McLaren Racing today announced a multi-year partnership with innovative global healthcare company Sanofi.
The partnership will see McLaren Racing collaborate with Sanofi’s Industrial Affairs team towards achieving excellence in manufacturing operations, enabling Sanofi to meet patients’ needs around the world through more effective use of its global network and support the supply of its broad portfolio.
With a unique data-driven approach through its bespoke Accelerator programme that focuses F1 ingenuity on industrial challenges, McLaren Racing will bring its digital and analytical expertise and skills to help Sanofi teams focus on major items impacting performance, and better anticipate and resolve them. Analysis of losses, modelling and simulation of production line scheduling, and specifically product change-overs, will be key areas to maximise performance in Sanofi manufacturing sites. Through McLaren Accelerator, performance-driven data can be translated into the culture and thinking of partners through collaborative projects and leave a lasting legacy.
McLaren has successful experience in maximising performance of assets in a competitive high-pressure environment to bring speed and acceleration to change. This was evident during the covid-19 pandemic when, through a joint effort across McLaren Group as part of a UK industry consortium, ventilator production was accelerated from 20 per week to 400 a day, by using data to support decision intelligence, and building the foundations for operational excellence.
Beyond the technical leadership from F1, the collaboration will bring a specific focus on the people dimension of high performance. The partnership will bring a racing mindset, emulating the competitive, fast-paced environment of F1 to help accelerate improvements, learnings and sharing of best practices individually and collectively across sites, fostering a “one Sanofi spirit.” This unique opportunity will marry the best of the two companies with the speed, agility, teamwork, and constant improvement required to succeed in motorsport, as well as in healthcare discoveries.
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said:
“We are delighted to be partnering with Sanofi. It is an important opportunity for two global brands who share values to work together to maximise performance through our bespoke Accelerator programme. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Sanofi to make a positive impact not only in manufacturing but to help Sanofi improve patients’ lives.”
Paul Hudson, CEO, Sanofi, said:
“We are thrilled to partner with McLaren and learn from their winning spirit and culture of going over and above. I see a lot of commonalities in our shared values to stretch, with courage and determination, so we can maximize performance and operational excellence. We want to run our lines with the speed, precision and efficiency of an F1 racing team.”
Esports tournament organiser BLAST Premier has kickstarted its host city selection process for the 2023 season, following last week’s announcement on the Spring Final returning to Lisbon’s Altice Arena in June.
Running from April-August 2022, BLAST will begin working with interested parties to find suitable host city locations and partners to deliver a number of event opportunities across their global tournament circuit in 2023.
As part of the process, BLAST will host engaging workshops on the benefits of hosting an esports event, create opportunities for behind-the-scenes experiences at BLAST Premier live events (including the Spring Final in Lisbon) and offer opportunities to meet the BLAST team in-person.
Last week, BLAST announced plans for a return to Lisbon nearly four years after their first event in the Portuguese capital. The tournament organiser has visited a number of other iconic locations in recent years, from London to Copenhagen, Miami to Sao Paulo and Istanbul to Madrid – with the main aim of uniting fans through their shared love of esports and CS:GO.
Charlotte Kenny, Managing Director of BLAST Premier, said, “BLAST Premier has a rich history of hosting memorable events in iconic locations around the world. With a global audience and passionate fanbase, our previous events have seen many host cities benefit from a positive impact in many ways. We want to build on this success and are seeking enthusiastic host cities to work with us to bring our incredible tournament and experiences to life. We can’t wait to work with applicants to understand more about their cities and find the perfect places for our amazing arena events next year.”
BLAST Premier is a global Counter-Strike tournament series, where the best teams and brightest stars fight it out for glory and a multi-million dollar prize pool, while offering opportunities to regions across the globe and crowning the world champions of CS:GO. Up to 32 of the best teams take part in the seven BLAST Premier events across the year with a combined prize pool of $2,475,000 on the line.
BLAST has partnered with The Sports Consultancy (TSC) to manage the independent bidding process. Widely recognised as leaders in host city procurement and major event bidding, TSC is inviting cities to formally express their interest.
North American sports drink brand BioSteel is entering into a three-year partnership for the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship through to the end of 2024. For the first time, BioSteel will be an Official Partner at the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Finland and the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships Division 1 A & B in Slovenia and Poland this year.
“We are delighted about the partnership and the opportunity to be represented at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships until 2024,” says Antonios Karagiannakis, Head of International Sales at BioSteel. “The best players in the world are meeting there and the dynamic and fast-paced sport demands only the best when it comes to beverages during and after the game. BioSteel offers Clean. Healthy. Hydration. and this partnership demonstrates the value of a clean daily hydration routine.”
