Media rights agency, drug Sportfive has invited broadcasters to register an interest into the Austrian rights tender for the upcoming Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and Rio 2016 Games by March 28.

Austria finished fifth in the medals table for the 2010 Vancouver Games and has a strong affinity with the Games and indeed winter sports on the whole. The nation will host the 2012 Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck next year.

The broadcast rights for next edition of the Winter Games and the 2016 Summer event will be sold by Sportfive in a total of 40 European territories – the first time that an agency has been licensed to distribute these rights. Sportfive has stated that it is approaching each market on an individual basis.

Worcestershire wealth planner, Sanlam, has expanded its partnership with RFU Championship team Worcester Warriors by announcing a new two-year sponsorship deal to rebrand the club’s Pitchview Lounge as the Sanlam Suite.

The Sanlam Suite, which was unveiled this week, will welcome hundreds of dining guests ahead of each Warriors game and will also be used for corporate events and functions throughout the year.

Head of Marketing at Sanlam Giles Cross said: “As English Mutual we enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Sixways and Worcester Warriors.

“Now as Sanlam, it is a pleasure to continue and bolster that tradition through the naming sponsorship of the Sanlam Suite.

“Like Warriors, we wish to achieve great things and we have big plans. We want to be regarded, in time, as the leading wealth management business in this country but we recognise that we are still relatively unknown in the UK and that we have a long way to go.

“Our association with Warriors, a club which we believe will experience long-term success in the future, will allow people to get to know us a little better and to find out what makes us different.”

Warriors Acting Chief Executive Anthony Glossop said: “We are delighted that Sanlam has continued to show its support to Warriors at a very exciting time for the club.

“We look forward to continuing our relationship with Sanlam and moving forward together as we both set our sights on a successful future.”

The exclusive rights for the live streaming of ESPN Star Sports’ coverage of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup 2011 have been awared to telecom services provider Vodafone Essar.

As part of this deal, Vodafone’s customers will be able to watch ball-by-ball live coverage of all 49 ODI’s on their mobile phones via ESPN Mobile TV. Vodafone has been named co-presenting broadcast sponsor for ESPN Star Sports’ coverage of ICC CWC 2011, making the company one of the biggest sponsors of India’s most popular sport this season. It is also the co-presenting sponsor of IPL besides being one of the on-ground sponsors.

Having secured the on-air broadcast sponsorship rights of ESPN Star Sports’ coverage of the ICC CWC 2011, Vodafone has created on-air advertising campaign  for this event after reportedly paying US$9.85m for the co-sponsorship rights.

Vodafone released a statement, reading: “Vodafone’s interest in the cricket season in 2011 is a continuation of this same belief to capitalize on large cricketing events like the World Cup, thereby reaching out to a very large cross section of audiences, cutting across diverse geographies.”

Kumar Ramanathan, Vodafone Essar CMO, added: “The 2011 cricket season in India coincides with an exciting time in the telecom industry when MNP and 3G are buzz words and the entire consumer base is being wooed afresh by incumbent and new competitors alike. Through this association with ESPN Star Sports to provide live streaming of its ICC CWC 2011 coverage, we continue to engage our customers in a more meaningful and relevant manner, that enriches the service experience.”

YEZZ, advice the global mobile device manufacturer, abortion has signed shirt sponsorship agreements with two renowned Ligue 1 clubs – LOSC Lille and Girondins de Bordeaux.

Infront Sports & Media secured the company, prostate headquartered in the U.S., with agreements running throughout the 2014/15 season.

The agreements provide YEZZ with brand visibility on the team shirts of the two clubs. For LOSC Lille, the logo will be prominently featured on the sleeve of the team jersey and for Girondins de Bordeaux it is centrally placed on the back of the shirt.

Robert Schiano, General Manager of YEZZ Europe, commented: “Through these partnerships, our brand has confirmed an enthusiasm to rapidly develop its reputation and become a major and recognised partner in the field of mobile telephony in France.”

Sport1, a leading German sports broadcaster, has acquired a package of rights from major media rights agency MP & Silva to cover Italy’s Serie A domestic football competition.

The agreement will commence from this weekend and under the terms of the deal, Sport1 will air one game per week via Livestream on the Sport1.de online platform, while individual matches will also be available on the new pay-TV channel SPORT1+.

Sport1 already holds the rights to Italy’s Coppa Italia, the Coupe de France and the English FA Cup thanks to its existing partnership with MP & Silva. The sports media agency has a contract with Serie A to serve as the league’s international media rights distributor for the current and 2011-12 seasons.

Alexander Rosner, editor-in-chief at Sport1, stated: “With Serie A, we are further expanding our extensive range of international football on SPORT1.de.”

