Meet the Winners 2023

WINNERS 2023 Presented in association with #OnlyfortheInnovative

HERE THEY ARE… The work of our judges has culminated in presenting to you our 2023 Sports Technology Awards winners. We couldn’t haven’t brought you such an outstanding list of dynamic brands without them. At this point we should also pay tribute to all the brands on the shortlist – they should be proud to have been included as, so often, the difference between winning and not, is the matter of a mark. For all brands, taking part in The Awards is a commitment and reflects the pride that they clearly feel in their work. We acknowledge, celebrate and, above all, support this. Our commitment to every brand in the process is that if we can promote your work to the wider sector meaningfully, where we can, we will. Congratulations to everyone and here’s wishing you every commercial success! Rebecca Hopkins CEO, The STA Group

WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

APP OF THE YEAR NBA FOR THE NBA APP The all new NBA app was released on September 27, 2022 for all consumers. The newly redesigned app brings together all aspects of the NBA fan experience with enhanced features including personalization and flexible, modular storytelling including vertical video. The App has brought all aspects of NBA media into one single destination. From the articles and videos provided in a free, ad-supported experience, to NBA League Pass, to the episodic series from NBA Entertainment and content from the NBA’s partners, including Turner Sports, FanDuel, DraftKings, Bleacher Report, and more. The app now simplifies discovery of the wide range of NBA coverage in one, singular experience. LOGO

BEST TECHNOLOGY FOR Insert image DATA AND ANALYTICS NTT DATA FOR SHOTVIEWAT 150THOPEN NTT DATA partnered with the R&A to launch ShotView at The 150th Open, providing real-time statistics, analysis and insights of every one of the 34,225 shots of the championship using digital twin technology in golf for the first time. ShotView also provided live ball positions and simulated coverage of every shot of The 150th Open, rendered on to a 3D digital twin of the famous Old Course at St Andrews in real-time, taking data from various sources including open-source landscape data, orthorectified drone-captured image data, LIDAR mapping and point graphs.

BEST TECHNOLOGY FOR Insert image ATHLETE COACHING AND PERFORMANCE ZONE7FOR AI ELITE ATHLETE PERFORMANCE Zone7 is a proprietary AI solution that works with sports organizations to extract valuable insights from performance data, forecast injury risk, and help athletes attain peak performance. The platform harmonises disparate datasets, analyses them to uncover significant patterns, cross-references with Zone7’s reference data lake, and makes proactive intervention recommendations to help coaches, practitioners, and other decision-makers. Zone7 is device agnostic and interprets whatever strength, conditioning, and medical that data sports organizations have available. LOGO

BEST SPORT BETTING TECHNOLOGY SPORTRADAR FOR ORAKO ORAKO is a product developed by Sportradar Managed Betting Services, which is an all-in-one sportsbook solution designed to ease the operational burden felt by operators, allowing them to focus on scaling their business. ORAKO includes all Sportradar’s content, platform capabilities, data services, and odd services, including coverage of 890,000 events annually across 92 sports. Operators can tailor the ORAKO solution to meet the needs of their customers, providing an offering that engages and improves the customer experience. The product is flexible, with operators being in control of how they want to build their sportsbook, and they can manage 1 – 100% of their sportsbook, leaving the rest to Sportradar. ORAKO includes AI-driven marketing services to help operators more efficiently and effectively engage their customer base.

BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY Insert image BY A BROADCASTER LA CLIPPERS FOR CLIPPERVISION ClipperVision is a new direct-to-consumer streaming platform for NBA team. LA Clippers. Launched in October 2022, with six different live stream options, it features in-game commentary from some of Clipper Nation's most well-known personalities. It's available to fans in the L.A. DMA, as well as out-of-market and internationally via NBA League Pass. Clippers is changing the way fans watch sports by providing six live stream, full-length game options straight to fans, without a cable subscription. The Clippers have combined the dynamic live streams of ClipperVision with other broadcast offerings, games on linear TV, and free-to-air TV on KTLA, giving Clippers fans of all ages and viewing habits convenient, easy ways to watch games. ClipperVision’s Spanish and Korean-language streams allow connecting with more Clippers fans in L.A., and around the world.

