- Genius Sports and the B.LEAGUE have worked in partnership since 2021, with new agreement extending FIBA’s global technology vision
- Genius Sports to provide B.LEAGUE with innovative tracking technology
- GeniusIQ to power a suite of performance and broadcast augmentation tools across Japanese basketball
Genius Sports Limited (“Genius Sports”) has struck an expanded partnership with the B.LEAGUE to deploy its world-leading GeniusIQ technology across the premier basketball competitions in Japanese basketball.
In 2021, Genius Sports and the B.LEAGUE introduced FIBA LiveStats to all B1 and B2 games, enabling official play-by-play data distribution for fans, media, and partners. Through this expanded agreement, Genius Sports will work with the B.LEAGUE to further strengthen the league’s data and digital strategy by leveraging optical tracking technology to capture rich mesh data.
GeniusIQ, Genius Sports’ next-generation sports data and AI platform, will capture every moment on the court, applying powerful machine learning to rich tracking data to power a suite of performance and augmented broadcast tools.
Genius Sports will begin efforts to provide performance tools and advanced analytics for the media to the B.LEAGUE. If implemented in arenas, the B.LEAGUE and its partners will gain advanced insights into all games and players, enabling detailed analysis, including defensive efficiency, passing and playmaking metrics, shot quality, and pick-and-roll defence strategies.
This long-term partnership will also help the B.LEAGUE to reach, engage and retain the next generation of Japanese basketball fan, powering a suite of broadcast augmentation tools. Because GeniusIQ can automatically detect what a shot is, it immediately knows when to insert relevant and engaging metrics directly into the live broadcast, including split-second shot probabilities and distances.
This partnership is the latest step in Genius Sports and FIBA’s shared strategy to equip National Federations and Leagues worldwide with AI-powered technology to enhance world basketball both on and off the court.
“We are grateful for Genius Sports’ contributions to date,” said Shinji Shimada, Chairman of the B.LEAGUE. “We believe that Genius Sports’ cutting-edge technology will elevate the B.LEAGUE to new heights in the upcoming B.LEAGUE PREMIER.”
“As one of the premier basketball organisations in Asia, the Japan B.LEAGUE has been a fantastic partner over the last five years,” said Steven Burton, Chief Partnerships Officer at Genius Sports. “Now, we’re excited to take their competitions to another level with GeniusIQ underpinning incredible new innovations across tracking, performance and immersive fan experiences.”
“Japan is among the most established basketball markets in Asia, with a strong league and an engaged fan base” said Bart Prinssen, Head of Equipment & Venue Centre at FIBA. “This deployment of GeniusIQ with the B.LEAGUE is an important step in FIBA’s broader technology vision, supporting innovation, performance and fan engagement. FIBA fully endorses this collaboration and sees it as a benchmark for how advanced technology can help established leagues evolve, while inspiring other leagues and national federations across the region.”