The partnership includes supplying all players with BioSteel sports hydration drinks and products, water bottles and towels, as well as placing logos in the penalty box. BioSteel sports drinks feature zero sugar, all five essential electrolytes and no artificial flavours or preservatives. BioSteel will also play an important role during the 2022 IIHF World Championship, which will take place in Tampere and Helsinki, Finland, from 13 to 29 May.
“This is the latest in a series of sponsorships for the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, and the addition of a new brand like BioSteel again underlines the appeal of the tournament. The company’s three-year commitment makes it clear that it sees a long-term platform in top international ice hockey,” sums up Claude Hollenstein, Head of Ice Hockey at Infront.
Founded by former NHL professional Michael Cammalleri and his business partner John Celenza, BioSteel has achieved a reputation for being the hydration product of choice for athletes and consumers looking for a healthy alternative. The brand is committed to using premium ingredients, maintaining product transparency, and delivering essential nutrients needed to support physical activity. In North America, BioSteel has numerous partnerships with renowned athletes such as NHL superstars Connor McDavid and Tyler Seguin and federations such as USA Hockey. In Germany, BioSteel’s partners include the Eisbären Berlin and the Kölner Haie.
“By working with the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, we are expanding our cooperations in the field of ice hockey perfectly and bringing the BioSteel brand closer to a sports-loving audience in Europe,” emphasises Tim Mörtl, COO & General Counsel at alpha trading solutions, the sales, marketing, and logistics partner of BioSteel products in Europe.
TVR today announced their official sponsorship of the Monaco E-Prix (30 April) and the London E-Prix double-header (30 & 31 July) in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The exciting new collaboration marks a turning point in the strategic direction of the iconic British high performance sports car manufacturer as they accelerate their plans to electrify the brand.
TVR’s Chairman, Les Edgar stated: “Our collaboration with the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and on-site activations at the Monaco and London E-Prix not only demonstrate our commitment to revolutionizing the TVR brand, but to EV, and becoming a sustainable, net-zero business. Our plans to bring TVR EV’s to market are well underway, with the first of two models to be released shortly after the release of the newest Griffith and Limited-Edition Griffith EV models in 2024″.
This announcement follows TVR’s recent funding and clean technology partnership with leading lithium innovator Ensorcia. Daniel T. Layton, Chairman, Ensorcia said: “We couldn’t be more excited for our involvement with such renowned organizations like TVR and the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.”
Since its inception seven years ago and quickly becoming the world’s leading all-electric FIA World Championship, Formula E has completed more than 85 races on the streets of some of the most iconic cities in the world including New York City, Monaco, Berlin, Paris, Beijing and Buenos Aires. Featuring a host of the industry’s leading automotive and technology manufacturers, Season 8 is the biggest calendar yet with races in iconic world cities including Diriyah, Mexico City, Rome, Jakarta, Berlin, New York and London before concluding in South Korea in August.
“To see TVR, an iconic manufacturer of performance sports cars, crossover and make this commitment to electric is a significant milestone and aligned to Formula E’s vision of an electric future. TVR is a beloved brand and we look forward to working alongside them in Monaco and London to showcase their plans to electrify”, said Matt Scammell, Chief Commercial Officer, Formula E.
The Vegas Golden Knights announce a multi-year jersey entitlement partnership with Circa Las Vegas for Golden Knights jerseys worn during the team’s home games played at T-Mobile Arena.
The Vegas Golden Knights have announced a multi-year jersey entitlement partnership with Circa Las Vegas for Golden Knights jerseys worn during the team’s home games played at T-Mobile Arena. The home jersey patch will begin being worn at the start of the 2022-23 NHL season and signify the organization’s first-official jersey entitlement partnership.
“From the very beginning, I have been an avid supporter of the Vegas Golden Knights. The D was one of the team’s very first sponsors, and today, I couldn’t be happier to share that for the next five years, Circa Sports will be the official sponsor of the team’s home jersey patch,” said Derek Stevens, CEO Circa Sports. “Anyone who’s walked through Circa’s doors knows we’re passionate about sports, and I take great pride in connecting the Circa Sports brand with the first Vegas Born team in the ever-growing sports city of Las Vegas.”
“We are proud to continue our work with Circa Las Vegas through our first-ever jersey entitlement partnership,” said Golden Knights President Kerry Bubolz. “Circa Las Vegas and the Vegas Golden Knights both recognize the tradition within our historic community while also contributing an integral role in the growth of our beloved sports and entertainment industry.”
