SportVU is an automated ID and tracking technology that has the ability to collect positioning data of the ball, players and referees during a game. SportVu, which is founded in Israel in 2005, was acquired by STATS LLC in 2008 December.
SportVU tells us defensively and offensive alignment relative to ball location shot trajectory and the number of dribbles and passes made by a team and player.
Players, referees, and the ball with an exact location in x,y coordinates are tracked. 25 times a second, software analyzes the video, and stores information about where everyone is and what is occurring. 1,000,000 entries per game are added to databases. Without having to chart and track a game by hand and eye, player position and defender proximity to a player are now available. In other words, the defense is more quantifiable with what SportVu brings to the table. In the near future, Sportvu could allow coaches to make real-time in-game adjustments to their play calling and could allow the broadcasters to use the same graphics and analysis that now is available only after the game. NBA also plans to automate some of the calls now made by human referees and scorekeepers.
Competition with the Second Spectrum has forced SportVu to focus on soccer, and currently being used by popular European soccer teams, FIFA, and UEFA.
SportVu's NBA History
SportVu was made available at every NBA arena between 2013-2014 and 2016-2017 seasons.In 2017, the NBA switched to another video tracking technology provider, Second Spectrum. The first five teams to have SportVu cameras in the 2010-11 season were Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Golden State.
Starting from 2013-14 season, all 30 teams have installed SportVu cameras thanks to the NBA & Stats LLC partnership. Here’s an article on how the Raptors use SportVu technology.