LaSource Monthly insights: Sportradar x IMG ARENA & HUDL’s Deal with LFP Media
Sportradar Announces Agreement to Acquire IMG ARENA and Its Strategic Portfolio of Global Sports Betting Rights
This move will strengthen the company’s global offering for most bet-upon sports, including Tennis, Soccer and Basketball.
Our Take:
In an anticipated yet landmark move this month, Sportradar announced its agreement to acquire IMG ARENA – the sports data and betting division of Endeavor – for €195 million. This deal includes a portfolio of over 460 rights deals, including marquee properties such as UFC, MLS, and tennis federations like ATP and USTA.
For Sportradar, this acquisition represents a play at increasing scale, speed, and strategic control. The ‘live betting’ surge/boom has pushed operators and suppliers alike to pursue exclusivity and depth of rights. By acquiring IMG ARENA, Sportradar not only gains access to some of the most valuable in-play rights in global sport but also eliminates a significant competitor in the race for Tier 1 content – a direct play to consolidate its leadership in the betting data ecosystem. In doing so, Sportradar is essentially buying time and market share, accelerating its path toward becoming the default infrastructure provider for sports betting globally.
For Endeavor, the sale of IMG ARENA reflects a broader strategic realignment. With UFC and WWE now consolidated under the TKO Group umbrella, Endeavor is shifting its focus toward owning and operating premium sports properties, rather than competing in backend infrastructure. IMG ARENA - historically the number three player in the space, has been known to overspend on tier-1 data rights in an attempt to challenge established players like Genius Sports, Sportradar, and StatsPerform. Now, Endeavor has exited that race, selling the unit for $225 million, meaning Sportradar actually had to pay nothing in financial consideration for the acquisition. In fact, it earned money from the deal. This deal speaks volumes about the changing dynamics of the sports data landscape and the consolidation trend that’s gaining momentum. Legal disputes have also played a role: as leagues sought to officialise and commercialise exclusive data licenses, enforcement proved difficult, undermining the value of those rights.
Certainly, since this exclusivity has proven to be under-protected, consolidation in this part of the betting industry had been highly anticipated and is in line with what we see in media rights and related data technologies, such as the recent acquisition of Tracab by EA and HUDL acquiring STATSBomb.
What are the industry implications?
This deal suggests a maturing market where scale, not just access, determines survivability. With Genius Sports already locked in with the NFL and Premier League and Sportradar now stacking ATP, MLS, and UFC, we could be heading toward a duopoly-like landscape in betting data provision, where sports properties increasingly align with one of the two giants and perhaps even StatsPerform.
What does this mean for rightsholders?
For one, when it comes to the specific “fast betting rights”, competition will further decrease as part of the consolidation. This will lead to a decrease in related fees, especially for the mid-tier leagues. However, as the market and technology are maturing and consolidating, this equally offers opportunities.
Leagues and federations should analyse their data value chain, analyse the needs within their ecosystem and invest smartly into infrastructure that enables them to improve their performance on (talent detection, data analysis) and off the pitch (media and data distribution, new betting assets, interactivity). It’s no longer just about “who has the rights” but “who can deliver the most value with them. Technologies like Respo.Vision that provides accessible 3D data technology and LIGR that own and control your media distribution, offer exactly this.
This deal is also a reminder that as the global sports betting space matures, the real battleground is less about markets and more about margins. Control over data rights, latency optimisation, visualisation tech, and plug-and-play content layers will define the next frontier – and we’re already seeing that play out.
Hudl & LFP Media Announce Scouting Rights Agreement
This three-season agreement spans the 2024–25 to 2026–27 seasons and includes matches from Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Ligue 2 BKT, promotion-relegation Play-Offs and Trophée des Champions.
Our Take:
This partnership formalises what has historically been an informal and under-monetised layer of football operations - and signals how scouting rights are being elevated into commercial assets.
For Hudl, partnering with one of the top 5 football leagues in Europe reinforces their position in elite performance and recruitment. But for LFP Media, the implications are related to building a long-term infrastructure that:
Standardises access to scouting tools across clubs in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, raising the baseline for data-informed recruitment.
Positions the league globally as a top-tier talent exporter, giving international clubs structured ways to scout and discover emerging players.
Generate new B2B revenue streams beyond traditional media and sponsorship deals.
Protect and govern the league’s data/IP with tighter control over how footage is accessed and used.
Most importantly, it future-proofs its offering as a data-rich, tech-integrated football ecosystem. In essence, this partnership is not necessarily new and innovative within the industry - the LFP is catching up on some of the best practices showcased by other football leagues internationally.
However, zooming out and considering the recent series of strategic partnerships like its collaboration with Camb.AI to localise Ligue 1 broadcasts into any language using AI-powered dubbing - these moves aim to lower friction for global stakeholders - whether scouts, fans, or broadcasters - and ultimately boost the discoverability and international appeal of French football.
This development should be seen in the broader context rather than as a standalone deal between Hudl and the league. LFP Media is shaping a model for rightsholders that goes beyond viewership, drawing on best practices and prioritising access, infrastructure, and intelligence as strategic growth levers. The league’s current approach suggests a shift from traditional licensing deals toward greater control over its product and assets - a direction that aligns with our centralisation vision and the value of integrated data services.
It remains to be seen how the current political and media rights context will impact the recent and much-needed strategic efforts to enhance the direction and overall quality of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2.
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