Infront Sports & Media and the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) will continue their partnership after they signed a deal that will last them until the end of the 2014/15 season.

The respective agreement was signed today at the SPORTELMonaco convention and runs for four seasons. The partnership covers the worldwide media rights for the Men’s and Women’s FIBT World Cup and the FIBT World Championships. It also includes an expansion of Infront’s role with the FIBT in representing international marketing packages for the sport’s top-tier sponsorship programme on an exclusive basis.

Increasing media coverage boosts sports exposure and as part of the agreement, Infront will continue to market all forms of media and electronic media rights including TV, radio, internet and mobile communications worldwide. Infront offers segmented packages market-by-market, including live, delayed and highlights coverage. The FIBT will produce its own, high-quality television coverage for the
FIBT events.

Since 2003, Infront Sports & Media has embarked on a path of expansion resulting in impressive levels of international broadcast coverage for the top FIBT events. Over the last six years, there has been an 84% increase in the cumulative audience (across all disciplines) and the hours of coverage have also grown impressively – up a huge 313% from 2004/05.

In the 2010/11 season, FIBT World Cup competitions were broadcast across 59 TV stations in 23 countries reaching a cumulative audience of 747 million viewers and a total of 988 broadcast hours.

Continuous exposure throughout the season in addition to the media rights distribution, Infront will exclusively represent the FIBT’s international marketing programme for the FIBT World Cup and World Championship events, offering sponsors a continuous, wide-reaching communication platform throughout the bobsleigh and skeleton season.

Along with the growing appeal of the FIBT events to fans and commercial partners, Infront’s efforts on the marketing side have resulted in very good results in terms of sponsorship. Among other agreements, Infront secured title sponsor Bauhaus and main sponsor Crystall Lefortovo for the FIBT World Championship – both long-term agreements that boost the stability of the platform into the future.

Ivo Ferriani, FIBT President, said: “Infront, as the leading expert in winter sports marketing, is undoubtedly in the best position to increase the impact of our marketing and media rights platforms. Top bobsleigh and skeleton events gaining popularity and it is therefore highly beneficial for us to have a marketing partner on board that holds the ‘big picture’, one that can harness this growth opportunity and help drive our sport forward on the long term.”

Bruno Marty, Infront’s Executive Director Winter Sports, said: “Over the four seasons, the aim will be to enhance various elements of the communication platform and to further strengthen the international appeal of the FIBT competitions on the road to Sochi and beyond. Working closely with the FIBT to offer a highly attractive broadcast product, we will increase the exposure of these premium winter sport events market by market and across all platforms – with particular focus on exploiting the new media potential.”

For the 2011/12 season, sponsors, fans and media can look forward to exciting bobsleigh and skeleton events across the world’s most prestigious tracks, including the ones in St Moritz (Switzerland) Winterberg (Germany) and Cesana (Italy). The 2011/12 VIESSMANN FIBT World Cup will start in Igls, Austria on 2 December and culminate with the BAUHAUS FIBT World Championships in Lake Placid, USA in February 2012.

Indian cricketer, Nilesh Kulkarni, who announced his retirement from the game yesterday, has launched the Indian Institute of Sports Management.

The Institute aims to provide a structured sports marketing and management programme through its undergraduate and postgraduate diploma in Sports Management in association with Jai Hind College in Mumbai.

Kulkarni said: “I have retired in order to focus on developing the younger generation in the field of sports. I am now ready and excited to move into the next phase of my life which will be of paramount importance.

“Sports has always been my passion. IISM aims to deliver sports education with a global perspective and I’m confident that my students will find their tenure with us an enriching experience.”

The launch was attended by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief administrative officer, Prof Ratnakar Shetty. He added: “Sports management is a huge area which is untouched in India. Sports today have got various areas of specialisation.

“Cricket only used to be related to cricketers but today it is a career, you have an umpire who makes a career, you have a statistician, you have a video analyst. So I think avenues are open for people, it’s only how you look at it and go into areas where you want to understand and create a career for yourself.”

Kulkarni played three Tests and ten One Day Internationals for India. He became the only Indian ever to take a wicket on his very first delivery in a Test match.

Xirrus, the leader in high-performance wireless networks, has partnered with the European Tour to provide spectators with high-performance Wi-Fi at its golfing events.

The deal began with the use of the Xirrus Wireless Arrays system at the Wentworth Club headquarters for the BMW PGA Championship in May. This covered the 2,000 seat grandstand as well as the PGA Village and hospitality sections of the course, providing fans with access to a raft of services such as on-demand video and digital content to improve their event day experience.

Graham Gifford, ICT Director at European Tour, said: “Wireless is playing a fundamental role in helping us entice fans away from watching golf on their TV screens at home, to get out and enjoy the live event itself. The delivery of high-performance Wi-Fi from Xirrus allows us to provide spectators with a home entertainment type experience on the golf course, enabling them to enjoy video and interactive content, visit online communities and share their experiences with friends on social media.”

