PSA Broadens British Open Production, Trials Biometric Data Integration

Enhancing production value for niche sports like squash can attract broader audiences and improve content offerings for rights holders. The introduction of advanced camera techniques and pre-shows provides richer narrative opportunities beyond core match coverage. Biometric data integration, if successful, could offer viewers deeper insights into athlete performance and the sport's physical demands, setting a precedent for other sports with similar broadcasting challenges. Success hinges on athlete cooperation and effective data visualization to translate physiological metrics into compelling broadcast elements.

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has had a longstanding relationship with Sports Data Labs (SD Labs) concerning biometric data integration. In 2018, the PSA and SD Labs pioneered making in-game physiological data available for commercialization, with players wearing chest sensors to track heart rate (Sports Business Journal, January 2018). This partnership expanded over time, leading to the PSA increasing its equity stake in SD Labs through its commercial arm, Squash Media & Marketing (PSA Squash Tour, undisclosed date). By October 2018, the PSA announced the first prize money pool for players consenting to commercialization of their in-match physiological data, totaling $100,000 for the 2018-19 season (PSA World Tour, October 2018). This revenue-sharing model aimed to align player interests with the tour's goal of using data to create new narratives and commercial opportunities. The PSA has highlighted that early biometric data captured, showing player heart rates regularly exceeding 190 bpm, helped quantify the sport's high physical demands (PSA Squash Tour, undisclosed date).