Saquon Barkley of Penn State poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being picked No. 2 overall by the New York Giants during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on Apr. 26, 2018. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Thursday, Apr. 25, 2019 – A roundup of some of the key sports technology stories you need to know, including SportTechie’s own content and stories from around the web.
- Football Fans Can Buy Official 2019 NFL Draft Hats Through Instagram: A new ecommerce partnership between the NFL and Instagram will let fans purchase official NFL Draft hats through the social media platform. According to Variety, draftees selected during Thursday’s first round will be photographed backstage wearing the New Era Draft Day hat of the team that selected them. Those photos will then be shared to the @NFL account on Instagram with shopping tags that will shift users over to the NFL Shop. “We wanted to look at a major moment that really focused on athletes,” said Will Yoder, sports partnerships at Instagram. “We know identity is a huge part of fandom. This is the tip of the iceberg.”
- Streamer NickMerks to Play Fortnite Live on Twitch From the 2019 NFL Draft: Twitch streamer Nick “NickMerks” Kolcheff will stream Fortnite Battle Royale live from the upcoming NFL Draft in Nashville. Kolcheff will play the game alongside Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariotta and Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The live-stream will start Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET via Kolcheff’s Twitch channel and run for about two hours, according to Dexerto. The NFL previously partnered with Epic Games in November to allow Fortnite users to purchase NFL uniforms for in-game avatars.
- Mets’ Jeff Wilpon and Bruins’ Jerry Jacobs, Jr. Join Packers’ TitletownTech Fund: New York Mets co-owner Jeff Wilpon and Boston Bruins co-owner Jerry Jacobs Jr. have joined the TitletownTech venture fund as new investors, according to the Green Bay Packers. The Packers founded TitletownTech with Microsoft in 2017 to invest in businesses that could boost the local economy in Wisconsin. ““We are excited to be investors in the TitletownTech Venture Fund, which will embody the spirit of Wisconsin’s beloved football team in helping to grow a dynamic startup ecosystem in the region,” Jacobs said.
- DAZN Launches Global Live Sports Video Distribution Platform: DAZN has launched a global live sports video distribution service called DAZN Connect. Broadcasters such as ESPN, BT Sport, NBC Sports, Fox Soccer, Fox Netherlands, and iQiyi have already signed up for the platform, which integrates Amazon Web Services. “With an innovative contribution service, clients can supply live sports back onto the DAZN network, so local coverage can be made available globally, offering up further exposure and coverage for rights owners,” said Gareth Rees, DAZN’s SVP of Business Development, in a press release.
- Topgolf and Whistle Sports Announce Fourth Season of “The Tour” Series: Golf entertainment company Topgolf has partnered with Whistle Sports to produce the fourth season of digital series The Tour. The 14-episode season will focus on two amateur golfers competing for a chance to win $50,000 and a trip to Topgolf Las Vegas. It will air later this fall on Topgolf’s YouTube channel. “Whistle is the best at galvanizing creators through compelling content and we see our partnership with them as a major opportunity to legitimize The Tour and connect with a larger community,” said Chad Nelson, Topgolf’s chief creative director, according to The Wrap.
- Fox Sports to Fly New Camera Drone at the Talladega Superspeedway: Fox Sports plans to deploy a new FreeFly Alta 8 drone during its NASCAR broadcast of the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway this Sunday. “We started experimenting with aerial drones as part of our live-event coverage more than three years ago,” said Brad Cheney, FOX Sports VP of Field Operations, in a press release. “With NASCAR, we used a tethered drone at Daytona in 2018, and our first untethered drone flew at Daytona earlier this year, but this Talladega drone-camera combination is the most-advanced to date.”