“The European Tour environment has very specific requirements, with multiple temporary structures that need to be rapidly constructed and deconstructed week-on-week. We needed a Wi-Fi provider that could quickly deploy the network, offer high quality coverage and then relocate the network equipment in a very tight time frame. Other vendors quoted up to six weeks for this process, whereas Xirrus had our Wi-Fi up and running in just a few days.

Xirrus worked closely with channel partner, AJP Solutions, a specialist network analysis solutions supplier on the deployment. The strong working relationship between AJP, Xirrus and the European Tour was instrumental in delivering a successful launch at the BMW Wentworth Championship.

The European Tour used the Xirrus Management System (XMS) to provide full monitoring and management of the network, which provided a wealth of rich user data, such as identifying which areas experienced higher user density and tracking typical visitor movements. This will enable the organisers to learn from this user behaviour and structure the next event accordingly.

Sean Larner, VP International at Xirrus, commented: “The use of Wi-Fi on the PGA European Tour is a clear demonstration of the flexibility of Xirrus’ wireless offering and the speed at which we can get these powerful networks up and running for our customers in demanding environments. We’re seeing more sporting venues tap into Wi-Fi as a way to provide fans with tailored digital content and value-add services, while also providing the venue itself with new revenue streams for them and their partners.”

The UEFA Executive Committee has awarded the commercial rights management of its national team competitions to CAA Eleven, a company that will be exclusively dedicated to managing the broadcasting, sponsorship and licensing rights on behalf of UEFA.

The decision was made by the UEFA Executive Committee at its meeting in St Petersburg on 1 October 2012. It means that CAA Eleven will manage the centralised commercial rights to the UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying competition, the European qualifying competition for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 24-team UEFA EURO 2016 final tournament.

“Our strategic aim was to exploit the commercial rights for our national team competitions under one roof,” said UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino. “This would then allow us to offer a coherent approach in optimising overall revenue streams for our member associations going forward. A similar centralisation of commercial rights has helped to strengthen European club football over the past two decades.”

Founded in June 2012, CAA Eleven was formed by CAA Sports, a division of the world’s leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Commercial rights experts Olivier Guiguet and Stéphane Schindler will serve as CAA Eleven’s chief executive officer and chief operating officer, respectively. The company is currently assembling a staff of employees, who will be headquartered in Nyon, Switzerland.

“We are honoured to have been selected by UEFA to represent the prestigious rights for UEFA’s national team competitions,” said David O’Connor, managing partner of CAA, which represents many of the most successful professionals working in film, television, music, video games, theatre, fashion and the Internet. “We look forward to working closely with our partners at UEFA, one of the world’s most respected governing bodies, and its 53 member associations, to create precedent-setting opportunities around the globe for these highly-coveted media assets.”

CAA Eleven’s mandate comes into immediate effect, so the commercial rights for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Israel and the 2013 UEFA Women’s EURO final tournament in Sweden will be managed as part of their portfolio.

The competitions concerned by this agreement are:
UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
UEFA European Women’s Championship
UEFA European Women’s Under-19 Championship
UEFA European Women’s Under-17 Championship
UEFA European Futsal Championship
FIFA World Cup, European qualifying competition

Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) chief executive David Gallop will leave his position effective today.

The commission issued a statement thanking Gallop for over a decade of service but says it needs a change in direction.

”David understands the need for a fresh approach,” commission chairman John Grant said.

”Taking this into account and with the interests of the game at heart, the board and David have reached an agreement that the game needs a different style of leadership detached from the past for the next stage of its development.”

Gallop signed a deal to be chief executive of the code for the next four years when the commission was formed in February but there has been speculation in recent weeks that he would leave the post.

Gallop has temporarily been replaced by National Rugby League (NRL) strategic general manager, Shane Mattiske, while the commission seeks to find a permanent replacement.

“It’s been a privilege for me to lead the game over the last 10 years and see the game’s resurgence,” Gallop said.

”I love the game and wish it well. Given there’s never a good time to give effect to a decision such as this, the commission and I have both determined it’s best for me to depart immediately.

”I would like to thank the clubs, the players, my staff and the fans of the game. It has been an exhilarating and challenging period, but no one can do this job forever.”

Gallop took over as chief executive of the NRL in 2002 and dealt with sex, drugs and assault scandals involving players as well as gambling issues and breaches of the salary cap.

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Bristol City Council have approved Gloucestershire County Cricket’s plans to upgrade their ground with a new development.

The club drew up new proposals in March after their initial application was rejected due to concerns over the height of the redevelopment of the County Ground.

It appears that move has proved fruitful after the officer’s report, which has been welcomed by Gloucestershire chief exectutive Tom Richardson.

