Genius Sports Buy Adds to Fan Data Offer

London-based sports data tech firm Genius Sports is to acquire fan data specialist Sports Innovation Lab (SIL), for an undisclosed sum.

Genius offers targeting and fan base insights, tapping its FanHub:ID identity management, which aggregates consumption data across online, mobile and connected TV platforms. The deal will see SIL's brand and offer retained for the time being, with the eventual aim of merging it into Genius, while all of SIL's staff will join the Genius team.

The acquisition, which will enhance this offering, comes after the companies worked together on marketing campaigns for Genius' sportsbook, brand and agency clients. Genius Sports CRO Josh Linforth (pictured) told Sports Business Journal, 'We saw some real advantages early on in terms of the quality of the data, the way in which they were indexing sports fans and how it could neatly tuck into the existing technology stack Genius has. [The acquisition is] essentially expanding our accuracy, giving us a deeper understanding of fans. And it also expands our capabilities into sponsorship valuation and helping our league and club partners understand the value of their fans better.'

SIL co-founder and CEO Josh Walker said the buy would create new fan experiences through Genius' content creation, but is 'also about monetizing the fan... giving [Genius'] partners a new way to go to market with all the different ways they want to either sell tickets, merchandise - all the different ways the sports ecosystem makes money.'

Genius, whose claims to fame also include a narrowly-defeated bid for bankrupt DSP MediaMath in 2023, is online at www.geniussports.com .