Tune in today for our free webinar to look back at the year that was 2025.
You can register here for “From Headlines to Horizons: SBJ’s Year-End Recap and 2026 Outlook,” which will feature my SBJ colleagues Rachel Axon, Austin Karp, and Bret McCormick. — Ethan Joyce
In today’s edition of Power Up:
- SkillCorner adds $60 million investment to fuel US growth
- SBJ’s ‘Inside the Industry’ extends reach with FanDuel Sports Network
- Report: MLB to regulate MiLB in-game technology, bring parity to league
SkillCorner adds $60M investment to fuel U.S. growth
SkillCorner, which uses AI to generate tracking data from broadcast video, has received a $60M investment from Boston-based growth equity firm Silversmith Capital Partners to scale its growth into the US.
Founded in 2015, SkillCorner has grown rapidly in global soccer as a scouting tool ever since Liverpool became an innovation partner in 2018. The Parisian startup, which later graduated from NBA Launchpad, added basketball and American football products in recent years and is now seeking to further scale on this continent, particularly in those two newer sports.
“For us, it was quite clear that a lot of the growth is going to come from the US,” said SkillCorner co-founder & CEO Hugo Bordigoni. “Among 250-plus customers, only 60-ish are in the US at the moment, but our thinking is that, five years from now, our business should be 50-50 between US and rest of the world. So a lot of the growth is going to come from the US, and we need investment there.”
Less than 10% of the 100-person company is currently based in the US, but that number will grow considerably. SkillCorner supports nine NBA teams, two NFL teams, most of MLS and several NWSL franchises, but Bordigoni sees college as a fertile market.
The NCAA and the conferences do not support league-wide tracking technology, leaving a void. That’s true not only of college football, but the 700+ men’s and women’s Division I basketball programs, not to mention men’s and women’s college soccer. Basketball in particular has shown an uptick, given the sophistication of the collegiate management teams.
“We’re seeing more and more teams hiring general managers but also hiring in analytic staff,” Bordigoni said. “The biggest teams started to hire people that used to be in the NBA, and now the same kind of stuff is coming to the NCAA, which means the same professionalism and rationalizing decisions and adding data to reduce the risk of making a bad decision.”
Bordigoni emphasized that SkillCorner will continue to invest deeply in its soccer product, noting that it supports about a third of men’s World Cup-qualifying federations and has seen growth from clubs wanting expanded datasets at the academy level. Across all sports, usage typically begins scouting but expands to performance and tactical applications.
SBJ’s ‘Inside the Industry’ extends reach with FanDuel Sports Network
After a successful premiere season, “Sports Business Journal: Inside the Industry” will expand its reach for its second season under a syndication agreement with FanDuel Sports Network, beginning this week.
The show is a collaboration between Monumental Sports Network and SBJ, presented by enterprise technology and innovation partner DXC Technology, and will be available in 16 markets, across 32 states and the District of Columbia.
The network will air a new 30-minute episode of “Inside the Industry” each month, along with a schedule of encore presentations. Episodes are recorded inside MNMT’s production facility adjacent to Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C., and hosted by Tarik El-Bashir, along with SBJ Publisher and Executive Editor Abe Madkour, members of the SBJ staff and guests.
The first episode to air on FanDuel Sports Network explores seismic changes in the business of golf, as new and expanding leagues are challenging legacy organizations, spurring a wave of new venues, technologies and ways to experience the game.
The show is produced by Monumental Productions for MNMT, and is executive produced by Jim Kowats and David Konschnik for Monumental Productions and by Dan Kaufman for SBJ.
“We’re thrilled to expand the reach of ‘Inside the Industry’ to sports fans and professionals through the exceptional platform and extensive footprint that FanDuel Sports Network provides,” MNMT GM Friday Abernethy said. “This program has quickly become a must-watch for anyone who follows the business of sports, and the opportunity to syndicate the show across a wide-reaching platform is an important milestone for both MNMT and SBJ.”
For fans who live in FanDuel Sports Network regions, “Inside the Industry” can be accessed through pay-TV providers, direct-to-consumer subscriptions on fanduelsportsnetwork.com and on the FanDuel Sports Network app. Fans in the D.C. region can continue watching the show on Monumental Sports Network through their pay-TV subscription, on monumentalplus.com or on the Monumental+ app.
“Monumental Sports Network and SBJ have created a standout franchise at the intersection of sports, media and smart storytelling,” said Norby Williamson, president of production and programming of FanDuel Sports Network. “We’re excited to broaden its reach and further elevate our programming lineup with fresh, timely content.”
Anyone who missed Season 1 of “Inside the Industry” can watch on SBJ’s YouTube channel.
Report: MLB to regulate MiLB in-game technology, bring parity to league
MLB will “regulate the in-game technology available for use across all minor-league parks” beginning next season, according to sources cited by Eno Sarris of THE ATHLETIC. The move is designed to “bring parity and quell what until now has been an unchecked arms race.” The league will now “approve in-game data and technology vendors,” a change that for many teams could mean “access to new information at the minor-league level.” But for clubs “that have already made significant investments in technology they’ve come to rely on,” the rule change could result in the “removal of that same technology from their stadiums if it is not approved by the league.” Critics assert that the new policy is an “anti-spending measure that will curb innovation, render some past investments useless, and set the sport on a path towards more stringent limits on front office spending.” The goal of the new rule “appears straightforward: give every team in the minors the same set of data and video, just as the league has done in the majors.” That stands “in contrast” to the current system, which has “led to disparity.” There is also the question as to “whether the move will have a negative impact on the quality of data in the minors” (THE ATHLETIC, 12/15).
More headlines from SBJ
- MLB Chief Operations & Strategy Officer Chris Marinak leaving role with league
- Leaving Las Vegas? The NBA Cup is taking bids for 2026 final
- Breaking down the NASCAR antitrust settlement
- Braves continue overhaul of Truist Park outfield with new group premium boxes
- Weave launches women’s basketball NIL division
- USTA National Tennis Center to host ticketed FIFA World Cup fan zone