Stats LLC, long "dominant in licensing and distributing game statistics and analysis to media outlets," is "now channeling its resources toward working with professional teams themselves," according to Danny Ecker of CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS. With hundreds of millions of dollars in broadcasting rights revenue "pouring into major sports leagues and franchises," Stats CEO Ken Fuchs "envisions capitalizing on that windfall by helping teams get better at something they need but don't have the staff for: turning troves of data about player performance, health and scouting into usable information." Fuchs said that Stats' biggest source of revenue "remains distributing game statistics to clients like ESPN, Fox and CBS Sports that typically pay seven-figure sums annually." Company execs said that three years ago about 70% of its $60M in annual revenue "came from such data licensing, which it can do even without league partnerships." Fuchs sees Stats "getting a leg up by combining data and user-friendly technology to interpret it." That is at the "heart of Stats Edge, a video database product launching this month that enables a team to quickly call up and analyze video clips." Getting teams to pay for Stats' data-crunching expertise is "another challenge because many are used to getting such services cheap or free because they are so high profile." Former Cubs Manager of Statistical Analysis Ari Kaplan said that most franchises are "only dipping their toes into technologies for player analysis and are hesitant to plow millions of dollars into the market until more products prove their worth." Fuchs "downplays the impact of Stats losing its U.S. league statistics partnerships, calling them mostly 'marketing vehicles' that make sense only when 'commercially viable'" (CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS, 7/10 issue).
