The internet has surpassed TV as the primary platform for 18 to 35 year-old sports fans to watch their favourite sport, search according to new research conducted for the fourth annual Global Sports Forum Barcelona (GSFB), adiposity 7-9 March, erectile 2012 –www.globalsportsforum.org.

Today’s findings show that 36.1% of this sport hungry demographic across Europe sign-in online to watch their favourite sport or team play on a weekly basis, compared with just 32.1% who do so on television.

It represents a significant shift in the way young people watch sport, after research in 2011, conducted by the Global Sports Forum Barcelona, showed that TV was still the leader for sports video content for this age group.

Advertisers, content providers, broadcasters, rights holders and athletes will all be affected by the changing ways sport is watched.  As a result, it is a topic which will be at the forefront of the debate at the GSFB, as the likes of Claude Ruibal, Head of Sport Content at You Tube,Moz Dee, Programme Director at talkSPORT and Laurent-Eric Le Lay, Chairman & CEO, Eurosport and Eurosport Events, take part in a panel session on “TV vs Web Round #2 for sport.”

Lucien Boyer, President and CEO, Havas Sports & Entertainment and General Commissioner of the Global Sports Forum Barcelona, said:
“These findings, indicating that web consumption of sport content amongst the youth audience has passed TV for the first time, represent an important evolution in consumer behaviour.”

“The implications of this are huge and suggest the broadcast sales model for sport needs to be carefully considered in the future. Whilst TV will clearly continue to remain of enormous importance, the younger generation choose to consume sport in a number of ways so the key now is to be a content provider that can satisfy the demands of sports fans across all platforms.

“I look forward to discussing this in some detail with Claude Ruibal, Head of Sport at YouTube and Chairman & CEO, Eurosport and Eurosport Events, Laurent-Eric Le Lay, at our dedicated session at the Forum on Friday, 9^th March.”

The research was conducted by brand engagement agency, Havas Sports & Entertainment, organizer of the GSFB.  Now in its fourth year, the GSFB continues to attract the sports industry’s leading figures, with more than 1,000 delegates set to attend.  LOCOG Chairman,Sebastien Coe, will be joined by leading brand and rights holder representatives, includingEmmanuel Seugé, Head of Global Sports and Entertainment Marketing at The Coca Cola Company, Gary Ream, CEO of the International Skateboard Federation and Thierry Weil, Marketing Director at FIFA.

The Global Sports Forum Barcelona 2012 will take place at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya in Barcelona from 7 – 9 March.  As well as looking at the new trends in sports content consumption, the Forum will also focus on many of the most important topics affecting the industry at the moment, including gambling and corruption; football and finance; and the Globalization of brand sponsors.

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has hinted he may run for the French Football Federation (FFF) presidency in 2016.

A vote will take place at the end of 2012 to name the president for the next four years, with the current occupant of the role, Noel Le Graet, expected to be kept in the position despite competition from Christophe Bouchet.

In four years’ time, however, former France international Petit, who currently works as a television pundit in France, has set his sights on vying for the FFF presidency.

He told L’Equipe: “My relatives and friends say I have the abilities to hold this position.

“I’m interested about all the angles of football and I have come to a simple conclusion: there are more and more troubles in the business of football.”

The International Rugby Board has appointed Brett Gosper as it’s Chief Executive Officer.

Vastly experienced and with an impressive sport and business track record, Gosper will start the role on August 15 and joins the federation at an exciting time for a sport that continues to experience unprecedented global participation, interest and commercial growth.

Gosper, 53, will be responsible for the day to day operations of the IRB in line with the 2010-2020 Strategic Plan as mandated by the IRB Council, including the delivery of Rugby World Cup in his dual role as Managing Director of Rugby World Cup Limited, the implementation of development, investment and player welfare strategies and Rugby’s successful return to the Olympic Games in 2016.

A Rugby man and former player with Racing Club in France and Australia Under 21, Gosper joins the IRB following a distinguished career with major international businesses, most recently as Chief Executive Officer of McCann Erickson Europe, Middle East and Africa and Chief Executive Officer of McCann Erickson USA.

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Guided by our comprehensive Strategic Plan, the IRB has a clear mission to develop, sustain and grow the sport of Rugby worldwide in order that it remains a thriving, attractive sport, bound by strong values that continue to reach out to record numbers of men, women and children worldwide,” said Lapasset.

“Brett Gosper shares that vision and proved himself to be an outstanding candidate during an extensive recruitment process featuring excellent candidates. The IRB Executive Committee unanimously agreed that his strong blend of experience, skills and passion for the Game are perfectly suited to the role.”

“Brett joins a strong and dynamic management team at an exciting time for the IRB and Rugby and I am confident he will continue to drive the Game forward, ensuring our core base remains strong, competitive and compelling, while continuing to improve and grow the Game throughout our regions and within new markets.”

