Anheuser-Busch, adiposity part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, is introducing on Wednesday a new marketing campaign for its Bud Light brand, the official beer sponsor of the N.F.L. The campaign declares this to be the “Year of the Fan.”

The campaign is extensive, including a fantasy football promotion using codes on more than one billion bottles of beer; television commercials from Translation in New York, the new lead creative agency for the Bud Light brand; and covering the paper cartons for 12-packs of 12-ounce cans of Bud Light with a material that to some degree feels like a football.

Ads are also coming out for other major sponsors of the season, which begins on Wednesday. They include GMC trucks, New Era caps, Tide detergent,Pepsi-Cola, Frito-Lay snacks, Gatorade, Tropicana and Quaker Oats.

This will be the second season that Bud Light, the nation’s best-selling beer brand, will be the official beer sponsor of the N.F.L. “We had a very successful Year 1,” said Mike Sundet, vice president for Bud Light at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, as evidenced by “a lot of brand health improvement.”

“Year 2 is all about making that even bigger and even better,” Mr. Sundet said, by “making sure we focus on the fans.”

“It’s not about being a corporate sponsor,” he added. “It’s about making the game more enjoyable for N.F.L. fans and Bud Light drinkers.”

The fantasy football aspect of the campaign is already under way, under the name Bud Light Fantasy Football League. A section of the Bud Light Web site,budlight.com, is devoted to the promotion, as is a commercial by Translation.

“Welcome to Bud Light fantasy football,” an announcer says, “where every bottle is a player.” Actors playing fans then describe how they are faring in the league, based on the codes on the beer bottle caps that they enter onbudlight.com/ffl.

“My Bud Light threw four touchdowns,” one happy fan says.

But not all bottles are winners, alas, as depicted by a morose fan who says, “My Bud Light fumbled at the three-yard line.”

Another new commercial by Translation is about fans rather than the Bud Light fantasy promotion. The spot, which features the Stevie Wonder song “Superstition,” shows the oddball and offbeat rituals that superstitious fans observe, like crossing their fingers, wearing different-colored socks, going barefoot and touching a banner as they enter a room.

The two Bud Light commercials will run during the game on Wednesday that kicks off the 2012-13 season, between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

Bud Light will run spots on all the networks and channels that will present games during the season, Mr. Sundet said, including ESPN, CBS, Fox and NFL Network.

Other elements of the campaign include a Tickets for Life Sweepstakes, a promotion to encourage recycling and ads aimed at Hispanic consumers.

anesthetist helvetica, capsule sans-serif;”>The Lotus Renault Formula One team published their latest accounts showing a whopping £34.3 million ($54.4mn) loss last year.

According to media reports, the company’s final year as an owner in F1 saw the team register the loss, following post-tax profits of £4.8m ($7.61mn) the year before. 

The Guardian said that a major reason for the slump was the exodus of sponsors after the team was charged in September 2009 for orchestrating a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Turnover in the year to 31st December 2010 dropped by 49% to £82.2m ($130.4mn), with the loss of title sponsor ING accounting for £41m ($65mn) of the total.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has cut 114 jobs, pills 11 percent of its workforce, as part of a plan to reduce US$50million in costs.

The cuts come two weeks after the league locked out its players following a failure to reach an agreement with team owners on a new labour contract.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass said: “The layoffs are not a direct result of the lockout, but rather a response to the same underlying issue; that is, the league’s expenses far outpace our revenues.”

The NBA and its players disagree over how to split money from a league that said it will lose about US$300m this year from revenue of about US$4.3bn. Owners want to tighten payrolls, while players say they should not be punished for management errors. The NBA said in April that 22 of the 30 franchises are losing money.

Bass said: “The roughly 11 percent reduction in headcount from the league office is part of larger cost-cutting measures to reduce our costs by US$50m.”

The cuts were primarily made from departments including marketing, community relations, player programs, broadcasting and information technology.

According to Bass, the reductions would have happened regardless of the lockout and the workers will not be rehired once the dispute is over. The cuts are the first major job losses in the NBA since they had cut 275 workers in 2008.

In October 2008, Stern announced a 9 percent cut on its U.S. staff after season-ticket sales slowed.

With Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) having failed thus far to find a sponsor for the nation’s women’s side, the majority of the Sri Lanka squad have signed up for jobs in the armed services.

The cricketers will not take part in any combat operations and can hone their sporting skills while in uniform, while Shashikala Siriwardene captain of the side, told BBC Sinhala service she also expects to be recruited by the Sri Lanka navy soon.

After some 90% of the national cricketers in the pool have already been recruited, with 14 out of 30 joining the air force, and 13 recruited by the navy, Siriwardene stated: “I hope all 30 members of the national pool will soon find jobs in the security forces.

