LFP Names Satellite Information Services as Official Data Partner

The Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP) has signed a official data partner deal with UK company Satellite Information Services (SIS). 

Under the official data partner deal, SIS has been appointed as LFP’s official partner to collect and exclusively distribute live match data to the betting industry from more than 2,500 matches per season in Liga BBVA, Liga Adelante, Segunda Division B, the Copa del Rey and Supercopa. 

The new data strategy is one of a number of recent ground breaking initiatives designed to support the LFP’s goal to be the world’s most successful football league. 

The Couchmans team, who brokered the deal, worked with LFP to create and devise the strategy for a new package of  data rights. It also conducted an independent tender process, drafted new rules and regulations and negotiated the final contracts between the parties. 

Couchmans has also advised LFP on a number of related areas including betting integrity, use of data in media/editorial markets (including the LFP’s professional coaching system), venue regulations, ticket conditions and other commercial contracts. 

Steven Burton, Head of Sports Data & Betting at Couchmans LLP, said: “It was particularly pleasing that the LFP involved us from an early stage to help devise and deliver their data strategy. This deal demonstrates our ability to provide a unique combination of industry expertise and technical legal services to open up new, long-term revenue streams for international sports leagues and federations. This is an exciting period of international development and growth for both LFP and Couchmans.” 

Javier Tebas, President of LFP said: “We have been impressed by the expertise and professionalism of the Couchmans team which has enabled  LFP  to  protect  and  commercially  exploit  its Official  Data  and  develop  betting  integrity measures in line with the top sports organisations worldwide.”

Two Days to Go Until First Ever Middle East iSportconnect Directors Club

The first ever Middle East iSportconnect Directors Club will take place on 29th May 2014 at Towers Rotana Hotel in Dubai, pills UAE.

Key stakeholders in the sport business industry will gather together at the Directors Club to discuss trends and challenges the region faces in a closed door meeting.  The discussions are important to help accelerate growth in the industry, capsule | through driving important milestones and helping to shape the future of sport business in the Middle East.

Speakers include;
Dr Ahmad Al Sharif, story Secretary General, Dubai Sports Council
Dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Vice President, FIA, President, ATC UAE
Giselle Pettyfer, Vice Chairman, Falcon and Associates
Basam Saydi Saydi, Area Marketing Director, Red Bull
Nick Taratt, Director – International, PGA European Tour
Rashid Al Kamali, Sport Event Manager, Dubai Sports Council
Azat Muradov, Secretary General, Turkmenistan National Olympic Committee
Panel Moderator:
Michael Cunnah, Chairman, iSportconnect

Directors have confirmed their participation from a number of rights holders and sponsors in the region. 

Organisations attending include;
Du
Pepsi
Expo 2020
International Cricket Council
Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management
DTCM
Clipper Events
Emirates NBD
UAE Football Association
Dubai Duty Free
UAE Athletics Association
Daman
Jordan Olympic Committee
Standard Chartered
Pro League Committee
Dubai Marathon
Falcon and Associates
And many more…

The Directors Clubs are meetings to make a difference in the sport business industry in the region and drive discussion and debate on some of the biggest questions facing our industry.

CONTACT

If you would like to find out more on the Middle East Directors Clubs, please contact us:
Sally Corander at sally@interact-events.com 
Matthias Moulin at Matthias.moulin@isportconnect.com 

{jcomments on}

Future US Selected by UFC to Oversee Official Magazine

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) have today selected Future US, a leading digital media group, to oversee its UFC 360, the official magazine of the UFC. 

Through the partnership, Future US will publish the UFC 360 Magazine in the US, UK and Australia; as well as the worldwide digital property.  The first Future US managed issue will launch in April (#28), which will hit stands on April 1, 2014.

“Teaming up with Future US is a great step in making UFC 360 a multi-platform magazine that will engage the most passionate UFC fans worldwide,” said Craig Borsari, EVP of Operations & Production for UFC.  “UFC 360 has a stellar editorial team and by combining fight coverage with a new look and enhanced digital capabilities, Future US is bringing out the best in what we have to offer to a wider audience.”

