Img Arena Acquires Flightscope Services
IMG ARENA has acquired data collection, audio-visual production and tracking technology company FlightScope Services, which specialises in golf and tennis.
The deal will see FlightScope Services fully incorporated into the IMG ARENA, while Jacek Gronek and Wojtek Szumilas – who currently lead the business – join IMG ARENA along with the company’s 160 employees.
Gronek will join the IMG ARENA leadership team as VP, Rightsholder Services, while Szumilas will be Head of Technology.
IMG ARENA says it will invest funds and resource in a bid to introduce FlightScope Services’ technology into other sports in its portfolio, including football, basketball and volleyball and major US sports, while it will also use it to introduce new products and services to federations and rights holders under the new pillar of IMG ARENA Rightsholder Solutions.
“This is a very exciting acquisition for IMG ARENA,” said Freddie Longe, Managing Director, IMG ARENA.
“The integration of FlightScope Services technology is a fundamental part of our growth strategy and provides the foundation for the launch of our new Rightsholder Solutions. This new pillar within IMG ARENA will see us enhance the services we provide to rightsholders to include automated and manual content creation, content governance and operational excellence.”
“The acquisition allows IMG ARENA to enrich our innovation in fan engagement via the development of data and audio-visual content, while creating new content and commercial opportunities for federations and rights holders across our portfolio.”
Jacek Gronek, VP Rightsholder Services, FlightScope, added: “FlightScope Services joining the IMG ARENA business is a natural union born out of synergies in product, customer base and, most importantly, culture and vision. It will enable us to leverage our knowledge, strengths and resources to deliver an enhanced range of best-in-class services and technologies across multiple sports.”
The pair have worked together since 2013, co-developing a data collection system used by IMG ARENA to record data from every shot played on the European Tour, through tracking and marking the ball to within millimetres of its position on the course.
