Inter Milan launch new OTT service

The Italian club chosen StreamAMG to supply the technology behind their new online video service.

From the start of the 2022/23 season, the Nerazzurri will use StreamAMG’s services to run Inter TV, the Serie A club’s brand-new OTT service that offers on-demand exclusive club content around the men’s and women’s teams, plus live streaming from the club’s pre-season and academy campaigns.

A powerhouse of the European game, Inter have a decorated footballing history both in Italy and on the continent and as such attract a global audience. Fans across the world will be to subscribe and access a range of content throughout the season.

Inter will use:

  • MediaPlatform, StreamAMG’s core online video platform, provides world-class flexibility and scale, delivering hundreds of millions of hours of content across a wide range of devices every year.
  • The award-winning CloudMatrix content distribution system which offers powerful tagging and archive interrogation tools within a mobile-friendly, easy-to-use interface.
  • The CloudPay platform allows rights-holders to control and manage their subscribers within a user-friendly ecosystem

The OTT service forms part of Inter’s wider digital ecosystem launch that includes a revamped website, app and e-commerce store.

Hugo Sharman, CEO at StreamAMG added: “We are delighted to partner with a club with the history and stature of Inter, increasing our footprint across major football properties in Europe.

Sports Economy business events will reveal secret to successful sports events at Birmingham 2022

A major trade event focussed on the Sports Economy will take place at UK House: The Commonwealth Business Hub, during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on Tuesday 2 August 2022. 

The one-day programme, taking place at the University of Birmingham’s Exchange Building, will address:

·       Building sustainable sporting facilities for a long-term future  

·       How the hosts of international sports events can deal with uncertainty 

·       The role of technology for innovative fan engagement  

·       International best practice for sports events legacy 

Building on the cooperative spirit of the Commonwealth Games and the UK’s climate leadership at COP26, UK House is a platform to bring together business and government leaders to discover opportunities for international partnership and innovations for sustainable growth. 

Registration for Sports Economy Day at UK House is open to international sports federation and rights holders, future host cities for major sporting events and UK businesses interested in exporting internationally. Whether attending in person or online, it offers delegates a chance to discover the secret to delivering successful sporting events and major projects, from the London 2012 Olympics to the Pan American Games 2019, Birmingham 2022 and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 

Speakers confirmed include:  

·       Nigel Huddleston MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 

·       Hassan Al Thawadi, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Qatar 2022  

·       Alaina MacGregor, CEO, Blind Games 2023 

·       Trudy Lindblade, CEO, UCI 2023 Cycling World Championships 

Nigel Huddleston MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said:  

“Birmingham 2022 will showcase the UK’s strength at delivering major sporting events, ten years on from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We look forward to sharing that expertise with global trading partners at UK House, demonstrating what drives our thriving sports economy.” 

UK companies have an outstanding and proven track record of delivering the world’s most impressive and impactful sports competitions, for which end-to-end sustainability is of increasing importance. This specialist knowledge extends into legacy including the design, reuse and adaptation of venues, as well as widening access to sport, innovative solutions to securing greater fan engagement and participation, urban regeneration and social and economic legacy.

Rights holders and host cities will get the chance to connect with innovative companies from across the UK’s sports economy. Sessions will cover topics such as: how tech can boost engagement and revenue within the sports community (whether in person and virtually); the role inclusivity plays in delivering a true sports event legacy; how to overcome challenges and adversity (including invaluable insights from events organisers who have overcome challenging global circumstances).

For UK businesses, including supply chain, infrastructure, technology and services specialists, this is an opportunity to gain unique insights from international sporting events experts and to learn about the support for export available from Department for International Trade.

Beyond the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the West Midlands’ portfolio of major sporting events locally hosted include; the IAAF World Athletics Championships, World Gymnastics Championships, the Cricket World Cup, The Ashes Series, and the All England Badminton Championships. 

A recent report from WMGC highlights that the West Midlands MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) sector was worth £2.3bn to the region in 2019, with the industry supporting 65,000 jobs.  

Hosted by the UK’s Department for International Trade, in partnership with the region’s official economic development agency, the West Midlands Growth Company, UK House takes place at The Exchange – the University of Birmingham’s city centre community engagement hub. The event is part of the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP), the first programme of its kind aligned to the Commonwealth Games. It will boost the economic impact of Birmingham 2022.  

Business leaders and senior policy-makers are invited to register to attend in person or online: www.ukhouse2022.co.uk 

BATP is sponsored by E.ON, Airbnb, Reckitt, University of Birmingham, Bruntwood and Gowling WLG. 

