Sportway Media Group Raises €20M to Scale AI Sports Broadcasting

Swedish AI sports media company Sportway Media Group has raised €20 million in a growth-stage funding round, closing on June 23, 2026, and led by the sports-tech investment platform Gamma Waves (also reported as Gamma Waves Partners). The round values the company at approximately €92 million (SEK 1 billion) post-money and signals a major bet on fully automated, AI-driven live sports production at scale.

Who Led the Round and What Is the Valuation?

The round was led by Gamma Waves (or Gamma Waves Partners), a permanent-capital platform focused on sports technology co-founded by former Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli, retired Juventus star Giorgio Chiellini, and Rocco Benetton. Existing shareholders also participated.

Post-money, Sportway Media Group is valued at €92 million — reported by some outlets as roughly $100 million (€92M) or SEK 1 billion. Slight variations in the dollar equivalent appear across reporting (figures of US$22 million, US$22.7 million, and US$23.2 million are cited), but all confirm the core amount of €20 million.

Founding Story: When Watching Your Own Kids’ Games Sparks an Idea

Sportway was founded in 2017 by serial entrepreneurs Jonas Persson and Daniel Franck. The company’s origin came from a personal pain point: co-founder and CEO Daniel Franck said that when their children started playing sports, the parents realized that if they couldn’t attend a game, there was no way to watch it. That experience drove them to build an AI platform that could automate live sports production and streaming for the sports that broadcasters typically ignore — lower-tier leagues, youth divisions, and grassroots competitions.

Jonas Persson, who serves as chairman, has a long track record in sports-rights entrepreneurship. Prior to Sportway, he founded IEC in Sports in 1994, which grew into a major player in global TV-rights brokerage and was sold twice (for approximately SEK 340 million and SEK 750 million, respectively). Sportway is his return to the intersection of sports and technology, this time via AI-driven streaming and data production.

What Sportway’s AI Platform Actually Does

Sportway’s core product is an end-to-end, fully automated video production platform that uses AI to produce live sports broadcasts without a human camera crew. The system incorporates installed AI-powered camera systems, automated switching, real-time graphics, and data integration.

By the time of the funding round, Sportway had:

• Over 2,200 AI-powered camera systems installed globally
• Production capacity of more than 250,000 live sporting events per year
• Operations across more than 20 countries
• Partnerships with more than 70 sports federations and leagues
• AI camera systems installed in 21 countries

The platform serves clients ranging from youth leagues to national sports federations, and from media companies to individual clubs. It is designed to make sports broadcasting economically viable at a scale that traditional production could never support.

The Technology Stack Behind the Scale: Built Through Acquisition

Sportway has not built its technology entirely from scratch. The company has pursued an aggressive acquisition and integration strategy to assemble its full-stack AI production ecosystem. Key known acquisitions include:

• Sportall (October 2025): A Paris-based direct-to-consumer streaming platform and white-label app provider. The acquisition added DTC and fan-engagement tools to Sportway's offering, and the unit now operates as Sportway France.
• Eyecons (October 2025): A Dutch OTT platform covering both top leagues and grassroots content across football, volleyball, handball, korfball, and water polo. It strengthened Sportway’s position in the Netherlands.
• Studio Automated (April 2026): A Netherlands-based leader in AI-powered live broadcasting software. Sportway acquired it jointly with Broadcast Solutions, creating what the company calls a “glass-to-glass” production ecosystem combining AI, software, hardware, and infrastructure.
• NextGenXV (March 2025): A UK-based production company focused on school and youth sports, acquired as part of Sportway's launch into the UK market (Sportway UK).

These acquisitions — spanning streaming platforms, OTT technology, AI production software, and content production — form the technological foundation of Sportway's fully integrated, scalable live-sports media platform.

Where the €20M Will Go: Growth Strategy

According to the official press release from Sportway, the new capital will be used to accelerate international expansion, product development, and strategic acquisitions. The company’s growth strategy is centered on:

1. Geographic expansion: Entering new markets, with a particular focus on the United States, where Sportway sees a “massive opportunity” given the fragmented landscape of lower-tier and youth sports coverage.
2. Product development: Continuing to advance the AI platform’s automation capabilities, production quality, and data analytics features.
3. Strategic M&A: Following the pattern of recent acquisitions (Sportall, Eyecons, Studio Automated, NextGenXV), the company plans to keep integrating complementary technologies and market positions.

CEO Daniel Franck described the goal as becoming the “world’s leading AI-powered ecosystem for automated sports production, distribution and monetization.”

Key Caveat: Youth Sports Privacy Is Not Publicly Detailed

Given that Sportway’s platform serves youth leagues and school sports, questions about data protection and privacy for minors are relevant. However, Sportway’s public funding announcements and available company materials do not provide a detailed, specific youth-privacy policy or framework.

The company’s corporate privacy policy on its main site is generic and covers standard GDPR compliance (data controller identification, legal bases for processing, user rights, etc.), but it does not outline a specific approach for children’s data within the context of AI-camera systems or automated video production.

For context, standard regulatory guidance — including the UK ICO’s Age Appropriate Design Code and general EU GDPR rules — states that for children under 13, parental consent is required for data processing, geolocation should be off by default, and children’s data should not be shared without a compelling reason in their best interests. Whether Sportway explicitly applies these standards to its camera-installation and streaming operations is not confirmed in the available sources.

This is not evidence of a problem; it simply means that the company has not publicly documented its youth-privacy approach in the coverage examined. Readers should consider that as a potential gap in transparency, especially when the company’s business model relies on filming and streaming children participating in sports.

What the Round Says About the AI Sports Media Market

Sportway’s €20M round — with investors like Gamma Waves (backed by prominent football figures) and an implied subscription-revenue multiple that suggests strong recurring revenue — is a signal that AI-powered automated sports production is attracting meaningful growth-stage capital.

The company’s rapid scaling from a parent’s frustration in 2017 to covering a quarter-million matches annually by 2026 illustrates how AI is reshaping sports broadcasting at every level, not just the professional tier. By automating production, Sportway makes it economically viable for even the smallest youth-league match to be streamed live, archived, and monetized — a capability that was previously out of reach.

As the company pushes into the U.S. market and continues acquiring complementary technology, the next 12–24 months will determine whether it can truly become the category leader in AI-driven sports media.