Mumbai Indians welcomed Lauritz Knudsen Electrical and Automation (formerly known as L&T Switchgear), a leading player in the Indian Electrical and automation industry and a unit of the Schneider Electric group in India as a principal partner.
As part of this landmark partnership, the Lauritz Knudsen logo will appear on the front of the Mumbai Indians’ official jersey and training apparel, reaching fans at Wankhede and the team’s 50 million global fan base starting in the 2025 season.
“We are thrilled to welcome Lauritz Knudsen Electrical and Automation as our principal partner—a brand that embodies innovation and performance. This partnership is built on the strong heritage of Lauritz Knudsen and the cricketing legacy that Mumbai Indians have crafted over the years. Together, we aim to build on the shared values that unite us, with our fans always at the heart of everything we do,” said the Mumbai Indians spokesperson.
Deepak Sharma, Zone President, Greater India, MD & CEO of Schneider Electric India, said, “Cricket unites India like no other platform, creating connections that transcend borders and cultures. At Lauritz Knudsen, our solutions have fortified the success of our customers for decades, and as we embark on a new growth trajectory aligned with the nation’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat,’ we remain committed to being a partner of choice for our customers, partners, and stakeholders. This partnership with Mumbai Indians, one of the world’s most successful cricket franchises, perfectly reflects our shared passion for growth, excellence, and performance. We wish the team an exceptional season, confident they will once again elevate the game, setting new benchmarks for class, quality, and innovation in cricket.”
Naresh Kumar, COO of Lauritz Knudsen, added, “At Lauritz Knudsen, our commitment to India is both profound and unwavering. This partnership with Mumbai Indians exemplifies the transformative power of collaboration in driving progress and innovation. As we chart a new course under our reimagined brand identity, we reaffirm our dedication to empowering India’s growth through solutions that inspire aspiration and deliver unmatched reliability. Aligning with Mumbai Indians—a team that epitomizes excellence and an indomitable spirit—enables us to deepen this commitment and engage with millions across the nation in meaningful ways.”
Rajat Abbi, VP – Global Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer of Schneider Electric, Greater India, said, “Mumbai Indians exemplify the passion, focus, and relentless pursuit of excellence that resonate deeply with us at Lauritz Knudsen. With the launch of our new brand identity and our steadfast commitment to driving the nation’s growth, this partnership symbolizes a strong synergy of trust and a shared vision between two iconic brands. In the long term, we see this collaboration as a catalyst—not just amplifying the unifying energy of cricket, but also advancing our mission to empower Bharat and contribute to shaping the New India.”
The partnership between Lauritz Knudsen and Mumbai Indians is a strategic alliance built on a foundation of shared values and synergies that promise to elevate both brands to new heights.
The International Skating Union (ISU), the world’s governing body for figure skating, synchronised skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating, is undergoing a transformational shift to align its sports with the demands of modern audiences while fostering deeper engagement with athletes and fans. This is underpinned by ISU President Jae Youl Kim’s ‘Vision 2030’ strategic roadmap, which highlights growth, opportunity, innovation, safeguarding, and unity as its key pillars.
ISU Director General Colin Smith spoke to iSportConnect about how the organisation is evolving and innovating to deliver on this new future for global skating.
Since the election of President Kim two years ago (read here), the ISU has been actively restructuring its governance to position itself as a more agile and future-ready organisation. Colin Smith, who joined in late 2023 (read here), has played a pivotal role in assembling a leadership team with expertise from outside the skating world. This approach combines the ISU’s historic foundation—it is the second-oldest international federation—with fresh perspectives to reimagine its sports for a new era.
“We’re going through real transformational change. Our President was elected two years ago with a very clear and ambitious plan, outlined in Vision 2030, aimed at growing and repositioning all our sports. I joined the organization at the end of last year, bringing an outside perspective to skating, and have spent the past nine months restructuring the organization to progressively implement the various facets of this bold new vision”.
Reimagining Competitions to Attract Global Audiences
Central to the ISU’s strategy is the modernisation of its competition formats.
