The free-to-air TV rights in Australia for this year’s Wimbledon tennis tournament have been returned to Channel Seven.

An agreement was announced today, April4, revealing that Seven has signed an deal with The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on a multi-year basis.

Under the terms of the agreement, Seven will have first selection on the ‘best two matches’ of each day’s play through to and including the quarter-finals plus exclusive coverage of the singles semi-finals and finals and doubles finals in the Ladies’ and Men’s Championships.

A statement read: “Seven is planning extensive coverage of the Championships across its digital broadcast television platform in primetime, which will include live telecasts from the start of play on one of its multi-channels.”

Mick Desmond, Commercial Director of The All England Club, said: “We are delighted to be announcing this partnership with Seven. This agreement allows sports fans across Australia to enjoy Seven’s creative approach to bringing alive the stories and the colour of The Championships, while the development of multi-media and wireless platforms will provide viewers with an improved choice of how to access all the on and off court action and drama.”

Seven’s Head of Sport, Saul Shtein added: “Wimbledon is one of the world’s great sports events and Seven looks forward to being the network that delivers Australians the broadest possible coverage of The Championships on broadcast television.”

Wimbledon was previously broadcast on free-to-air by Nine which ended its association last June after claiming it was no longer rating well. It has also screened on FOX Sports.

The English Indoor Bowling Association Ltd (EIBA), help the National Governing Body for the Sport of flat green Indoor Bowls, has announced Wiltshire Farm Foods as an Official Partner.

As part of the partnership Wiltshire Farm Foods will be the Shirt Sponsor for the England Men’s and Ladies Senior International Teams as well as Title Sponsor of the Men’s Over 60s National County Competition.

Throughout the Indoor Season Wiltshire Farm Foods will be actively promoting the sport of Indoor Bowls to their customers throughout England and offering their services to the 100,000 individual bowlers, via engaging with their Clubs at a local level. 

Commenting on the sponsorship EIBA’s Chief Executive Peter Thompson said: “To secure Wiltshire Farm Foods as an Official Partner is a tremendous boost to the Association and the sport. Not only will Wiltshire Farm Foods be promoting their products to Indoor Bowlers, they want to help the sport develop by introducing their customers to an Indoor Club near them.”

Richard Woodward, Wiltshire Farm Foods Head of Marketing added: “We are delighted to be working with the EIBA to promote the game to wider audiences and encourage more people to play the sport. Living an active life and eating delicious and nutritious food are key components in living healthier lives which is why we see this partnership as a positive one.

The sponsorship was brokered by the EIBA’s exclusive commercial agency, CMSeven.

The leading UK pay-TV sports broadcaster Sky Sports has agreed a new deal with the English Football League (EFL) to cover the series of soccer competitions in England for three seasons from 2012-13.

Despite the deal being worth £195 million (US$316.5m), this is still a significant decrease of 26 per cent from the current deal with Sky Sports and the BBC.

Under the terms of the agreement Sky Sports will extend its live coverage of the nPower Football League (Championship, League One, League Two), Carling Cup and Johnstone’s Paint Trophy through to 2015.In announcing the deal, the League also stressed it is engaged in ongoing discussions with broadcasters regarding free-to-air match highlights.

Sky Sports will air 75 matches from the Football League, the post-season play-offs, 15 matches from the Carling Cup and at least three games from the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy live, every season, for the durations of the contract. The agreement, which also comprises highlights and clips, encompasses television, broadband internet, video-on-demand and mobile services.

Football League chairman Greg Clarke stated: “Sky Sports is a highly-valued partner of the Football League and we are delighted to extend our relationship for a further three seasons. They are a class act and our clubs will welcome their continued support.

“This has been a challenging climate in which to negotiate television rights, given the state of the economy and the lack of competitive tension in the sports broadcasting market.”

Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis added: “Sky Sports has had a long and successful partnership with the Football League. We have seen the growth of attendances, the huge success of the Play-Offs and some wonderful Carling Cup Finals. This new deal will extend the relationship to 2015 and will take us beyond our 1,000th live Football League game.”

Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP is the Official Legal Partner of the 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, sale order the firm and the Singapore Southeast Asian Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC) has announced. 

As the official and exclusive Legal Partner, health | Rajah & Tann will advise, try prepare and negotiate the various legal documentation necessary for SINGSOC’s hosting and staging of the Games in Singapore from 6-15 June 2015. These include agreements on sponsorships, media rights, marketing, merchandising, licensing, venue, logistics, ticketing, and participation by athletes and torch relay runners. 

Rajah & Tann will also review risk factors and advise on legal liability management, doping control rules and procedures, and the resolution of competition-related disputes that may arise from or during the Games, as well as provide legal support on matters relating to the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. 

Rajah & Tann’s Managing Partner and Chairman of Rajah & Tann Asia, Mr Lee Eng Beng, Senior Counsel (PBM) said: “We are extremely proud to be an Official Partner of the SEA Games. It is an ideal platform for us to show our support for sports and the community in the region, especially since we have offices in almost all of the countries that are participating in the SEA Games. And being Asian, we know what it takes to foster a spirit of cooperation and camaraderie amongst the diverse cultures in the region. Coincidentally, we also have amongst us staff of the firm who are former SEA Games athletes.” 

Chief, Community and Corporate Outreach for SINGSOC Mr Toh Boon Yi said: “Rajah & Tann is one of the few law firms here and in the region that has the specialised expertise in sports law, and believes in the value of sport and in supporting community events. This makes them both an ideal partner and ambassador of the spirit of the 28th SEA Games, which we look for when co-creating this sporting extravaganza. We will be working closely with Rajah & Tann for their legal counsel, and create a legacy that our local sports eco-system can tap on.”

The Indian Premier League’s (IPL) rights agency Nimbus Communications have secured a deal with Canadian broadcast network Rogers Sportsnet on a four-year contract, to broadcast the Twenty20 cricket tournament.

The fourth edition of the competition will begin on Friday, April 8, with Sportsnet having acquired the exclusive Canadian TV and pay-per-view (PPV) rights to the league.

Sportsnet One will air 36 group matches during the 2011 Indian Premier League and Rogers Sportsnet will carry another 38 games on PPV, including 34 from the group stage, three play-off games and the championship match.

Scott Moore, president of Rogers Broadcasting, stated: “Cricket is a premiere sport whose multinational flavour is felt across the globe. This partnership will not only attract fans of the sport but also introduce a brand new audience to Sportsnet as we become the destination for the Indian Premier League in Canada.”

Yannick Colaco, Nimbus’ chief operating officer, added: “Since its inception only three years ago, the IPL has consistently broken traditional cricket barriers and reached out to new audiences. We are confident that Rogers Sportsnet will continue to expand the growth of the cricketing market in Canada by widening our audience and fan base in the region.”

American grocery producer Kraft Foods has signed a deal to become the official sponsor of USA Hockey.

The multi-year agreement is highlighted by USA Hockey’s support of the Kraft Hockeyville program, nurse which is launching in the United States on Jan. 1, sick 2015. Kraft Hockeyville will give hockey towns in the U.S. a chance to enter to win a $150,000 arena makeover courtesy of Kraft, have an NHL preseason game played in its local arena that is showcased on TV, and earn the title, “Kraft Hockeyville” for the year.

In addition, Kraft will be designated as the presenting sponsor of USA Hockey’s highly successful national Try Hockey for Free Days, the first for the 2014-15 season which is set for Nov. 8.

“Kraft is home to some of the most beloved and iconic brands in the food and beverage industry and we’re thrilled to have them as a partner,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “We look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship and appreciate their desire to be part of our efforts to help to continue to grow and advance our sport.”

Kraft will also be designated as a “Proud Partner of USA Hockey Families.”

“Hockey arenas, like all local sports facilities, are gathering places for communities; places where kids go to learn, play and compete,” said Dino Bianco, Executive Vice President and President, Kraft Beverages. “USA Hockey is a tremendous partner helping us to earn a place in our consumers’ lives by forging meaningful family connections and celebrating the spirit of amateur sports.”

