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NBC Sports Partner with Fathom Events for Premier League to Hit U.S. Theaters

The Premier League is set to hit theatres across the U.S. after NBC Sports, who own the broadcasting rights to the league in the US, inked a deal with Fathom Events.

The renowned alternative entertainment industry company that offers “one-of-a-kind entertainment events in movie theatres”, will bring the competition to 33 movie theatres across the USA.

The pair has struck a deal to show the games on the big screen starting on the opening day of the season, August 16.

They will have a weekly showing of one of the Saturday games that kick off at 10am Eastern Time throughout the season. FathomEvents.com will forewarn fans of which games will be shown the Tuesday of that week within its ‘Barclays Premier League Live’ section, meaning it can tailor its showings to the taste of spectators and to the importance of the game in the spectrum of the league.

NBC started showing Barclays Premier League matches only last season, and more than doubled the audience that ESPN and FOX Soccer attained with their coverage the previous year. With the record number of US viewers that tuned into the world cup, NBC are looking to expand their audience, and their platform for that audience.

Fathom Events CEO John Rubey commented: “It’s clear from the recent nationwide outpouring of support for team USA in the World Cup that more and more Americans are embracing and following this remarkable sport,” he said.

“In this ‘first-ever’ cinema sports series partnership with NBC Sports Group, fans in theaters can expect to get the full Barclays Premier League experience as though they were at one of the famed stadiums in the United Kingdom.”

50 Sponsorship Deals of the Week: 02/08/13

1	Verivox to Sponsor SV Sandhausen	Friday, 02 August 2013
2	Pirelli Wins Contract to Return to World Rally Championship	Friday, 02 August 2013
3	Samsung Announce Ambassadors for Sochi 2014	Friday, 02 August 2013
4	Hilton Honours Announces USA Gymnastics Ambassadors	Friday, 02 August 2013
5	StubHub Agrees Rogers Cup Sponsorship Deal	Friday, 02 August 2013
6	Labatt to Sponsor 2014 USA Curling National Championships	Friday, 02 August 2013
7	London Irish & Crest Nicholson Announce Partnership	Friday, 02 August 2013
8	Nike Renews All India Football Federation Sponsorship Deal	Thursday, 01 August 2013
9	Continental Tire Sign International Motor Sports Association Deal	Thursday, 01 August 2013
10	Bushnell Outdoor to be Official Supplier for 2013 European Solheim Cup Team	Thursday, 01 August 2013
11	HCL ME Tablets Become Official Sponsor of Galatasaray	Thursday, 01 August 2013
12	Ford Ends NHRA Sponsorship for 2014	Thursday, 01 August 2013
13	EA Sports Named Official Football Video Gaming Partner of Liverpool	Thursday, 01 August 2013
14	WANdisco Signs Sheffield Wednesday Shirt Sponsorship Deal	Thursday, 01 August 2013
15	British Cycling and SweetSpot Sign Tour of Britain Deal	Thursday, 01 August 2013
16	Fulham Inks Brother UK as Official Technology Partner	Thursday, 01 August 2013
17	English Table Tennis Association Signs £100k Butterfly Sponsorship Deal	Thursday, 01 August 2013
18	Supporters Direct and Exeter City Extend Partnership	Thursday, 01 August 2013
19	Sydney FC Receive Double Sponsorship Boost in Webjet and Destination NSW Extensions	Thursday, 01 August 2013
20	Continental Tyres Renews Women’s Super League Sponsorship in New FA Deal	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
21	Barcelona Get in the Game with EA Sports	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
22	Pele Made Global Brand Ambassador for SUBWAY Restaurants	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
23	Major League Soccer Announce Wells Fargo Sponsorship	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
24	V8 Supercars Secure Enduro Cup Naming Rights	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
25	Phones 4u Acquires Naming Rights to Manchester Arena	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
26	Clipper Race Launch Great Britain Team Yacht and Announce Three Partners	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
27	Bodog Inks Six-Figure FIBA Asia Championship Sponsorship Deal	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
28	Manchester United Reveal PepsiCo Deal in Asia-Pacific, Pre-season Game to be on PPV	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
29	Delaware Office of Highway Safety to Title Sponsor Nascar’s Drive Sober 150	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
30	Adams Thermal Systems to Sponsor Canton Cycling Classic	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
31	NCAA Renews Ticketing Partnership with PrimeSport	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
32	PepsiCo to Become Founding Partner of 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
33	Heathrow Express to Sponsor Premiership Rugby’s London Double Header	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
34	Crystal Palace Announce Sponsorship Deal with Access Self Storage	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
35	Swansea Announce New SBOBET Deal	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
36	Chicago Bears Inks New Mattress Provider	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
37	AmenZone Fitness Partners with Billy Boat Motorsports for Four ARCA Races	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
38	Cowes Week Announces Omani Ministry of Tourism as Official Destination Partner	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
39	TIM Reportedly Extend Title Sponsorship of Serie A	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
40	Newcastle United Secure 138.com Partnership	Monday, 29 July 2013
41	Golfer Sam Torrance Renews Endorsement Deal with John Letters of Scotland	Monday, 29 July 2013
42	MetLife Agrees PGA Tour Partnership	Monday, 29 July 2013
43	Barcelona Signs Castle Lager as Official Beer Brand in Club’s First Ever Deal with African Company	Monday, 29 July 2013
44	Great Clips Expands Sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports’ Kasey Kahne	Monday, 29 July 2013
45	Football Conference Announces Skrill as New Title Sponsor	Monday, 29 July 2013
46	GAC Extends Title Sponsorship of ITTF World Tour to 2015	Monday, 29 July 2013
47	Ascot Racecourse Names Sodexo as Lead Caterer	Monday, 29 July 2013
48	BT Sport Reveal New Sponsorship Deal with Scottish Rugby Teams	Monday, 29 July 2013
49	Volvo Expands New South Wales Waratahs Partnership to Become Principal Sponsor	Monday, 29 July 2013
50	Audi Extends Partnership with Hertha Berlin	Monday, 29 July 2013