“We want to revamp the presentation of how our events are delivered. Our approach is to create entertaining shows that highlight performances on the ice in a much more engaging, fun and dynamic way. Vibrant new branding, venue dressing, music, lights effects, TV graphics, infotainment and compelling storytelling content are some of the methods which we will consistently apply across all ice-skating sports but with adaptations to the style and personality of each of them. The ultimate goal is to better connect, absorb and involve our fans in our amazing sports.”
The ISU recently launched the ISU Short Track World Tour, which rebrands and repackages existing World Cup events into a cohesive global series spanning North America, Asia, and Europe.
The tour introduces novel elements to boost commercial appeal and fan engagement, including dynamic team identities like the Japanese Ninjas and Dutch Lions. These changes have created new intellectual property and transformed every race into an Olympic-caliber event, amplifying its appeal for fans and broadcasters.
“Rather than teams racing as their national team, they’ve got new engaging identities. These have provided new hooks for all the teams to engage with and the skaters themselves have got involved. It was about creating a new buzz for the sport and creating new commercial inventory.”
The ISU has also invested in technological enhancements, such as improved video assistant referee (VAR) system for quicker decision-making, and live referee explanations akin to the NFL, adding transparency and excitement for viewers.
In figure skating, efforts are underway to modernise the sport’s traditional image. Enhanced digital signage and LED displays are being introduced at major events like the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and ISU World Figure Skating Championships, creating a contemporary aesthetic while showcasing the artistry and technical precision of the sport.
Fan-Centric Innovation and Engagement
The ISU has overhauled its online presence, launching Home of Skating, a dedicated fan-focused website (isu-skating.com) alongside its institutional platform (ISU.ORG). This dual approach ensures fans can access dynamic, multimedia content while the ISU has a dedicated channel for its broader stakeholder communication.
The ISU will also empower skaters by giving them direct access to and sharing their competition clips and images, enabling them to grow their personal brands and connect with fans through more authentic content.
Recognising that each skating discipline resonates with distinct demographics and geographical markets, the ISU is refining its fan engagement strategies to better connect with audiences worldwide. With China and South Korea identified as key markets, the ISU is building on its strong presence on Weibo in China by expanding its digital footprint. Recent initiatives include launching accounts on Naver (South Korea), as well as Red and Douyin (China), to further enhance its reach and engagement in these regions. The ISU is also is introducing digital innovations to engage younger figure skating fans while retaining its core older, predominantly female audience. For speed skating, efforts are focused on preserving the sport’s rich tradition while integrating new formats like mass-start races to keep fans engaged, and short track events now feature DJs, light shows, and immersive atmospheres, increasing appeal for younger audiences.
“We take a different approach to each discipline which, from a commercial point of view, allows us to have much greater segmentation and that’s one of the key focuses of our new commercial strategy”.
The ISU’s commercial strategy has also undergone significant changes, particularly in its approach to sponsorship. The ISU Short Track World Tour, for example, which kicked off at the end of October for season 2024/25, is positioned as a prime property and unique opportunity for a title sponsor to grow, from the ground up, together with the ISU.
“We’re looking for a dynamic brand to come in and work with us and really just explode this tour and maximise exposure in the run-up to the Olympics”.
Athlete Safeguarding and Grassroots Growth
The sport has been grappling with the issue of athlete safeguarding for some time, and as such this is a cornerstone of Vision 2030. The ISU has enhanced its reporting mechanisms to provide a safe environment for skaters, ensuring issues are addressed transparently and promptly. This commitment extends to supporting athletes’ professional and personal development, fostering a culture of trust and collaboration.
“Athletes are the focal point of all sports, and at the ISU, their welfare and well-being is our primary concern. Safeguarding is a key pillar of our ISU Vision 2030, and we are committed to strengthening measures across all ice-skating sports to better protect and promote skaters’ physical and mental well-being. To shine a light on this critical issue, we hosted Gracie Gold, a two-time U.S. champion and Olympic bronze medalist in Figure Skating, who dealt severe mental health struggles at the time she competed as an elite figure skater. A poignant story she shared during the latest ISU Congress in June this year. Together, we are committed in doing everything possible to ensure our sports remain safe, clean, fair, and sustainable.”