Europe’s leading sports multimedia group, Eurosport has announced that it will unveil a new look and feel across all its media platforms and a refresh of its iconic logo on Tuesday, April 5.

The Eurosport Group has unveiled a new brand identity across its global multimedia platform, spanning its operations in Europe, the MENA and Asia-Pacific, and iSportconnect will discussing this and much more with chairman Laurent-Eric Le Lay in next week’s Featured Profile.

The 18-month long branding review is the biggest in the group’s history, and represents a major step-change for Eurosport, designed to create an improved and visually engaging environment to showcase Eurosport’s brand values of emotion, live action and diversity of sports.

The new brand identity and graphics revamp will be deployed on-air, online and mobile and in every Eurosport office around the world from April 5, as well as for the group’s advertising, marketing and corporate communications. The new brand strategy also positions the group for future expansion into new territories and the launch of new products on to the market.

Eurosport Group Chairman and CEO, Laurent-Eric Le Lay spoke of the rebranding, stating: “We believed the time was right to modernise and energise our brand to reflect our position as the leading provider of live sports in Europe, as well as our continued expansion as an international media group.

“Live sport generates powerful emotions for sports fans, and we wanted to create an environment centred around these emotions, putting the fan at the heart of the action. Additionally, Eurosport covers the widest variety of sports of any media in Europe, over 150 different disciplines across our platforms, and we have integrated this diversity into our branding to underline that we are the brand for all sports, with a rich and compelling offer for all communities of sports fans.

“The emergence of new technology has enabled us to constantly innovate, today bringing fans top live sports action wherever they are, across all screens from TV to PC, to mobile and tablet PCs. We have remained true to our sporting heritage and fans while succeeding in harmonising our new brand universe across all our media platforms.”

New on-air elements, scripted and directed by Paris-based broadcast production agency, Les Télécréateurs, put the fans and the emotions felt when watching sport at the heart of the narrative.  A series of six new channel idents have been filmed, drawing inspiration from six identified emotions felt by fans: Joy, Anger, Empathy, Encouragement, Surprise and Anguish, and incorporating 18 different sports disciplines.

The work includes all on-air infographics, from broadcast (ranking and standings updates and “coming up next” visuals) to commercial elements (graphic pop-ups, text banners, opening and closing titles, and advertising break bumpers).  They will also make viewers’ visual navigation easier, providing information quicker and in a clearer format.

New audio branding was also specially commissioned to enhance the moods associated when watching sport. The new audio elements were created by award-winning Amsterdam agency Massive Music and will be heard during the channel idents and in the programme links.

A cross-media pan-European communications campaign including TV, print, web and mobile advertising, PR, dedicated micro-site, consumer competition, music downloads, viral and social media activation with blogger outreach, will launch simultaneously with the new on air look & feel, April 5.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced on Friday, erectile April 1, abortion the conclusion of a broadcasting deal in Germany for the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu, Korea.

The agreement was concluded between the sports buying rights agency of German public service broadcasters ARD/ZDF, Sport A, and IEC in Sports, the IAAF’s exclusive media agency for European and African rights for the IAAF World Athletic Series.

Under the terms of the deal ARD/ZDF, who had been the IAAF partner in this territory through the previous EBU broadcasting deal, will televise the IAAF World Championships in Daegu.

Two years ago, at the last edition of the World Championships Steffi Nerius and Robert Harting led a haul of two gold, three silver and four bronze for the host country in Berlin’s Olympic stadium.

IAAF President Lamine Diack stated: “This is excellent news that now four out of the top five European broadcasting markets have been finalised for Daegu. Germany is one of the heartlands of our sport. The knowledgeable and passionate German spectators who understand and appreciate every nuance of our sport, made Berlin 2009 perhaps the most memorable IAAF World Championships of all previous editions.”

“Therefore I am especially delighted that the population of Germany, a country which is the second most successful nation all-time at the IAAF World Championships, and a major contributor to the history of the Olympics’ number one sport, will be able to view their team’s performances this summer on a national public service broadcaster.”