The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has announced its second appointment in as many days after confirming that Will Chignell will become its new head of media, drug following the recent announcements of a new chief operating officer and two other significant rugby leadership roles. 

The new appointments are part of a new leadership team at the RFU, which will take the organisation through to the Rugby World Cup (RWC) in 2015 and beyond with Chignell set to join from July 4 from Sky Sports where he has spent 16 years as a rugby reporter and commentator. 

Chignell is a regular live commentator on Heineken Cup, Aviva Premiership, LV= Cup and international matches and he will now lead the RFU’s media operations across the board to ensure the organisation has a clear media strategy that is closely aligned with its business strategy.

This will include media responsibility for all parts of the RFU including the senior England team and age grade sides, but extending beyond that to cover all commercial activities and the grassroots game to further enhance the organisation’s media profile across all broadcast and print channels.

John Steele, CEO of the RFU, stated: “When you are looking at your media operations you need to know you have someone who deeply understands the way the media operates but also has the ability to connect that to the way our organisation works. 

“With over 15 years as a broadcaster Will more than fulfils that first criteria and through the selection process he clearly demonstrated to us that he had a deep understanding of the RFU and its challenges also.” 

Will Chignell added: “As rugby continues to grow, with the 2015 Rugby World Cup on the horizon, the media are crucial stakeholders in helping the sport develop further. I am looking forward to working with all parties to achieve this.”

Boxing Marketing Arm SA (BMA), erectile a subsidiary of Aiba, the International Boxing Association has appointed SatLink Communications Ltd., a teleport and HD playout centre in charge of global satellite delivery of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) 2012/2013 season.

A total of 74 events across the globe will be distributed to five continents via SatLink’s Satellite and Fibre Network in High Definition (HD) and MPEG4 on Eutelsat, AsiaSat, IntelSat and Amos satellites. In addition services such as digital archiving, recording, SNG and Fly-Away units in various territories around the globe will be provided alongside post production editing of the matches highlights.

SatLink will provide Aiba’s global satellite coverage in Ku-band and C-band on Eutelsat, AsiaSat, IntelSat and AMOS satellites and upscale the content to HD using the Snell Alchemist Ph. C to deliver the content in High Definition (HD) format to viewers around the globe. AIBA will also be utilizing SatLink’s content management capabilities including: recording, archiving, editing and conversion of news and highlights gathered from the satellite feed, as well as continuous customer service, including coordinating broadcasters and additional support before, during and after each event, and SNG services in various territories.

Kevin Na, BMA Media/TV director commented: “In previous years we have managed our broadcasting distribution in-house, but with the current customer demands across the globe, we realized that we needed a provider that could back up our global HD distribution needs and will have the ability to manage our content during live shots and distribute it on time and high quality. This is one of the many reasons we chose SatLink. Not only do they offer a customized package suited to our needs, but they also offered us unlimited support before, during and after each of our broadcasts. Each boxing event during the 2012/2013 season will be recorded, edited and archived for future use, with the distribution of highlights following each round and the editing of a full-length magazine produced every two rounds, helping us maximize our outreach to our customer-base across the globe.”

David Hochner, CEO of SatLink, added: “We are thrilled to be providing AIBA with the services they require for the broadcast of WSB 2012/2013 season, and it is another example of the benefits our Occasional Use capabilities can offer content distributors, channels, sports federations and rights holders. Using our global end-to-end distribution, transmission and content management services, broadcasters and networks are able to deliver high quality content to audiences around the world. This makes our central location, which borders onto three continents, and our global network, a reliable and effective solution for all of our customers’ broadcasting needs.”

Ben Calveley has been appointed by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) as its new head of International and Public Affairs as of June 13, clinic joining the union from UK Sport, ampoule working as head of Corporate and International Relations.

A comprehensive and intensive interview process took place to allocate the position and Calveley will now take responsibility for all the RFU’s relationships with governments in the UK and overseas and will also co-ordinate and manage the unions interactions with other key international stakeholders in rugby and other sporting organisations at home and abroad.

