LONDON/TULSA, Oklahoma – 2 July 2024 – Urban Edge Network (UEN) today announced a comprehensive partnership with premium sports data and AI leader Stats Perform.
The endeavor aims to enhance UEN’s coverage of athletes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across its streaming channels and media platforms.
UEN is a Black-owned media company dedicated to raising the profile of athletes, students and stories from HBCUs and their surrounding communities, whilst also providing the institutions with new commercial opportunities.
The company is known for its popular streaming platform, HBCU Plus, which offers 24/7 access to live and on-demand HBCU sports events, original sports shows, curated films, podcasts, and more. The HBCU Plus app is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV, iOS and Android.
UEN’s partnership with Stats Perform is designed to further elevate the visibility and celebrate the achievements of teams and athletes at HBCUs.
It will create attractive new options for sponsors and advertisers to associate their brands with HBCU athletes’ sporting stories, including across Stats Perform’s extensive FCS media channels and initiatives.
UEN’s direct-to-consumer platforms will also benefit from the integration of Stats Perform’s captivating live Opta sports data and incisive, expert research.
UEN will also launch a new show on HBCU+ that celebrates HBCU athlete achievements weekly and culminates in a new high-profile award at Stats Perform’s end-of-season National FCS Awards Show.
Hardy L. Pelt, Founding Member and Chief Revenue Officer at UEN said “Stats Perform brings us a unique blend of long-term pedigree and cutting-edge sports data and AI that is proven both to grow fans and unlock new monetization opportunities. It was the first name mentioned by every sports broadcast exec I spoke to. Stats Perform also brings a genuine commitment to raising the profile of college athletes through its extensive FCS coverage and initiatives. We couldn’t have hoped for a better fit as we strive to hit new heights of audience and revenue growth for our platforms and partners.”
Steve Xeller, Chief Revenue Officer at Stats Perform said “Urban Edge Network is known as a trailblazer in the sports broadcast industry. We’re very proud that our deep and broad sports data services and FCS platforms meet their needs, both to enrich their coverage and provide new monetization opportunities, as well to expand awareness of the fantastic achievements of the HBCU teams and athletes. Our missions align closely and it’s an honor to be selected as their partner.”
Stats Perform’s sports data and research is a mainstay at sports broadcasters, publishers, apps, professional clubs, colleges, and federations across the U.S. and the globe. It also operates a range of media platforms covering FCS College Football which can be primarily found via www.TheAnalyst.com. The company and its commercial partner FedEx Ground were recently nominated for Best College Sports Partnership for their FCS initiatives at the 2024 Hashtag Sports Awards in New York.