BEST BROADCAST TECHNOLOGY LIVEUFOR LU800MULTI-CAM LiveU's IP bonding LU800 multi-cam production-level field unit allows for premium-quality live video production by combining bandwidth from multiple cellular and other IP networks, thus democratizing live sports and news coverage. The unit, which supports up to four fully frame-synced feeds in high resolution, is designed for dynamic sports coverage, allowing for complex remote productions (REMI) across multiple sports. LiveU Reliable Transport (LRT™) is the power behind all LiveU devices and software, used extensively for video transmission, contribution and backhaul, as well as worldwide video distribution over the public internet. By enabling the coverage of sports that were previously impossible to cover, LiveU's technology allows for monetization possibilities through sponsorship activation. The LU800 product series accommodates any customer need or production scenario with the multi- and single-camera variants, providing unparalleled quality of service and resiliency with the lowest latency. LOGO

BEST TECHNOLOGY FOR Insert image COLLEGE SPORTS GENIUS SPORTS FOR POWERING COLLEGE DATA Genius Sports partnered with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to create a centralized data system for college sports. This system, called NCAA LiveStats, collects, manages, and distributes live game statistics, creating a new rights category of official data. NCAA LiveStats has already scored over 150,000 games across football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and ice hockey. It is used to engage fans and improve performance levels by capturing rich positional data for the first time in college sports. Genius Sports combined official game data from NCAA LiveStats with its Second Spectrum tracking technology and real-time broadcast augmentation capabilities to provide more informative and immersive broadcasts for Turner and ESPN during March Madness. NCAA LiveStats has created an official source of truth for college sports, powering enhanced broadcasts on March Madness, as well as brand, coaching, and fan engagement tools. It has democratized access to previously unavailable statistics, such as positional data, shot charts, and box scores, across men's and women's sports, no matter the level. NCAA LiveStats has transformed the value of live sports data across college sports, powering entire college sports ecosystem from teams, brands, broadcasters, coaching, and analysis tools. LOGO

BEST DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY WORLD ATHLETICS AND WONDERLY FOR WEBCIS WebCIS is an innovative, online solution that offers real-time event data, video, athlete profiles, infographics, and automated commentary to content producers such as broadcasters, commentators, and journalists, increasing accessibility while reducing carbon footprint. The Web Competition Information System (WebCIS) is a bespoke technology solution built for World Athletics delivering real time data, assets, athlete profiles and automated commentary during major. World Championships. The system is currently being used on all World Athletic Series events including the World Championship, as well as several European Athletics events. It was also used to cover Athletics during the Tokyo Olympics. Replacing a legacy system of physical hardware (VLAN cables) and tablets, our system is accessible anywhere in the world in real time. LOGO

SMART APPAREL, EQUIPMENT, Insert image OR WEARABLE OF THE YEAR FORM FOR SMART SWIM GOGGLES FORM is a company that provides a powerful swimming platform that includes augmented reality goggles and an app that provides real-time metrics, coach-designed workouts, and training plans to swimmers. The company aims to revolutionize the sport of swimming by introducing new ways that technology can elevate underwater training and athletic performance. FORM's proprietary AI/ML technology, industry-leading waveguide display built into the goggles lens, and the clean and simple UI/UX on both the FORM app and goggles, create a seamless and immersive swim experience. The target market for FORM is over 240 million active pool swimmers and <4 million active triathletes. Prior to the introduction of FORM Smart Swim Goggles, swimmers did not have access to real-time improvement instruction, lacked structure required to improve fitness or performance, swimming could be lonely, and existing technology was limited and worn on the wrist, requiring swimmers to stop to view it. FORM's technology advantage over potential competitors includes patented AI/ML technology, industry- leading waveguide display built right into the goggle lens, and a world-class goggle design. FORM has partnerships with key triathlon organizations and sponsored athletes.

BEST FAN ENGAGEMENT Insert image TECHNOLOGY STATS PERFORM FOR UEFA WOMEN’S EURO 2022 Stats Perform provided data and editorial services to enhance the coverage of the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 Competition, which saw record levels of fan engagement. The services provided included syndicated news and feature content, real-time data-driven match insights, and the Opta Analyst's EURO Data Hub, which provided detailed performance metrics for every player and team in the tournament, as well as live tournament predictions powered by a tournament simulator. The services were delivered via PressBox Video, PressBox Live, and Opta Analyst, with content available in six different languages. The company's services were utilized by broadcasters, news outlets, and the federations of several participating teams, generating significant revenue for Stats Perform.

