By Jonathan Rest

Genius Sports, the UK-based data technology company, has today entered into a long-term exclusive data, streaming and integrity partnership with Liga MX, Mexican soccer's top-tier.

Across all Liga MX, second-tier Liga de Expansion, knockout Copa MX and women's Liga BBVA Femenil games, Genius will capture live data from in-stadia and distribute it to licensed sportsbook operators in the US and worldwide.

It will also provide sportsbook operators with low-latency streams from every Liga de Expansion game, elevating the league's global profile and providing a platform to engage new fans.

The Liga de Expansion was set up by the FMF, the Mexican Football Federation, and succeeds the Liga de Ascenso. In a bid to provide financial stability to the league, there will be no promotion or relegation for the next five seasons, with plans for the second tier to grow in number over the next few seasons.

Additionally, Genius's Bet Monitoring System will underpin a new integrity programme to safeguard Mexican soccer from the threats of match-fixing and betting-related corruption. 

Enrique Bonilla, executive president of Liga MX, said: "Our league grows in every aspect, development, innovation and the expansion of our international profile are our fundamental pilars. This alliance with Genius Sports Group will help us reach, through data, more fans around the world. It is important to highlight that Genius Sports Group integrity programme will provide real time alerts for betting related issues, which strengthens our commitment to transparency."

Sean Conroy, commercial director of Genius, added: "As one of the highest quality, most passionately followed leagues in world soccer, we are delighted to be supporting Liga MX at such critical stage of its global growth. Our long-term partnership will deliver value for Liga MX and help to connect Mexican soccer with fans around the world while providing sportsbook operators with security of supply and premium new streaming content."

Genius is the official data partner to the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A and Colombia's Dimayor, and earlier this month entered into a new long-term betting data and integrity-based partnership with the Argentine Football Association (AFA).  

Genius and the top-tier Argentinian Superliga had signed a long-term integrity partnership in August last year, but that competition was officially disbanded earlier this year, and replaced by the Professional Soccer League (LPF). With that in mind, the previous contract with Genius was null and void as soon as the Superliga was disbanded, and the AFA has been gradually redoing all commercial deals since the LPF was created. 

Last month, Genius announced it was to go public in a $1.5 billion deal with dMY Technology Group II, the New York Stock Exchange-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021.

Sportcal