance firm Gallagher taps pro athletes for summer internships, preparing them for life off the field
Business

Insurance firm Gallagher taps pro athletes for summer internships, preparing them for life off the field

Insurance firm Gallagher is tapping into a new kind of summer intern: professional athletes. Last year, the insurance giant expanded its internship program to offer positions to pro athletes, giving them a pathway to prepare for life after sports. In return, Gallagher discovered the stars also tend to shine off the field. “They know what […]

Read More
AI is moving into the apartment market, taking over work orders, lease renewals, showings and more
Business

AI is moving into the apartment market, taking over work orders, lease renewals, showings and more

Angel Santana Garcia | Istock | Getty Images A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Property Play newsletter with Diana Olick. Property Play covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, from individuals to venture capitalists, private equity funds, family offices, institutional investors and large public companies. Sign up to receive future […]

Read More
Summer travel isn’t as easy as it used to be for airlines
Business

Summer travel isn’t as easy as it used to be for airlines

People move through a crowded JFK International Airport days before the 4th of July holiday on July 02, 2024 in New York City. As the summer travel season takes off, millions of Americans and tourists are experiencing long delays and congestion at airports, train stations and on highways. July is the busiest month of travel […]

Read More