Urban Edge Network Continues Breaking New Ground Forming A Strategic Alliance With Stats Perform

The rapidly growing digital streaming service's partnership will be groundbreaking for HBCU football.

UEN - STATS PERFORM PARTNERSHIP /

One of the challenges of covering HBCU football games has been finding current and historical team and player statistics from the SWAC, MEAC, CIAA, and SIAC. Media and football fans often jump from one webpage to another, opening multiple media guides or past news reports to find information. This will change.

Today's groundbreaking announcement of the new partnership between Urban Edge Network and Stats Perform will excite HBCU football game viewers and media professionals. Stats Perform will provide comprehensive statistical data to be streamed during each UEN football broadcast through the HBCU Plus app and its affiliate platforms and sites.

"The partnership places the power back in the hands of HBCUs and their fans," Hardy Pelt told HBCU Legends.  

Dec 16, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of Grambling State Tigers helmet on the sideline before a game against the North Carolina A&T Aggies in the 2017 Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

HBCU football enthusiasts desire data. Whether in a new report or on-screen during live broadcasts, the UEN-Stats Perform partnership aims to aid in comprehensive quantitative analysis.

"Stats Perform brings us a unique blend of long-term pedigree and cutting-edge sports data and AI that is proven both to grow fans and unlock new monetization opportunities. It was the first name mentioned by every sports broadcast exec I spoke to. Stats Perform also brings a genuine commitment to raising the profile of college athletes through its extensive FCS coverage and initiatives.  We couldn't have hoped for a better fit as we strive to hit new heights of audience and revenue growth for our platforms and partners, Pelt said."

The partnership is designed to further elevate the visibility and celebrate the achievements of HBCU teams and athletes. It will create attractive new options for sponsors and advertisers to associate their brands with HBCU athletes' sporting stories, including our extensive FCS media channels like X, Instagram, Facebook, and other initiatives.

"Urban Edge Network is known as a trailblazer in the sports broadcast industry," Steve Xeller, Chief Revenue Officer at Stats Perform, noted. "We're very proud that our deep and broad sports data services and FCS platforms meet their needs, both to enrich their coverage and provide new monetization opportunities, as well to expand awareness of the fantastic achievements of the HBCU teams and athletes.  Our missions align closely and it's an honor to be selected as their partner."

Florida A&M University head football coach James Colzie III poses in the locker room with the championship trophies. / Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA

URBAN EDGE NETWORK CONTINUES IN BREAKING NEW GROUND

The company is developing new streaming channels for HBCU fans to support and engage with daily via the HBCU Plus app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV, iOS, and Android.

Pelt is proud of UEN's joint venture with Stats Perform and views it as another pioneering effort for the growing digital streaming platform. "We outperformed the NBA G League Texas Legends' expectations earlier this year as UEN provided a first-class streaming experience for the team's fans. We aim for HBCUs to understand their worth and take control of their content."

Each week in 2024, UEN and Stats Perform will assemble a group of HBCU media professionals to announce the HBCU football teams of the week and month. At the end of the year, UEN and Stats Perform will recognize several HBCU players, coaches, teams, media, ad agencies, and more.   

ABOUT URBAN EDGE NETWORK

UEN is a Black-owned media company dedicated to raising the profile of athletes, students, and stories from HBCUs and their surrounding communities while providing the institutions with new commercial opportunities.

The company is known for its popular streaming platform, HBCU Plus, which offers 24/7 access to live and on-demand HBCU sports events, original sports shows, curated films, podcasts, and more. The HBCU Plus app is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV, iOS, and Android.

UEN's direct-to-consumer platforms will also benefit from integrating our captivating live Opta sports data and incisive, expert research.

UEN will also launch a new show on HBCU+ that celebrates HBCU athlete achievements weekly and culminates in a new high-profile award at our end-of-season National FCS Awards Show.

ABOUT STATS PERFORM

Our sports data and research are a mainstay at sports broadcasters, publishers, apps, professional clubs, colleges, and federations across the U.S. and the globe.  It also operates a range of media platforms covering FCS College Football which can be primarily found via www.TheAnalyst.com.  We were recently nominated for the Best College Sports Partnership at the 2024 Hashtag Sports Awards in New York for our FCS initiatives with commercial partner FedEx Ground.