Within Abelson Sports’ dedicated Data arm, chief betting officer Jeeve Jeyaratnam described how granularity is vital for betting and media clients.
With so much sporting action happening around the world at any one time, consumers are never short of matches to watch or bet on. There is a simplicity in all sport; whether two individuals or two teams are facing off against each other, the numbers are easy to follow. Behind the scenes for the businesses managing the data involved in sports matches, though, the situation is far more complex.
One such company in this space is Abelson Sports, whose Televised and Streamed Sports (TSS) solution sits within the business’ Data arm. TSS’ work with broadcasters leads to the creation of a schedule of live television, streaming and over-the-top (OTT) coverage. In 2024, the service covered over 1,000 channels worldwide and more than 500,000 broadcast listings.
DIVING INTO THE DETAIL
Data, says Abelson’s chief betting officer Jeeve Jeyaratnam, is the “bedrock” of TSS by providing a dedicated team with “ultra-accurate” information on sports, competitions and start and end times for the company’s fixtures and results service. This, in turn, can simplify what would otherwise be complex situations.
“Our TSS service distinguishes itself by using the actual start and end time of events, rather than relying on TV schedules,” Jeyaratnam explains. “By leveraging our sports fixtures and results database, we can offer constant minute-by-minute updates.
“For example, considering the complexity of multiple tennis matches broadcast simultaneously across various channels with rolling start times, Abelson’s system can precisely determine the court and monitor the start time and channel for the next match – a level of accuracy unmatched by any other live sports TV guide. Furthermore, our established partnerships with multiple broadcasters enable us to automate broadcast listings. The provision of this key data through these collaborations is essential for populating our listings effectively.”
GLOBAL AND LOCAL
TSS is chiefly a front-end tool, Jeyaratnam says, used as a “localisation enhancement” for operators, scores apps and other media outlets to engage local audiences by delivering “accurate and relevant listings for the user wherever they are in the world. In today’s environment of increasingly intricate broadcast rights, a growing number of channels and a wider range of delivery options, the ability to access this kind of information has become crucial for both sportsbooks and media companies alike.”
The listings are tailored to local client preferences and can include branded streaming content with geo-blocking rules catered for, Jeyaratnam adds. “Our clients benefit significantly from this data, enabling them to effectively strategise content and promotional activities while their customers benefit from accessing this clear and up-to-date information, which also helps to drive in-play betting.”
DATA VERSATILITY
The data behind Abelson’s fixtures and results operations also underpin the company’s Football Player Markets product, Jeyaratnam explains. “Fixtures and results, aside from being central to our main products, also operates as a B2B feed, powering event creation and settlement for a major platform business.
“Data partnerships, especially given the tier-one clients that Football Player Markets boasts, are a crucial aspect of our service, helping track via scouting feeds for in-play coverage and accurate timely settlement for all our markets.”
IMPROVING SITUATIONS
Jeyaratnam notes the differing situations between the sports broadcasting landscapes across various territories – and how that affects the data being compiled. While specific channels or networks oversee broadcasting for leagues and competitions in Europe, the environment can be “scattered and less defined” in emerging territories.
“Within emerging markets, obtaining dependable broadcast listings can often prove more difficult,” Jeyaratnam outlines. “Information about which channels will be showing matches might only become available with minimal notice, and announcements are frequently made through platforms like X or Facebook instead of conventional TV guides or electronic program guides (EPGs).”
Nevertheless, the “widespread” presence of major broadcasting companies in Africa is improving the situation. “A prime example of this is South Africa-based SuperSport which as extensive coverage throughout many regions of Africa. This can often provide a more consistent and reliable source of information.”
DATA CHALLENGES
For Jeyaratnam, there are pertinent challenges facing the future of sports broadcasting and rightsholders. “I’m sure we are not alone in feeling that the cost of ‘official’ data sits on a precipice,” he says. “With so many different players competing for rights, the prices paid to acquire them have skyrocketed. The winners in the rights battles have attempted to pass the cost of acquisition through to the operators and the suppliers at increasingly alarming rates. If there isn’t a correction, the grey market will benefit as it circumvents the costly licence fees. It’s not impossible that tier-one operators decide enough is enough, which could open a new chapter for the data rights conversation.”
To justify the increase in price for data rights, Jeyaratnam insists rightsholders need to offer something unofficial suppliers cannot. “We have seen some evidence of this; as betting markets become ever-more granular, providing fast, live data by non-official methods becomes a much greater challenge. Leveraging data partnerships to ensure that information is served directly to the holder before being available to the public, or providing unique betting relevant data directly, allows the rights owner to offer something unique and unavailable to the grey market without unacceptable latency.”
