The International Olympic Committee has distributed media rights to Sub-Saharan Africa for the Olympic Games in 2014 and 2016 to sports marketing agency, sale Infront Sports & Media.

Infront will partner with TV Media Sport (TVMS), viagra the France based international sports event television and organisation agency, diagnosis to fulfil the contract which refers to distribution in 43 countries and territories within the region. It covers the rights for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The agreement comprises exclusive free-to-air television and radio rights, alongside internet and mobile rights. The programming on offer includes a live/delayed signal and highlights from all competitions as well as full coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies. In addition, TV presenting opportunities will be marketed to brands with a focus on the African market.

As part of the media rights mandate, Infront and TVMS are producing a specific broadcast feed, tailored for an African audience, for the three events. This includes a focus on African athletes and most popular competitions. The programming is further enhanced with commentary in French, English and Portuguese. 

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “This agreement reflects the global appeal of the Olympic Games, and our aim is to reach audiences in all regions across the globe with the best broadcast offering. We want to not only generate viewership for sports where African athletes already perform successfully, but also boost appeal for Olympic sports gaining popularity on the continent.” 

Richard Carrión, IOC Member who led the negotiations, added: “Infront has acquired the rights and will now work to sublicense those rights to broadcasters in the region to ensure excellent coverage of the Olympic Games for sports fans in the region. The partnership with Infront allows us to take advantage of its network across the continent, supported further by a tailor-made editorial plan for African broadcasters and their viewers.”

Stephan Herth, Executive Director Summer Sports of Infront, said: “We would like to thank the IOC for trusting in our broadcast distribution experience and ability to extend the spirit and scope of Olympic programming to an even broader audience. Our ambition is to encourage the growth of sport in Africa with a dedicated broadcast product and continue to advocate the Olympics as a worldwide event. We are looking forward to delivering the Winter Olympics to television screens in so many countries in Africa for the first time in 2014.”

Hédi Hamel, CEO of TV Media Sport, added: “After having commercialised UEFA EURO 2012 and IAAF World Championships in Athletics 2013 media rights in Sub-Saharan Africa, TV Media Sport is honoured to bring the emotions of the Olympic Games, which remain the biggest sporting event on the planet, to the African public. And I am very pleased about the excellent partnership with Infront and the IOC!”

Lovett hails from Melbourne, medstore Australia but is based in the UK, reporting in to Repucom’s chief operating officer Jeff Stein.

In his new role, Lovett will be responsible for several key areas of Repucom’s business, including its products, knowledge and insights and consulting services.

He was most recently managing director for Europe, Middle East and India at sponsorship agency Octagon. He was also a co-founder of the sports consultancy Crowe-Lovett (now Gemba Group) and held roles at Nike Australia and Red Bee Media.

“Glenn is a proven professional with diverse international experience and we are very pleased to welcome him to our company,” added Repucom founder and chief executive Paul Smith. “With more than 20 offices in 17 countries, Repucom has a rapidly expanding and evolving business model with a growing range of services that go hand-in-hand with our global client integration strategies. Glenn will play a central role in these initiatives and in the strategic development of our business.”

Lovett was delighted with his new post: “Having observed the remarkable development of Repucom over a number of years, I am delighted to have the opportunity to become part of it and to be involved at a senior international level. The truly global nature of the role and the compelling growth strategy at the heart of Repucom make this an incredibly exciting challenge for me.”

Former Chief Operating Officer of Nimbus Sport, Yannick Colaco has been appointed Managing Director of NBA India, the National Basketball Association announced.

Colaco will manage the NBA’s India office, based in Mumbai, and oversee all of the league’s business and basketball development in the country. Colaco will report to NBA President, International, Heidi Ueberroth. 

“Yannick Colaco has the ideal combination of experience and knowledge of the sports landscape in India necessary to lead our expanding operations in the country,” said Ueberroth. “Basketball is on the rise in India and we are thrilled to have Yannick lead our extremely talented staff as we build towards the future.” 

Colaco will be responsible for leading the growth of the NBA in India. He will continue to build on the league’s efforts to grow participation in basketball in partnership with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).  Colaco — who played basketball at the national university level in India — will work with the league’s media, marketing and merchandising partners to make the NBA more accessible to fans in India.  He will also be responsible for growing further the NBA’s social media presence in the country. 

“The sports market in India is poised for significant growth and as basketball participation increases further there is a tremendous opportunity for the NBA,” said Colaco. “The league has a strong staff in Mumbai and I look forward to joining their efforts to carry out the NBA’s mission to grow basketball in India.” 

The NBA’s Mumbai office opened in Oct. 2011 and includes Akash Jain, Senior Director, Business Development and Partnerships; Troy Justice, Senior Director, Basketball Operations, and three other employees. NBA headquarters in New York also has a cross-departmental team dedicated to NBA growth in India. 

Colaco was named COO of Nimbus Sport in June 2009 after joining the company in August 2002.  During his tenure he worked extensively across a wide range of sports properties and drove Nimbus Sport business to record profitability. Prior to Nimbus Sport, Yannick began his career at IMG where he worked on a number of prominent event properties including India’s first ATP Tour Event, Asian PGA Tour Events and the Indian Fashion Week.