"Supremely Influential" Opta Analyst Wins Specialist Website of the Year at the Future of Media Awards 2025
12 September 2025 - Sports data and AI leader Stats Perform is proud to announce that Opta Analyst (TheAnalyst.com), its flagship direct-to-consumer (D2C) sports data publication, has been named Journalism-based Website of the Year (Specialist/B2B) at the prestigious global Future of Media Awards 2025.
The awards, run by Press Gazette, celebrate editorial, commercial, and product excellence across the international digital media landscape, recognising platforms that demonstrate innovation, audience engagement, and storytelling excellence. Fellow winners on the night included the Financial Times, The Guardian, The i Paper and the Telegraph.
Stats Perform's Flagship D2C Website
Since its launch in 2021, Opta Analyst has grown into a key platform for bringing Stats Perform's industry-leading Opta sports data and OptaAI initiatives to life, delivering deeper levels of analysis for fans, media, and professionals across the game.
Opta Analyst's output is consumed daily by a global audience of sports enthusiasts, media partners, and decision-makers. Its influence reaches far beyond the site itself, with predictive models, insights, and stats featuring frequently on leading platforms such as BBC Sport, Sky Sports, and The Athletic. It's even cited by Premier League managers in press conferences.
Why Opta Analyst Won
In 2024-25, the site transformed football coverage with its unique combination of deep statistical analysis, predictive modelling, and expert storytelling, all powered by Opta's trusted data. The site launched enhanced advanced stats hubs for metrics such as expected points, player radars, and win probability, alongside powerful interactive tools designed to keep audiences returning. These innovations helped drive more than 200 million social impressions and record-breaking website engagement, cementing Opta Analyst as a go-to source for trusted, data-led football storytelling.
In a statement on the Press Gazette website, the Awards judges noted that Opta Analyst provides:
"Distinctive content you can't get elsewhere and easy to navigate. This title is supremely influential across the world of sport and the best in the business at what it does."
Charles Kaplan, Chief Marketing Officer at Stats Perform, said:
"Opta Analyst is the perfect example of what happens when world-class sports data meets AI, editorial innovation, and a deep understanding of how fans follow professional sports. Our team has created a platform that not only engages millions of fans but also influences the wider conversation across media and the professional game, in multiple sports. This award is a testament to the team's talent, creativity, and ability to turn data into compelling, accessible stories, and it also points to the ability of Opta data to cut through in a crowded sports media landscape."
A Competitive Category
The Journalism-based Website of the Year (Specialist/B2B) award has previously been won by leading titles including Business Insider and Carbon Brief. This year's shortlist showcased a diverse range of specialist publishers, including The Racing Post, with Opta Analyst's victory highlighting the growing importance of data-driven journalism in engaging with modern-day audiences.
About Opta Analyst
Opta Analyst (www.TheAnalyst.com) is the award-winning sports data and analytics publication from Stats Perform, delivering in-depth analysis, predictive insights, and interactive tools to a global audience of fans, journalists, and sports professionals.
Launched in 2021, the site blends Opta data with expert editorial to create unique, engaging, and agenda-setting sports coverage.
