TeamSnap is making another move to capitalize on what CEO Peter Frintzilas believes is a $10B youth sports streaming market.
The youth sports management platform will add live streaming capabilities to its TeamSnap ONE app through a new partnership with XBotGo, an AI-powered camera provider that offers 4K video.
Users will still be able to stream using iPhones and other cameras. But the tie-up with XBotGo and its Falcon camera will allow camera control, live video and one-tap highlights for consumers looking for a higher-quality product — with all new features integrated into the app.
TeamSnap’s registration and roster data will automatically sync with the camera, which has AI physical tracking— this means true 4K footage as the camera pans rather than just crops to follow the ball or the player.
“We believe that optionality is absolutely core,” Frintzilas told Buying Sandlot. “We are building TeamSnap One under that moniker of one platform, everything's integrated. We didn't want to introduce multiple solutions here.”
The Falcon and a tripod retail for $800. XBotGo founder David Tan said all tech exists on the camera and only one is needed to access all features. XBotGo also expects to lower its prices over time, Tan said.
We got an early look at the Falcon in January:
Frintzilas said TeamSnap’s core focus remains the long-tail of participation with ages 4-14. TeamSnap is rolling out TeamSnap ONE to organizations based on seasonality and competitive downtimes.
“We don't want to make the switch mid-season,” Frintzilas said. “It's not going to be great experience for the organizations. It's not going to be great experience for the parents.”
The full interview with Pete and David will post today.
It’s becoming clear to me that a winning middle-ground exists in the Streaming Wars™, at least when it comes to hardware: prosumer-grade cameras that are better than a standalone iPhone but a fraction of the cost of top-of-market fixed installs and AI tracking systems.
David explained to me the balance between quality and costs:
“If we want to achieve high performance, we can easily just add up Qualcomm's chipset or Nvidia’s chipset, but that's going to dramatically increase the cost. And on the other hand, if we continuously use some low-end AI chipset, that's going to limit the product performance. We are trying a very subtle balance or trade off between cost and performance.”
Significant demand exists for video highlights at the bottom of the pyramid, where the most cutting edge tech probably isn’t necessary for most use-cases.
Ergo, TeamSnap and XbotGo aren’t alone here. GameChanger has struck partnerships with everyone from Pixellot (higher end) to GoPro (consumer level). BallerTV is super bullish on its BallerCam— which up-levels your iPhone with a zoom lens, fan, and AI panning. And then you have Trace and Veo.
But since the real challenge may be adoption, it’s these hardware + platform partnerships that have the best shot of succeeding by educating the long-tail of leagues, clubs, and parents as to what’s available.
Follow on LinkedIn: Kyle Scott, James Kratch, Kyle Pagan