Introduction
IMG Arena - part of entertainment powerhouse Endeavour, leverages sports data rights to generate value for the sports betting industry.
IMG Arena is part of entertainment powerhouse Endeavor. They distribute official sports data rights to generate value for the sports betting industry via fast data, live streaming, event centres and virtual sports. IMG Arena is an official partner to PGA Tour, European Tour, UFC, ATP Tour and other sports governing bodies and rights-holders.
The Challenge
Moving beyond data provision to launch a uniquely engaging digital experience
In a world where always-on, mobile-first behaviour is changing so many businesses, sports betting is adapting too. Fans want to engage and interact with their favourite sports wherever they are, and in ways that feel most natural and familiar.
IMG Arena’s challenge is also its opportunity - to provide more than data to the betting industry. By investing in cutting-edge Event Centres, starting with Golf and UFC, their mission is to add exceptional levels of value to their customers and to fans, ultimately providing everyone with more choice.
Selecting a partner would be itself a challenge. With so many ways to approach application development, IMG Arena needed a partner who could bring a unique vision to the table and deliver with robust, scalable and fast technology.
Selecting a Partner
Creating the next generation of sports data display with real-time visualisation
With a track record of success in real-time data visualisation, scalability and fan interaction, Monterosa was approached to present a solution to IMG Arena in a competitive evaluation of over ten alternatives.
After a detailed analysis of the options, Monterosa / Interaction Cloud™ was chosen as the platform and a unique partnership was forged to develop the next generation of interactive sports event centres, quickly.
The product boasts:
High fidelity positioning, with tracking rendered on course maps in real-time
Stunning 3D mapping
Super fast, low latency data
Solution
Conceiving the concept for an Event Centre like no other
Our product vision adopted the best elements of existing event centres but focussed more on how gaming has transformed the way we engage with sport. Borrowing more from (our customer) EA SPORTS than from the competitive set, we developed a unique way to convert raw data into low latency visualisations.
Every shot, every punch, every moment captured inside a compelling visualisation that means fans can enjoy the moment with or without video - as rights allow. Over the course of two years as the technology developed, IMG Arena now have two cutting-edge event centres with unparalleled levels of visual appeal.
And it doesn't stop there, this unique product can be used across a whole range of customer sportsbooks. It is adaptable, able to be reskinned with ease and to be deployed within existing apps
Results
Delivering on IMG’s goals
Now in use with Bet365 and Rush Street Interactive, IMG Arena Golf and UFC event centres add some of the most advanced capability to the apps and websites of the world’s biggest betting companies.
Sub-second latency - So fast that fans use the IMG Arena app to watch Golf
Every shot visualised - For the first time fans are be able to consume visualisations of every shot, from every hole for every player – a true step forward in how golf is consumed.
A unique engineering challenge - A true innovation project reinventing how sports data is transferred at speed from a remote sports location, transformed, contextualised and presented back to sports betting fans.
Industry recognition - the IMG Arena Golf Event Centre has been shortlisted for Hashtag Sports Awards in the Best Sports Betting Content categorySub-second latency - So fast that fans will use the IMG Arena app to watch Golf
130k
Data points gathered
35k
Betting markets per tournament
