Data and tech company owned by Endeavor Group wins global betting streaming rights to top football divisions in Norway
IMG Arena, the sports data and tech arm of global talent subsidiary IMG, has successfully bought the worldwide betting live streaming rights to the Norwegian top flight, the Eliteserien, and the second tier OBOS-Ligaen.
IMG, which is owned by holdings company Endeavor, which also owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), is looking to strengthen its football rights portfolio through this deal.
The agreement will last multiple years and see 485 matches from across the top two football divisions in Norway fall into IMG's hands. These global betting streaming rights will only be applicable outside of Norway.
These 485 matches will occur during the Norwegian regular season which takes place between April and November of every year, due to the unforgiving weather conditions during winter in the Nordic country.
Mark Wrigley, Senior Director of Rights at IMG Arena, said of the agreement:
“This deal with Norwegian football bolsters IMG Arena’s football offering with another first-class property that will help sports betting operators increase their engagement with players throughout the year, while also enabling new touch points during the week,”
While Knut Kristvang, CEO of Fotball Media, the body that represents the Norwegian leagues, had this to say:
"We are delighted to have secured this agreement with IMG Arena. It is a long-term partnership that allows us to strategically grow the profile of Eliteserien and OBOS-Ligaen and engage new audiences around the world.”
Norwegian football is garnering a lot more popularity in recent years as some of its exports reach outstanding global heights in the game, two particular examples being Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Martin Odegaard of Arsenal, who both started their careers in their native Norway.
More and more exciting prospects are emerging from Norway as the country seems to be undergoing somewhat of a footballing renaissance, having laid rather dormant in terms of producing high level players since the1990s/2000s when the likes of Henning Berg, Ronny Johnsen and Ole Gunner Solksjaer were winning league and European titles at Manchester United, and other greats like John Arne Riise, Tore Andre Flo and Haaland's father Alfe-Inge Haaland were making a huge impact.
After some time under the radar, Norwegian football is making a resurgence in a big way, and this is attracting the attention of not only scouts at big clubs, but also fans who want to see where the next crop of outstanding talent seems to be coming from.
All of this means that this global live streaming rights deal should bode very well for IMG Arena.
Stick around for more football business news, and don't forget to follow us on Twitter for regular updates, stories and other content.
