Hopscotch Signs 30 Sports Teams in Less than Six Months

LOS ANGELES and BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile World Congress – Hopscotch, a mobile-platform leader for sports and live events, today announced exponential growth, signing 30 sports teams as clients in half a year and raising $6.5 million in funding to date. The company's rapid penetration of the sports market earned it a speaking slot on the only sports-focused panel at Mobile World Congress 2016, alongside speakers from the NBA, ESPN and Orange.

According to a 2014 Stanford Business article, more than 70 percent of fans bring mobile devices to games and expect to be able to use them. This change in fan behavior has created a new market for fan-engagement apps. Hopscotch technology enables teams to rapidly deploy, manage and monetize apps.

"The Philippines is the selfie capital of the world, and basketball isn't just a sport, it's a religion," said Chot Reyes, head of Media5 and a five-time Philippine Basketball Association Coach of the Year. "We turned to Hopscotch to create a mobile experience that's more personal and interactive than just watching the game on TV. We want the selfie-taking superfan to feel like they're part of the team."

TV5, the official exclusive broadcaster of the PBA, used the Hopscotch mobile platform to launch its 2015 PBA Finals app. TV5 recently commissioned Hopscotch to create 12 more apps, one for each PBA team.

Hopscotch has signed more than 30 sports teams as clients in the last six months. Its mobile platform allows sports teams to feed all social channels, team stats, ticketing workflows, e-commerce opportunities, loyalty programs and chatter into one fan-friendly destination. The company's ad network also provides a way for teams and brands to monetize loyal, engaged fans.

"Many sports venues have focused recently on improving Internet connectivity. Now teams realize that they also need to improve fan connectivity," said Laurence Sotsky, CEO, Hopscotch. "They need to keep phone-addicted fans interested and engaged, at the game and beyond. Hopscotch helps teams quickly, easily and constantly stay connected to their fans."

Hopscotch at Mobile World Congress
The session, "Stadiums: Enhancing the Fan Experience," is Tuesday, 23 Feb., 16:45 – 17:45 in Hall 4, Auditorium 5. The session hashtag is #MWCSDM.

Sotsky and Reyes will join panelists from the NBA, ESPN, Cisco, EE, Orange and Telstra. They will explore the evolution of stadiums as the ultimate incarnation of some of the most innovative consumer mobile experiences.

About Hopscotch
Hopscotch (GoHopscotch.com) is a leader in mobile-platform technology that makes it easy for sports teams and event organizers to build scalable, affordable mobile apps. The Hopscotch platform combines a feature-rich content-management system with an open-API architecture, aggregating a variety of mobile technologies into a single fan-engagement destination. Hopscotch customers include more than 30 sports teams, as well as marquee live events such as New York Fashion Week (Sep 2015), Taste of London and Winter Wonderland.

SOURCE Hopscotch