“The cricketers will be playing for the army, navy and air force cricket teams and have the freedom to train for our national commitments.

“None of the players are required to take part in combat or even clerical duties.”

A search for a sponsor of the women’s team was launched in the spring of 2010, with the hope of finding a financial backer for a two-year period. The authorities have now been trying to get sponsors on a tournament basis following the failure of their initial plans.

Siriwardene added: “During our recent two tournaments, it was Mobitel Telecommunication that sponsored us.”

An SLC spokesman told BBC Sinhala service that the search for a permanent sponsor was still continuing. However, according to Channaka de Silva, sports editor of the Daily Mirror English daily, women’s cricket is suffering and will continue to suffer because, unlike the men’s game, it has failed to attract a dedicated fan base.

Paul J. Foster has joined the Baku 2015 European Games as Director of Protocol, the Operation Committee (BEGOC) has revealed.

Born in Australia, he is the founder and principal of consulting firm PJF Group, and will join BEGOC on a part-time basis in August 2014 before relocating full-time to Baku in November.

Foster, who assisted BEGOC as a consultant for the first and second Baku 2015 Coordination Commissions last year, will lead the European Family Operations team providing high-level services to all of the event’s stakeholders.

He has extensive knowledge of the Olympic movement, having previously held the position of Head of Protocol, Events and Hospitality at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) until 2012, where he worked on two Olympic Games (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008) and one Olympic Winter Games (Vancouver 2010).

During this time he was also involved in the preparations for the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

“Paul has a fantastic breadth and depth of experience within the Games world and this puts him in an excellent position to integrate our international and domestic dignitary programs,” Simon Clegg, Chief Operating Officer of Baku 2015, said welcoming Foster to BEGOC.

“His international reputation and passion for sport will further enhance the existing BEGOC team and assist us in delivering an event of which Azerbaijan and the whole of Europe will be proud.”

Apart from working for the IOC, Foster has experience of working for the Organising Committees of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and Salt Lake City and Torino Winter Olympic Games in 2002 and 2006 respectively.

“I am delighted to be joining Baku 2015 and the opportunity to be involved with the inaugural European Games is a very exciting one for me,” Foster said. “It is an honor to be a part of such a talented team and I look forward to working with all our national and international stakeholders to deliver an experience which will become the benchmark for all future editions of the European Games.”

Baku 2015 will be the first ever European Games, an exciting and innovative new multi-sport event for the continent that will take place from June 12 until June 28, 2015.

There will be a total of 19 sports at Baku 2015: 16 Olympic sports and three non-Olympic sports. More than 6,000 athletes are expected to represent their nations over the 17 days of competition.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) have announced they have selected tracking system Hawk-Eye to use their technology.

The system will determine line calls and made its badminton debut in the MetLife BWF World Superseries tournament in New Delhi and spectators in the stadium and watching at home will eventually be able to see instant reviews of challenges which happen in matches on the TVcourt. 

After testing various instant-review technologies in recent months, the BWF has contracted Hawk-Eye Innovations to provide instant-review services for the World Superseries as well as for BWF Major Events. This includes Hawk-Eye’s popular graphics implementation which pinpoints the exact spot on which a ball – or in badminton’s case, a shuttle – lands. These are often shown in sports venues worldwide and broadcast to fans elsewhere. 

“We have been testing various systems and we have determined Hawk-Eye to be the most trusted and reliable option by which to track line-call challenges,” said BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund. 

“As a brand, it has built a strong reputation and enjoys global recognition among other sports – and indeed among sports fans – as an accurate and highly innovative technology which adds value to the spectatorship of sporting events.” 

Hawk-Eye’s system will gradually be integrated with the in-venue video boards and live worldwide broadcast feed, allowing fans to see instant reviews and decisions on challenges. 

“Since we introduced instant reviews in last year’s World Superseries Finals, many people have been asking when we would take the next step – add the graphics which they are accustomed to seeing in tennis and other sports. Now, with Hawk-Eye on board, we are ready to progress to that stage. 

“The integration of these graphical elements will be tested in India and ultimately we will get operations running smoothly. It’s another significant and innovative step for badminton in the sporting world,” added Lund. 

The India Open 2014 is the fifth BWF tournament at which instant reviews are available to players since the BWF World Superseries Finals last December in Malaysia. The other tournaments at which they have been in place are the Victor Korea Open, the Maybank Malaysia Open and the Yonex All England Open.

Las Vegas in USA will host the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping and Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Finals in 2015 it was confirmed today.

Las Vegas has already hosted the FEI World Cup Finals five times – in 2000 and 2003 when it staged the Jumping Finals, ed and in 2005, viagra 2007 and 2009, when the Jumping and Dressage Finals were combined.