Lancashire and Heineken extend partnership

A long-standing partner of the Club since 2016, Heineken will retain the pouring rights for Emirates Old Trafford across concourse, hospitality, hotel and conference and events areas of the stadium.

This new partnership will see Heineken supply a host of its much-loved beer and cider products inside the world-class stadium. All products will be available in draft and bottle form throughout concourses and premium areas. Fans will also benefit from Heineken’s industry leading Smart Dispense system, cutting the carbon footprint of the stadium by reducing wastage, water and promoting sustainability.

Heineken 0.0 will also be stocked across all bars inside the stadium, as Lancashire Cricket and Heineken recognise the growing need to offer zero percent alcohol alternatives to all guests.

Heineken’s ongoing support is an important factor in the new development at Emirates Old Trafford, which is set to be completed in 2023, and includes investment in new bar areas and improvements inside the stadium.

The partnership also includes support with the Club’s marketing plans from Heineken to enhance in-stadium activity – in areas such as the Fan Village – to improve supporter experience and enjoyment. Within the Fan Village, Heineken have assisted with the installation of a shipping container style bar complete with DJ Booth experience as part of an enhanced offering for guests this summer.

Daniel Gidney, Chief Executive at Lancashire Cricket said: “We are thrilled to extend our long-standing relationship with Heineken, who play an integral role in the matchday experience for Members and supporters attending Emirates Old Trafford.

“In addition to holding pouring rights for beer and cider across the stadium, Heineken are working closely with us to continue improving guest experience at Emirates Old Trafford, in areas such as the Fan Village for domestic and international cricket.

“Their support over the years has been so important in terms of the development of Emirates Old Trafford as a world-class, multi-purpose venue, and we look forward to working together over the next five years.”

Graeme Nicholson, Sales Director at Heineken, added: “We have been so impressed with the Club’s vision for Emirates Old Trafford since 2016 and we are excited to play our part in giving fans an unparalleled experience in a world-class venue.

“The stadium is home to generations of fans and we are proud that it will continue to be our beers and ciders that are available for another five years.”

McLaren announce multi-year partnership with K-Swiss

McLaren Racing announced a new multi-year partnership with K-Swiss, a Los Angeles-based heritage footwear brand, as an official partner of the McLaren Formula 1 team from 2023.

K-Swiss has nearly 60 years of heritage in creating footwear and will enter Formula 1 for the first time with McLaren to evolve its presence and reach new consumers globally. The partnership joins two brands with a strong history in their respective fields with an emphasis on elevated performance. 

McLaren and K-Swiss will create a bespoke performance-based footwear collection, designed to be worn by McLaren pit crews and engineers at race events globally. The two brands will also collaborate on a footwear and limited apparel collection which will be available to consumers. 

The team will work with K-Swiss to activate at tentpole moments globally, including key races on the Formula 1 calendar. 

Lindsey Eckhouse, Director of Licensing, ecommerce & esports, McLaren Racing, said:

“It is a pleasure to welcome K-Swiss to the McLaren Racing family and Formula 1. We are excited to work with a brand which has such a strong heritage and can provide our team with footwear that is reliable with a focus on performance while looking fantastic. I can’t wait for the release of the collection.”

Dave Grange, International Brand President, K-Swiss, said:

“We are honoured to be part of this exciting new and multi-year partnership and are looking forward to be joining McLaren on the racetrack. Each brand boasts a heritage that reflects the other’s, replete with perseverance, innovation, and excellence. We hope that with this new partnership we develop a new base of loyalists and extend our legacies further.”

Range Sports and British Taekwondo announce new partnership

Range Sports have become the new official uniform sponsor of British Taekwondo National Teams

British Taekwondo and Range Sports are pleased to announce a new partnership between the two organisations helping to strengthen relationships and provide high quality uniforms to members of our national teams.

The two-year official sponsorship agreement will see Range Sports support British Taekwondo national team. These include the British Taekwondo Cadet, Under-21, Poomsae & Para Poomsae national teams.

Kambiz Ali said “Range Sports & JC UK are thrilled to support and sponsor British Taekwondo and look forward to a growing partnership with our National Governing Body.”

Ian Leafe, Chief Executive of British Taekwondo said “This is the start of an extremely exciting period of growth for British Taekwondo and we have several significant developments over the coming years. A key part of our evolution is the development of a commercial partnership programme, and we are incredibly pleased to announce our new partnership with Range Sports.”

