CHARLOTTE, N.C. /PRNewswire/ — Fastbreak.ai is excited to announce the NBA as their latest customer and NBA Equity as a seed round investor as part of a long-term agreement. The NBA will incorporate Fastbreak.ai’s cutting-edge Software-as-a-Service (SAAS) solution into their scheduling process. As part of this agreement the NBA will also leverage Fastbreak.ai for scheduling the WNBA, G League, and the NBA2K League.

“The NBA is excited to collaborate with Fastbreak.ai to integrate state-of-the-art technology solutions into one of sport’s most complex processes – the league schedule,” said Evan Wasch, Executive Vice President of Basketball Strategy & Analytics, NBA. “The partnership reflects our belief in the company and our shared commitment to fostering innovation.”

John Stewart, CEO of Fastbreak.ai, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, “This partnership with the NBA marks a significant step forward in applying advanced technologies to sports scheduling. We are committed to not just redefining the scheduling experience but also simplifying and democratizing the scheduling process. The NBA has always been a leader in innovative technology use, and we are pleased they selected Fastbreak to bring our AI-driven, enterprise innovation to their scheduling.” The NBA joins a growing list of professional and college leagues, that includes the NHL, Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Big East, and Major League Pickleball, utilizing the Fastbreak.ai for league scheduling.

According to Fastbreak Chief Product Officer, Dr. Chris Groer, “Fastbreak.ai’s platform combines decades of experience in scheduling optimization with a powerful user interface to analyze everything from travel to game density to television viewership. The NBA schedule is one of the most complex scheduling puzzles in the world as the league must balance travel, home/away patterns, and competitive fairness across many metrics while also accounting for dynamically changing venue availability and now a new In-Season Tournament. The Fastbreak system allows the user to change and optimize the schedule in near real time, and our schedule visualization tool allows the user to modify and repair the schedule based on nearly any kind of constraint that arises. We are thrilled with our NBA partnership and look forward to bringing our platform to organizations of all sizes, from other professional leagues all the way down to the smallest youth and recreational leagues.”

As part of the partnership, NBA Equity joins Fastbreak.ai’s seed round as a strategic investor. Earlier last year, Fastbreak closed a $5.2 million seed financing round led by Greycroft, with investments from The Charlotte Fund and professional athletes including Greg Olsen, Larry Fitzgerald Jr., Gordon Hayward, Luke Kuechly, Whit Merrifield, Kelvin Beachum, Kurt Kitayama, and Alison Lee.

About Fastbreak.ai

Fastbreak.ai is a leading sports technology company specializing in using advanced optimization research and artificial intelligence solutions for league scheduling. Founded by serial software entrepreneur John Stewart, Dr. Chris Groer, and Dr. Tim Carnes, the Fastbreak.ai scheduling platform specializes in providing advanced solutions tailored to the dynamic needs of the sports industry. Fastbreak.ai’s innovative AI-driven Software as a Service (SAAS) solutions are revolutionizing how sports leagues plan and manage their schedules.

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SOURCE Fastbreak.ai

PURCHASE, N.Y., Dec. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Ahead of the NBA In-Season Tournament semifinals, STARRY® and NBA® 2K24 are dropping a gaming-ready combo at Pizza Hut® that will make it easy for players to snack and game simultaneously.

Starting December 5, when players order the NBA® 2K24 STARRY® combo, which includes the choice of any Pizza Hut Melts® and 20 oz. crisp, clear, refreshing, lemon-lime flavored STARRY, they will score a Locker Code for NBA® 2K24*. Once players redeem their NBA Locker Code in NBA® 2K24, they will have access to in-game apparel and MyPLAYER skill boosts for 10-games. Additionally, players can earn 2X Rep during wear and earn events, purchase apparel in Swags including a denim patch jacket, suit, tie-dye tee, pizza box jersey, and branded jersey, play in a theater event, and earn their own bike with branded embellishments.

“In its first year as the official soft drink of the NBA, fans have seen first-hand that STARRY Hits Different and shows up during basketball’s biggest moments,” said Scott Finlow, CMO of PepsiCo Global Foodservice. “We’re pumped that gamers and basketball fans can level up their meal at Pizza Hut and experience unique in-game offerings with STARRY.”

The NBA® 2K24 STARRY® combo is available at PizzaHut.com or on the Pizza Hut app for $8.49. For more information about the NBA® 2K24 STARRY® combo or to gain access to a Locker Code, in-game apparel, and perks, follow @starrylemonlime and @nba2k on social media.

*NBA® 2K24 Locker Codes are available with online orders of the NBA® 2K24 STARRY® Combo only through February 18th, 2024, while supplies last. Locker Code redemption requires a copy of NBA 2K24 (sold separately) and an NBA 2K Account (must be 13+). NBA 2K Accounts are free. Limit (1) one code per customer a day, with no more than (5) five codes per NBA 2K Account. Locker codes will be delivered within 24 – 48 hours after qualifying purchase via the email connected with the qualifying purchase. Locker Codes must be redeemed by March 31, 2024. Availability, prices, and participation may vary. STARRY® is a registered trademark of Portfolio Concentrate Solutions UC. © 2023 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.