“We are delighted that the FEI World Cup Finals in both Jumping and Dressage will be returning to Las Vegas in 2015, giving our sport and our title sponsors Longines and Reem Acra further global exposure on this fabulous American stage”, said FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos. “It will be good to be back in Las Vegas after a six-year gap and we are looking forward to really top class sport in this fabulous venue.”

Pat Christenson, President of Las Vegas Events, expressed his delight at the FEI Bureau decision to allocate the 2015 Finals to Las Vegas. “We are honoured to be the host of the 2015 FEI World Cup Finals,” he said. “Las Vegas last hosted the show jumping and dressage Finals in 2009, so we are extremely excited to once again showcase our destination to equestrian fans from the U.S. and around the world. We look forward to working with the FEI to create a memorable event and a venue for the top riders in the world.”

The FEI World Cup Jumping Finals were first held in Gothenburg (SWE) in 1979. Seven years later, the first FEI World Cup Dressage Finals were held in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NED) in 1986.

CSM Sport & Entertainment, a division of Chime Communications PLC and at sports marketing agency has announced the acquisition of the Chinese communications and event management company PEOPLE Marketing founded by Irene Cheung, five years ago.

The company, which employs 25 people,  has prestigious clients including Remy Cointreau, The European Golf Tour, BMW, UBS and Ernest Borel and will work closely with London based CSM Sport & Entertainment’s growing global business, now chaired by former Olympic and Paralympic Chairman Lord Coe.

PEOPLE Marketing specialises in communications consultancy, concept development, event and activation management and public relations and has dramatically expanded its client portfolio over the last three years.

Founder and CEO Irene Cheung said: “We are delighted and excited to be joining the CSM Sport & Entertainment family and we look forward to working together to grow the global businesses of CSM in China and across the region.  There are huge opportunities for domestic and international brands in the Asian-Pacific region and we look forward to working with all the CSM agencies to make sure we’re in the best position to help these brands and businesses reach their marketing goals. .”

CSM Sport & Entertainment CEO, Jim Glover said: “PEOPLE Marketing is a stand-out business in a very competitive market and we believe that with our support and experience we can work together to develop our business and move into new areas as part of our global aspirations and business plan. Everyone is aware of the Asia growth story and as international brands seek a route into this market, sponsorship and event marketing are increasingly important tools in unlocking business opportunities.  The potent combination of CSM’s international capability and PEOPLE’s broader China expertise, will be of huge value to existing and future clients.”

Chairman of CSM Sport & Entertainment Lord Coe said: “The speed and growth of business and sports in China is phenomenal and we are very fortunate to be teaming up with a company with such fantastic experience and credentials as PEOPLE Marketing.  Their reputation in the China market is first class and they were a natural partner as we look to continue the growth of CSM in the Asian-Pacific region.”

Most recently PEOPLE Marketing has been providing communications consultancy and activation management to Remy V.S.O.P for the dance platform and worked with the European Tour for the communication and press relations for Omega Missions Hills World Cup and UBS Hong Kong Open since 2008 and 2010  respectively. 

The company, which is based in Shanghai recently won the pitch to becoming the leading communication agency for BMW Golfsport which includes BMW Masters, BMW International Golf Cup and BMW Junior Programme and UBS retained PEOPLE Marketing to manage the maximisation program for its title sponsorship of the China Grand Prix for the last three years.

Organisers of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 in Moscow have announced a record number of official travel agencies (OTAs) have been appointed, underscoring the global appeal of the showcase event.

So far nine OTAs have been appointed by the Rugby Union of Russia (RUR) and with a user-friendly visa process also in place, it is now easier than ever for fans to take their seat for this thrill-a-minute tournament, which takes place from June 28-30 at the world famous Luzhniki Stadium.

All OTAs offer fun-packed trips to this festival of Rugby and music planned for the vibrant and exciting Russian capital, and with several airlines offering competitive prices on direct flights – including as low as £50 from the UK – and tickets for the tournament on sale from just US$5, RWC Sevens 2013 looks set to provide a global showcase for the best Sevens has to offer.

Rugby World Cup Limited Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 is one of the must-see events on the global sporting calendar this year and an opportunity for sports fans in Russia and around the world to see an Olympic sport that brings people together for a festival of world-class Rugby, entertainment and fun in one of the world’s most vibrant cities.”

“The appointment of a global official travel agent programme reflects the strong reach and appeal of a sport that continues to attract new fans around the world. Interest is high, preparations are on track and I am sure that Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 will be a resounding success.”

The OTAs are spread across South Africa, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Japan, France and Spain. More agencies will be appointed in due course.