Following its success in 2021, the Extreme E Count Us In Challenge is back for Season 2 with fans once again urged to take action on climate change through their passion for the sport.
The unison between Extreme E and the global initiative Count Us In, first announced in 2020, encourages fans to use the collective power of their individual action on climate, inspiring them to take one or more impactful actions from a set recommended by the campaign. The goal of these actions is to show that committing to small lifestyle changes, like eating more plant-based foods walking and cycling more, and reducing energy consumption at home, has a huge, positive impact when multiplied on a global level.
Each action, represented as a step on the action platform, is attributed to the fans’ favourite Extreme E team, and the team with the most steps at the end of the Season wins the Extreme E Sustainability Award. Count Us In uses a range of data sources to add up the carbon savings of people’s actions. The wider implications of which can therefore urge governments, cities and businesses to accelerate progress and increase their ambition on climate action.
Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said:
“Our first season working with Count Us In was a huge success – and it was fantastic to see just how much fan engagement there was which further underlines the power of our sport. We are fortunate to have a phenomenal platform and it’s important we use it in the right way and that is, not only to entertain, but also to educate. And initiatives like Count Us In allow us to magnify our message and facilitate quantifiable change that really makes a difference.
“We are really looking forward to building on this momentum for Season 2 and with the help of our incredible line up of teams, drivers and dedicated fan base, we aim to go even further in taking action on climate change. At Extreme E we will continue to push the boundaries and shine a spotlight on the issues we face, along with the need to act now to help protect our futures.”
In 2021, the X44 team became the first winners of the prestigious Sustainability Award award after topping the standings in the series inaugural Count Us In Challenge. Led by Sir Lewis Hamilton, X44 clinched the award with a total of 792 steps pledged with Jenson Button’s JBXE team coming in close second with a total of 749 steps. Nico Rosberg’s team, Rosberg X Racing, finished third with a total of 422 steps. In total of the Extreme E Count Us In Challenge inspired 1,231 fans to take 3,207 steps which saved an impressive 1,242,223 KG C02.
On being presented with the 2021 award, X44’s Sébastien Loeb said:
“I was very happy that X44 won the Extreme E Sustainability Award for 2021. I joined the team hoping to discover more about the environment while doing what I love, and I have learned so much from the series and the different places we visited – in fact I even bought my first electric car last year!”
Nigel Topping, UK High Level Champion for Climate Action, COP26, said:
“I’m delighted to see the Extreme E Count Us In Challenge grow from strength to strength. To avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need everyone’s involvement – from businesses and governments to citizens and communities, we all have a critical part to play. People all over the world taking impactful actions, like talking to friends or using their voting power, and taking on some simple lifestyle changes, is a fundamental part of demonstrating to companies and governments that our whole society is in the Race to Zero emissions.”
In 2022, McLaren XE also joins the line-up of existing Extreme E teams in the quest for this year’s coveted award. The team, who announced its entry into Extreme E last year, join the championship as part of its move to minimise negative impact and achieve net-zero carbon footprint by 2030.
The sport for purpose championship continues on it’s voyage touching ground in Sardinia for the double header before moving onto South America – Chile and Uruguay.
Viaplay will become home to the National Hockey League (NHL) and KSW mixed martial arts (MMA) in the UK. Up to 1,400 games from the world’s best ice hockey league will be shown on Viaplay every year until 2027, alongside 12 high-impact live events from Europe’s leading MMA promotion annually until 2025. Viaplay will launch in the UK in the second half of 2022 with a broad streaming offering that combines live sports with premium original Nordic content and more.
From late 2022 through the 2026-2027 season, NHL fans in the UK will be able to stream every regular season game live on Viaplay, including all NHL Saturday and NHL Sunday games, together with the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Stanley Cup Final and other marquee events, including the NHL Winter Classic, NHL All-Star Game, NHL Stadium Series, NHL Heritage Classic and NHL Global Series. The agreement extends Viaplay and the NHL’s long-term partnership to 10 European markets.
Based in Poland, KSW enjoys a passionate following, and its live events feature top Polish and international MMA competitors. Viaplay and KSW are now working together in 11 countries, and the first KSW event shown on Viaplay in the UK will be in late 2022.
Peter Nørrelund, NENT Group Chief Sports Officer: “We’re already expanding Viaplay’s UK sports line-up with more long-term rights that put us firmly on the map. We have worked with the NHL for 19 years in our Nordic markets, which proves the quality of our coverage. KSW is one of our fastest-growing partnerships and will be broadly available in the UK for the first time. These deals are great news for UK sports fans – and there’s more to come.”