The sponsorship will kick off with Jcalicu uniforms being supplied to the National Teams at the World Taekwondo Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria in July and the European Under-21 Taekwondo Championships in Tirana, Albania in October.

Range Sports is a business with Taekwondo at its heart. Founders Master K. R. Ali and Master Mosy are instructors and 7th and 5th Dan respectively. This gives them the unique ability to understand the needs of Taekwondo practitioners and deliver quality products to enable people to train and perform to their best ability. Range Sports brings the Taekwondo tenets of courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit to the business and respects each and every one of their customers.

Range Sports are the UK’s official supplier and Distributor for Jcalicu (JC) World Taekwondo Approved Uniform, Belts, Protective equipment, Training equipment and accessories.

All British Taekwondo instructors can apply for a trade account with Range Sports from their official website.

British Taekwondo is the IOC and World Taekwondo-recognised governing body for Taekwondo in the UK. As well as being a successful Olympic & Paralympic combat sport with high profile athletes, Taekwondo is an accessible, fun and well-structured Martial Art for all ages and abilities, with deep rooted values of integrity and discipline.

NextGen Hoops, the new social media channel for youth Basketball

The interest in youth basketball is growing across the globe and FIBA has officially launched a new social media channel with NextGen Hoops highlighting the best of the next generation of hoopers.

https://twitter.com/NextGenHoops/status/1544303780614782976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1544303780614782976%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fiba.basketball%2Fnews%2Fnextgen-hoops-the-new-social-media-channel-for-youth-basketball-around-the-globe

NextGen Hoops by FIBA has created accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and is a platform covering the youth basketball scene and events on all continents. Powered by FIBA’s committed social media team, the new channel promises to meet the high bar of quality for content long provided by basketball’s global ruling body.

The goal of NextGen Hoops is to make basketball fans aware of all the fascinating stories, intriguing angles, great personalities and wonderful content surrounding the youth game around the world – not to mention highlights from the best youth basketball players across the globe.

https://twitter.com/NextGenHoops/status/1543998191762374659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1543998191762374659%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fiba.basketball%2Fnews%2Fnextgen-hoops-the-new-social-media-channel-for-youth-basketball-around-the-globe

Nikon announce official partnership with The Open

Nikon Corporation (Nikon) is pleased to announce its official patronage of The 150th Open which will take place at St Andrew’s from the 14th to the 17th of July.

The Open is the world’s most prestigious tournament, as well as one of the major golfing events. The Open has played host to some of the world’s best players who set out to become the Champion Golfer of the Year. Nikon is proud to have been supporting The Open since 1981.

For next five years, Nikon has renewed its official patronage of The Open, and newly became a patron of the AIG Women’s Open. The broadening of the sponsorship is a reflection of Nikon’s commitment and desire to promote an inclusive and diverse environment for everyone in society. 

With Nikon’s respect for athletes, who continuously challenge their own limits, and its wish to enhance its presence worldwide, Nikon will continue to support international sporting events.

Nikon branding will be present around the course during the Championship and the Official Photographers will take images with Nikon cameras. In addition, for the professional photographers covering this event, Nikon Professional Services (NPS) will set up a service depot to offer support and services, including equipment inspections, cleaning, minor repairs, and the loan of equipment.

Manchester City announce new training shirt sponsor

Manchester City have announced a partnership with one of the worlds leading cryptocurrency platforms, OKX.

The agreement will see OKX featured across the training kit of the Manchester City men’s and women’s first teams. The men’s first team will debut the training kit when returning for their first pre-season training session today, with the women’s team wearing the kit on their return to training next month. OKX was announced as Manchester City’s Official Cryptocurrency Exchange Partner in March. 

Haider Rafique, Global Chief Marketing Officer, OKX, said: “The real grit and perseverance is built on the training ground. This is the way we want to nurture new users on our platform. Being Man City’s Official Training Kit Partner helps us extend that mindset from the training ground over to our trading app community. We want our community to learn from that mindset and use our demo trading feature to train for the real exchange just like Man City players train before the beginning of the season. Our partnership with Man City has provided a great platform through which we have the opportunity to educate those curious about crypto and offer those already involved the training they need to participate responsibly.”

OKX’s training kit partnership with Manchester City is based on shared values. Just as Man City emphasises training innovatively to achieve excellence, OKX’s mission is to educate and inform customers in order to make them responsible long-term traders. It is this shared focus on being at the cutting edge of the industry that will lead to a new era of disruptive fan engagement and web3-based experiences.

