From Fortune:

Major League Soccer is launching an incubator program for startups, including several AI companies, to enhance the league’s tech capabilities and possibly showcase cutting-edge products. After evaluating over 500 companies, MLS selected six startups to participate in the program, showing a global effort to bring innovation to North American soccer.

The selected companies will have the opportunity to fine-tune and field-test their products with the possibility of MLS becoming their customer. However, MLS reserves the right to invest in any of the six startups. This initiative reflects the growing interest in tech in the sports industry, with other American sports leagues having launched similar programs in recent years.

The program aims to help startups penetrate the lucrative North American market and collaborate with MLS’s major commercial partners, including Apple, which signed a significant broadcast deal with the league. Furthermore, the league is looking into using startups for AI-powered sports broadcasts, such as AI-operated cameras and tech-assisted translation, for broadcasting games in different languages. The collaborations are expected to provide a new level of sports broadcasting accessibility.



Read more: MLS launches Innovation Lab startup incubator with 6 companies, including AI plays