David Proper, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Media & International Strategy: “Viaplay has been an outstanding partner and key stakeholder in the NHL’s strategy to deliver the game to as many fans as possible throughout the world. We look forward to building on our shared commitment to bring the world’s best hockey players to a broader audience and are thrilled to have expanded our relationship with Viaplay.”
As announced in March, sports available on Viaplay in the UK will include:
IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship: 2024 to 2028
Champions Hockey League: 2023/2024 to 2027/2028
ISU figure skating and speed skating: 2023 to 2028 (ISU World Figure Skating Championships from 2024)
EHF European Handball Championship, EHF Champions League and EHF European League (men and women): 2022 to 2030
CEV EuroVolley, CEV Champions League, CEV EuroBeachVolley and additional CEV volleyball competitions: 2022 to 2026
World Athletics Continental Tour Gold: 2023 to 2029
World Athletics Indoor Tour: 2023
FIS snowboard and freestyle: 2022 to 2026 (non-exclusive).
Further details of Viaplay’s UK content offering, pricing and launch date will be communicated in due course.
In March, NENT Group announced a proposal to rebrand as Viaplay Group, subject to approval at its Annual General Meeting on 18 May.
As subscriptions and the importance of understanding your fanbase and subscribers continues to become ever more crucial to the sports industry, Roy Barak, CEO of Vindicia looks at why it’s important to explore every avenue of your data.
What you don’t know can’t hurt you, right?
Wrong!
As executives in the subscription business, you are “up close and personal” with today’s challenges. For CROs, it’s recurring revenue. For HR, it’s the Great Resignation. For CMOs, it’s subscription fatigue.
But what about the pain points you didn’t even know you had? At Vindicia, we’ve got nearly two decades of subscription intelligence and experience behind us, so we’ve seen more deeply into the minds and behaviors of subscription users than anyone else. And we’ve got the tech stack to solve those tricky hidden problems. Here’s what we recommend for C-level subscription managers:
The CFO/CRO: Assuring every possible revenue dollar
For CFOs and CROs, retaining customers and maintaining revenue streams is the #1 challenge. But this comes with a host of other challenges, such as meaningful reporting, cross-regional regulatory requirements and, of course, reducing churn.
“Our approach to passive churn prevention has been shown to resolve up to 30% of terminally failed transactions, translating into recovery of substantial revenue.”
The subscription model is truly a game changer, supporting recurring payments and ongoing revenue for the lifetime of the customer. But how can you be really confident you are not leaving money on the table? That you are truly maximizing every possible revenue dollar?
With Vindicia’s SaaS platform, CFOs can gain more control in acquiring new subscribers, identifying failed payments, recovering lost revenue, enabling all kinds of pricing and payment options, and supporting scale across new markets and strategic partnerships. Our approach to passive churn prevention has been shown to resolve up to 30% of terminally failed transactions, translating into recovery of substantial revenue. Our clients have seen an average 522% ROI from their investment in the Vindicia tech stack. Which means CFOs can be sure that revenue dollars aren’t unnecessarily left behind.
The CMO: Making decisions with conviction
CMOs know they have to drive higher engagement and value with powerful subscription bundles and services. They know the way to do this is with personalization. And they need accurate and meaningful data to make real-time adjustments that will bring results.
“CMOs crave the data that can help them make decisions they truly believe in and can stand behind.”
More than that, CMOs crave the data that can help them make decisions they truly believe in and can stand behind. At Vindicia, we’ve been working with subscription data longer than anyone else in the industry, and our platform supports CMOs with built-in dashboards that deliver the insights they need to make decisions with conviction.
Acquisition is just the first step in the subscription journey. The real revenue potential happens when customers renew again and again, increasing their lifetime value. The way for CMOs to achieve this is by providing delightful subscription experiences for users at every possible moment beyond acquisition. Vindicia subscription data dashboards provide the fullest possible picture and give CMOs the up-to-date wisdom to spot upcoming trends, test and optimize offers from an informed position, and make smarter subscription decisions that lead to better customer connections, and ultimately, growth. In a highly competitive market, CMOs should demand no less than that.
Head of Product/CX: Having the power that comes with flexibility
You’ve got a lot on your plate in terms of developing and improving your product or app. Managing the subscription side is not your business, strictly speaking, but it isours. Our business is to provide you with a subscription platform that is flexible and adaptable to your needs, so you can configure it to bring results while keeping your main focus where it counts – your own product.
“Whether it’s a seamless sign up, a frictionless billing experience, or an easy and tempting renewal process, you need a platform that can flex and scale according to your business needs.”