Dow to Remove Branding Around London 2012 Stadium

Dow Chemical have agreed to remove all its branding from the London Olympic stadium following protests over its links to 1984 Union Carbide Bhopal gas tragedy.

Under a £7 million ($10.8 m) deal, price Dow was to sponsor a fabric wrap that would surround the Olympic stadium in East London.

A report in The Sunday Express quoted the company as saying that it was agreeing to the “vision” of the 2012 Games by “waiving its sponsorship rights to place its brand on a controversial fabric wrap for the stadium”.

It also said that an unnamed artist working on the wrap had insisted on “artistic integrity’’ and this meant that Dow’s logo would not be used.

Dow spokesman Scott Wheeler said: “The agreement between Dow and Locog (the London Olympics organising committee) was limited to branding of five ‘test panels’ that were to be removed in the months before the Games and were not part of the final design. In mid-summer, Locog and Dow discussed Dow deferring the rights to these five panels to allow free and full execution of the design as determined by Locog. Dow agreed to this to support Locog’s and London 2012’s vision for the stadium wrap.”

The Indian Olympic Association, however, said that they would not settle just for the American corporation’s name being removed from the wrap, and that they wanted the chemical giant to end its association as the sponsors of the Games.

Reacting to the development, IOA acting president VK Malhotra said, “I have also heard about Dow Chemicals withdrawing their logo from the decorative wrap but I don’t know what it means. Our demand is that Dow should be removed as a sponsor. We are sending our communication to Dow as well as IOC on this regard.”

Welcoming the move to drop the logo, Barry Gardiner, MP Chair of Labour Friends of India, who led a campaign against the sponsorship, said: “This decision at last indicates Dow is showing some shame and that can only be positive. But we also hope any attempt by it to have a long-term involvement in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park are abandoned.”

But a new element of the sponsorship fiasco emerged as the Express claimed that it had information that Dow had been in talks with the Olympic Park Legacy Company about “partnership deals’’ in Olympic Park after the Games. The Park will be renamed Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to mark her Diamond Jubilee celebration.

RFL Award 2013 Rugby League World Cup to Four Countries

The Rugby Football League has announced today that the 2013 Rugby League World Cup will be staged in four countries with matches played in England, site Wales, doctor Ireland and France.

The group stages and quarter-finals of the 14-team tournament will see the world’s best international teams hosted in venues from Wrexham to Perpignan in southern France and Bristol to Limerick in Ireland’s south west.

Today’s announcement outlines 18 different venues which will stage matches and reveals six other venues which will host teams during the tournament. Details of the venues for the opening ceremony, unhealthy the semi-finals and the final will be confirmed early in the New Year.

2013 Rugby League World Cup Tournament Director Nigel Wood said: “I would like to congratulate all the hosts who have been successful in their bids to host matches or teams in what I am confident will be a World Cup that enhances the UK’s golden decade of sport.

“We experienced massive interest in hosting matches from all across Europe and the bidding process proved to be hugely competitive.

“In putting together their bids over the last 12 months, the successful candidates have demonstrated a level of commitment which suggests the 2013 Rugby League World Cup can exceed everyone’s expectations.