“On behalf of all at the IRB, I would like to thank Robert Brophy for his excellent work, dedication and leadership as acting Chief Executive Officer. During his tenure, Robert has successfully managed a number of important of achievements, including the successful finalisation of Rugby World Cup 2011, a new financial model for Rugby World Cup 2015 and the adoption of a new disciplinary and sanctioning regime for the Game under Regulation 17. Robert will continue to act as the Chief Financial Officer of the IRB and RWCL.”

Gosper said: “I am delighted to be taking on this role at what is such an exciting time for the Game with Rugby World Cup going from strength to strength as a major global sporting brand as we look forward to the biggest-ever Rugby World Cup in 2015 and the sport returning to the Olympic Games at Rio 2016 with participation at an all-time high and a strong global commercial profile.”

“I am passionate about Rugby and look forward to using the experience gained through my involvement with the sport and management of global organisations and brands to work with the IRB Council, in partnership with Unions and Regions, and strengthen relationships with stakeholders to add further momentum to Rugby as one of the world’s most popular and commercially successful sports.”

How creative is sponsorship?

That’s one of the key topics at FASPO SPONSORING SUMMIT 2012 on March 22, nurse in Hamburg, Germany.

 Giving a lecture about creativity as the most efficient sponsorship tool worldwide and the power of ideas in times of media democracy will be Raphael Brinkert, Managing Director of advertising agency Jung von Matt.

Further main topics will be:

The latest figures of the IFM study “Sponsor Visions”; the sports year 2012 with the Olympics in London and the UEFA European Championship with lectures given from the Deutschen Sport-Marketing GmbH as well as top sponsors Vattenfall and Sharp. Culture sponsorship will furthermore be another topic that will be discussed intensively. Among others, the culture sponsorship of car manufacturer Audi, one of the biggest German culturs sponsors, will be highlighted from Audi Manager Jürgen Bachmann, who will also present music sponsorship at concerts and in social media.

The congress will be followed by the 19th International Sponsorship Awards on the night of March 22^nd. Well-known representatives  from the sponsorship industry will be honored by incorporating them into the HALL OF FAME SPONSORING. 

The event will take place in the Chamber of Commerce in Hamburg. The whole program can be found at the isportconnect.com events section or at www.faspo.de.

, or by sending an email to info@faspo.de or calling the FASPO office on +49(0)40 609508-33.

FASPO Fachverband für Sponsoring e.V., Rödingsmarkt 43, D-20459 Hamburg 

Tel. +49 (0) 40 609508-33, Fax -34, E-Mail: info@faspo.de, www.faspo.de

FASPO Schweiz, c/o Felten & Cie AG, Zürcherstrasse 41, CH-8400 Winterthur

Tel. +41 (0) 52 26908 00, Fax -01, E-Mail: info@faspo.ch, www.faspo.ch

FASPO Austria, c/o e|motion management gmbh, Gußhausstraße 15, A-1040 Wien

Tel. +43 (0) 1 5355285 20, Fax -80

 

Volvo Ocean Race announced Sunset+Vine, view a British-based independent sports production company, illness as Host Broadcaster and Distribution Partner for the 12th edition of the race scheduled to begin October 2014.

Sunset+Vine have previously delivered the race official TV partners in both 2005-06 and 2008-09 in addition to producing to the Olympic sailing events for London 2012.

The 65 Volvo Ocean boats race will be equipped with cutting-edge technology including on-board filming, editing and satellite transmission equipment and the race headquarters in Alicante is also set to house a 24-hour watch system.

Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO, was enthusiastic about the pairing, explaining: “The ocean legs have always been the heart and soul of the Volvo Ocean Race. No one is better placed than Sunset+Vine to bring this real story of life on board to audiences around the world. At its core the Volvo Ocean Race is about people and how they respond to life, and sport, at the extreme. Our priority is to share the reality of a race where competitors are prepared to put everything on the line to prevail.”

Richard Simmonds, Joint Managing Director of Sunset+Vine, exhibited how the company had the expertise to deliver the event, saying “The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the most extreme events in world sport and this theme will lie at the heart of our coverage from live video footage in the middle of a Southern Ocean storm to transporting the viewer into some of the remotest places on earth, our production will be driven from the very essence of this event.”

Japan will host the inaugural International Women’s Club Championship in November. The tournament will be a straight knockout format, scheduled to begin November 22 at Urawa Komaba Stadium.

The finalists play for the title and US$60,000 prize money three days later at Nack5 Stadium.

Japan Women’s Football League General Secretary, Yoshinori Taguchi, said the event will be held for “at least three years” and hopes it will include teams from other confederations in the future, in the hope of becoming the women’s equivalent of the Club World Cup.{jcomments on}

 

Former United States attorney Michael J. Garcia has been appointed by FIFA as lead prosecutor to investigate allegations of corruption in world football.

One of Garcia’s first tasks will be to inspect a Swiss court document on a Soccer World Cup kickbacks scandal to evaluate the behaviour of Blatter and other senior officials in the affair.

Garcia should have authority to order fresh probes into other old cases, including claims about how FIFA executive committee members awarded hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

His appointment by that same ruling board is seen as a crucial step in Blatter’s promised anti-corruption reforms.

FIFA also selected German judge Joachim Eckert to chair the judging chamber of its ethics court.