He added: “Besides our Tuesday evening highlights magazine, which has already been airing on free-TV channel Sport1 since September, fans of Serie A can now also enjoy live top football from Italy’s elite league.”

Sports drink BODYARMOR has signed Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) player Skylar Diggins to an endorsement deal.

Diggins joins NBA’s James Harden, Kevin Love and Kobe Bryant, the NFL’s Andrew Luck and LeSean McCoy and MLB’s Mike Trout on the drink’s manufacturer’s books.

“I discovered BODYARMOR earlier this year, was able to try the product, really liked the taste and said I need to learn more about the brand,” Diggins said.  ”I like the taste first and foremost and I think that’s really important.  It’s a sports drink that’s up-and-coming like myself.”

Diggins was named first-team All-WNBA after a very successful second professional season.  She finished the season with 20.1 points-per-game, which ranked her in second place in scoring among all players.  Diggins also finished the season fourth in assists.

“I drink BODYARMOR before and during my workout and then for recovery after it is Rockin’ Refuel,” explained Diggins.

Major sports broadcaster Sky Sports have announced that have signed a two-year deal for exclusive live high definition (HD) coverage of the Izod IndyCar Series.

The company agreed to screen live high definition coverage of all 17 events from the centennial year of the IndyCar Series – including the Indy 500 from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May with the season beginnig in the streets of St Petersburg on March 27.

The show will be presented by Keith Huewen who stated: “It’s really exciting to have Indycar back on our screens, especially in HD.

“There is a lot of fantastic British talent in the sport at the moment, including current reigning champion Dario Franchitti. We’ve seen Dario’s career come to life on Sky Sports, and over the next two years we will see the conclusion.

“This year will be huge for Indycar and to have the next two Indy500 confirmed on Sky Sports really excites me – it’s where the world’s biggest motorsport event belongs.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has signed a partnership with Matua Wines, seek which will become the Official Wine in New Zealand for the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2015. 

As part of the partnership with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, arthritis Matua products will be supplied at all venues in New Zealand. 

Commenting on the new partnership, anabolics ICC General Manager – Commercial, Campbell Jamieson, said: “The ICC is delighted to welcome Matua on board as an Official Wine Partner in New Zealand. Matua is a renowned brand that has a strong presence both in New Zealand and across the region and we know that supporters will enjoy the offering across New Zealand venues at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. 

“We are excited to welcome another strong brand to the commercial family for this competition and look forward to welcoming additional partners in the weeks and months to come.” 

Matua Chief Winemaker Nikolai St George said: “For New Zealand to co-host one of the world’s most watched sporting events is truly exciting, and for Matua to be a part of it offers an unprecedented opportunity to get some of New Zealand’s most awarded wines in front of a local and global audience.” 

“Cricket is New Zealand’s summer sport, Kiwis absolutely love the game and so does the team at Matua. We’re looking forward to being a part of the biggest event happening in New Zealand this year, and we’re sure that that fans who head to the games will enjoy the action paired with our great wines.”

According to USA Today, TNT and ESPN are on track to turn in cable TV’s most-watched NBA seasons ever.

TNT’ 27th season of NBA coverage is on track to be its highest-rated ever, beating the 1995-96 season as the top-drawing season. Marv Albert, TNT announcer, claimed that the ratings increase is due to the fact that the league “has a new villain” in the Heat.

Albert continued: “Miami is the major factor that TV ratings are sky high. And as bad as (ESPN’s) ‘The Decision’ show was … you need a team you don’t like”

TNT’s 34 game telecasts to date are up 25% and 33%, respectively, from a 1.2 U.S. rating and 1.769 million viewers at the same point last year. Ad sales for the NBA on TNT are also pacing up 30% from the same point last year.

NBA TV also continues to see ratings success, as the 14 games that have been part of the net’s Tuesday “Fan Night” are averaging 384,000 viewers. The net for 55 games season-to-date is averaging 242,000 viewers, with the net’s ad sales up 223%.

Meanwhile, NBA games on ESPN are also seeing big gains heading towards the All-Star break. Through 44 games, ESPN is averaging a 1.3 U.S. rating and 2.026 million viewers, up 18.2% and 22.3%, respectively, from a 1.1 rating and 1.657 million viewers at the same point last year.

TriStar Motorsports have announced that Build Your Future (BYF) and NCCER will be the primary sponsor on David Starr’s No. 10 Toyota Camry under the lights on Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

BYF and NCCER have partnered with David Starr and TriStar Motorsports multiple times throughout the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. 

“I’m honored to be associated with NCCER and Build Your Future,” said Starr. “They are such an incredible organization that provides so many construction career opportunities for our youth and military veterans.”

David Starr has 15 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway across NASCAR’s top-three series. This includes one top-5 finish, three top-10 finishes and one pole win in the Camping World Truck Series.