The updated UFC 360 Magazine will have improved distribution and a special optimized design for newsstands.  The new digital property will be migrated to FutureFolio, Future US’s fully interactive content platform specifically designed for tablets and smartphones.  UFC 360’s talented and seasoned editorial team will remain the same under the leadership of Editor-in-ChiefSeth Kelly.

“We’re thrilled to add UFC 360 to Future’s portfolio of media properties,” said Rachelle Considine, President, Future US.  “The UFC has a tremendously active and loyal community of fans who are always looking for new and engaging information on the sport.  We pride ourselves in producing and delivering innovative content that people care about.  We are excited to do so with such an amazing brand like the UFC.”

John Force Racing Hires JMI to Create Sponsorship Opportunities

John Force Racing has announced Just Marketing International (JMI) as its strategic partner to help facilitate his pursuit of sponsorship opportunities.

“I have been at a crossroads a few times in my career, ambulance ” CEO John Force said. “In the early days, prostate I was in the Midwest, pills broke, planning to give up my dream of racing when an opportunity to match race materialized. In 2007, I was at a crossroads when we lost Eric Medlen and when I crashed six months later. Doctors told me I would be lucky to walk again, but I came back in 2010 and won my 15th NHRA Funny Car championship.

“Now I am at a new crossroads as I look for new primary sponsors for the first time in 25 years. I might have to start selling products to the competition, something I never thought I would do, if I don’t find another manufacturer,” acknowledged the 2012 inductee into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. “I have never been on the open market, and I feel like hiring JMI gives me the best chance to continue to grow my company. I have great partners in Auto Club, Traxxas, Mac Tools, and Freightliner, but this is an expensive sport, and to be the best, you need funding.

“One thing I want to make clear moving forward: We have great partners through 2014, and we will be racing for more championships for them,” said Force. “Castrol and Ford deserve to have our full focus until the end of 2014, so we do not intend to discuss any major sponsorship developments until after the 2014 season.”

JMI is the world’s largest motorsports marketing agency, harnessing the marketing power of motorsports to create business solutions for some of the world’s most successful corporations and brands.

“John Force is a drag racing icon, and we’re honored to represent his legendary organization,” said Jon Flack, COO and president, Americas, JMI. “This partnership is exciting for our business and a great fit because we both eat, sleep, and breathe racing. We understand the challenges and opportunities in motorsports and have a great responsibility as the team works towards the future.”

Through the multiyear agreement, JMI will work with the JFR marketing team to find primary sponsorship for Force, Pro drag racing’s winningest driver, and his daughter Brittany Force.

Cricket Australia Launches New Advertising Campaign for Ashes Series

Cricket Australia has launched its new advertising campaign today ‘The Rivalry That Unites Aus’ to promote the 2013/14 Commonwealth Bank Ashes Series this summer.

The campaign highlights the intense rivalry between Australia and England and features former Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Aussie rock icon Jimmy Barnes on the edge of their seats as they cheer on Australian captain Michael Clarke going into bat for our nation.

As a keen follower of Australian cricket Mr Barnes said he was honoured to be involved in promoting the 2013-14 Commonwealth Bank Ashes Series which will transfix the nation this summer.

“The Ashes is a battle that almost all Australians, including myself, are passionate about. I love what it brings out in every player and every fan,” Barnes said.

“It’s not just about the winning, it’s more about the courage and determination the players show and what that makes the country feel. It’s about giving everything you have to be a part of something that brings us all together.”

Developed by GPYR, the commercial brings to life the notion that The Ashes is more than a game of cricket, it’s the epitome of world’s greatest sporting rivalry with the unique ability to unite the nation.

Cricket Australia Senior Manager – Marketing, Julian Dunne said the advertising campaign highlights the rivalry and tension that exists amongst the players and fans in an Ashes year and was delighted with the result.