Garcia and Eckert are seen as key independent figures from outside the so-called “football family” who can help restore FIFA’s credibility after bribery and vote-buying scandals.

Blatter’s ruling board agreed to create a two-chamber ethics court to prosecute cases more effectively after a panel of anti-corruption experts advising FIFA said previous cases were “insufficiently investigated.”

The 13-member panel, led by Swiss law professor Mark Pieth, wants Garcia to examine claims surrounding how Russia and Qatar came to get World Cup hosting rights in a December 2010 poll of FIFA’s executive committee.

Several senior FIFA officials were reported to have received payments or sought unethical favors from bidders, and Blatter has acknowledged that some breached bidding rules by joining a pact to back Qatar and the failed Spain-Portugal bid.

 

Wie kreativ ist Sponsoring?

Eines der Kernthemen des FASPO SPONSORING SUMMIT 2012 am 22. März in Hamburg

Kreativität und Individualität im Sponsoring ist eines der Kernthemen des SPONSORING SUMMIT 2012, pills den der Fachverband Sponsoring FASPO, troche die zentrale Interessenvertretung der Sponsoringwirtschaft in Deutschland, prostate Österreich und der Schweiz, am 22. März in Hamburg veranstaltet.

Über „Kreativität als das effizienteste Sponsoringtool der Welt“ und die Kraft von Ideen im Zeitalter der Mediendemokratie, spricht Raphael Brinkert, Managing Director Jung von Matt.

Weitere Hauptthemen des Programms:

Die neuesten Zahlen der IFM-Studie Sponsor Visions; das Sportjahr 2012 mit Olympischen Spielen in London und der UEFA-Fußball-EM, mit Referaten der Deutschen Sport-Marketing GmbH sowie der Top-Sponsoren Vattenfall und Sharp. Ausführlich wird auch Kultursponsoring dargestellt und diskutiert: Unter anderem wird das Kultur-Engagement von Audi, eines der größten deutschen Kultursponsoren, durch Audi-Manager Jürgen Bachmann präsentiert sowie Musik-Sponsoring bei Konzerten und im Rahmen von Social Media thematisiert.

Am Abend der Veranstaltung werden die 19. Internationalen Sponsoring Awards vergeben und namhafte Persönlichkeiten mit der Aufnahme in die HALL OF FAME SPONSORING geehrt.

Das komplette Programm des in der Handelskammer Hamburg stattfindenden FASPO Sponsoring Summit 2012 sowie Anmeldemöglichkeiten unter www.faspo.de

und per Mail über info@faspo.de oder telefonisch über die FASPO-Geschäftsstelle: +49(0)40 609508-33, Fax -34. Das Programm sehen Sie außerdem auch im Kapitel Events auf der isportconnect.com Website.

FASPO Fachverband für Sponsoring e.V., Rödingsmarkt 43, D-20459 Hamburg 

Tel. +49 (0) 40 609508-33, Fax -34, E-Mail: info@faspo.de, www.faspo.de

FASPO Schweiz, c/o Felten & Cie AG, Zürcherstrasse 41, CH-8400 Winterthur

Tel. +41 (0) 52 26908 00, Fax -01, E-Mail: info@faspo.ch, www.faspo.ch

FASPO Austria, c/o e|motion management gmbh, Gußhausstraße 15, A-1040 Wien

Tel. +43 (0) 1 5355285 20, Fax -80

Leeds United have announced that it has signed a three-year deal with BBC Radio Leeds for live match commentary.

BBC Leeds, who last provided full match commentaries during the 2007/08 season, will return to the gantry for the new season after agreeing a new deal to supply Leeds United match commentaries on FM around the region.

Leeds United Managing Director David Haigh said: “The BBC and Leeds United are a natural fit as two great institutions, both locally and nationally. It’s a good deal for our fans, many of whose association with the club was forged through listening to BBC commentaries.

“It is also key to our strategy of maximising the value of an association with the club while creating the widest possible exposure for the club and all its commercial partners and followers.”

“Having been a former member of the BBC Radio Cornwall Sport scene team this is an especially good day for me.”

Helen Thomas, Head of BBC Yorkshire, said: “This is excellent news for BBC Radio Leeds and we very much look forward to working with Leeds United over the next three years.”

The BBC will provide full commentary on all matches from the opening Championship game of the season against Brighton on Saturday August 3.

Shanghai Shenhua and Chinese Super League officials have said that the team will play its game on Saturday against Changchun Yatai as scheduled following a one-day pay-related training protest.

A complicated disagreement over the clubs ownership is also reportedly close to being resolved with Zhu Jun, the club’s major investor, to officially take control.

Zhu reportedly sent an ultimatum to the club’s five other part-owners, all from state-owned enterprises last week, demanding the large stake transfer that he had been promised, otherwise he would stop paying wages and bonuses.”

Shareholders of the five state-owned enterprises are believed to have agreed to complete the transfer by the end of 2012, which would take Zhu’s stake in the club from 28.5 percent to 75 percent.{jcomments on}