At the grassroots level, the ISU is working with member federations to roll out new programs aimed at getting more young people onto the ice, whether for recreational skating or competitive development. However, access to ice time remains a significant challenge, highlighting the need for greater infrastructure investment to unlock the sport’s full potential.
Innovating with Technology
The ISU is embracing cutting-edge technologies to enhance its sports’ appeal. Projects include leveraging AI and computer vision for judging in figure skating, particularly for technical elements like jumps. This technology could revolutionise the sport’s scoring system, ensuring greater accuracy and objectivity.
Additionally, the ISU is exploring innovative data applications, such as tracking heart rates and acceleration during races to create richer storytelling for fans and new commercial opportunities. Efforts to develop lightweight, accessible streaming solutions for grassroots and junior events are also in the pipeline, promising to expand skating’s reach globally.
A Bright Future on the Ice
The coming months promise to be action-packed for the ISU and skating enthusiasts, with the Short Track World Tour in full swing, the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final set for early December in Grenoble, and the World Figure Skating Championships scheduled for March 2025 in Boston.
Preparations for the Winter Olympics Milan-Cortina 2026 are also well underway, with Short Track set to serve as the first fully-fledged test event for the Games in February 2025. The ISU is able to leverage its position as an indoor winter sport to offer a stable, weather-independent option for broadcasters, further boosting its commercial appeal.
Under the guidance of Vision 2030, the ISU is repositioning itself as a forward-thinking, fan- and athlete-centric organisation. From modernising competitions and fostering grassroots growth to embracing cutting-edge technology and enhancing athlete welfare, the ISU is skating boldly into the future.
Santander announced a new sponsorship with the Formula 1 team Williams Racing. The bank will become an official partner of the team starting from the 2025 season. This multi-year agreement will complement the overall F1 sponsorship, as Santander will also become the official retail banking partner of F1 in 2025.
This sponsorship will allow Santander to connect with customers offering exclusive experiences, with access to the paddock and drivers’ events. Williams Racing also offers Banco Santander a global platform to increase its brand visibility, especially in the US, where there are three F1 races, and the team will showcase the Openbank brand. Santander recently launched Openbank in the US market. The collaboration includes the presence of the Santander or Openbank logos on the race car chassis top, drivers’ helmet chin, and team’s sleeve, as well as participation in exclusive events and digital campaigns.
Juan Manuel Cendoya, global head of Communications, Corporate Marketing and Research of Santander and vice chair of Santander Spain, said: “We are delighted to partner with Williams Racing with a tactical agreement that allows us to keep offering exclusive experiences to our customers and continue to support Carlos Sainz in his new stage. This is one of the most historic teams with the greatest legacy in F1, and complements our role as the official retail banking partner of the competition with a focus on our main markets.”
James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing: “Williams Racing is proud to add Santander to our growing roster of iconic and innovative partners for 2025 and beyond. Joining forces with a global banking giant trusted by tens of millions of people around the world is another significant step in our transformation and we look forward to working with Santander to engage and excite fans in the years ahead.”
Santander branding will feature on the car for this week’s end-of-season test in Abu Dhabi.
Santander has been involved with the F1 for 15 years since 2006, sponsoring both races and teams such as Scuderia Ferrari and McLaren.
World Aquatics and Sony Corporation (“Sony”) today announced an unprecedented Official Partnership for the four years to 2028, which will transform the way aquatics fans engage with and consume aquatic sports.
Based on this agreement, Sony will support all World Aquatics competitions held through to the end of 2028 as an Official Partner, starting with the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) from 10-15 December of this year in Budapest, Hungary.
