US sports data company Stats has completed its acquisition of digital content provider Perform to create a new entity that will operate under the Stats Perform name.
The data specialists completed the regulatory and closing requirements to close today. The acquistion, for an undisclosed sum, was agreed in April this year.
The Perform business was created from Perform Group’s B2B assets in September 2018, with the supplier’s online streaming business DAZN spun off as a separate entity. The Perform business provides a range of data-related services for the betting and sports media sectors, including the Opta, RunningBall and Watch&Bet brands.
The merger was announced days after Perform sealed was named an authorised betting data distributor for Major League Baseball (MLB). Perform also collects and distributes data from other major sports league from around the world via RunningBall, including football’s English Premier League and LaLiga in Spain.
Stats Perform chief executive Carl Mergele said he believed the combination of STATS’s AI technology and Perform’s databases will create many opportunities for Stats Perform’s partners.
“Through AI we are able to discover hidden patterns in sports. This allows us to better understand the complexities of a game and project those patterns forward to predict future outcomes,” Mergele said. “The combination of Stats Perform will give us greater ability to extract new insights and context.”
“Stats Perform is set to engage billions of sports fans this year and I expect that to grow as we bring new innovative technologies to market, expanding our global presence. To truly revolutionize sport, we have harnessed the power of immense amounts of sports data with unparalleled AI technology. This unprecedented sports data and technology creates boundless possibilities for our global partners in fan engagement, betting and team performance.”
The combined entity will work with high-profile media brands such as ESPN, Microsoft, Yahoo and Sports Illustrated, as well as operators including FanDuel, and sports clubs such as Chelsea, Juventus and Paris Saint Germain.
Vista Equity Partners helped to fund the fund the deal and DAZN will receive a combination of cash and a minority shareholding in the newly formed company.
PJT Partners served as exclusive financial advisor to DAZN and Perform for the deal.