Datasport.it meets needs of Italian sports content creators

Italy, and Milan in particular, continue to become a hub for sports-related technology and media companies. And one of particular interest throughout the country is Datasport, a company that can best be defined as a multimedia and cross-platform laboratory centered on Italian live sport.

“We are operating a complete sports service, including results, charts, agenda, pictures, and all the rest that can be useful for sports on TV and paper, mainly for soccer but also for many other sports,” says Sergio Chiesa, CEO of Datasport. “And whenever required, we can supply picture captures, titles generation, and also deeper info and in-depth analysis on needed topics, including archiving, retrieval, and database management.

Chiesa says video material is exclusively for the Web, with digital SLRs like the Canon 5D and the Nikon D800 used to capture content in a “street journalism” style.

“We edit on Avid Media Composer and manage the assets using Avid with some proprietary Linux software that was created for the Web sites,” he says. Content can be seen at www.datasport.it.

The business opportunity for Datasport is that they help third-party Web sites have relevant content and statistics that they otherwise would not have because Internet-related content can still not produce enough revenue to offset costs if done individually. The typical Datasport customer is a network like RAI Sport, and Datasport is currently taking part in a public tender to be a supplier for all of the sports results, charts, and profiles of football players and matches. Other users include “il sole24ore,” the Sport on Mediaset, Bergamo TV, and more.

In other words, Datasport has passed on from an initial “multimedia dimension” to a multi-platform offer derived from the same specialised (sports or shows) content.

The editorial office is in Milan and is definitely very Internet-centric, and, with the help of a number of Internet widgets, the company’s content can be pushed out a number of other Italian sport-centric portals and Web sites.

Soccer takes up about 80% of the resources, with the remaining 20% of resources focused on motor sports and others. A major focus is on the official press conferences and interviews that are part of all of the relevant sports events.

What’s next for the company? Develop more specific news services for their current roster of clients but also generate content that is delivered directly to the consumer.