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The Bottom Line: The iSportConnect Business Index – January 18

Welcome to the second edition of the iSportConnect Business Index, we have come a long way in a week. Thanks to everyone who helped out and suggested companies that we should include in this index.

We have taken out Ajax, apologies to the late, great Johan Cruyff’s friends and family. But we have added Livenation, Compass Group, Draft Kings, Caesars, Genius and Tencent. We are still open to hearing your suggestions so feel free to drop me an email by clicking here.

Let’s get into the winners and losers of this week then:

Here is the full Index for this week

Data correct as of 12:00, GMT, 18/11.

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Ear to the Ground announce webinar on “Is esports at a cultural tipping point and what does this mean for brands?”

With over half a billion fans globally, esports is no longer a niche interest. As the cultural credibility of esports grows, the opportunity for brands is evolving.

Global Fan Intelligence® Network Members will join our own experts to share their opinions on the topic and the opportunity for brands.

Join us from 4PM GMT (11AM EST, 8AM PST) on Tuesday 24th January.

Click here to sign up

BBC announce nine-game broadcast deal with NBA

BBC Three will be broadcasting nine NBA games throughout the rest of the season starting with the Chicago Bull’s against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.

That contest will take place in Paris with tip off at 8pm GMT.

The deal for BBC Three includes four regular season games, two Playoff games, one Conference Finals game and one NBA Finals game.

https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1615661738493444096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1615661738493444096%7Ctwgr%5E3e9dcaf97608f38df0c3da1df7e7757999a58b40%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hoopsfix.com%2F2023%2F01%2Fbbc-announces-nine-game-broadcast-deal-with-nba%2F

APT Padel becomes A1 Padel after rebrand

Trailblazing Padel circuit, APT Padel, announced today that it has completed a major rebranding globally.

The rebrand to A1 Padel comes after the development of its circuit and strategic growth initiatives and reflects their goal of being a first class experience for players and fans within the sport of Padel.

A1 Padel offers a more modernised, and memorable name that transcends throughout the diverse Padel community.

A1 Padel (formerly APT Padel Tour) was founded in 2020 by Fabrice Pastor, in order to expand the sport of Padel as well as provide players with the best professional environment possible. After the partnership with Infinity Sports owner, Ike S. Franco in October 2022, A1 Padel will continue to expand globally, as the U.S. becomes a major growth strategy for the circuit.

The new brand of A1 Padel includes a new identity consisting of a revised logo, tagline, that will appear across all platforms both digitally and in person. The tour collateral, website, social media, and merchandise feature the clean stream-lined look that is the the new A1 Padel brand, a modern and easily recognisable logo.

The essence of A1 connotates a positive and aspirational brand. A1 Padel achieves to be a leader in world class events with the best players in the world while celebrating its six year player contracts. A commitment that has not been accomplished by any other Padel circuit in the world.

“A1 Padel‘s focus has always been to enhance the player and fan experience and the new branding brings innovation and rebellion to the sport of Padel,” said Fabrice Pastor, Founder of A1 Padel. “The former brand, APT Padel Tour, will always be a part of our history, but a new and progressive brand will better align with the property’s objectives. With an evolving, youthful fan base, A1 Padel meets the needs and engagement of this global audience.”

As A1 Padel’s expansion continues in North America, there is a plan to roll out a grassroots program that will help continue to develop players. The Fabrice Pastor Cup will be a major initiative introducing audiences to the sport. In addition, a franchise plan will roll out in 2023 where official A1 Padel Clubs will be developed throughout the U.S.

“We are excited to get audiences of all ages engaged with the sport of Padel,” said Ike S. Franco, CEO of Infinity Sports and partner in A1 Padel. “As we initiate a grassroots program with A1 Padel, the engagement with U.S. fans will continue to rise and allow the sport to be positioned as a lifestyle platform in America. We are certain that athletes and sports fans all over the U.S. will enjoy the competitive nature and excitement of the sport of Padel.”

Member Insights: Why 2023 could be the year cricket changes forever

Since what feels like the dawn of time, the world’s second most popular sport has been in ‘crisis’. Indeed, this article could probably have been written in many a year from 1882 – when English cricket ‘died’ after losing against Australia at The Oval – to now. But, trust me, 2023 really could be the year the sport makes an irreversible change.

Money is, of course, at the centre of all of this, and in that fashion Cricket Australia (CA) kicked off the year by announcing its new broadcast deal. In a statement CA said: “The deal runs from 2024-31 and will be worth $1.512 billion to Australian Cricket.”

But it is away from Australia where the real changes are going to happen.