BEST FITNESS AND PARTICIPATION TECHNOLOGY APPLE FOR APPLE FITNESS+ Apple Fitness+ is a fitness and wellness service that provides studio-style workouts and meditations designed to be welcoming to all. It offers the largest library of workout content in 4K UHD, led by a diverse and inclusive team of trainers. Users can take their experience to the next level with personalized real-time metrics that display on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. There are nearly 3,500 studio-style workouts across 11 different workout types including HIIT, Treadmill, Cycling, Dance, Rowing, Strength, as well as Meditation. Fitness+ is available in 21 countries and can be used anytime, anywhere. The service offers custom content designed to help users through a season of life or prepare for important moments. Fitness+ has been adding new video and audio features and content designed to keep people moving and support their wellbeing, such as Pilates, Meditation, inspiring audio experiences like Time to Walk and Time to Run, and Trainer On-Screen callouts for added motivation during workouts.

BEST TECHNOLOGY FOR INJURY PREVENTION AND RECOVERY BETTERGUARDSTECHNOLOGY FOR THEBETTERGUARD BetterGuards Technology GmbH has developed an innovative ankle brace called "The BetterGuard," which uses a mini-piston to stabilize the ankle during critical movements, thus preventing ankle sprains, which are a common injury among athletes. The product offers full protection and full range of motion, which is not possible with conventional braces. The mini-piston technology is adaptive and velocity-dependent and is integrated into shoes or braces above the lateral malleolus. BetterGuards has won the NBA Launchpad Award in 2022 and is currently being tested in collaboration with NBA. The product was successfully launched in the European Union in November 2022 and will be launched in the US in the first half of 2023. The technology has been extensively tested and validated by different internal and external research institutions, and has shown higher inversion reduction and subjective comfort compared to placebo and unbraced conditions, as well as a similar protection effect as rigid conventional braces.

INNOVATION OF THE YEAR Insert image HAWK-EYE INNOVATIONS FOR SEMI-AUTOMATIC OFFSIDE TECHNOLOGY Presented in assoc with Hawk-Eye Innovations has developed Semi-Automatic Offside Technology (SAOT), a system designed to enhance the football/soccer experience by helping officials make more accurate, objective, and faster offside decisions. The system is the world's first optical tracking system that detects the exact position of the ball and individual players in real-time, using 12 dedicated tracking cameras in the stadium to track the ball's position and up to 29 skeletal points of each player. Using AI techniques, the system automatically assigns each team and player, tracks the body points to millimetre accuracy in a 3D space, and determines the relative position of the players to identify offside positions. The officials in the operations room check the decision made by the system and inform the on-pitch referee of the final offside decision. The system creates a virtual replay of the incident, which is made available to broadcasters, commentary teams, and big screens in venue for the fans' clarity. LOGO

GOVERNING BODY, FEDERATION, LEAGUE, OR TEAM OF THE YEAR ICC FOR BREAKING BOUNDARIES AND RECORDS The ICC is the global governing body for cricket. Part of the ICC global strategy is to connect with its fans around the world, with technology playing a key part in that ambition. The ICC wanted to grow its global fanbase further in 2022, attracting a new, younger, and diverse audience to its platforms. By building great products in 2022, the ICC achieved that ambition and more with its most successful year ever on digital.

BEST MATCH DAY Insert image EXPERIENCE TECHNOLOGY SPORT BUFF FOR MATCH DAY INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE When the broadcasters and brands of Qatar 22 wanted to engage audiences around the world, over the live global match and digital feeds, for the biggest sports event in history, they chose Sport BUFF. Across 29 days of continuous live action, up to 14 hrs live match feeds daily, plus highlights, VOD and studio; BUFF changed the way the world watched the WorldCup through its innovative technology enabling fans to play and compete directly over the broadcast.