“Cricket is the number one sport in Australia for passion and we wanted the campaign to capture the intense passion, rivalry and anticipation that only an Ashes Series can deliver,” Dunne said.

GPYR Senior Copywriter, Evan Roberts said he hoped the ad would encourage more Australians to get behind the Australian Cricket team as they battle it out for the urn.

“This Ashes campaign is all about the rivalry that exists between Australia and England. The rivalry is bigger than just a game of cricket, wanting to beat the English is part of who we are as a nation. Our hope is that this ad will encourage more Aussies yelling support over the fence, at their TVs and radios this summer,” Roberts said.

{jcomments on}

Kingsbarns Golf Links to Host Final Qualifying for 2013 Women’s British Open

Kingsbarns Golf Links has been selected to host the Final Qualifying for the 2013 Ricoh Women’s British Open on Monday, check 29th July 2013, ahead of the Championship proper which will be played for the second time over the Old Course, St Andrews, 1st – 4th August.

Kingsbarns Golf Links is ranked amongst the top 100 courses in the world and, located just seven miles from the Old Course, provides the perfect stage for the curtain raiser to the 2013 Championship where the world’s best women will seek to show their links skills in the most famous corner of the golfing world.

Alan Hogg, Chief Executive of Kingsbarns Golf Links explained: “We are delighted that the LGU and IMG have selected us to host Final Qualifying for one of the world’s leading professional tournaments. Not only are we excited to play such an important part in the 2013 Ricoh Women’s British Open we are delighted to be supporting the Ladies Golf Union and women’s golf. We hope this will showcase the magnificent facilities we have here at Kingsbarns and very much hope it is an association that we can develop in the coming years as we look to build our Championship portfolio.”

Shona Malcolm, Ladies’ Golf Union’s CEO, added: “The Championship Committee is very happy to be adding Kingsbarns Golf Links to the rotation of prestigious clubs who host Final Qualifying for the Ricoh Women’s British Open Championship. We know Kingsbarns will be a popular choice among the players and spectators and we very much look forward to seeing which players will conquer the challenges offered by this magnificent links course and claim the qualifying places available.”

The Ricoh Women’s British Open was founded by the LGU in 1976 and is staged in conjunction with IMG, the world’s largest sports marketing company. The event has been co-sanctioned by the LPGA and LET since 1994 and gained Major status in 2001.

Exclusive: Yas Marina Circuit Director Discusses Benefits of Social Media

Nick McElwee, the Sales and Marketing Director of the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, has outlined the importance of social media in the motorsport industry.

Speaking exclusively to iSportconnect, McElwee said: “Social media is critical for us. It allows you to stay top of mind cost effectively as well as form deeper more meaningful conversations with our audiences.

“Brands these days need to behave like publishers and we are in the privileged position of being able to generate great content.”

In recent years, many major brands and businesses have utilised social media as a way of extending their reach and engagement with customers, but it is acknowledged by McElwee that the content is as important as the frequency of output, saying: “For us it’s important there’s a story around the content and that we are not just spamming the online space.”

Referring to the Abu Dhabi races, for which one was held last weekend, McElwee said “Different segments prefer different platforms, for example UAE Nationals are particularly active on Twitter. The trick for us is to put great content in the right places at the right time and in the right amount!”

Read Nick McElwee full interview here: http://dev.isportconnect.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15375&catid=52&Itemid=430

Ecclestone Willing to Fund London F1 Grand Prix

F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone has offered to pay for a London Grand Prix according to reports.

According to The Times, billionaire Ecclestone, who has long harboured hopes of holding a race in the capital, is prepared to promote the event. It is reported that the route would pass some of London’s most famous landmarks, including Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square.

The newspaper, who put the cost of staging the grand prix at £35million, claims marketing experts predict that the race could generate at least £100million for the London economy from spectators and tourists.

Ecclestone told The Times: “With the way things are, maybe we would front it and put the money up for it. If we got the okay and everything was fine, I think we could do that…It would be fantastic, good for London, good for England – a lot better than the Olympics.”

