LONDON, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The four UK professional football Leagues (Premier League, The Football League, Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League) have appointed Opta as their official media data collection and distribution partner for three seasons commencing with the 2013-14 season.

Opta will use their unique performance analysis technology to supply official football data from the leagues' competitions in real-time and this will be delivered across broadcast and digital channels globally.

This data includes, where appropriate, detailed tactical and positional analysis such as pitch-view graphics incorporating player-touch-maps, heat-maps and full-passing-chalkboards.  These products will provide an unparalleled level of information and insight for the leagues' broadcast partners as well as hundreds of millions of fans throughout the world.

In addition, and for the first time, official partners of the Barclays Premier League, such as Barclays and EA Sports and official partners of The Football League Championship will be able to access and utilise live Opta performance data.

Opta was awarded the rights following a competitive tender process.  Opta CEO Aidan Cooney commented "This is great news for Opta and great news for the fans of the UK leagues. Opta has created and shaped the agenda for the use of data driven analysis and statistics in football in the UK and around the world.  We are delighted to be now working directly with leagues such as the Premier League to expand offerings to its fans and partners."

Richard Masters, Premier League Director of Marketing & Sales, said "The Barclays Premier League recognises the increasing importance of relevant, quality and immediate data to fans, which is why we are investing in a company with a proven track record.  We look forward to working with Opta and are sure their data and analysis will help us significantly improve our digital and broadcast offerings."

Richard Heaselgrave, Chief Commercial Officer of The Football League, said "The modern football fan wants cutting edge live data at their fingertips and Opta have the ability to deliver an outstanding, market leading service.  We look forward to working with Opta and are hugely excited to be introducing live performance data for Championship matches for the very first time."

Opta has revolutionised the world of football data over the past decade and now is the official data partner for the world's most innovative leagues including Bundesliga, Eredivisie and MLS.

SOURCE Opta Sports Data Limited