SPORTS PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR NEW YORK LIBERTY AND XBOX FOR BARCLAYSCENTERREPLICA METAVERSE COURT The New York Liberty and Xbox partnership aimed at creating unique activations focused on women’s equality and Gen-Z fan engagement. The collaboration created a first-of-its-kind activation in the WNBA, a Roblox-inspired secondary basketball court that existed both at Barclays Center and within the Roblox universe. The activation targeted two completely different markets: Liberty/WNBA fans and Roblox gamers, ultimately leading to significant crossover between the two audiences. The Xbox-Liberty partnership continued to build on Xbox's global “Power Her Dreams” campaign, which is committed to amplifying girls and women in both sports and gaming. The first objective was to integrate local youth into the partnership through the launch of “Jnr. Ballers,” while the second objective was to help "even the playing field" for the women of the Liberty. Finally, the Liberty engaged with a new, Gen-Z audience through Roblox, which traditionally does not attend WNBA games. The timeline for the partnership was impressive, with both the physical and metaverse courts being created within only three months.

BLOCKCHAIN, NFT, AND Insert image WEB3 TECH OF THE YEAR RUN IT WILD FOR AOARTBALLNFT AND METAVERSE The AO ArtBall is a digital membership club that utilizes blockchain technology to create innovative forms of fan engagement, combining digital ownership, gamification, and rewards tied to real-life sporting outcomes. Membership is obtained by purchasing an ArtBall NFT, which also serves as a lottery ticket and is assigned a plot on their digital court before the Australian Open tennis starts. If a match-winning point lands in your plot, you win additional rewards, including exclusive fan experiences, merchandise, and community events. Run it Wild, in partnership with the Australian Open, owns the AO ArtBall project.

START-UP OF THE YEAR MATCHKITFOR INFLUENCER MARKETING ANALYTICS AND INSIGHTS MatchKit, a South African start-up, is providing an all-in-one solution to help athletes monetize their brand and avoid financial difficulties after retirement. By combining influencer marketing, analytics and insights, and a DIY e-commerce play, MatchKit's product requires no technical know-how and takes minutes to set up. The platform allows athletes to build a professional profile, create a personal crowdfund initiative, monetize their personal brand with an online store, and gain industry skills and insights from the learning center. The company has already gained traction with over 2000 athletes and has converted all national team rugby players out of South America onto their platform and has partnered with sports incubator programs to continue expanding. The company aims to make athletes financially fit with a variety of online tools, all accessible in one focused professional platform. LOGO

COMPETITION, EVENT, OR Insert image TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR FORMULA E AND YONDER CONSULTING FOR FE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Yonder Consulting and Formula E have collaborated to develop an innovative and impactful way to measure the in-the-moment audience engagement with biometrics. Formula E is the world's motorsport championship for single-seater electric vehicles and is now in its ninth season. To measure the audience engagement, Yonder created an in-home biometrics solution that includes a research-grade biometric sensor to measure second-by-second emotional activation through galvanic skin response (GSR) and an attitudinal survey to capture rational responses. The biometric data was reinforced by rational data to provide in-depth insight into what drives engagement and what works well in the Formula E broadcast. The insights have informed changes that helped to grow the sport's viewership and to deliver value to broadcasters who can boost viewer numbers and charge more for advertising and sponsorship opportunities. The innovative biometric solution has revolutionized Formula E's understanding of viewer engagement and has allowed them to track the audience's engagement in their homes, providing real-time emotional engagement data.

BEST USE OF FAN ENGAGEMENT Insert image TECHNOLOGY BY A BRAND WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY FOR ULTIMATE OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES BEIJING 2022 Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) aimed to drive viewership and subscriptions to its premium direct-to-consumer streaming product, discovery+, by delivering an unrivaled live content offer and creating a unique digital ecosystem during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Viewers were transported into a mixed-reality world, allowing them to experience a vast cinematic environment, offering immersive presentation and analysis. WBD's winter sports experts covered every major FIS World Championship event, providing commentary in 21 languages, and the discovery+ platform provided exclusive content, including new original documentaries, such as One Last Push and A Brilliant Curling Story. By showcasing every moment of the Olympics on discovery+, fans of Olympic sports and general entertainment fans were targeted alike with a broad offering that appeals to the whole household.

DID LIKE WHAT YOU SAW? THEN TALK TO US ABOUT PLACING YOUR BRAND ALONGSIDE SPORTS’ VISIONARIES As well as The Sports Technology Awards, The STA Group owns a range of initiatives that inform, inspire and celebrate tech- led innovation worldwide. We can offer you a year-round calendar of activation so talk to us. We can ensure your brand sits is at the centre of global sports vision and leadership. Contact us at [email protected]

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