The Chinese Super League (CSL) extended its relationship with Stats Perform in a multi-year deal that saw the sports data company named the league’s tracking and event data provider.
The agreement will see Stats Perform exclusively collect tracking data using the SportVU system at home locations for all clubs in the Super League. Along with Opta’s event data, the tracking data will complement the league’s digital and broadcast channels, as well as support its partners in creating unique experiences for their audiences across media, brands and sponsors.
The data deal builds on the existing partnership between CSL and Stats Perform, which was first signed in 2016. Stats Perform’s ongoing relationship of trust and introduction of new services reinforces the professional league’s commitment to ensuring that partners media and technology providers covering the competitions receive the highest quality data to bring every match to life for fans around the world.
Detailed data will be delivered to CSL via a wide range of Opta data feeds, including advanced analytics and predictive data to be used across broadcast, digital and social platforms before, during and after the action. Another important part of the partnership is Stats Perform’s new “Pressbox Graphics” application.
Agreement with Stats Perform will also benefit Chinese clubs
Pressbox Graphics will help CSL deepen and broaden fan interest from 90 minutes to the entire multi-day match lifecycle by rapidly producing automated graphics and visual animations powered by Opta data at scale. Today, this tool is used by the world’s top professional sports teams to raise awareness and engagement from fans and sponsors, particularly on social media platforms like Weibo and Wechat.
In addition to services for the CSL, the agreement includes extensive services for all its member clubs. These services will help conduct league-wide performance analysis. Each club will have access to ProVision, which will allow them to interrogate Opta’s data to perform in-depth analysis of each opponent and identify key tactical trends, as well as share insights with managers using a combination of video and data visualizations.
“We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with the Chinese Super League. We know how important data is to stakeholders in providing fans with new and engaging audience experiences,” said Alex Rice, rights director at Stats Perform.
Rice concluded: “Through Opta’s data delivery, Chinese Super League fans will benefit from insights derived from the industry’s leading and most trusted data source. On the professional side, I’m also pleased that we’re able to support the technical team with visual in-game insights to help with player engagement and development.”