World Aquatics, the international governing body for six aquatic sports – swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming and high diving – strives to develop all aquatics under the vision of “A world united by water, for health, life and sport.” Sony aims to continue delivering Kando* to people worldwide under its mission to “Create the future of entertainment through the power of technology together with creators.”
Both parties have a mutual understanding of their philosophies and will work together to apply technology to promote aquatics to a global audience.
Sony will further contribute to sharing the awe-inspiring moments of aquatics athletes’ achievements with the world. World Aquatics’ official photographers and videographers will use Sony’s cutting-edge technology, including Alpha™ mirrorless cameras, versatile interchangeable lenses including G Master™ lenses, Cinema Line cameras and system cameras.
In addition, Hawk-Eye Innovations, a Sony group company with a proven track record of providing officiating services for global sports events, will help further contribute to fair competition management through video replay services.
Working alongside World Aquatics, Sony photographers will document the most memorable moments at marquee World Aquatics events, sharing these images with audiences worldwide. A dedicated platform for the aquatics imagery will debut in late December, allowing fans to access dynamic event highlights and exclusive medallist photo shoots.
World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam hailed the landmark agreement, stating:
“I am extremely excited about this partnership. Working with Sony will bring new opportunities to World Aquatics and our athletes. Sony’s cutting-edge technology and commitment to excellence will elevate the experience of our competitions, capturing the intensity and artistry of aquatic sports in innovative ways that engage and inspire global audiences. Together, we are committed to enhancing our sports’ visibility, celebrating the achievements of our athletes, and giving our fans an unrivalled experience.”
“We are pleased to become an official partner of World Aquatics, which provides wide-ranging support to aquatics athletes and fans,” said Kimio Maki, President and CEO, Sony Corporation. “Sony will contribute to the development of aquatic sports by leveraging technology to enhance the Kando* created by diverse athletes and creators and deliver it to fans around the world.”
In this Member’s Insight piece, Arc & Foundry’s director David Granger writes how it has been another great year for sports activation. From the Olympics in Paris to the Euros in soccer to the kings of sporting reality TV, we’ve not been short of great events, partnerships and documentaries to promote via digital and social. Look no further if you need a handy guide to what went down. Here’s our of the year – acknowledging the good the bad and the did-that-really-get-signed-off of 2024…
The Best Partner Announcement Video
Williams F1 team might not have had the greatest season on the track this year, but one thing they did win was our first award. The Argentine e-commerce company Mercado Libre’s announcement video using (Argentine) driver Franco Colapinto was appropriate, timely and – a rarity for sponsor films – funny. The team did however let
themselves down slightly with the pictures which accompanied the story that Gulf’s Reviva was their Official Coffee Partner. Drivers are great at driving. Drivers as models drinking coffee? Not so much.
Best Rapper at the Olympics Award
In a tight, two-horse race with Snoop Dogg, it was arguably Public Enemy’s hypeman, and global treasure Flavor Flav who took gold, swapping polemic for water polo, attending the US women’s matches and becoming one of their financial backers. Which made for great pictures, great reaction on social and a great result for the team.
The Put It In The Louvre Award
The brilliant ArtButMakeItSports continued to turn out great works of social media by pairing and comparing sports images with classical art. It’s bringing a touch of high culture to sports photography and a few laughs. And, you get double kudos points for naming the original artist and their work. Find the pics and the paintings they inspired here
The ‘Is That It?’ Damp Squib Award
While it was far from the worst reveal of the year, given the noise and hype surrounding HP becoming the Ferrari F1 team’s title sponsor, the big Miami reveal felt a bit flat. And, if ever there was a team associated with a primary colour, it’s Ferrari. Adding blue to the palette to placate the new sponsor and then dressing them up as “Azzurro La Plata” and “Azzurro Dino” felt as if the Scuderia was clarifying just a little too much.
