Premier League Extends Genius Sports Data Deal Into 2029

Genius Sports has locked up the official data rights to all of English soccer through the 2028-29 season, as previously reported negotiations with Football DataCo over global rights to UK game data, including the Premier League, have successfully concluded.

Genius has been the exclusive supplier of lightning-quick data from the pitches to the sports betting industry since 2019. The deal announced Monday in an embargoed release is another extension of the partnership that provides Genius official access to the EPL, the more populous English Football League and the Scottish Premier League.

In addition, the pact provides Genius new data with which its clients can build more pre- and post-match betting products. Starting with the 2025-26 season, the company will be the exclusive global provider of player market data, which is expected to be the basis for bets such as shots on target, assists and pass completions, according to an announcement from Genius.

That the deal had been expected doesn’t lessen its importance for Genius: The Premier League is the most-wagered-on sports league in the world. In 2021, a Genius sports regulatory filing noted that some 80 sportsbook clients worldwide subscribed to its English soccer data, which encompasses more than 4,000 matches annually. While the terms of the deal haven’t been released, Football DataCo reported total revenue of £27.245 million (about $35 million) for the year ending July 31, 2023, according to a filing with UK regulators. The organization lists two partners on its website: Genius and Opta, which provides data to the media.

“Given the massive importance of UK football on a global basis, this relationship has materially improved our commercial offering in the global sports betting market over the years,” Genius CEO Mark Locke told analysts in May. “Looking ahead, we expect that this will continue to be a key pillar of our growth strategy through the end of the decade. … A strong and long-term relationship with FDC will enable us to continue expanding margins and increasing cash flows with the trajectory that we had always envisaged.”

In addition to serving the betting industry, the partnership also means the 44 teams in the top two divisions of English soccer receive data-driven insight and analysis. The media arm of the EPL also uses Genius’ information on the television show Data Zone as well as the recently launched fantasy product that includes the 72 teams that make up the top three levels of the sport in England.