SportsBug
SportsBug delivers local radio play-by-play audio to fans' smartphones with under one second of latency, using existing 4G/5G cellular networks and requiring no on-site venue hardware. The stream integrates directly into team and league apps, such as the MLB Ballpark app at Citi Field and the Oregon Sports Network app for University of Oregon athletics. The service is free to fans and creates new sponsorship inventory and first-party engagement data for teams and broadcasters.
- Sports Technology
- Media & Entertainment
- Software Only
- Advertising Technology
Funding
Founders
Founder details are not available yet.
Product
Problem
Digital distribution has broken the in-venue radio broadcast experience. Streamed play-by-play now arrives 30 seconds to 2 minutes behind the action, and AM/FM signals do not penetrate modern stadium structures. As a result, fans lose access to their local announcers at the game, teams lose engagement and sponsorship inventory, and broadcasters lose listening hours in their most passionate market.
Solution
SportsBug provides an ultra-low-latency streaming platform that delivers local radio play-by-play to fans' smartphones with under one second of delay, using the 4G and 5G cellular networks already present in the venue. The company takes the rightsholder's live broadcast feed directly at the source, before distribution latency is introduced, and pushes it through proprietary streaming technology to fans' devices. The stream integrates into existing team and league apps, such as the MLB Ballpark app and the Oregon Sports Network app, so fans need no new behavior or additional downloads. This approach requires no venue hardware, no transmitters, and no Wi-Fi buildout, enabling deployments in weeks rather than seasons.
Target Audience
Primary customers are professional and collegiate sports teams, league operators, and broadcasters such as Audacy and Learfield who want to restore the in-venue radio experience and monetize it through new audio inventory and fan engagement data.
Features
- Proprietary ultra-low-latency streaming technology delivering audio in under one second from source to smartphone over existing 4G/5G networks
- Direct feed capture at the rightsholder's source before distribution latency is introduced
- Integration into existing team and league mobile apps, including MLB Ballpark app, Oregon Sports Network app, Syracuse Athletics app, and Georgia Bulldogs app
- No on-site hardware, transmitters, or Wi-Fi infrastructure required
- Sponsorable in-venue audio inventory and first-party engagement data for teams and broadcasters
- Live deployments with New York Mets at Citi Field, University of Oregon, Syracuse University, and University of Georgia across football, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse