Automated sports video production company Pixellot has signed a deal with the Israeli Basketball Association (IBBA) to produce and distribute live games and additional content across the body’s media platforms.
The deal covers the Professional Second Division and the National Elite Youth League, which will both use Pixellot products and services.
Pixellot, an Israeli company, will also be granted the IBBA’s international streaming rights, which previously have not been monetised.
Under the agreement, Pixellot will provide the IBBA with live streams and highlights, along with a dedicated OTT application and data platform. Coaches and analysts will also be able to use Pixellot’s video coaching platform as part of the deal.
Pixellot systems will be fitted at more than 40 venues, with the company to automatically film and produce live games with graphics, sponsored placements and video ad insertion. Pixellot’s new OTT streaming platform is to be tailored to the IBBA’s specifications and needs.
The company will also offer its automated game highlight functionality to the IBBA, enabling distribution to Israeli and international sports media on all of the association’s digital platforms.
Second Division games will be covered with full live statistics, which will be collected by Genius Sports’ accredited statisticians at each venue. The real-time statistics will be accessible to teams via the Fiba LiveStats data collection application, with a full post-game statistical and video breakdown to be produced by Pixellot’s VidSwap service using Fiba LiveStats data.
Amiram Halevi, chairman of the IBBA, said: “IBBA is committed to applying cutting-edge technology in order to revolutionise the accessibility of basketball games in our market by making the content and additional features available to everyone, everywhere and anytime.
“Basketball is a forward-thinking sport, and we plan to be at the forefront of this technology revolution. Our teams and players will benefit directly from access to stats and video breakdowns like never before. The fact that Pixellot is an Israeli company makes us even prouder.”
Pixellot last year received $3.3m (€2.8m) in investment from Brazilian media conglomerate Grupo Globo, which acquired an equity stake in the company.
Pixellot also lists Shamrock Capital, Firstime, Baidu and Asahi Broadcasting Company among its investors and in June it announced the completion of a new $16m funding round as part of plans to accelerate its sales and marketing activities to address the need for “safer, more cost-effective” solutions for broadcasting and statistics. Israeli investment house Altshuler-Shaham was added to the company’s existing investors.
Pixellot’s sports clients include the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) as part of a deal signed last year between the governing body and IMG Arena, the sports betting unit of the IMG agency.