Case Study: Fans make the most of STATS - August 2006  

US-based sports information provider, STATS LLC recently announced a new multi-year relationship with the National Basketball Association (NBA) making STATS an official realtime data partner of the NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League. The new NBA partnership is just one of many recent strategic initiatives that have further entrenched STATS (whose CEO is Gary Walrath - pictured here), as a North American leading sports data warehouse – while also establishing a global footprint. S&T takes a look at some of its latest offerings.

STATS will serve as a distribution arm to the NBA providing complete NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League statistical information to broadcast, print and online outlets. Additionally, STATS will develop and host NBA.com’s free fantasy basketball game, NBA.com Ultimate Fantasy Commissioner, an upgrade of the site’s NBA.com Fantasy Basketball League Manager.
STATS also recently entered into strategic agreements with the NFL, NHL and NASCAR. The latter employed STATS to create and analyse new, in-depth racing statistics designed to enhance viewer knowledge and enjoyment. Included is the first ever ‘NASCAR Box Score’ made available after each race by STATS. This box score provides an expanded look at each race in the four prominent categories of Performance, Position, Passes and Laps.
For the first time ever, NASCAR is utilizing its ‘loop data’ to help provide a more complete picture of the action that occurs during every lap in America’s second most popular sport on television. With multiple loops now placed at various locations throughout each track, NASCAR will now have additional information available from its top three national series.
“Along with knowing who won a race, fans and media will know how the race was won,” said NASCAR managing director of corporate communications Ramsey Poston. “The new loop data provided to NASCAR by STATS will help fans identify which drivers and teams excel in certain race situations,” said Poston.

Telling a story

The strategy of utilising numbers in an effort to explain the contest, in an entertaining fashion, is not a theme unique to NASCAR. “For the NBA, statistics have always told the story of our game and it is imperative to have that information available to media and fans around the world in realtime,” said Steve Grimes, NBA senior director of interactive services. “Working with STATS will continue to ensure the delivery of our statistics and enhance our fantasy offerings on NBA.com.”
Keith Ritter, president of the National Hockey League’s interactive arm, NHL ICE, added: “NHL fans are always looking for more and better information about our game. We can imagine no better resource for them than STATS and the wealth of NHL information they’ll provide to NHL.com and other outlets.”
Last September, the NHL and STATS announced a relationship where STATS operates as the exclusive third-party licensor of the league’s real-time data feed as well as a licensor of the NHL’s video highlights. Further, STATS can distribute video highlights via wireless applications outside of North America.
“We’re very proud to be recognised by the top US sports leagues as the partner that can further leverage their statistical information and fantasy games to a worldwide fan base,” said STATS’ CEO, Gary Walrath. “Our goals include mirroring these successes overseas. Modern technologies are making the world smaller, sports included, and STATS is ideally positioned to deliver sports information from continent to continent on a common technology platform.”
Walrath has spurred a string of activity at STATS starting with the company’s August 2005 joint-venture with the Associated Press MegaSports division that added premium editorial content to the company’s hallmark of realtime scores, historical sports information and full service fantasy sports operation. STATS’ recent investment in Japan’s Data Stadium bolsters both companies’ commitment toward providing the industry’s most complete worldwide sports information portfolio.

Turning Japanese

STATS is the exclusive licensing agent of all Data Stadium’s key Japanese sports content in North America, including prestigious J-League soccer and professional baseball. Likewise, Data Stadium operates as the official licensing agent of STATS’ data and editorial content in Japan – allowing them to capitalise on the strong interest in Japanese stars competing in US professional sports leagues. This blueprint has successfully bolstered both firms’ objectives of furthering their sports coverage across the globe while retaining marketing and sales exclusivity in their home territory.
“After the World Baseball Classic, the eyes of Japanese baseball fans are not only watching domestic baseball but also baseball leagues outside of Japan. Similar trends are developing for other sports, such as basketball, hockey, and so on. We look forward to building a world wide business strategy with STATS through this opportunity,” said Miyuki Morimoto, president at Data Stadium.
To continue stimulating its overseas growth and further transform itself from a strong US-centric sports data entity to a dominant global sports media company – STATS has opened satellite offices in Bangalore and London in the past year to join an existing bureau in Mexico City.
“The diversity of our business, our ability to support every platform including wireless and internet, the print media and televised sports broadcast production combined with our depth of compelling sports information positions us a global player,” said Roy Clement, who heads the STATS operation in Europe. “A great deal of progress has been made but we think you’ll see things really take off in the coming year.”

STATS LLC is owned by The Associated Press and News Corporation and can be found on the web at http://biz.stats.com.

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