The SA20 kicked off on January 10 and is South Africa’s latest attempt at creating a T20 tournament that stands out on the world stage. It was announced that Sky have signed a broadcast deal to show the SA20 in the UK for the next five years. What is different about this, though, is that all the teams are owned by the same companies that run the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, rather than being owned by Cricket South Africa or the states themselves.

Over in the United Arab Emirates, they also have a new T20 tournament, which started on January 13. It really is a late Christmas present for everyone who loves T20 franchise cricket. The UAE T20 League also has six teams, three of which are owned by IPL franchises. You can see the pattern emerging here.

There is a future where if leading players are contracted to the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, they will also be contracted to the MI Cape Town in South Africa and MI Emirates in the UAE league. That would mean spending your January and February in South Africa and the UAE before going to India in March through to the end of May. While that sounds great to those on the outside, it is a massive part of the international calendar taken up.

The IPL and the BCCI have set the pace in cricket since the tournament’s first edition in 2008 when superstars from all over the world gathered to play extremely high-quality T20 cricket for the first time. Last summer the IPL secured an astronomical broadcast deal worth a total of $6.2 billion, making it one of world sport’s most valuable properties, again money talks.

The financial muscle IPL owners have is astronomical, the governing bodies and other tournaments can’t come close to matching what they are prepared to pay for the services of the world’s best players.

My point here is this: with these new leagues popping up and money flowing faster than a Jofra Archer bouncer, the international game is inevitably going to be left in limbo. Players will find it hard to turn down the huge sums on offer and international cricket is going to have to fit in around the world’s franchise competitions.

You can certainly see a future where cricket becomes more similar to football with international breaks where teams attempt to squeeze in a Test match here or a one-day series there. Or Test cricket will be played only by the three wealthiest nations – India, England and Australia. Even the Ashes, eagerly awaited as ever this summer and approaching its 150th birthday, could become a sideshow.

20 years since the launch of the first T20 competition in England and 15 since the IPL began, the shortest format of the game appears ready to take over the sport completely.

By Alex Brinton, Content Manager of iSportConnect

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How can teams engage their fans 24/7?

Just as clubs have found their feet and solidified their fan engagement strategies for game days, fans are now searching for opportunities to interact with their favorite team every day of the week. Fans are hungry for content that brings them closer to the action between game days, and it’s imperative that clubs keep up.

The truly progressive sports clubs are well into building a complete fan engagement strategy that seeks to engage with their supporters every day of the week. Fan engagement now plays a significant role in the growth strategy of teams, leagues and organizations whilst also representing a prime opportunity to collect customer data from a range of touchpoints.

Hosting Supporters

The two key aims of non-match day fan engagement campaigns are to both host and connect fans, which can be achieved both online and in person. It’s no secret that sports clubs understand the potential value of their home stadiums outside of match days, and many are using their grounds to extract that value.

Almost every major stadium now hosts some form of museum for the club or ground as well as tours that fans can access every day of the week. Other venues have hosted community events such as job fairs and charity drives to reach a multitude of potential new fans and gain valuable new data points. Hosting fans at team venues provides them with an intimate experience outside of the hustle and thrill of game day and can provide teams with the opportunity connect with their fans in meaningful ways.

Connecting Fans

Although hosting fans is a long-proven strategy for non-match day interactions, not all fans will be able to visit the home ground or in person activations. That is why connecting fans online is a crucial element of club’s fan engagement strategies.

Fans are always on the lookout to engage with one and other as well as their club, and the digital revolution has created a swathe of new avenues teams can use to achieve this. Partnerships with online meeting platforms such as Zoom, or Skype have enabled teams to create bespoke chatrooms for fans from across the globe to communicate.

VR and Web3 technologies represent an almost untapped set of tools that connect fans in more ways than one. The NBA’s NBA Lane launched earlier this year to celebrate the competition’s 75th anniversary, connecting fans from all over the world through the Metaverse. Incentivizing fan interaction is key for organizations to create robust spaces where fans can feel closer to the action and their team.

Fan Engagement Platforms

As time goes on, more and more clubs are recognizing the importance of having a digital platform that allows fans to connect with the team and each other 24/7. Many teams enhance the live experience, bring fans closer to the action and connect supporters from all over the globe on one app.

After years of development, apps now host live streams of the tunnel or bench, replays of key moments from various cameras around the stadiums and chat rooms. All these elements contribute to a holistic one stop shop for fans, and a plethora of touchpoints for teams to gather valuable data.

