ITV4 Hits a 4-Year Deal to Secure IPL Season 4

The Times Internet-Nimbus combine that now holds the Indian Premier League (IPL) global internet, mobile and radio rights, along with television rights in certain territories, has signed its first broadcaster to cover its 4th season with Britain’s ITV.

A new four-year deal has been agreed with Nimbus Communications for the UK broadcast rights to the IPL on the network’s ITV4 digital channel having shown coverage of last year’s campaign in 2010. 

While the financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, it is worth noting that when IPL debuted on ITV4 last year in a deal brokered by then rights holder World Sport Group, it was via as a 50:50 revenue share arrangement.

Under the new agreement, live coverage of IPL matches will be broadcast free-to-air on ITV4 and simulcast live on ITV.com. The IPL season consists of 74 matches and runs from April 8 to May 28.

ITV4 coverage will be produced by ITV Sport with the presenting team due to be announced shortly.   

Announcing the new deal, Niall Sloane, ITV’s controller of sport said: “ITV4 has a fast growing reputation for broadcasting sport and, after a terrific audience response to our coverage of last year’s competition and more recently the winter Ashes series, I’m delighted that we have secured a new four-year deal for free-to-air coverage of the Indian Premier League.”

Yannick Colaco, COO, Nimbus said: “We are delighted to partner with one of UK’s biggest commercial broadcaster, ITV, to telecast the IPL in UK. We look forward to a fruitful partnership and an exciting IPL season 4.” 

Cricket made its debut on ITV4 in 2010 with live coverage of the third season of IPL and was followed later in the year by highlights of England’s 2010-11 Ashes, Twenty20 and One Day International series in Australia.

AT&T Drop Cotton Bowl Title Sponsorship, Goodyear Set to Step In

Telecommunications giant AT&T is ending its title sponsorship with the Cotton Bowl with tyre brand Goodyear set to takeover according to reports.

AT&T is making the move because the game is played in AT&T Stadium in Irving, Texas, and the company doesn’t think it needs to invest additional advertising dollars into the bowl, ESPN reported Wednesday.

The Cotton Bowl bore the AT&T name since 2007. According to a report, Goodyear will become the new sponsor.

The Cotton Bowl is the fourth game to change its name or a title sponsor since the end of the 2013 season.

Capital One replaced Discover as the Orange Bowl title sponsor, the Chick-fil-A Bowl added Peach to its name, Tostitos pulled out of the Fiesta Bowl and the Rose Bowl switched presenting sponsors from Vizio to Northwestern Mutual.

Also, the game known as the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla., will become the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.

The first College Football Playoff championship game will be played in AT&T Stadium on Jan. 12.

TF1 Sub-License Rugby WC Coverage to France Televisions/Canal+

TF1, denture the major French broadcaster, has announced that it will share domestic coverage of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand later this year after sub-licensing TV rights to free-to-air France Televisions and pay-TV network Canal+.

According to the agreement revealed yesterday, March 28, TF1 has sold on the rights to 28 of the International Rugby Board tournament’s 48 matches, however, the channel will retain exclusivity for 20 games, including the semi-finals and the final.

Under the terms of the agreement, France Televisions and Canal+ will also carry magazine programmes and internet simulcasts of the matches as well as delayed coverage. TF1 will air the action via television, the internet and mobile TV.

According to Le Figaro, France Televisions paid about Eur10m (US$14m) to acquire its share of the rights, and the channel’s head of sports, Daniel Bilalian, admitted that “sporting competitions are never profitable (for broadcasters) straight away”. He added: “However, they generate a return in the long-term.”

Canal+ is reported to have paid about Eur5m ($7m), and Cyrille Linette, the channel’s head of sports, said that “exhaustive coverage would be provided across various platforms”.

Turkish Airlines to Sponsor Bundesliga’s Hannover 96

Air carrier Turkish Airlines has signed a multi-year collaboration with Bundesliga team Hannover 96.

As part of the deal, cough Turkish Airlines will be present on the Premium TV video in the HDI Arena and receive hospitality services for the home games in the Bundesliga. 

In addition, apoplectic Turkish Airlines is the team of Hannover 96 in future fly as an airline partner to selected matches and training camps. The company was recently voted the fourth time in a row as the best airline in Europe.