The customer experience of your brand is essential to creating the sense of delight that leads to retention. The better experience you provide, the more likely customers will remain as customers. Customer success runs the full gamut of touchpoints and experiences, including all aspects of the subscription. Whether it’s a seamless sign up, a frictionless billing experience, or an easy and tempting renewal process, you need a platform that can flex and scale according to your business needs, and a subscription tech stack with the sophistication to help you scale your brand experience confidently and successfully into new markets and new customer bases.
What to consider for your subscription business
The subscription e-commerce industry has grown at a rate of over 100% each year over the past five years. Four out of five subscription companies are still experiencing growth, even in the post-pandemic reality. Whichever seat you occupy at the senior management table, the challenges you face are changing as fast as the subscription industry itself. Make sure you choose the right subscription tech partner to uncover the hidden pain points and deliver the solution to unlock your maximum growth potential.
Roy is a seasoned business leader with over 15 years’ experience in management, technology, strategic planning, market analysis, operational execution, and financial modeling. As CEO, Roy leads the company’s global business, guiding key stakeholders across the company to develop innovative strategies and solutions that drive top-line revenue and profitability. Roy is a strong advocate for corporate social responsibility. As the sponsoring executive for Amdocs Pride North America, he champions the company’s philosophy of acceptance, diversity, and inclusion. Previously, Roy served in management and financial positions at Amdocs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
On the back of the successful partnership between Castore and the McLaren Formula 1 Team, both pioneering brands have agreed to further their partnership to now include the Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar team (AMSP). Arrow McLaren SP shares an ambition with Castore to innovate and continuously push for success.
The new partnership begins in 2022 when Castore will become the official license and official sports apparel partner. Castore will be launching a Replica apparel range, Fanwear and core fan accessories, which will be available to purchase via McLarenstore.com alongside the existing McLaren x Castore Replica, Teamwear and Fanwear collections. The Castore x Arrow McLaren SP fanwear range will be available for pre-order in April, ahead of the prestigious 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29th.
In addition to the fanwear range, Castore will also be providing the three car Arrow McLaren SP drivers, team and management with teamwear to be worn across all race weekends.
Castore is excited to reveal that in addition to the Castore x Arrow McLaren SP products being available at McLarenstore.com, the new products will also be available on Castore.com, Castore retail stores and at Trackside shops.
Rich Brooks, Brand Director – Motorsport for Castore said: “We’re incredibly excited to further our partnership with McLaren and Arrow McLaren SP. IndyCar is brand new territory for us, and we can’t wait to further showcase the Castore brand on the motorsport global stage. BETTER NEVER STOPS at Castore, and we continue our commitment to push innovation and demand for excellence.”
Taylor Kiel, President, Arrow McLaren SP said: “The entire Arrow McLaren SP team is looking forward to welcoming Castore as our official license and sportswear partner. The partnership with McLaren Racing has proven to be incredibly successful in Formula 1 so the next logical step was to expand into IndyCar. We can’t wait to make the new merchandise available to fans.”
Challenger sports betting brand DAZN BET today announces the appointment of gambling industry expert Mark Kemp as CEO. DAZN BET is a strategic partnership between DAZN Group, the world’s fastest growing sports media business, and Pragmatic Group, a leading platform technology and content provider for the betting and gaming industry.
Mark is a digital leader with 20 years commercial, senior management experience building, marketing and operating B2C products. Mark previously served as Managing Director of Ladbrokes Coral, successfully integrating and significantly growing both brands following their merger. After nine years in senior management positions, including leading their omni channel strategy from concept stage, Mark became Managing Director at the new UK Tote. Mark joins from BoyleSports, Ireland’s largest independent bookmaker, where he is the CEO.
DAZN BET’s vision is to revitalise the casual betting market by developing a new, recreational product that augments the live sports viewing experience. Responding to what DAZN customers say they want and the trend towards recreational in-play betting, DAZN BET is developing a fun, convenient, and integrated betting experience for sports fans to enjoy alongside live sports streaming.
Mark Kemp said, “I am delighted to be joining DAZN BET to launch such a new and exciting international brand. With the strength and expertise of DAZN in sports media, we will deliver something recreational and relevant to today’s audience. I am looking forward to working with the new team and DAZN to build an engaging and responsible new entertainment proposition for sports fans across the world.”
Ian Turnbull, EVP of Betting at DAZN Group, said, “Sports betting partnerships are just one of the ways in which DAZN is going to deliver more exciting and richer content for its customers. We know that fans want more integrated, immersive, and interactive experiences as they enjoy long form content. DAZN is giving them that.”