“It has been a fantastic and inspiring bidding process and we have been extremely impressed with the quality, detail and diverse nature of the host bids received.

“We have had to make some tough decisions, but we are absolutely delighted to award each of the 22 successful candidates a Host Mark for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

“We are excited that the tournament will visit established world class Rugby League venues, but will also visit some new locations, including Bristol and Whitehaven, where we see unique opportunities to grow the game and for the 2013 tournament to deliver a lasting legacy for our sport.

“Following some excellent bids, we have also taken the decision to include tournament hosts from France and Ireland, for selected group games. We believe the inclusion of Limerick, Avignon and Perpignan will continue the international development of the game and ensure the 2013 Rugby League World Cup is the most successful in the competition’s history.”

The RFL plans to make further announcements in the New Year (2012), including the fixtures for the tournament, opening ceremony, semi-finals and final venue locations in England and Wales.

A total of 34 bids, comprising 30 stadia, 47 team training sites and 87 team base camps, were submitted to the RFL. Each of the bidding hosts underwent a detailed inspection from a 2013 team to examine the various sites venue specifications, as well as evaluating the enthusiasm and commitment of each bidding host.

Over half a million people are expected to watch the 28 matches live over a six-week period in the autumn of 2013 with a further 20 million viewers from 120 countries tuning in around the world.

German Channel Sportdigital to Broadcast Scottish Premiership

German pay-TV sports channel sportdigital has agreed a deal to air the Scottish Premiership from the 2014/15 season.

The Scottish football league will replace the Polish Ekstraklasa for which the TV rights aren’t available in Germany in the forthcoming season, tadalafil according to the broadcaster.

The Hamburg-based channel recently also acquired the rights for the Belgian Jupiler League.

10 Sports Broadcasting Deals of the Week: 02/08/13

1	Australia & New Zealand FIBA Clashes to Air on ABC TV in Australia	Friday, here 02 August 2013
2	Cleveland Browns Agree SportsTime Ohio Broadcast Deal	Friday, 02 August 2013
3	CCTV Signs New FIBA Broadcast Deal	Thursday, 01 August 2013
4	British Eurosport & ITV4 Secure Broadcast Rights to Tour of Britain	Thursday, 01 August 2013
5	MLS to Air on SuperSport	Thursday, 01 August 2013
6	IOC Awards STAR India South Asian Broadcast Rights	Thursday, 01 August 2013
7	BT Sport to Broadcast Liverpool Friendlies	Thursday, 01 August 2013
8	Sony SIX to Air SPFL in India After Inking MP & Silva Deal	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
9	BBC Extend Official Commentary Partner Deal with Sunderland	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
10	Audi Cup Football Tournament to be Broadcast in Over 200 Territories	Tuesday, 30 July 2013

Dow Stands By Sponsorship

Despite the huge furore surrounding the world’s second largest chemical manufacturer’s £7m funding of a wrap for the Olympic Stadium, allergist Dow Chemical has refused to even consider withdrawing its sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympics.

“We are committed to our partners and a successful London 2012 Games, unhealthy ” said a Dow spokeswoman. “We will continue to provide our sustainable solutions, pharmacy viagra including the Olympic stadium wrap.

“Dow never owned nor operated the Bhopal plant and the settlement of the incident occurred in 1989, long before Dow acquired Union Carbide…

“While it is understandable that human emotions evoked by the tragedy remain, allowing a misrepresentation of facts and to rewrite history – as some are trying to do – is not only wrong but sends an unfortunate and inaccurate message that obscures rather than clarifies the Bhopal tragedy.”

Campaigners claim that the 1984 chemical leak and its aftermath had the resulting affect of killing an estimated 25,000 people. For those affected, Dow’s £288m final settlement has been described as fair by the company, yet the controversy seems unlikely to settle down. Rights groups, athletes, Indian and British politicians have come together in a bid to stop the sponsorship.

2018 FEI World Equestrian Games Gets Seven Bidders to Host Event

A record seven National Federations have sent in formal Expressions of Interest to host the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2018.

Signed Expression of Interest documents have been received from the National Federations of Australia, symptoms Canada, Hungary, Morocco, Russia, Sweden, and the USA..

FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos said: “Having a record seven Expressions of Interest in hosting the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2018 is the best possible endorsement of the FEI’s flagship event. It also shows the value of the review that the FEI has commissioned of the bidding process for the FEI World Equestrian Games and FEI European Championships, which is aimed at raising the profile of these events and their associated revenues by creating a competitive, well structured and transparent bid process.”

