As live-sport starts to adjust to the current landscape, Sportradar has announced a multi-layered partnership with PlaySight Interactive and Base Tennis Academy officially launching the Tennis Point Exhibition Series this Friday, May 1.
The three date series features eight top men’s players from the ATP ranks and will be streamed on Tennis Channel International, Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s new Over-the-Top (OTT) platform.
The Tennis Point Exhibition Series, organised and hosted by Base Tennis Academy at its German sports complex in Höhr-Grenzhausen, is one of the first live professional tennis competitions in almost two months due COVID-19 lockdown protocols.
David Lampitt, Managing Director Sport Partnerships at Sportradar, emphasised: “This is a significant moment as we move to bring back live tennis. The players have received compliance clearance from the ATP and TIU to participate in the events and we will be monitoring event progress, as well as providing remote production services to maximise safety on-site.
“We’re tapping into the full breadth of our technological capabilities to deliver safely and responsibly at this time for our partners.”
Sportradar will also utilise its data production capabilities to allow the competition’s umpires to score matches and transmit data back to the company using its data collection software.
Base Tennis Director Ruben Herrera added: “At Base Tennis, we asked ourselves a simple question: what can we do today that will help serve the tennis community’? We wanted to bring the joy of tennis back to peoples’ lives, and that is how the event came to be.
“It has grown well beyond our initial expectations thanks to the great partners and players that have joined in.”
Working alongside PlaySight Interactive, Sportradar’s live video content looks to enhance the player viewing experience. The event will feature a seven camera production, with live mixing and replays, graphics and German commentary throughout the competition. Moreover, Sportradar will be providing integrity monitoring services for the event ensuring that sporting integrity is maintained.
Playsight Managing Director Rodney Rapson concluded: “We have enjoyed a strong working relationship with Sportradar in other past endeavours, and are excited to lead the return of tennis with them – in a safe and responsible manner.
“We are taking the opportunity to utilise video and production technology in new ways to provide the very best viewing experience for tennis players around the world, while ensuring stringent compliance with Germany’s coronavirus measures.”
