Player Tracking Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

The player tracking market was valued at USD 3450 million in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 13252.53 million by 2026 at a CAGR of 24.9% during the forecast period, 2021 - 2026. The increasing demand for customized fitness activity for different players is one of the major factors driving the market.

With the rising number of teams in leagues increasing the competition, tracking solutions help in understanding the movements of players or teams. Moreover, it is further utilized as the benchmark to improve the performance of players.

For instance, the National Hockey League 2019–2020 uses a hybrid system with both sensor tracking and optical tracking, which relies on cameras around the rink. The sensors give X-Y-Z coordinates for the players, and the X-Y and X-Y-Z coordinates can be added with the optical system body positioning and limb recognition to arrive at the complete data.

Additionally, the player tracking system provides real-time player tracking solution, which enhances fan viewing through television broadcasts, mobile engagement, and in-stadium. This enabled the fans to view real-time player data and compelling new performance insights. This experience enhances fan connectivity, which, in turn, helps generate revenue for the match organizer.

Furthermore, new techniques for player tracking are expected, which may affect market dynamics. For instance, in April 2019, STATS launched the industry’s first artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision technology, AutoSTATS. It delivered a comprehensive player-tracking data using X/Y coordinates through television broadcast.

However, lack of awareness about the benefits of the technology, coupled with the high equipment cost, is restraining the market growth.

Key Market Trends

Wearable Devices Offers Potential Growth

• Owing to the increasing demand for monitoring and tracking data of players, the number of wearable devices in the sports market is increasing. Consequently, a significant quantity of data related to the players and team is generated, primarily used to gain insights on player performance and fitness variables, such as heartbeats, speed, and acceleration. By incorporating these wearable technologies, player performance during matches, events, practice, and training sessions can be improved, and the team’s strategies and performance statistics can be gathered.
• Therefore, with the data collected through wearables devices, such as shoes and wristbands, it helps coaches plan and observe training, thereby, locating potential development areas. For instance, in September 2019, OrsaSport partnered with the Xampion, which was likely to help coaches at OrsaSport improve players' kick techniques in football.
• Moreover, wearables help in injury prevention. For instance, in January 2019, Impression Healthcare Ltd partnered with Force Impact Technologies Inc. to distribute Force’s clinically-validated smart mouthguard, FiTGuard, which helps in detecting athlete head impact in sports.
• Additionally, the increasing number of sports leagues, such as Indian Premier League or Hockey League, is attracting global players and fans to the region. Furthermore, Japan is hosting Olympics 2020. Thus, the use of wearable player tracking technology among the team, to gain a competitive advantage, may provide a huge opportunity for the market during the forecast period.
• Therefore, the factors mentioned above have a positive impact on the market, hence helping in market growth across the world.

North America is Expected to Occupy Significant Market Share

• North America is home to numerous sports, such as soccer, rugby, hockey, basketball, baseball, and various sports leagues. American football is one of the most popular sports in the United States. This sport attracts millions of people from across American society, whether its high school football, college sports, or professional football. Additionally, basketball is one of the most popular sports in the United States after football and baseball.
• The United States is expected to lead market growth in the region, owing to the growing adoption of player-tracking solutions and services by the country's sports industry.
• Prominent vendors, such as Zebra Technologies Corporation, ChyronHego Corporation, and STATS Perform, are headquartered in the country, contributing to the growth of the market. The associations, such as National Football League (NFL), National Basketball League (NBL), and National Hockey League (NHL), are spending heavily on the robust player tracking systems to analyze and track player performance and health. These associations partner with vendors in the market studied for player tracking solutions and services, thereby, driving the market growth. Additionally, it helps associations and team management in tracking fraudulent activities during the game.
• For instance, in February 2019, STATS Perform, the vendor in sports data and intelligence, and the Orlando Magic, a basketball team, announced a deal that secures the Magic as the only NBA team with access to AutoSTATS, a new AI technology. The Magic would use tracking data produced by AutoSTATS to analyze collegiate players and enhance evaluation and decisions for the NBA draft.
• AutoSTATS provides comprehensive player-tracking data directly from video through patented AI and computer vision technology. This new technology gives the Magic exclusive access to the college tracking data currently unavailable at this scale, owing to the limited use of in-venue tracking systems. Orlando Magic is one of the first NBA teams to leverage AutoSTATS and AI-powered player-tracking technology for scalable applications.

Competitive Landscape

The player tracking market is competitive in nature, and competition among the players is increasing as many sports organizations realize the importance of the player tracking market. Some of the significant players in the market are Zebra Technologies, Catapult Sports, STATSports Group Limited, and ChyronHego. Product launches, high expense on R&D, partnerships, and acquisitions are the prime growth strategies adopted by these companies to sustain the intense competition. Few recent developments are:

• September 2019 - STATS LLC partnered with Stade Rennais FC (SRFC) to provide Edge Analysis, a football match preparation tool. With this, Stade Rennais can use Edge’s AI-based features to objectively analyze team performance by comparing playing styles of teams and individuals and conducting game-changing set play analysis, while instantly linking data with video to accelerate the match preparation process.
• August 2019 - JOHAN Sports partnered with Royal Orée Hockey. Furthermore, the Belgium Hockey Club started using the JOHAN Sports GPS system. The Royal Oreé hockey has been playing in the highest league of hockey in Belgium since 2012, and partnering with them helps in enhancing the brand visibility of JOHAN Sports.

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