{"id":843827,"date":"2025-04-26T21:12:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T02:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/26\/european-sports-tech-heads-to-us-with-media-giant-comcast\/"},"modified":"2025-04-26T21:12:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T02:12:14","slug":"european-sports-tech-heads-to-us-with-media-giant-comcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/26\/european-sports-tech-heads-to-us-with-media-giant-comcast\/","title":{"rendered":"European sports tech heads to US with media giant Comcast"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Two European sports tech startups are heading to the US for an R&D programme run by media giant Comcast.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ireland\u2019s Orreco<\/a> will cross the Atlantic with a trove of athletic performance software, while Iceland\u2019s Oz Sports will bring an AI-driven camera system. <\/span><\/p>\n

On arrival, the duo will join Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech, a six-month accelerator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the programme, the companies will tap into expertise from various industry leaders. Among them are Comcast broadcasting networks NBC Sports, Sky Sports, and the Golf Channel from Comcast\u2019s broadcasting empire. Further support will come from a star-studded squad of partners, including the Premier League, the PGA Tour, and NASCAR.<\/p>\n

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The diverse lineup of experts is<\/span> a key selling point.<\/p>\n

On a video call from Comcast\u2019s headquarters in Philadelphia, Jenna Kurath, Head of Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech, said the programme is \u201cpowered by partnerships.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy bringing the best of innovation into our organisation, forging those strategic relationships with emerging startups, and working alongside some of the most elite sports organisations in the world, we\u2019re able to really push us beyond the status quo,\u201d Kurath told TNW.<\/span><\/p>\n

The collaborative approach has one overall target: cultivating a new generation of sports tech. But for the teams involved, the attractions are varied.<\/p>\n

The selected teams receive new routes to accelerate product development, forge industry relationships, and refine commercial strategies. Their partners gain access to emerging technologies that could enhance future broadcasts and sporting events.<\/p>\n

Comcast, meanwhile, can get an edge on market trends, strengthen partnerships, unlock new revenue streams, and enhance customer experiences. The company is also investing in startups selected for the programme.<\/p>\n

Inside the programme<\/h2>\n

The potential benefits have proved alluring for startups. Over 1,600 teams applied to this year\u2019s programme. The cohort was then whittled down to just 10 companies.<\/p>\n

Kurath breaks down the selection process into three key criteria. \u201cThe first is, is it a problem we\u2019re solving? The second is, do we have a line of sight on how we\u2019ll test and pilot that technology over the six-month programme and beyond? But probably most important of all is, is this the team that we believe can do it \u2014 and is this the team we want to work alongside?\u201d<\/p>\n

Orreco impressed the selectors with an AI sports analytics platform. The software interprets camera data, blood biomarkers, GPS, and other data sources. It then provides personalised insights on performance, nutrition, training, sleep, and recovery.<\/p>\n

OZ Sports, meanwhile, earned a spot on the roster after developing an AI-driven, multi-camera 4K60p HDR production unit for broadcasting. The system offers remote sports coverage in top-notch quality \u2014 at a fraction of the price.<\/p>\n

With Comcast recently winning new rights to NBA and Premier League games, the system could support the expanded coverage. \u201cThis is a really cost-effective, efficient way for us to do that and make it the best broadcast experience,\u201d Kurath said.<\/p>\n

Orreco and Oz Sports join a range of European companies that have entered the programme.<\/span><\/p>\n

Europe\u2019s sports tech roster<\/h2>\n

One recent European graduate is the UK\u2019s Kymira, which developed infrared-infused recovery apparel for the <\/span>Philadelphia Flyers<\/span><\/a> ice hockey team. The gear was initially built for the players, but the benefits have also been tested on front office staff.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another alumnus is Manchester-based Dizplay, meanwhile, makes sports fans active participants in the spectator experience. In partnership with Sky Sports, the startup introduced a \u201cViewer\u2019s Verdict\u201d for boxing broadcasts, allowing audiences to share real-time opinions and enhance social commentary. This technology could also expand beyond sports, bringing interactivity to live news, talk shows, and other broadcasts.<\/span><\/p>\n

A third British graduate, Tickets for Good, provides a platform that offers discounted tickets to tailored audiences. That could mean sports fans, but it could also serve teachers or first responders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always looking for companies that are proving themselves in the grand stage of sports, but when they have extensibility into other areas of our business, it\u2019s just all the more powerful,\u201d Kurath said.<\/span><\/p>\n

For European members of the programme, t<\/span>he accelerator offers a springboard to the world\u2019s biggest market.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the international companies are very strong within their own specific country, but are looking to break into the US market,\u201d Kurath said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is huge, it is nuanced. It is not an easy market. The sports industry is not an easy one to break into, so we\u2019re opening doors for them and giving them really deep customer insights on what it means for your technology to succeed in the US market.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Enterprise innovation is one of three key themes at<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>TNW Conference<\/span><\/i><\/a>, which takes place on June 19-20 in Amsterdam. Tickets for the event are<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>now on sale<\/span><\/i><\/a>. Use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the check-out to get 30% off the price tag.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Thomas Macaulay
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two European sports tech startups are heading to the US for an R&D programme run by media giant Comcast. Ireland\u2019s Orreco will cross the Atlantic with a trove of athletic performance software, while Iceland\u2019s Oz Sports will bring an AI-driven camera system. On arrival, the duo will join Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech, a six-month accelerator.\u00a0 During<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":843828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25023,192],"tags":[7942,6810],"class_list":{"0":"post-843827","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-european","8":"category-sports","9":"tag-european","10":"tag-sports"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=843827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/843828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=843827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=843827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=843827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}