About 2K
Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment for video game consoles, personal computers, and mobile devices, with product availability including physical retail and digital download. The Company is home to many talented development studios, including Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games, 31st Union, Cloud Chamber and HB Studios. 2K’s portfolio currently includes several AAA, sports and entertainment brands, including global powerhouse NBA®️ 2K; renowned BioShock®️, Borderlands®️, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization®️ and XCOM®️ brands; popular WWE®️ 2K and WWE®️ SuperCard franchises; as well as the critically and commercially acclaimed PGA TOUR®️ 2K. Additional information about 2K and its products may be found at 2K.com and on the Company’s official social media channels. 2K is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc..

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $86 billion in net revenue in 2022, driven by a beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.

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About Pizza Hut®
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas and since then has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in innovation with the creation of icons like Original Pan® and Original Stuffed Crust® pizzas. In 1994, Pizza Hut pizza was the very first online food order. Today, Pizza Hut continues leading the way in the digital and technology space with over half of transactions worldwide coming from digital orders. Pizza Hut is committed to providing an easy pizza experience – from order to delivery – and has Hut Rewards®, the Pizza Hut loyalty program that offers points for every dollar spent on food any way you order. Hut Rewards is open to U.S. residents 16+. See applicable terms at https://hutrewards.pizzahut.com/terms/. A global leader in the pizza category, Pizza Hut operates more than 19,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Through its enormous presence, Pizza Hut works to unlock opportunity for its team members and communities around the world. For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. You can remain up to date on what’s happening at Pizza Hut by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and subscribing to our YouTube channel.

SOURCE PepsiCo

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Chicago-based agency will stage 34 games over 51 days, beginning Nov. 10 with the first-ever basketball game at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia

CHICAGO /PRNewswire/ — Intersport tips off its college basketball season this weekend with its first of 10 nationwide events during the 2023-24 schedule. The award-winning agency will stage 34 games in the span of 51 days with distribution on 11 channels over multiple platforms, bringing an elite lineup to basketball fans nationwide.

It all begins on Friday, Nov. 10, when Intersport will help bring the first-ever college basketball event to life at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. Regional men’s programs Radford and Marshall will face off on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET. The matchup launches a long-term partnership between Intersport and the Greenbrier, which is slated to continue in 2024 with an annual multi-team event.

“We have an exciting slate of consequential, non-conference matchups that will shape college basketball this season,” said Mark Starsiak, who has served as Intersport’s vice president of basketball since 2018. “We’re proud of the collaborative relationships we’ve built with premier college programs, coaches, administrators, networks and sponsors through our reputation as a trusted partner and resource for unmatched events. It has allowed Intersport to substantially grow our presence in the college basketball space as an industry leader. Like fans everywhere, we can’t wait to get the season started.”

Intersport’s schedule will be highlighted by:

• Game broadcasts in partnership with three major networks (CBS, FOX and NBC), five leading sports cable channels (ESPN, ESPN2, SEC Network, FS1 and CBS Sports Network) and three streaming partners (ESPN+, Women’s Sports Network and FSWBucs.com)
• Three multi-team events in November: the Arizona Tip-Off, Fort Myers Tip-Off and Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off
• Two Associated Press top-25 women’s programs—No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 23 Illinois—competing at the neutral site Citi Shamrock Classic contest in Washington, D.C.
• No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 11 Tennessee women’s programs going head-to-head in a Thanksgiving Day broadcast on FOX at 6 p.m. ET
• Five neutral site events in December featuring a bevy of top-25 programs, including No. 6 and defending national champion UConn, No. 11 Gonzaga, No. 16 Kentucky, No. 19 North Carolina and No. 21 USC, among others
• Eleven men’s teams and eight women’s teams ranked or receiving votes in the pre-season Associated Press or coaches poll
• Competitions taking place in nine venues across seven states and Washington, D.C.

Nationally recognized brands are aligned with the Intersport basketball portfolio, including title partners Continental Tire, Elevance Health and the National Basketball Retired Players Association as well as Old Trapper Beef Jerky, State Farm, Libman, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Zappos.

Beyond the loaded early season schedule, Intersport will also hold its annual postseason events: the High School Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships and the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships. New this season, Intersport is reintroducing the Women’s College Basketball All-Star Game, which is scheduled to take place in Cleveland on April 6, 2024.

For the latest basketball news and behind-the-scenes access, follow Intersport’s dedicated basketball account (@IntersportHoops) on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter). Additional information about Intersport’s capabilities and events is available on Intersport’s primary social media channels (LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook).

About Intersport:

Intersport is an award-winning agency and leader in the creation of ideas, content and experiences that attract and engage passionate audiences. Its industry-leading team offers expert insights in content marketing, customer engagement, experiential marketing, hospitality, production and sponsorship consulting. The Chicago-based agency also owns and operates events across the professional and collegiate sports landscape, including basketball, football, golf, pickleball and volleyball. Since staging just one early season event in 2019, Intersport has grown its basketball portfolio to manage nine different events during the first two months of the season—all with national broadcast partners. Intersport has been headquartered in Chicago since its inception in 1985, with additional offices in Boston, Detroit and New York. Learn more at www.intersport.global and on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook).

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SOURCE Intersport