Rob Schaefer

1 week ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Mollie Cahillane |Rob Schaefer

The USTA is extending its relationship with IMG as the governing body’s representative in U.S. Open media rights negotiations on a multiyear basis. Parties declined to specify the length. IMG has worked with the USTA since 2011, primarily focusing on international efforts, but will now add brokerage of domestic media rights to its purview. The group advised and represented the USTA in its recent domestic renewal with ESPN, which starts in 2026, runs through 2037, and is worth north of $2B total.

1 week ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Rob Schaefer

Houston-based image recognition technology vendor IRCODE is flexing its capabilities at a sporting event for the first time this week with activations at the LPGA’s JM Eagle LA Championship. IRCODE’s core offering is its mobile app, through which viewers can scan objects on their smartphones and redirect to commerce sites or other web landing pages.

1 week ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Rob Schaefer

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Particularly when it comes to innovation. In perpetual search of an edge, sports leagues, teams and athletes have long turned to everything from emerging technology to good-luck talismans to improve performance. And when one of those ideas proves a hit? Well, the cliché of “copy-cat” leagues is grounded in truth.

2 weeks ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Rob Schaefer

The International Tennis Hall of Fame and Google Arts & Culture have released a new digital exhibit called “Serving Tennis History,” which is backboned by 30,000 digitized pages from editions of “American Lawn Tennis” magazine published between 1907-1951.

2 weeks ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Rob Schaefer

FIFA has selected adtech vendor Transmit to power in-stream video advertisements in FIFA+, the organization’s flagship free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel. The partnership came together following an evaluation of multiple vendors by FIFA that sought to enhance their monetization efforts around ad-supported streaming, particularly with the 2026 World Cup and 2025 Club World Cup approaching, according to Transmit Chief Product Officer Scott Young.