The Internet Sleuths Are Go Award
Compare and contrast HP on Ferrari with the genius Peroni 0.0 announcement: simple video, clean image and firing the starting pistol on an internet conspiracy theory. On the classic racing car pictured was the number 44… Lewis Hamilton’s race number. The Peroni deal broke cover January 30, a full three days before Hamilton broke his own news that he was leaving Mercedes to drive for Ferrari. Was it an easter egg? A clever leak? No. The car in the ad was a model of Maurice Trintignant’s Ferrari 625 car in which he won the 1955 Monaco GP.
The Back to Grassroots Shirt Reveal Award
As other leagues are fiercely debating the rules of financial ownership, it’s good to see Torquay United celebrating its own with its third shirt release. All the individual investors of the TUST’s Community Share Issue have their names woven into the fabric. The release was announced with a great video shot at the seaside home of the English National League South side with some of those loyal fans. That’s how to do kit launches.
Best Activation of the Year (…might be the decade)
Who’d have thought that the best activation of the year would have been a locally focused disruptive campaign for the Australian carshare arm of Uber and that Valtteri Bottas, the Finnish Stake F1 driver would be its understated, deadpan star? Well, the mullet may have given it away. It (the ad, not the haircut) caught your attention, it was funny, it cut through a lot of noise and shows that a little bit of humour goes a long way. Check out thevideoand HP take note.
Did we miss any? What were your best (and not-so-best) digital activations of the year? And what is next year going to bring?
David Granger is a director of Arc & Foundrycontent marketing agency.
The Guinness Men’s Six Nations brand identity has been recharged. Connecting its rich heritage with the modern game, and articulated through a distinctive and bold new brand, designed to resonate with new and existing fans, the players and unions competing in the iconic Championship.
Following extensive research and consultation with fans, target audience members, the Six Nations Unions and Federations, and international rugby players, Six Nations Rugby has created a brand identity that celebrates the heritage of its Men’s Championship, whilst connecting and reflecting the modern game.
The bold visual designs reflect today’s game and how fans feel about the sport and specifically, the Men’s Six Nations experience. The launch of the M6N identity joins the recent introduction of W6N and U6N brands, creating a consistent and versatile family of brands.
The modern brand is defined by its distinctive orange colourway, informed by research, and signifying the optimism fans feel when they come together at the end of winter to experience the Six Nations together.
To reach fans and introduce the new brand, Six Nations Rugby, alongside its Unions and Federations, led a CGI social media campaign, alongside in stadia activation and host broadcaster support, across the final two weeks of the Autumn Nations Series.
The brand was introduced across Six Nations Rugby social channels following the culmination of Ireland v Australia, in Dublin on Saturday (November 30); the final fixture of this year’s Autumn Nations Series. A ‘Rugby Recharged’ film, debuted for fans in stadia, with global amplification across all Six Nations Rugby platforms. The brand-film seeks to articulate the new brand identity, and how it can connect more fans to the Championship.
More than just reimagining the brand logo of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, the launch of the new identity is intended to articulate the evolution of the Championship and modern game of rugby. The electrifying action and experiences that fans look forward to and enjoy every year, is expressed through the versatile new identity that has been informed by feedback from all corners of the game.
Rich in heritage and returning bigger and better reach year, the Guinness Men’s Six Nations celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025, but its roots reach back to 1883, when the Home Nations competition was first founded.
It’s the heritage of the Championship that separates it from other forms of entertainment vying for the attention of fans, but a new brand identity offers the opportunity to better engage new fans, whilst excite existing ones. The impact can be to close the generational gap within fans, signposting rugby to a younger and more diverse audience.
The work undertaken by Six Nations Rugby has been in progress for nearly three years, and the latest evolution of its Championship identities, joins the recently launched Women’s Six Nations and U20 Six Nations brands.
The brand was developed by creative agency How Now Creative while Premier Sport developed the launch video, CGI content and additional campaign creative content.
The Dubai Summit 2024 brought together some of the most influential names in the global sports industry at the Radisson Blu Business Bay, where delegates explored groundbreaking trends, strategic investments, and emerging technologies shaping the future of sports.