He said: “We are pleased that our proposals are recommended for approval.

“We have worked hard over the past few months with local residents, councillors and community groups to respond, where we have been able, to their concerns.

“We feel that the development plans have been improved by this consultation and we hope that this is recognised when the application is debated and decided upon by members at the committee meeting next Wednesday, May 30.”

The World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) and the international sports marketing group, Infront Sports & Media, have announced a partnership that will create a structure to organize sponsorship sales including Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events. 

Infront will partner with WTC on sponsorship sales for Ironman (140.6 miles, 226 kilometres) and 70.3 (70.3 miles, 113 kilometres) races focusing on Europe and South Africa and will also serve as a media advisor. The key feature of this partnership is a central approach that brings sponsorship sales and media assets for both event brands under one roof, thereby enhancing the appeal for commercial partners.

Taking a strong sports brand to the next level The Ironman and 70.3 brands continue to gain popularity among athletes and athletic enthusiasts. Ironman participants convey a
unique and attractive combination of strengths and no other sport combines endurance, discipline, willpower and dedication in such a way.

In total, each year, approximately 200,000 international participants and professional triathletes compete in Ironman and 70.3 events. An estimated two million spectators a year in six continents watch the events live. Competitions in Europe and South Africa represent a community of nearly 40,000 participants and an estimated 800,000 spectators. The races take place in the world’s leading economies, including USA, China, Brazil, Germany, France and the UK, adding to the appeal of the two series for sponsors who want to focus on affluent industrial and consumer markets.

WTC will offer sponsors both the potential for exposure across more than 17 Ironman and 70.3 events annually in Europe and South Africa as well as more than 75 events worldwide. The races will be marketed from one central source, giving commercial partners an opportunity to get involved in a consistent way throughout the year. Infront will pursue sponsorship packages at various levels, including title/presenting/event partners, suppliers and licensees with a main focus on the European and South African events.

One important task for Infront is the provision of a dynamic, high-quality television product, in order to increase the quantity and quality of coverage of the Ironman and 70.3 events.

In 2012, production of the European and South African Ironman and 70.3 races will be overseen by Host Broadcast Services (HBS), the leading specialist host broadcaster in the world and Infront’s wholly-owned subsidiary. Race material are planned to be packaged into formats that are attractive to broadcasters, including a series of 14,
26-minute shows covering events from the Ironman and 70.3 race calendars. Magazine-style content will include race footage, results and standings, athlete profiles and background information and features on training and equipment and the Ironman lifestyle.

Infront will also advise WTC on the distribution of its worldwide media rights. The objective is to establish continuous, wide-reaching coverage of Ironman and 70.3 events and deliver the excitement of the sport to a wide range of distribution channels.

Andrew Messick, CEO of WTC, said: “We believe there is tremendous scope for extending the impact of the Ironman and 70.3 brands. Our partnership with Infront and the new platform will enable commercial partners to engage with both series even more effectively and encourage more broadcasters and fans to closely follow the
races.”

Mike Pine, CSO of WTC, commented: “Interest in the sport of triathlon continues to grow, but there are untapped European markets where we can increase mainstream exposure and make people say, ‘I want to align with this.’ With Infront in place as a direct extension of our global sales team, we can offer our sponsors and partners a unique opportunity to get involved with both brands.”

Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront, added: “The Ironman and 70.3 series are truly inspirational in terms of what human beings can achieve and how their willpower and performance inspires. It is not only an inclusive sport that involves huge numbers of friends and family, but also a unique lifestyle-creating and immensely attractive
international communication platform for commercial partners. For Infront, the partnership with WTC marks a move into the fast growing field of mass participation events, which create close-knit communities on a global basis and offer excellent activation potential.”

The FIA ratified a record 20-race 2011 calendar on Wednesday, with lingering question marks over the Chinese and Indian grands prix.

Motorsport’s governing body said both were included but subject to homologation, or approval, of the circuits.

That was expected in the case of India, due to make its debut on October 30 with a new track under construction near New Delhi.

China’s impressive Shanghai circuit has hosted seven Formula One races but an FIA spokeswoman said changes needed to be made.

“The homologation licence for the Shanghai International Circuit has expired and before a new licence can be issued by the FIA some work on the track is required, with particular regards to the current drainage system and the quality of the track surface,” she said.

2011 Calendar
13/03 Bahrain
27/03 Australia
10/04 Malaysia
17/04 China*
08/05 Turkey
22/05 Spain
29/05 Monaco
12/06 Canada
26/06 Europe
10/07 Great Britain
24/07 Germany
31/07 Hungary
28/08 Belgium
11/09 Italy
25/09 Singapore
09/10 Japan
16/10 Korea
30/10 India*
13/11 Abu Dhabi
27/11 Brazil

*Subject to the homologation of the circuit.