Global sports and entertainment company Endeavor announced its intention to merge its global sports betting and data businesses, OpenBet and IMG ARENA. According to the announcement, IMG Arena will be integrated under the OpenBet banner.
As a part of OpenBet, IMG ARENA will continue to offer its sports data, integrity and fan engagement products.
The resulting entity, Endeavor said, would leverage both brands’ expertise. It will pair OpenBet’s industry-leading betting technology, content and services with IMG ARENA’s data rights and capabilities. As a result, the new OpenBet will be an end-to-end sports data, tech and content ecosystem for operators and rightsholders.
The new OpenBet will be led by Jordan Levin, OpenBet’s current chief executive officer. He will respond directly to Endeavor’s president and chief operating officer, Mark Shapiro. In the meantime, IMG Arena’s president, Freddie Longe, will serve as strategic advisor to OpenBet during the transition period.
Openbet, for reference, boasts some 25 years of experience in sports betting innovation, offering a modular range of tech, content and services. IMG Arena, on the other hand, supplies sports data and tech to the betting, media and performance sectors, delivering live streaming and data feeds for over 65,000 events.
The pairing of the two companies follows a string of business deals for both companies.
The Merger Has Always Been Endeavor’s Goal
Mark Shapiro, Endeavor’s president and COO, commented on the merger of the two companies, saying that his team had envisioned a holistic integration with IMG ARENA ever since it acquired OpenBet in 2022. He called the new announcement the “culmination of that ambition.”
Leveraging Endeavor’s complementary sports and entertainment capabilities, we will unlock meaningful value for the sports rights and IP of our owned and operated properties, and most importantly, for our partners.
Mark Shapiro, president & COO, Endeavor
In the meantime, Jordan Levin, OpenBet’s CEO, said that the resulting entity is “uniquely positioned as a leading, end-to-end, sports data, technology and content ecosystem for gambling companies, rightsholders and media.
Putting our customers and their players at the heart of our product and tech innovation remains the key to our ongoing success. As an integrated business, we are focused on providing a unique solution to leagues, federations, and sportsbooks worldwide.
Jordan Levin, CEO, OpenBet
Last year, OpenBet powered Sazka, the company behind Allwyn, with its Neccton technology.