As CRM solidifies itself as an important backbone and source of business growth for teams, integrating a holistic CRM into these fan engagement platforms is crucial. The numerous interactions on these apps provide significant potential for business growth through the millions of data points available. When apps are linked into a backend CRM system, these data points can be turned into valuable insights for clubs.

Engaging Fans

It’s no walk in the park to continually engage fans every day of the week, but when successful the heavy load match days once had can be lifted and fans feel connected to their clubs. As is the way of the world, technology will continue to drive the fan engagement space and push the boundaries of what can be done. However, it’s crucial teams have a robust CRM to underpin their operations and maximise opportunities for growth through understanding their data.

By EngageRM, If you would like to find out more about what they do, click here

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Meet the Member: “The costs in terms of getting involved in football are high, but there’s nothing else that can compete in terms of eyeballs”

Sean Maddocks is the Sales Director for UK and Ireland for Davanti Tyres, our Content Manager Alex Brinton sat down with him to speak about sports partnerships, Everton and why it is so hard to define the ROI from those partnerships.

Davanti started in 2015, tell us a bit about the journey the business has been on since then?

Yes, it was a new company formed in 2015 but the parent company has been a leading company in the tyre industry since the 1980s. Our parent company, Oak Tyres, has been at the forefront of the wholesale tyre market for the last few decades, but then in 2012 the owners decided the market conditions were right to start the process of creating a brand which they wholly owned and manufactured. From a standing start in 2015 we now export Davanti Tyres to over 70 countries and we are now the third highest selling mid -range tyre brand in the UK.

And your role in that particular journey?

I am the Sales Director for the UK and Ireland, which is our home market. We sold our first tyre in April 2015 and I came on board in August so I have really been here from the start. I’m responsible for the sales in the UK and Ireland which is our highest volume market, but is only a small part of the global jigsaw really. I also have a hand in the development, strategy and marketing of the brand.

What makes sport and football in particular an attractive opportunity for Davanti?

Football has always been something that has been attractive to the tyre industry because it is a great way to reach the masses. The costs in getting associated with football are obviously high, but there is nothing else that can compete with it in terms of eyeballs. Strangely, the aim wasn’t primarily to directly influence a consumers purchase choice, even though it was customer-led advertising, the aim was really to introduce the brand identity to the global tyre market as well as increase the awareness of the brand name with potential consumers.

Is the reason you are a Liverpool-based company a big part of the reason you have partnered with Everton?

It definitely came into it, but it wasn’t Everton or nothing. A lot of us here are Everton fans here, which helps. At the time we started the relationship the team were doing well and were regularly finishing within touching distance of the top six. We also saw the investment from the owners in the club and the stadium. The importance of the partnership with Everton is shown when we go travelling around the world doing trade shows and people already have knowledge of the brand.

Also being a local brand we are able to put on events in partnership with Everton in the local community, which is a real bonus. We really believe in long-term partnerships so even though the team hasn’t been performing well recently we are committed to the longevity of the partnership within the Premier League.

What sort of sports teams and brands do you look to partner with?

We try to partner with different teams/individuals depending on what we want to achieve from the partnership, so Everton was done to try and create an awareness globally. Being a locally-owned company we do a lot of activities with the local community around Liverpool. Over the past few years, we’ve tried to support the local community through CSR activities like providing school uniforms for underprivileged children, helping to feed children during the school holidays when the government withdrew support, and supporting grassroots football teams by providing equipment. It’s very important to us, being a family-owned business, that we are active in the local community and are seen as a partner which takes a greater involvement with the club outside of the standard advertising commitments. We are also the back-of-shirt sponsors for the Wigan Warriors, who are one of the most successful Super League teams. That partnership is based a lot on visibility of the brand so we do a lot of engagement with the players, the clubs and the fans.

Unsurprisingly we do also do some work in motorsport – being a tyre company there really isn’t much substitute for the credibility actually having your tyres on a racing car can give you. We have partnered with a race track in Portugal for the past 6 years as the Official Tyre Partner, the Autodromo Internacional in the Algarve, which is the home of the Portuguese F1.

We have a long-term partnership with British racing driver Dan Zelos, who recently won the Mini Challenge Championship in a fully branded Davanti car. The championship is the undercard to the British Touring cars, so we get great visibility through their coverage on ITV4 and with the racing community in general. We’ve worked with Dan since he was racing go karts, so you can see that longevity is very important to us with all of our partnerships.

In a two team city such as Liverpool did you have to weigh up the possible negatives of siding with the blue side of the city?