An economic impact study of the direct and indirect economic impact generated by Kentucky’s hosting of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 showed a total economic impact of between $373 and $396 million. The Deloitte study, which was commissioned by the FEI, revealed a direct economic impact of $233 million and an indirect economic impact of between $140 and $163 million.

The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 generated attendance figures of 507,000, with spectator numbers exceeding 40,000 on four separate peak days. Ninety-six percent of local visitors agreed that hosting the event was beneficial to Kentucky, and 74% of international visitors stated that they would be more likely to return to Kentucky as a result of the Games.

The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 generated 16 days of live High Definition broadcast coverage, with 66 television channels from around the world airing 1,556 broadcasts. Approximately 474 broadcast hours were transmitted, an additional 153 hours, or a 32% increase, when compared with the FEI World Equestrian Games 2006.

The 2010 Games, the biggest equestrian event ever staged in the US and the first FEI World Equestrian Games held outside Europe, received the largest block of equestrian programming ever available for viewing in the US market. More than 38 hours of programming was aired in the US, including over 20 hours of live coverage. US Olympic network NBC broadcast 8.5 hours of coverage, which included a five-hour broadcast on Cross Country day, 3 October.

FEI TV produced 16 days of live internet broadcasts, which included 175 hours of Video on Demand, daily highlight shows and 116 features and interviews.

Full details of the bidding process, the timeline and requirements for hosting the FEI World Equestrian Games 2018, will be sent to the seven National Federations that have completed and returned the Expression of Interest form.

TVG Network Renews Deal to Air NYRA Races

The New York Racing Association has signed a multi-year extension with TVG Network who will continue to televise and stream races from Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Racecourse

Under the terms of the agreement, TVG will increase the exposure for High Definition telecasts of races from the premier New York Thoroughbred races on its network – which is distributed nationally in over 36 million households and simulcast regularly on regional sports networks throughout the US including the Fox family of regional sports networks.

“Both The New York Racing Association and TVG have made significant investments in High Definition television capabilities over the past year and this agreement allows us both to provide the highest quality coverage to the greatest number of people possible on a daily basis,” said Kip Levin, CEO of TVG and Betfair US.

“We view this as a starting point for the two organizations to innovate in creating new and better ways for customers to enjoy this fantastic racing product.”

Programming enhancements will include features on TVG’s television network with The New York Racing Association’s on-track television hosts as well as significantly increased on-site productions by TVG at Belmont Park and Saratoga Racecourse.

“Today’s announcement is yet another positive step forward for The New York Racing Association; one that will further enhance the experience for the world’s greatest fans following thoroughbred action on television, online or at one of our three historic, world-class racing facilities,” said Christopher Kay, President and CEO of The New York Racing Association. “The extension of our agreement with TVG will provide featured, long-term placement through the broadest, most technologically advanced distribution network available. This is a win for everyone.”

60 Sports Business Arrivals/Departures of the Month: July 2013

Our top movers this month was IAAF President Lamine Diack revealing he would step down from his role and Dr. Julio C. Maglione getting re-elected as FINA President.

Our Full List here (in no particular order):