“Hannover 96 is a very ambitious club that shows not only on the court passion. This setting connects us, malady “said Orhan Kabaoglu, General Manager of Turkish Airlines in Hanover. “Together, we want to celebrate successes in the future. And last but not least we do with our commitment to Hannover 96 in the future even more on our attractive flights at Hanover Airport attentive. “

Hannover 96 president Martin Kind said: “We are delighted that Turkish Airlines has opted for Hannover 96 as a strong partner to achieve its goals at Hanover and in Germany. The agreement demonstrates how attractive the brand Hannover 96 is for successful companies. This applies to Turkish Airlines as a multi-award winning airline in a special way to.”

Eurosport Partner Japanese Football Federation in Charity Match

Eurosport 2 will partner with the Japanese Football Federation to broadcast live coverage of the Charity Game organised to support the affected Japanese population following the earthquake which struck off the coast of the Tohoku region on March 11th.

The match will bring together the Japan National Team, “Samourai Blue” and the J. League All-Stars, “J-League Team as One” on 29 March at 12:15 CET at Osaka Nagai Stadium. All proceeds from the match will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross.

In addition, to further support the Japanese relief effort, Eurosport will encourage viewers to donate to the Japanese Red Cross through scrolling messages on Eurosport 2 as well as on Eurosport’s websites.

Vernon Davis Signs Levi’s Endorsement Deal

The Levi’s brand announced that San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis will join the Levi’s family as an ambassador of the iconic brand to athletes and sports fans.

In addition to embracing Levi’s apparel as part of his personal wardrobe, Davis will provide creative input on Levi’s products and share with Levi’s his unique insight into style and fit preferences of athletes and sports fans alike.

“With the opening of Levi’s Stadium this year, we have been very focused on our fans who have been wearing their Levi’s to games and concerts for decades,” said James Curleigh, Levi’s Brand President. “We also realized we have fans like Vernon Davis from the SF 49ers who has been living in his Levi’s for years. So, it’s a natural fit to have Davis join our Levi’s® team to help us connect with more fans and to help us create innovative products like the new 541 Athletic Fit.”

Davis will first help the Levi’s brand launch the Levi’s 541 Athletic Fit, a jean inspired by athletically built guys like Davis that provides a long needed solution to a problem often encountered by more muscular men who find small waist jeans are too tight in the thigh.

“My personal style has always been something that I take pride in, and my collaboration with the Levi’s brand is no exception,” said Davis. “The Levi’s brand and I share a commitment to excellence through hard work, integrity and humility. We’re going to do great work together.”

In the inaugural season as naming rights sponsor of Levi’s Stadium, the Levi’s brand partnership with Davis will come to life through in-store creative displays at Levi’s retail locations, fan engagement activations online and offline, and a national media campaign which includes an ESPN feature detailing Davis’ life on and off the field that will air on Oct. 1, 2014.

One World Sports Secure US Rights for ITTF Pro Tour

Exclusive U.S. television rights for the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) 2011 Pro Tour have been secured by One World Sports due to an agreement signed with Total Sports Asia, viagra sale the ITTF’s exclusive media and marketing partner.

Under the terms of the agreement, a 13 episode ITTF Magazine show will be broadcast as well as the 18 official ITTF events on the Pro Tour. One World Sports will present the 2011 ITTF Pro Tour and the ITTF Highlights programme in English, available on television, broadband and mobile.

The world elite players will all be looking to gain enough points to qualify for the ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals from November 24th to 27th. The total prize money for the ITTF 2011 Pro Tour stands at US$2.66m.

Preston Bornman, President One Media Corp, parent company of One World Sports, stated: “After witnessing the 2010 ITTF Pro Tour Grand Final, I knew that the ITTF would be the cornerstone of our racquet sports offerings. Table Tennis is a fast, energetic and entertaining sport that can be played by nearly everyone. But ITTF events are in a league of their own!”

Adham Sharara, ITTF President, added: “We are very excited about showcasing our athletes and increasing the popularity of our sport in the US, it is crucial that we continue to gain further exposure and broadcasting time throughout the world.

“With our new sponsors and partners for 2011, we are also very proud to have our 2011 Pro Tour available to fans on TV, broadband and mobile in the US. Increasing airtime and reaching into new markets offers the ITTF a great opportunity to raise the profile if the Olympic sport of table tennis in such an influential market and continues to add value to our partners and sponsors”.

Panasonic Signs Official Worldwide Paralympic Partnership

Panasonic Corporation has announced today it has signed an Official Worldwide Paralympic partnership agreement with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) through to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. 

The signing ceremony held in Tokyo, prescription Japan was attended by IPC President Sir Philip Craven and Panasonic Corporation Executive Officer Satoshi Takeyasu in charge of Groupwide Brand Communications Division. 