In reporting to Peter Thomas, drugs director of Communications, Calveley will play a key role in ensuring the RFU’s marketing and communications activities are aligned in the lead up to Rugby World Cup (RWC2015) and beyond.

John Steele, CEO of the RFU, stated: “Although we are the governing body of the game in England we are part of a global game so this is a growing area of importance for us, and indeed for all sports.

“Our reputation and relationships with governments and quasi-governmental organisations will be critical to our success and our collaboration and involvement with other domestic and international rugby stakeholders equally so. Ben is one of the leading people in this emerging area and we are delighted to have been able to attract him to the RFU.”

Golf Channel and the NCAA announced Monday that the NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championship will be broadcast on the network, physician beginning in 2014 at Prairie Dunes in Kansas.

In a multi-year partnership with the NCAA, stuff Golf Channel will air tournament coverage from both the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Championships beginning in 2015. The 2015 championships will mark the first time since 1997 that the women’s championship will air live on television.

“We are committed to covering all facets of the game of golf and this new partnership with the NCAA will be the centerpiece of our broader commitment to covering the collegiate game,” said Golf Channel president Mike McCarley in a statement. “We look forward to introducing our viewers to the future stars of the game and tapping into the tremendous passion collegiate fans have for their schools.”

Golf Channel will surround the live tournament action at the championships with comprehensive news coverage on-air and online throughout the year, keeping viewers up-to-date on all of the story lines leading up to and during the championships.

The men’s championship begins with 30 teams and six individuals competing over a 54-hole stroke-play competition, after which the individual champion will be crowned. The top eight teams advance to the final three rounds of match-play competition for the team championship.

“This is the culmination of a collaborative effort between a lot of individuals over a long period of time, including the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Committees,” said Mark Lewis, NCAA Executive Vice President of Championships and Alliances, in a statement. “We are excited for our men’s and women’s golf student-athletes to gain additional exposure and for the fans of the sport to be able to see up close what makes these championships so special. Partnering with the Golf Channel made perfect sense for us and we appreciate their commitment in helping to grow the audience for the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships.”

MP & Silva, treatment a leading international media rights company, order has secured a worldwide rights distribution deal from 2014 to 2018 with the Kremlin Cup ATP World Tour 250 Series event.

The deal includes all territories outside Russia.

Held in the Olympic Stadium in Moscow once a year, recipe the Kremlin Cup is Russia’s first professional international tennis tournament, played in indoors hard courts.

The package offers a minimum of 17 matches every year. The partnership between MP & Silva and Kremlin Cup covers 5 tournaments, from 2014 to 2018. 

MP & Silva has been distributing tennis media rights since 2009, with a growing portfolio of year-round events around the globe. The company currently distributes Roland Garros (France), international tournaments like the Clash of Continent (Singapore), Qatar Open (Qatar), Copa Claro (Argentina), Delray Beach ITC (USA), Zagreb Indoors (Croatia), Croatia Open (Croatia), Vina Del Mar Open (Uruguay) and Kitzbühel (Austria).

The Kremlin Cup is a welcome addition to the portfolio, being the first time that MP & Silva adds its footprint in Russia. 

“We’re glad to become worldwide partners with Moscow’s Kremlin Cup” said Riccardo Silva, President, MP & Silva. “This is a great addition to our tennis rights portfolio which includes Roland Garros Grand Slam (French Open), Qatar Open and another seven ATP Series competitions. MP & Silva has a strong track record of distributing tennis to over 148 countries with the potential reach of 182 million homes, and this long-term partnership with Russia’s top tennis event is a significant commitment of MP & Silva to further develop tennis TV and online audiences all over the world”, he added.

MP & Silva will be the exclusive distributor of Kremlin Cup across cable, satellite, terrestrial, Web TV, IPTV and mobile platforms.

The committee formed to conduct the search to replace Breeders’ Cup president and CEO Greg Avioli, who stepped down earlier this month, has engaged Spencer Stuart, the world’s leading executive search firm, to manage the process, the Breeders’ Cup have announced.

Jed Hughes, a senior partner in Spencer Stuart’s sports business practice who led the search six years ago that led to Avioli’s appointment, will direct the search, said committee chairman and Breeders’ Cup director Tom Ludt.

