Infinity Festival adds Sports Tech track for IF26

Infinity Festival will add Sports Tech programming to IF26 in Los Angeles on Nov. 12-13, the first time sports has been a dedicated part of the festival in its nine-year history. The move brings leagues, venues, media, tech and investors into sessions on streaming, fan engagement, analytics, immersive venues and sports-tech venture capital.

Why it matters: - Infinity Festival is broadening beyond entertainment and technology into sports for the first time. - The new track lands as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. - The programming is designed to examine how technology is reshaping sports media, venues, live experiences and fan communities.

What happened: - Infinity Festival announced Sports Tech programming at IF26. - The sports track will be part of the festival's first two days, Thursday, Nov. 12, and Friday, Nov. 13. - IF26 will be held in Los Angeles. - The festival says this is the first time sports has been a dedicated part of its programming in nine years. - The new sessions will feature leaders from FOX One, NFL, NBA, Intuit Dome, Sony Hawk-Eye, Stats Perform, Stathletes, Lumen, Genius Sports, Maestro and XALT. - Venture capital firms investing in sports technology will also take part.

The details: - The agenda will cover direct-to-consumer streaming, fan engagement, sports communities, immersive venues, predictive analytics, human performance and venture investment in emerging sports technologies. - Sessions will look at the changing sports media landscape and the growing role of data in front-office decisions. - The program will also focus on technology built into the next generation of venues and live experiences. - Infinity Festival said the sports expansion fits its broader growth across media and entertainment, AI, gaming, pixels and space, innovators and disruptors, animation and Student Lab, plus the exhibition floor. - This year's theme is CONVERGENCE. - The festival said Sports Tech reflects how technologies once tied to separate industries are increasingly overlapping. - Sponsors for IF26 include NVIDIA, HP, Intel, Leica Geosystems, Digital Realty, Artlist, Cindee, MG and Hollywood Offices. - Additional Sports Tech speakers, session details and the full IF26 program will be announced in the coming weeks. - Passes and more information are available at the festival website.

Between the lines: - The sports add-on gives Infinity Festival a stronger foothold in an area where media, analytics, venues and investment are converging fast. - The Los Angeles setting adds relevance because the city is building toward 2028 and already sits at the center of sports, entertainment and live-event technology. - The inclusion of leagues, tech vendors and investors suggests the festival wants Sports Tech to function as both a business forum and an industry showcase.

What's next: - Infinity Festival will announce more Sports Tech speakers and session details in the coming weeks. - The full IF26 program will follow ahead of the Nov. 12-13 event window.