SMT

About SMT

What if you could see the unseen in sports? The speed of a tennis serve, the exact location of a first down, the real-time score overlaid on your screen. In 1988, Gerard J. Hall saw this future. He developed a system to bring real-time scoring from the PGA Tour directly to television broadcasts, replacing the old walkie-talkie methods. This innovation was the seed for what would become SMT, or SportsMEDIA Technology, which he formally incorporated in 1990. SMT's early days were marked by a key partnership. The company signed a four-year exclusive deal with ESPN to provide its TV graphics interface for a multitude of live sports. This collaboration led to now-commonplace on-screen elements, including the first live-updating, constant graphic in sports television history for NASCAR broadcasts, and the "Fox Box" scorebug for NFL games. The business was simple: provide the technology that allows broadcasters to tell a better, more data-rich story. A pivotal moment in SMT's journey came through strategic growth. In 2012, the company acquired Information and Display Systems (IDS), a major player in live-event scoring for prestigious events like Wimbledon and the Olympics. This move doubled the size of SMT. Four years later, another significant acquisition followed when SMT bought its rival, Sportvision. This deal brought iconic innovations like the virtual yellow 1st & Ten line in football and baseball's PITCHf/x strike zone tracking under the SMT banner, solidifying its position as an industry leader in sports technology.