Genius Sports, the sports data company looking to expand its relationships with leagues, bookmakers and media outlets, has agreed to acquire advertising tech startup Spirable.
Spirable, founded in 2015, helps brands—including Coca-Cola and Spotify—develop dynamic, targeted video ad units to deploy on social channels. Spirable also has a sizable business in the gaming sector, working with DraftKings, Flutter, WynnBET, Betway, 888 Holdings and Entain. Betway used the tech, for instance, to create and distribute Facebook ads that automatically included live odds in the lead-up to events.
Earlier this month, Genius signed a multi-year deal with DraftKings that went beyond sharing data and sports betting tech to include marketing and engagement support. “We’re seeing the whole sports betting market, especially in the US, converging around these technology platforms in order to engage fans,” Genius CEO Mark Locke said at the time.
With Spirable’s capabilities, Genius plans to offer AI-driven content creation tools that leverage its live data access. In April, it became the NFL’s exclusive data provider, following similar deals with MLB, NASCAR, the PGA Tour and the NCAA. DraftKings’ Genius deal came with access to data for more than 170,000 events per year.
“With the increasing convergence of sports, betting and media, personalized video advertising has become an essential requirement to attract, engage and acquire customers,” Locke said in a statement. Terms of the Spirable deal have not been announced.
Founded in 2000, Genius went public in April through a $1.5 billion merger with special purpose acquisition company dMY Technology Group II.
Competitor Sportradar has also developed its advertising offering, partnering with the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens this year to help create more dynamic and data-driven social ads.
