EQS-News: SPORTTOTALs Star-Studded Investor Group Grows with Addition of Jerry Kent

SPORTTOTALs Star-Studded Investor Group Grows with Addition of Jerry Kent

Cologne, Germany, 28 June 2023 SPORTTOTAL AG, a leader in using artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver automated live sports streaming, is adding another titan to its group of investors this time from the world of business. Jerry Kent, a trailblazer in the telecommunications and technology industries, is joining sporting legends Dirk Nowitzki and Jürgen Klopp as a high-profile investor in the German firm.

Kent currently serves as the Chairman and CEO of a pair of St. Louis companies CEQUEL III, an investment and management company in the technology sector, and TierPoint, a leading provider of secure, connected IT platform solutions. His storied career includes building Suddenlink Communications into the seventh-largest U.S. cable company before selling it for an enterprise value of $9.1 billion. He also co-founded Charter Communications and grew it into the nations fourth largest cable company at the time. When the company went public, it was, at the time, the third-largest IPO in U.S. history. Kent is a member of the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, as well as The Cable Center Hall of Fame. He is also an owner of the St. Louis Blues.

Kents relationship with SPORTOTAL extends beyond his investment. STAIDIUM, SPORTTOTALs U.S. subsidiary, leverages TierPoint data center facilities to manage its central operations. TierPoint also hosts the server infrastructure that STAIDIUM uses to manage and back-up its streams across the U.S. 

"Im excited to join a leader in the deployment of artificial intelligence technology, particularly its unique positioning in delivering sporting events through streaming platforms," Kent said. "The introduction of this technology into the U.S. will revolutionize and broaden the delivery of sports content for all Americans."

Kents investment is one of the strongest votes of confidence yet in SPORTTOTAL, which like most of Kents business history, operates at the intersection of telecommunications, media and technology. SPORTTOTALs self-developed and fully-automated cameras employ AI-powered software to follow the action from a sporting event, stream video, and add graphic packages and statistical overlays all without manual oversight. SPORTTOTALs technology also provides coaches and scouts with real-time statistics and state-of-the-art analytics, as well as highlight clips of each game and player edited together using artificial intelligence. These tools have been adopted widely across Europe, and are now being used in the U.S. and Asia as well. 

About SPORTTOTAL AG:
SPORTTOTAL AG (ISIN: DE000A1EMG56), headquartered in Cologne (Germany), is a technology and media company on a growth path in the rapidly scalable digital business with streaming platforms, in the high-margin international project business, as well as in the live events business. The company, which was founded in 1979, operates a high-traffic portal through sporttotal.tv, with strong growth for online sport videos and live streaming. The company equips sports clubs with self-developed camera technology which enables sports events to be transmitted live in a high quality and fully automatically on sporttotal.tv. SPORTTOTAL AGs service portfolio also comprises the technical equipping of racing circuits and sports facilities, as well as the production and marketing of sports events such as the ADAC TOTAL 24-Hour Race at the Nürburgring. In addition, SPORTTOTAL AG operates with its Deutsche Telekom-powered Mediahouse "FORTY10" linear TV channels and just successfully broadcasted the FIFA World Cup for MagentaTV.