Ludt stated: “The position has attracted so much initial interest from inside and outside our industry and the selection is of such vital importance to our organization that the committee wanted to utilize the best professional resources available to assist with this process.”

Ludt indicated that any inquiries regarding the search should be directed to Hughes at Spencer Stuart and not to the committee members. The committee did not set a firm timeline for the search but expects it should be completed by July. It also clarified that the position will be based at the Breeders’ Cup Lexington, KY headquarters.

In addition to Ludt, Breeders’ Cup directors Helen Alexander, Antony Beck, Jerry Crawford and Richard Santulli are on the search committee.

During the search process, Breeders’ Cup COO/CFO Matthew Lutz and Breeders’ Cup Senior Vice President of Sales Carter Carnegie are overseeing the company’s day-to-day business operations.

The America’s Cup has announced Clear Channel Media and Entertainment San Francisco as the official radio partner for the 2013 America’s Cup. 

Clear Channel San Francisco AM News/Talk radio stations, seek KKSF and KNEW, will become the flagship stations for America’s Cup coverage with information and updates throughout the year. In addition, Clear Channel San Francisco’s five FM stations will promote the many lifestyle events that are part of the America’s Cup experience.

The exclusive sponsorship allows America’s Cup to capitalize on Clear Channel’s on-air and digital platforms including iHeartRadio, Clear Channel’s industry leading digital radio service, to promote and educate consumers about the 2013 America’s Cup.

Locally, more than half of San Francisco Bay area residents listen to at least one Clear Channel San Francisco radio station every week and nearly 10 percent of residents listen via iHeartRadio or station websites.

“Teaming up with Clear Channel will increase our ability to reach our fans, especially in the Bay Area, as we move into 2013, the Year of the America’s Cup,” said Stephen Barclay, the CEO of the America’s Cup.

“We are extremely excited about our alliance with the America’s Cup,” said J.D. Freeman, San Francisco Market President, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. “Our goal is to bring attention to this world class event in this world class city.”

By joining forces, the America’s Cup and Clear Channel will be able to educate, entertain and involve the audience by speaking directly about one of the most iconic events in sport.

2013 is the ‘Year of the America’s Cup’ in San Francisco, with up to 55 days of racing from July to September. The Louis Vuitton Cup (America’s Cup Challenger Series) starts in July with the challengers vying for a spot in September’s America’s Cup Finals (September 7-21) against the defending ORACLE TEAM USA. A new initiative to provide a pathway for young sailors into the America’s Cup sees the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup with 10 international teams battling on San Francisco Bay from September 1-4.

The North American Soccer League (NASL) announced yesterday, capsule March 28, ambulance its appointment of former Executive Director of the USA World Cup Bid Committee, order  David Downs as its first Commissioner, effective April 4.

Prior to his role with the failed bid team, Downs worked in the broadcast industry as an executive with both ABC Sports and Univision.

Downs will work from NASL’s Miami offices as he leads the eight-team league into its inaugural season as North America’s Division II soccer league having been one of five candidates who interviewed for the position.

MTG’s Nordic pay TV broadcaster Viasat has signed a deal with the NBA to bring matches to Russia, cough the CIS and Georgia.

The Viasat Sport East channel will broadcast up to five regular season games each week along with major NBA events including the NBA All-Star, anesthetist the complete Eastern and Western Conference Play-off series and the NBA Finals in June. The deal initially covers the 2012-2013 season

“In a region with such knowledgeable and passionate fans, our partnership with Viasat will provide broad coverage throughout the regular-season, culminating in The Finals,” said Dan Markham, NBA vice-president, media distribution and emerging markets.

Irina Gofman, MTG executive vice-president of Russian & CIS Broadcasting, said, “The new agreement between Viasat Sport and NBA follows our successful cooperation with the NBA during the 2012 Play-offs. We are delighted that Viasat Sport East subscribers will now be able to watch coverage of the NBA 2012-13 season as the NBA is the world’s premier basketball league with a large and loyal fan base across the region.”