No to be honest that hasn’t been an issue at all, if anything Liverpool fans probably feel a bit sorry for us. Liverpool as a city is massively passionate about football, but I feel like over the last 10 years or so the rivalry between the two clubs has calmed down a bit and the city has really come together. Both clubs are such a massive part of the city and you saw how the fans came together after the Hillsborough enquiry, the rivalry is more based on banter rather than particularly bitterness. Also when you are selling around the globe the benefit of being partnered with one Premier League club, vastly outweighs any possible negativity people might have because of a rivalry.

What are you looking for in terms of ROI from a sports partnership because the benefits of this type of partnership are often hard to quantify?

It is always hard to quantify ROI from sports-based partnerships but particularly in our field. Tyres are a distress purchase, you don’t wake up in the morning and decide ‘oh brilliant, I am going to buy some new tyres today’. So we can’t measure ROI by a sudden spike in sales. We have to speak to our dealership network and find out if they are using it as a selling point? Are customers speaking about it? Are they displaying it at their depots? Partnering with a Premier League club also creates a lot of momentum behind your brand which is really helpful and shows your partners that you are serious about investment in marketing. The international benefits of the partnership were almost more important than the UK strangely. Because it gave us validation and recognition when we went to trade shows around the world so that was a great way of seeing ROI from the partnership.

There’s a lot of talk at the moment around brands being culturally aware at the moment. Is this something you are paying attention to?

We have never been a contentious brand in terms of our approach to marketing or our background, so it isn’t really a problem. In recent years we started a carbon offset partnership with Ecologi as part of our continued journey to become climate positive.

We also do a lot of work with charities both in and outside of Liverpool, so it is very important to us that we are seen as doing something to give back to the community as well and I think that stems from still being a family business.

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IOC announce all media rights for 2026-2032 have been awarded to EBU and Warner Bros. Discovery

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that all media rights in Europe for the four Olympic Games in the 2026-2032 period have been awarded to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Following the IOC’s launch of a competitive tender, the EBU and Warner Bros. Discovery presented a joint bid to acquire all media rights across 49 territories in Europe* for the XXV Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad Los Angeles 2028, the XXVI Olympic Winter Games in 2030 and the Games of the XXXV Olympiad Brisbane 2032, as well as for the Youth Olympic Games in the period.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “We are delighted to have reached a long-term agreement with two of the world’s leading media companies. The EBU and its Members provide unparalleled broadcast expertise and reach across Europe, and Warner Bros. Discovery, through the recent combination of Warner Media and Discovery, represents one of the world’s largest media and entertainment companies across all programming genres and platforms. It demonstrates the ongoing appeal of the Olympic Games across Europe. As the IOC redistributes 90 per cent of the revenues it generates, this long-term agreement also provides critical financial stability to the wider sporting movement and ultimately supports the athletes themselves.”

The first IOC partnership with the EBU and its Members dates back to 1956. In 2015, the IOC partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery across Europe for the 2018-2024 Olympic Games.

This new agreement guarantees free-to-air reach for the Games through the EBU’s network of public service broadcasters, the vast majority of which continued Olympic Games coverage across the past three Games in partnership with the IOC and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Starting in 2026, the EBU will hold free-to-air rights on television and digital platforms. Every EBU Member will broadcast more than 200 hours of coverage of the Olympic Summer Games and at least 100 hours of the Olympic Winter Games on TV, with a broad range of radio coverage, live streaming and reporting across web, app and social media platforms.

Welcoming the agreement, Delphine Ernotte Cunci, President of the EBU and CEO of France Télévisions, said: “We’re proud to have secured the Olympic Games for audiences to enjoy free to air until 2032. This deal is a game-changer for public service media and demonstrates the abiding strength and solidarity of our Union.

“Through its Members, the EBU has the potential to reach over 1 billion viewers across Europe via linear and non-linear platforms. And that’s why I’m so pleased to welcome this partnership with the IOC and Warner Bros. Discovery, which will ensure the Games will be available to the widest possible audience across Europe.”

For Warner Bros. Discovery, today’s announcement extends its position as “Home of the Olympics in Europe” and follows record audiences and digital viewership growth across the past three Olympic Games, with the Olympic Games Paris 2024 ahead. Under the new agreement, it will continue to be the only place to present “every moment” of the Games on its streaming and digital platforms**, such as its leading sports and entertainment streaming service discovery+, and hold full pay-TV rights, including for its owned and operated Eurosport channels.