The event, hosted by Sara Essa, witnessed an extraordinary lineup of sessions and panels, featuring executives from world-renowned organizations including the International Cricket Council, Manchester United, Bundesliga, NBA, MotoGP, Globant, Sail GP , and many more.
Highlights of the Day
Panel 1: Scoring Big – Strategic Investments in Global Sports Industry heavyweights such as Luis Vicente ( Chairman, Apex Capital), Danny Townsend (CEO, SURJ Sport Investment), and Matt Manning ( Global President, Dentsu Sports) discussed the dynamics of capital flow in sports, moderated by Trevor Watkins of Pinsent Masons.
Case Studies
Sportz Interactive showcased its expertise in redefining fan engagement.
Disruptive Play, sponsored by Creator Sports Network, delved into innovative storytelling in sports.
Panel 2: Power of Passion – Connecting with Fans in the Digital Era Moderated by Iñigo Bonilla Barroso (Sportian), this session featured insights from David Lipp (Manchester United), Finn Bradshaw (ICC), and George Aivazoglou (NBA) on leveraging digital platforms to build passionate fan communities.
Panel 3: From Data to Drama – Enhancing Live Sports with AI AI’s transformative role in live sports was explored with experts like Ross Tanner (Magnifi), Barry McAdams ( International Cricket Council) and Anuroop Talwar (EXL)
Panel 4: The Evolution of Partnerships Nicolas Rey Petit (Globant), Jerome Mazet (PFL MENA) and Charlie Dewhurst (SailGP) discussed the shifting dynamics of strategic collaborations, moderated by Dave McCann ( RISE Group).
Panel 5: Executive Playbook – Shaping the Future of Global Sports The closing session, moderated by Sara Essa, brought insights from Dan Rossemondo (MotoGP), Peer Naubert (Bundesliga), and Shawn Doss (San Francisco 49ers) on leadership in sports innovation.
Closing Remarks
The Dubai Summit 2024 reaffirmed Dubai’s position as a hub for sports innovation and collaboration. As the event concluded, attendees left with actionable insights and strengthened networks, ready to tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead.
As 2024 wraps up, Partnering with the Local Olympic Committee, Team Canada, and On Location, ATPI delivered a once-in-a-lifetime experience for athletes, sponsors, support staff, and more.
As the 33rd Summer Olympics took over Paris, ATPI was at the heart of all the action. In partnership with the Local Olympic Committee, Team Canada, and On Location, we delivered an unforgettable experience with every detail meticulously handled. The secret to our success? A four-pillar approach consisting of a strong global network, personalized service, event expertise, and logistical precision.
Let’s dive into the details of our gold-medal worth performance:
Leveraging our global network
As a truly global organization, ATPI can co-ordinate travel plans across continents, countries, and cities with ease.
When supporting our local Olympics partners in Canada and France, our ability to leverage our global network made traveling between time zones move like clockwork.
Our multilingual team ensured communication flowed freely in the run up to the Games and during the competition, while our in-depth understanding of both territories gave ATPI an advantage when arranging flights across the Atlantic and transport to events within Paris and the rest of France.
Providing a personalized service
ATPI has a well-deserved reputation for offering exceptional levels of service – and our team more than delivered during Paris 2024.
As a sub-distributor for On Location, the Games’ official hospitality provider, we were tasked with creating an unforgettable experience for the Canadian Olympic Committee’s (COC) marketing partners. With this goal in mind, we were able to demonstrate our ability to provide a high caliber hospitality experience for elite clients travelling to Paris from all over the globe.
Truly great service can never be delivered with a one-size-fits-all approach; we provide a custom service to every individual traveler with personalized support securing a seamless travel experience. The results speak for themselves: our team received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our special guests.
Building on our experience and expertise
When we became the official travel logistics provider for the COC and Team Canada, we drew on our extensive experience navigating major sporting events to arrange travel for athletes, coaches, and support staff. With ATPI taking care of every detail, the athletes could concentrate entirely on their performance.