1	Nascar’s Leavine Family Racing Appoints Jeremy Lange as VP of Marketing & Partnerships	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
2	Lisa Lazarus Assumes New Role at FEI	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
3	Notts County Appoint New Head of Commercial	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
4	Cronulla Sharks Appoints New CEO	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
5	Former Coca-Cola Executive Rhona Aime Becomes PGA of America CFO	Wednesday, 31 July 2013
6	Sports Authority Appoints Stephen Binkley as Chief Merchandising Officer	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
7	PGA’s Sandy Jones Joins England Golf Board	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
8	Edwin Moses Announces Candidacy for WADA President	Tuesday, 30 July 2013
9	Philadelphia 76ers Appoint Chris Heck as Chief Revenue Officer	Monday, 29 July 2013
10	Former Leeds United Chief Shaun Harvey Appointed as Football League CEO	Monday, 29 July 2013
11	Lamine Diack to Step Down as IAAF President with Lord Coe Favourite to Take Over	Monday, 29 July 2013
12	Mehmet Dalman Promoted to Chairman of Cardiff City	Monday, 29 July 2013
13	David Evans Quits as Essendon Chairman, Paul Little Takes Over	Monday, 29 July 2013
14	Executive Director of FEI’s Commercial Department to Step Down	Friday, 26 July 2013
15	FINA Re-elects Maglione as President	Friday, 26 July 2013
16	Eurosport Group Appoints New Asia-Pacific SVP	Friday, 26 July 2013
17	Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Reveals Corporate Restructuring	Thursday, 25 July 2013
18	BPA Appoints New Non-Executive Directors	Wednesday, 24 July 2013
19	Florida International Motorsport Park Appoint Ken Grammer as Managing Director	Tuesday, 23 July 2013
20	WTA Hires Head of Global Sponsorship Sales, Seeks CEO for Asia-Pacific	Tuesday, 23 July 2013
21	Nike Reveals Two New Vice President Appointments	Tuesday, 23 July 2013
22	Roger Jackson Appointed Interim President of Alpine Canada	Tuesday, 23 July 2013
23	Gary Pemberton Set to Retire as ARLC Commissioner	Tuesday, 23 July 2013
24	PwC Appoints Lecturer Tom Markham to Join its Sport & Leisure Advisory Practice	Monday, 22 July 2013
25	Pat Fitzgerald Becomes Irish Rugby President	Monday, 22 July 2013
26	Former ICC Chief Haroon Lorgat Joins Cricket South Africa as CEO	Monday, 22 July 2013
27	Chikarovski Appointed to Board of NSW Rugby Union	Monday, 22 July 2013
28	Sue Day Appointed First Female President of Wasps FC	Friday, 19 July 2013
29	Mike Dee Returns to Baseball as San Diego Padres CEO	Thursday, 18 July 2013
30	Matt Phelan Named Acting CEO of Parramatta Eels after Edwards Departure	Wednesday, 17 July 2013
31	Kempster Hires Emma Williams as Marketing Manager	Wednesday, 17 July 2013
32	Marius Vizer Makes Two New Executive Appointments for SportAccord	Tuesday, 16 July 2013
33	Pat Symonds Appointed Chief Technical Officer for Williams F1	Tuesday, 16 July 2013
34	Ken Edwards Quits as Parramatta Eels CEO	Tuesday, 16 July 2013
35	Travis Apple Accepts Senior Director Role at Orlando Magic	Tuesday, 16 July 2013
36	Hilary Poole Named New CEO of Netball New Zealand	Monday, 15 July 2013
37	Choue Re-elected President of World Taekwondo Federation	Monday, 15 July 2013
38	London Irish Appoint Jim O’Toole as Permanent Commercial Director	Monday, 15 July 2013
39	PUMA Appoints Torsten Hochstetter as Global Creative Director	Sunday, 14 July 2013
40	Lassana Palenfo Re-Elected ANOCA President	Sunday, 14 July 2013
41	ITF Elect New Board of Directors	Friday, 12 July 2013
42	Chris Moller to Step Down as New Zealand Cricket Chairman	Friday, 12 July 2013
43	Rangers Appoint Craig Mather as CEO	Friday, 12 July 2013
44	Ahmed El-Awadi Becomes Swimming Canada CEO	Friday, 12 July 2013
45	Fuse Appoint New Deputy Managing Director of EMEA	Thursday, 11 July 2013
46	Melbourne Victory Appoint Ian Robson as CEO	Thursday, 11 July 2013
47	Chris Granger Leaves NBA to Join Sacramento Kings as President	Thursday, 11 July 2013
48	David Longmuir Leaves Scottish Football after Doncaster Hired as SPFL CEO	Wednesday, 10 July 2013
49	Sangita Shah Joins Swindon Town as Non-Executive Director	Wednesday, 10 July 2013
50	ECHL’s Stockton Thunder Appoint Brian Sandy as President	Tuesday, 09 July 2013
51	Boardroom Changes at Rangers as Ex-Chairman Malcolm Murray Leaves	Tuesday, 09 July 2013
52	Exclusive: Reading Aim to Compete with Premier League Clubs in New Commercial Strategy	Tuesday, 09 July 2013
53	Former MSG Executive Scott O’Neil Becomes Philadelphia 76ers CEO	Tuesday, 09 July 2013
54	Duane Kale Steps Down as Chef de Mission at Paralympics New Zealand	Monday, 08 July 2013
55	Andrew Lloyd-Skinner Becomes Interim CEO of UKGCOA after Cameron Departs	Monday, 08 July 2013
56	Perform Hires Martyn Jones as New Global Brand Sponsorship Director	Friday, 05 July 2013
57	Jenkins Appointed Limelight Sports Cycling Business Owner	Friday, 05 July 2013
58	Former BOA Director Sara Sutcliffe Becomes English Table Tennis Association CEO	Thursday, 04 July 2013
59	David Oxley Elected RFL President	Thursday, 04 July 2013
60	Neil Doncaster Appointed CEO of Scottish Professional Football League	Thursday, 04 July 2013