Roel de Vries, Group Chief Operating Officer, City Football Group, said, “We are pleased to expand our relationship with OKX today, as they become the Official Training Kit Partner of Manchester City. OKX and Man City are aligned on values such as innovation and success and for both parties, everything starts with training and education. Since the initial partnership began in March 2022, we have worked together to ‘supercharge the fan experience’ through a number of exciting content activations ahead of high profile fixtures during the culmination of the 2021/22 season and we look forward to continuing to develop these opportunities over the coming year.” 

In line with the training kit announcement, OKX has commissioned renowned street artist Akse P19 and Global Street Art Agency to create artworks featuring Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, JoãoCancelo and John Stones across four locations in Manchester. The murals will be fitted out with QR codes that fans can scan for a chance to win their very own season ticket in the OKX Hospitality Box. 

OKX is also the presenting partner of Manchester City’s first global Trophy Tour since 2019 following the club’s fourth title win in five years. The tour will see Manchester City and OKX take the Premier League trophy to the doorsteps of fans in markets including France, Spain, the UAE, Korea, and, for the first time ever, Mexico, Norway and South Africa.

OKX’s future ambitions with Manchester City include continuing to supercharge the fan experience, providing key learning initiatives and resources to help customers trade responsibly, and delivering programs to empower and enrich the Manchester community.

Volleyball World announce Mizuno as their latest global partner

Volleyball World are delighted to put pen to paper on a strategic partnership with Japanese apparel brand Mizuno.

With a focus on increasing sales and delivering ecommerce objectives, the deal was signed during the Men’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) event in Osaka, Japan.

Volleyball World CEO, Finn Taylor, said: “I believe our strategy to become the global hub for volleyball fans is exciting for brands like Mizuno, who see the huge commercial potential the sport has to connect them with a highly desirable audience.

“The partnership also assists us in connecting with volleyball fans around the world. This was aware right from the start in our discussions with Mizuno, where the focus has been on leveraging our digital capabilities to help drive sales and build an affinity with the global community of volleyball fans.”

Mark Kaiway, Head of Global Marketing at Mizuno, said: “Mizuno has a long, rich history in the sport of volleyball, and with a new, proud member of the Volleyball World family, we truly believe that their digital capabilities will help enhance and strengthen our position in this ever-changing market.

“As Volleyball World has become the main global destination hub for volleyball fans, it’s our aim to continuously provide innovative products, technologies and engaging stories that will truly reflect our commitment to the sport of volleyball. We look forward to a successful future together.”

BOXXER and MBC Group announce broadcast partnership for Middle East and North Africa

BOXXER, the UK’s next-generation boxing promotion, is pleased to announce the signing of a new media rights partnership with media conglomerate MBC GROUP, to bring LIVE BOXXER programming to 25 territories across the Middle East and North Africa.

MBC GROUP is the largest and leading media company in the MENA region and the partnership will see BOXXER events air LIVE and exclusively to subscribers of MBC’s premium SVOD service Shahid VIP, the world’s leading Arabic streaming platform.

Alongside LIVE event broadcasts, the deal also includes pre- and post-event coverage and a range of shoulder programming, giving millions of viewers in MENA a new level of access to top-tier international boxing while enabling the new generation of elite British boxers to showcase their skills to a region with a rapidly-growing combat sports fanbase.

BOXXER shows air LIVE and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, after the leading UK sports broadcaster signed BOXXER as its exclusive British provider of boxing content in a landmark four-year deal in 2021.

BOXXER is home to a world-class stable of fighters which includes world champions and Olympic gold medallists, along with the unique BOXXER Series tournament events which bring together Britain’s brightest prospects for one-night, eight-man tournaments.

Commenting on the partnership, BOXXER’s founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “We’re delighted to announce this partnership with MBC GROUP and bring our events and fighters to viewers throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Our international growth is very exciting and the innovative Shahid VIP platform is the perfect home for BOXXER in the region.”

Tareq Al Ibrahim, Director of Content, Shahid VIP: “We’re thrilled to become the home for BOXXER in the MENA region. This partnership is the latest as part of our mission to bring more premium and exclusive sports content and offerings to Shahid VIP’s ever-growing catalogue.

BOXXER is a recognisable brand that offers top-tier boxing that we look forward to showcasing
to our audiences, plus introducing the sport to future generations as well.”

BOXXER’s next event takes place on July 30 in Bournemouth, headlined by Chris Billam-Smith vs Isaac Chamberlain in a highly-competitive cruiserweight clash for the European and Commonwealth championship, which will see the winner firmly within shot of a world title.