Our sports travel expertise was also on display in our work with the Local Olympic Committee Paris 2024. With Olympic Games venues scattered across France, the Local Olympic Committee needed to partner with an organization they could trust to manage the end-to-end transportation, logistics, and domestic travel needs of athletes, media, officials, and support staff alike – and ATPI was proud to exceed their expectations.
Demonstrating our logistical precision
An event like Paris 2024 is incredibly complex and comes with a unique set of challenges. Our partners needed ATPI to co-ordinate complex multi-venue travel itineraries and adhere to tight schedules without compromising service.
To put the scale of this achievement in perspective, ATPI completed 17,931 travel transactions for the Local Olympic Committee Paris 2024, managed 15 hospitality programs across 18 days for On Location, and transported 337 athletes, 369 support staff, and 191 mission team members for the Canadian Olympic Committee. Travel plans for the COC alone required ATPI to book and co-ordinate 2,900 flight tickets.
From Team Canada to On Location, our partners could trust that we had the work ethic and attention-to-detail to face these challenges head on. Throughout the Games we handled high volumes of travelers, secured the best travel options for everyone, and adapted quickly to unforeseen schedule changes.
It’s all thanks to our precision planning. ATPI can successfully manage the complexities of an event like the Olympic Games by pairing our detail-orientated approach with a flexible and ‘never give up’ mentality.
Now that the whirlwind month is over, we’re incredibly proud to have provided an unforgettable experience for all our partners at Paris 2024.
In this week’s Member Insights, Ian Whittaker, Twice City AM Analyst of the Year spotlights on how live sports is redefining linear tv.
Another example of how live sports continues to dominate US linear TV viewing but also one that both highlights the differences with the European TV environment and also raises questions about what is linear TV.
The NFL reported that the three Thanksgiving NFL games saw a highest-ever average audience of 34.2m. NFL games in 2023 made up 93 out of the top 100 most-watched live linear TV programmes.
It also shows just how different the U.S. and European television markets are and why the former is in far more structural peril than the latter. With the major Tech giants such as hashtag#Amazon and hashtag#YouTube buying NFL games, it feels inevitable TV ad spend will shift across. But that is not the case in Europe where the viewing and programming mix is entirely different.
However, it also raises a question as to what constitutes linear TV. Amazon and YouTube are considered streaming services but they are effectively – when showing live games – acting as linear TV broadcasters. Given the importance of live sports games, that raises a major question around (1) how they should be classified (2) what budgets they should take money from and (3) how they might be dealt with internally at agencies.
Eyeball.Club, an industry-leading sports technology company revolutionising how professional football clubs scout and recruit young talent, has today announced a renewal of its contractwith Brentford FC.
The Bee’s will utilise Eyeball.Club’s video software to help uncover young talent from all four corners of the globe, with the utilisation of the video technology playing a key part of the clubs talent identification strategy assisting traditional scouting methods.
Brentford’s recruitment strategy is heavily informed by data, and the club has committed to adopting their own cutting-edge analytics tools harnessing data that can drive success on the pitch and beyond.
By digitising the scouting process, Eyeball.Club allows clubs to scout talent from under-represented regions, finding future football stars earlier than ever before with the potential to generate profit from player sales in the future.
Eyeball.Club Founder Benjamin Balkin said: “We are extremely proud to be renewing our contract with Brentford FC, one of the most exciting teams in the Premier League. “Brentford has been at the forefront of talent identification in recent seasons and their innovative and structured approach to tactics and recruitment is one of the best in world football. The renewal of our contract will continue to help support the club in their efforts to identify talent around the globe.”
Chris Bradley Head of Scouting at Brentford FC said: “Eyeball plays an important role in our ability to assess, through video, youth players across key emerging talent markets. It has assisted our scout’s assessment process, allowing us to act quickly on players of interest.”
Brentford FC are now an established team in the Premier League, having won promotion in 2021 and they join over 150 other teams around the globe in utilising the best-in-class video technology that Eyeball.Club has to offer. Eyeball.Club is currently operating in over 30 countries with some of the world’s leading clubs using the platform including from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and Bundesliga.
