🔊 Apple's Major Move Into Sports

📰 TOP STORY
Apple Launches New Sports App

• Apple Launches New Sports App. The company says, "The app delivers real-time scores, stats, and more, all designed for speed and simplicity." Fans can customize their scoreboards by following their favorite teams, tournaments, and leagues. They can also navigate between scores and upcoming games, explore play-by-play information, team stats, lineup details, and live betting odds, and watch live games from Apple and connected streaming apps. The app is also integrated with Apple TV and Apple News, allowing users to seamlessly transition to live broadcasts via Apple TV with one click in the app (more here).

💰 MONEY MOVES 
Sports Podcasting Company Blue Wire Raises A New Round Of Capital

• Sports Podcasting Company Blue Wire Raises New Funding Round From Decathlon. Decathlon Capital led the round. Founder Kevin Jones did not offer more details on the total amount raised or the valuation it was based on (more here).

• Monkey Tilt Raises $21 Million For Crypto-Enabled Fantasy Sports Platform. Crypto-enabled gambling platform Monkey Tilt has emerged from stealth to raise a significant funding round. It included investors such as Polychain Capital, Hack VC, Poker Go, Accomplice, Paper Ventures, Folius Ventures as well as several others (more here).

• Team Sports Management Platform CrewLAB Raises $1.6 Million. The round was led by top-tier venture capitalist Scott Sandell, Chairman and CEO of the leading firm New Enterprise Associates, with participation from many others including Manning Ventures and existing angel investors (more here).

• Endeavor’s On-Location Invests In Sports Events Tech Firm Wiz-Team. This investment will involve Wiz-Team’s technology and software being integrated “across the On Location portfolio,” focusing on guest registration and communication, accreditation, accommodation, and access control (more here).

 🤝 PARTNERSHIPS
MLS & Apple Build On Their Partnership

• MLS Expands On Apple Relationship With Beats Headphones. Major League Soccer and Beats by Dr. Dre, the iconic audio brand, recently announced a global agreement that appoints Beats as the MLS's official consumer audio products partner (more here).

• K-League Partners With Chiliz For Blockchain & Sports Integration. This collaboration is set to introduce many opportunities for fans to connect with the league more intimately, including exclusive access to officially authenticated game-scored balls (more here).

• Gemini Sports Analytics Partners With Infinite Athlete. Gemini Sports will leverage Infinite Athlete’s AI-driven FusionFeed technology to create new insights for sports teams and organizations, helping coaching staff and front offices with their data analysis (more here).

• Euroleague Partners With Sportspass. This collaboration will feature a Euroleague-themed web3 gaming platform that targets the Gen Z fanbase, merging the thrills and culture of sports in a digital offering with several micro-game experiences, rewards, or in-game collectibles, among others (more here).

• ESPN & Athletes Unlimited Sign Multi-Year Agreement. ESPN will air AU Pro basketball for the first time. The deal also includes all four Athletes Unlimited sports (more here).

🔊 OTHER SPORTS NEWS
Kendrick Perkins Launches NIL Platform

• NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins & Edly Founder Chris Ricciardi Launch Nilly. The platform allows fans to invest in name, image, and likeness deals of their favorite college athletes (more here).

• 9 Professional Athletes Who Make More Money From Endorsement Deals Than Playing Sports. Many professional athletes get paid a lot of money to play their sports, but for some, their endorsement deals are more lucrative than their salaries (more here).

• Sports Illustrated Moves NFT Ticketing Platform To Avalanche. Avalanche has purchased a stake in Sports Illustrated Tickets and become the blockchain provider for its NFT-enabled ticketing service, Box Office (more here). 

• ESPN Edge Brings An Immersive VR Sports Experience To Meta Quest. The collaboration is focused on bringing an ESPN-branded VR sports experience to Meta Quest. Immersive VR sports highlights will be available in the free Xtadium app on Meta Quest, and later this summer, ESPN will launch an immersive, ESPN-branded experience in Meta Horizon Worlds (more here).

• Swing Into The Future: AI Is Changing Baseball & Leaving Fans Stunned! AI is transforming the MLB, and it's doing so in a way that is as fascinating as it is impactful but also serves as an example for businesses everywhere (more here).

• Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Announces 10 New Startups For 2024 Cohort. The immersive six-month program will kick off in March and the 10 companies selected will have a chance to engage with some of the top sports and tech brands from around the world (more here).

• Koch Family Members In Talks To Buy Stake In Brooklyn Nets. Members of the billionaire Koch family are in talks to acquire a stake in the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, according to people with knowledge of the matter (more here).

• How Agencies Are Tackling Growing Sports Media Fragmentation. Sports media investments are rising as the fragmented media landscape is forcing agencies and advertisers to rethink their content strategies (more here).

• NCAA Players Can Opt-In To EA Sports College Football 25 & Get Paid For First Time. For the first time in more than a decade, EA Sports will be releasing a college football video game. And while fans celebrate the arrival of EA Sports College Football 25 this summer, no group is rejoicing more than NCAA players who will have the opportunity to get paid (more here).

• Paris Saint-Germain Becomes First Soccer Team To Validate Blockchain. French soccer giant Paris Saint-Germain said it will become a network validator for the Chiliz Chain blockchain that hosts its PSG fan tokens. It will use the money it generates to repurchase them regularly (more here).