Commenting on the continuation of their partnership with the IOC, Andrew Georgiou, President and Managing Director for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “As the ‘Home of the Olympics in Europe’ for the last three Olympic Games, we are pleased to be extending our relationship with the IOC through 2032. Ahead of what promises to be a magnificent Olympic Games Paris 2024, we are delighted that Warner Bros. Discovery will remain the only place where fans can get every moment of the following four Olympics

“We are grateful to be partnering with the EBU and its Members on the next stage of our Olympic journey, extending our commitment made together with the IOC in 2015 to reach more people through broad-reaching and accessible coverage. Viewers throughout Europe will continue to have extensive choice and the ability to access the Games across multiple platforms, setting an outstanding foundation to build on the record audience and engagement delivered for Europe for the past three Games.”

Warner Bros. Discovery and the EBU have a long history of collaborating to deliver complementary coverage of major sporting events, most recently with the International Biathlon Union World Cup and World Championship events, in addition to a host of summer sports events including the World Athletics Championships and cycling’s Tour de France and La Vuelta Grand Tour races.

For the past three editions of the Games, Warner Bros. Discovery oversaw broadcast partnerships with more than 45 free-to-air partners and EBU Members to guarantee broad access to the Games. Together with its own platforms, this drove record audiences, as 372 million people across Europe engaged with the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, 175 million of whom did so on Warner Bros. Discovery’s platforms such as discovery+, while the number of Europeans who visited its platforms for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 – 156 million – was over 19 times more than the previous Winter Games edition.

Photo credit: Getty Images

The Bottom Line: iSportConnect’s Sports Company Index – January 12

Welcome to the iSportConnect Sports Company Index. Over the next few months we are going to be tracking the top 30 relevant publicly-listed companies in the sports business. As well as ranking them by Market Capitalisation Value each week we will also be looking at who the movers and shakers are. Whose value is going up and whose is going down and why are they.

A lot of the companies in this Index are not exclusively involved in sport but they have a stake in the future of the industry and are active players.

Take a look at our Index below, this will introduce you to the thoughts behind this content series.

Data correct as of January 11th 4pm

It is interesting to see that the majority of the companies in our Index are up this week, much of that is likely to be due to global index’s moving up in the last week.

The Winners:

WWE’s share price has shot up by 25.84% with rumours of a PIF purchase.
Warner Bros. Discovery is up 19.46% after Goldman Sachs and Bank of America show support.
Roblox is up 13.25% after they announced a partnership with H&M to create an immersive gaming experience last week.

The Losers:

Guild Esports is down 9.15%, although they have appointed three new people to their leadership time today, so it will be interesting to see how that changes.
Manchester United’s share is down 6.06% this week, despite possibility of Qatar buying a stake.
Juventus is down 4.04% this week, going back down after a recent surge, but the allegations of legal and financial misdemeanours are gathering.

The eagle-eyed readers among you will notice that the below list only includes 25 companies – instead of this being half a job done – we actually want to hear from you, who would you like to see in the Index? We want our readers to be involved in this and have their say in shaping this Index.

We think this is the start of something really exciting that can give you some real value.

For any suggestions please email: alex@isportconnect.com

The House View – The PIF’s plans to purchase WWE

From what I have seen over the last day or so the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia is closing in on purchasing the WWE. Not scared of a bit of disruption the PIF have thrown money behind Newcastle United and LIV Golf in the last year as they aim to diversify the Kingdom’s economy and decrease their reliance on oil.

In October last year, the country also successfully bid for the Asian Winter Games in 2029. The games are set to take place at the Trojena resort in the country’s highest mountain range, the bid makes up part of the ambitious $500 billion NEOM smart city project. To some it seems crazy but clearly the region wants to get serious about sport. The whole sustainability aspect will be interesting to watch. NEOM is all about tech, so this could be a great chance to apply something new to disrupt traditional thinking.

Their move to takeover WWE isn’t a surprising one, they have hosted events in the country since 2014 and since 2019 – barring the pandemic – they have hosted two pay-per-views per year.

What this will mean for WWE in the future is not altogether clear, but if you can take anything from what has happened with LIV and Newcastle the PIF won’t be scared of putting their money where their mouth is and investing a lot of money into the business.

The move represents a significant investment in the entertainment business and another example of how sport and entertainment are becoming increasingly intertwined. Just this week KSI’s Misfits boxing has signed a five year exclusive deal with DAZN and DJ Carl Cox has started his own Extreme E team. I am fascinated by this crossover and disruption (there’s that word again) to traditional sport and how entertainment has such a major role to play.

According to Arab News, the PIF has assets worth $607.42 billion and already owns more than 54 companies in ten different sectors.

By iSportConnect’s Chief Strategy Officer, Sandy Case.