The Paralympic Games is the most prominent sporting event for athletes with impairment in the world and is held after the Olympic Games in the same city and venues. The first Paralympic Games took place in Rome, medical Italy, in 1960 and has since grown into the world’s third biggest sporting event featuring thousands of high performance para-athletes.

In the new agreement, in addition to the existing Audio-Visual Equipment category covering TVs, audio-visual equipment for broadcast/professional use, AV storage media, car navigation and related car multimedia equipment and AV security equipment, Panasonic’s sponsorship categories for Worldwide Paralympic Partnership have been expanded to include such disability care products as The Shower and Wearable Powered Suit.

For these products, Panasonic has acquired global marketing rights with the Paralympic Movement in conjunction with the Paralympic Games. Panasonic will look to give versatile support to the athletes and the operations of the Paralympic Games in conjunction with its products, services and technical assistance. 

“Panasonic renewed its Official Worldwide Olympic Partnership agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February this year. Together with the first Worldwide Paralympic Partnership agreement we signed today with IPC, we are extremely happy to be the Official Worldwide Partner for both the Olympic and the Paralympic Movement,” said Panasonic Executive Officer Satoshi Takeyasu at the signing ceremony. “We are proud to announce our commitment to support IPC and the Paralympic Games, and to keep providing accessibility for all with our products and services.” 

The IPC President Sir Philip Craven welcomed the worldwide partnership of Panasonic and said, “We are absolutely delighted that such a prestigious and globally reputable company as Panasonic has signed to become the IPC’s latest Worldwide Paralympic Partner. 

“In recent years the Paralympic Games has grown into the world’s third biggest high performance sporting event in the world. Through this partnership with Panasonic I am confident we can consolidate this position and grow the Paralympic Movement to new levels as we build towards the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.” 

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Rede TV! Secure USD933m Broadcast Deal for Brazil Soccer League

A controversial new US$933m broadcast deal has been agreed by Clube dos 13, the organisation which represents the 20 soccer teams participating in the Brasileirão, with Brazilian television network Rede TV!.

Under the terms of the agreement, Rede TV! obtains the domestic television rights for Brazil’s highest tier of professional soccer until the end of the 2014 season and represents a $34.3m increase on the league’s existing deal with Rede Globo which expires at the end of this season.

Clube dos 13’s arrangement with Rede TV does not cover internet, mobile or international rights, but merely free-to-air television broadcast.

Despite having agreed terms with Rede TV!, the only company involved in the tender process, the deal is only likely to go ahead if Clube dos 13 can convince all of the league’s participating clubs, many of whom are already in advanced negotiations with separate broadcasters.

In February 2011, one of Brazil’s most popular teams, Corinthians, left Clube dos 13 following differing viewpoints on the division of broadcast rights with marketing vice president Luis Paulo Rosenberg insisting more revenue could be generated by negotiating contracts individually.

“We can double our broadcast revenue. Our benchmark is Barcelona, not Atletico Madrid,” said Rosenberg in a recent interview.

National Bank of Arizona Becomes Official Banking Partner of Phoenix Suns

NBA franchise Phoenix Suns and WNBA team Phoenix Mercury have announced  a new multiyear marketing partnership agreement with National Bank of Arizona to become the Official Banking Partner of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury.

As the official banking partner, bronchi National Bank of Arizona (NBAZ) will team up with the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury on various community-based initiatives. 

In addition to these community efforts, doctor the partnership will include the unveiling of new co-branded Phoenix Suns Credit and Debit cards to be release later this season. Fans will also have access to National Bank of Arizona ATM machines at various locations throughout US Airways Center. 

“As Arizona’s original sports team, we take great pride in partnering with a strong local brand like National Bank of Arizona, who like the Suns is focused on providing its customers with a first-class experience,” said Suns and Mercury President, Jason Rowley.  “It’s a perfect fit and we look forward to building a strong and lasting relationship with their team for many years to come.”

The partnership with NBAZ extends to the team’s front office, where NBAZ worked side-by-side with the Suns/Mercury finance staff to create an online payment solution that addresses the team’s current business needs.  The new payment solution will greatly increase the efficiency and logistics of the club’s day-to-day business, while also reducing the consumption of printed paper.

”We are thrilled to partner with the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury,” said Mark Vance, National Bank of Arizona Vice President of Marketing.  “We share so much in common with both organizations, particularly in terms of elevating the reputation of our state and celebrating a winning culture.”