“Think what it would do for tourism. It would be fantastic — good for London, good for England — a lot better than the Olympics.”

Ecclestone believes the race would be even more impressive than the Monaco Grand Prix, currently the most famous and glamorous of motor racing’s street circuits.

The event could become the richest race in the road with around 120,000 fans filling the grandstands around the capital’s most famous landmarks along a 3.2 mile route with a potential global TV audience of a billion.

 

Plans for a London Grand Prix are set to be unveiled at the Royal Automobile Club on Pall Mall on Thursday night.

Ecclestone is scheduled to attend, along with F1 stars Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

A four-minute video will highlight the proposed route.

Button and Hamilton are then scheduled to go head to head around the track in a 3D CGI simulator.

Golden State Warriors Heading Back to San Francisco

 

The NBA’s Golden State Warriors have agreed to return to San Francisco, where the franchise’s owners plan to build a privately financed arena on the city’s waterfront, team officials and Mayor Edwin Lee said on Tuesday.
Their joint announcement concluded months of talks about moving the team from aging Oracle Arena in nearby Oakland. The team is due to remain in Oakland until the new arena is completed in time for the 2017-2018 season, according to the club and the mayor’s office.
In San Francisco, where the Warriors played from 1962 to 1971 before moving to Oakland, the team will be in a much larger market and will take a major step toward its owners’ ambitions for raising the franchise’s profile.
Meanwhile, San Francisco will gain a $400 million to $500 million arena that will seat between 17,000 and 19,000 spectators and also serve as an entertainment venue and convention center, the team said.
“We are working with the Warriors to get a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose arena built on the waterfront in San Francisco and completed in 2017,” Lee said in a statement.
The arena will be located on city property near AT&T Park, home of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants, that the Warriors will lease.
The Warriors, headed by co-executive chairmen Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, plan to use and raise their own funds for the arena.
Oakland also risks losing its baseball franchise, the Athletics, who share the city’s O.co Coliseum with the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders.
The owners of the Oakland Athletics have been lobbying Major League Baseball for several years for permission to move the team to San Jose, California’s third-largest city, where they would build a new baseball park.

The NBA’s Golden State Warriors have agreed to return to San Francisco in 2017, where the franchise’s owners plan to build a privately financed arena on the city’s waterfront, team officials and Mayor Edwin Lee said on Tuesday.

Their joint announcement concluded months of talks about moving the team from aging Oracle Arena in nearby Oakland. The team is due to remain in Oakland until the new arena is completed in time for the 2017-2018 season, according to the club and the mayor’s office.In San Francisco, where the Warriors played from 1962 to 1971 before moving to Oakland, the team will be in a much larger market and will take a major step toward its owners’ ambitions for raising the franchise’s profile.

Meanwhile, San Francisco will gain a $400 million to $500 million arena that will seat between 17,000 and 19,000 spectators and also serve as an entertainment venue and convention center, the team said.

“We are working with the Warriors to get a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose arena built on the waterfront in San Francisco and completed in 2017,” Lee said in a statement.

The arena will be located on city property near AT&T Park, home of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants, that the Warriors will lease.The Warriors, headed by co-executive chairmen Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, plan to use and raise their own funds for the arena.

Oakland also risks losing its baseball franchise, the Athletics, who share the city’s O.co Coliseum with the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders.The owners of the Oakland Athletics have been lobbying Major League Baseball for several years for permission to move the team to San Jose, California’s third-largest city, where they would build a new baseball park.

 

ECB Lining Up Asia ESPN Deal

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is set to announce a £125m broadcast deal with ESPN to show county games in Asia.

It is reported to be a three- year deal that will commence next year, with the possibility of a further two years.

The previous contract, signed in 2008, was worth around £23m. The ESPN deal will run concurrently with the next Sky broadcasting contract worth approximately £260m.

The ECB is discussing new anti-corruption security measures at live broadcast county matches as part of the deal with ESPN. The measures will include more stringent restrictions on dressing room access and confiscation of players’ mobile phones during matches.

{jcomments on}