IMG ARENA, a leading sports content and technology business, is to become the official data supplier for sports betting for the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada).
The exclusive audio-visual sports betting and data rights deal begins at the start of the next season – 2022/23 – with distribution to IMG ARENA’s network of sportsbook brands worldwide.
IMG ARENA’s ground-breaking technology will enable fans to enjoy real-time data, allowing NBL Canada to grow their reach while also offering sportsbook operators new content.
Audley Stephenson, Vice President of Operations, NBL Canada, said: “This is an important step for NBL Canada as we move into the sports betting realm and it’s an honour to do so with such a respected and experienced partner in this space.”
Mark Wrigley, Rights Director at IMG ARENA, said: “NBL Canada is an established organisation with an exciting brand. We are delighted they have chosen IMG ARENA to work with them on their entry into sports betting and look forward to building a strong relationship to help grow their offering and audience by engaging fans around the world.”
Headquartered in London, IMG ARENA is a sports content and technology hub serving the Sports, Sports Betting and Sports Media eco-systems. IMG ARENA delivers live streaming and data feeds for more than 45,000 sports events annually, as well as for on-demand virtual sports products and front-end solutions, including the UFC Event Centre. IMG ARENA’s clients include the ATP, UFC, DP World Tour, PGA Tour, EuroLeague, MLS and the FA.
Since 2017, 20-time PGA tour winner and four-time major champion Rory McIlroy has put his trust in TaylorMade golf equipment in a partnership that has yielded seven PGA TOUR titles, a FedEx Cup and a Ryder Cup victory. Today, TaylorMade Golf Company announces a multi-year extension with McIlroy, who will continue to play TaylorMade equipment and golf ball.
Built by a shared passion for constant innovation and success, McIlroy’s seven wins with TaylorMade equipment includes a TOUR Championship, PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, World Golf Championship and the 2019 PGA TOUR Player of the Year award.“
Over the last several years I have had the chance to work with the best equipment company in golf. Today I am excited to announce TaylorMade clubs and ball will be staying in my bag for many years to come. A combination of the dedicated people and unmatched performance is what drove me to remain a part of Team TaylorMade.” – Rory McIlroy.
The extension continues to reaffirm TaylorMade’s mission to pair industry-leading product innovation and technological advancements with the most successful players in golf. McIlroy is currently one of four Team TaylorMade athletes in the Top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
“Rory is undeniably one of the most captivating players in our game and truly one of the great human beings in the sports world. We have been fortunate to get a first-hand look at Rory’s approach to his game and the championship mindset that helps fuel his success.
Over the past five years, in partnership with Rory, our company has been able to advance product innovation and put the best possible equipment in his bag. Rory’s decision to continue to put his trust in our company has us inspired to push the limits of performance even further.” – David Abeles, TaylorMade Golf CEO & President
Major League Soccer today announced a multi-year partnership agreement with next generation fan engagement and rewards company, Socios.com, making the company an Official Partner of MLS.
With a shared vision in leveraging next-generation technology mixed with progressive experiences, the Socios.com-MLS partnership forges a deeper connection with fans, and fuels League growth on and off the field.
With 26 Club deals, Socios.com seeks to create a unique community for MLS fans to celebrate their passion for the game and win life-time experiences all from one app. Starting with the 2022 season, the partnership intends to give fans access to exclusive rewards, polls, and opportunities for their favorite Clubs. MLS envisions that fans will be able to have the chance to win prizes for making correct game-related predictions and for correctly answering questions.
“At Major League Soccer, our Emerging Ventures team is always looking for ways to apply the latest technology to provide North America’s youngest and most tech-savvy fans with new opportunities to be connected in a significant way to our players and clubs,” said Chris Schlosser, Major League Soccer’s SVP of Emerging Ventures. “We’re excited to continue our progressive approach to blockchain technology at MLS with Socios.com.”
With the highest percentage of millennial audience of any major U.S. sport, the deal with Socios.com seeks to enable MLS to combine its commitment to innovation and technology to leverage blockchain technology to provide the League and our clubs tools to engage with fans in more immersive ways. Socios.com will be integrated across League and partner clubs’ social channels and receive digital signage at partner club home games.
“Joining forces with MLS to explore what the best iteration of our blockchain-based fan engagement product will become is truly exciting,” said Max Rabinovitch, Socios.com’s Chief Strategy Officer. “This partnership is going to have far-reaching positive impacts on our evolution and shed light on what the Socios fan engagement universe on the blockchain can be as a whole. MLS is the perfect home to begin that educational journey in North America.”
The agreement also enables Socios.com and MLS to work together on new fan engagement products in the years ahead.
Socios.com has indicated that it has major global expansion plans and will increase its existing presence in Europe, while targeting many more launches in the USA, Asia, and South America with the world’s leading sports properties. Socios.com will debut a mobile app specifically designed for users in the United States later this year and recently announced international soccer legend Lionel Messi as the company’s first Global Brand Ambassador.
The World Curling Federation and Infront have renewed their media and marketing partnership until the end of the 2029–2030 season, encompassing two four-year Olympic cycles.
The partnership, which began in 2008, will see Infront continue its event marketing role for the World Men’s, World Women’s and European championships while also incorporating its services into the new Pan-Continental Curling Championship launching in November 2022. They will also manage the media rights in selected markets worldwide.
The partnership also allows Infront to provide consultation on additional championships on a case-by-case basis throughout the length of the contract.
In a new aspect to the partnership, the World Curling Federation and Infront will also establish a digital and data working group. This group will hold annual workshops, allowing for constant improvements and optimisation of measures in the commercialisation of events.
President of the World Curling Federation, Kate Caithness said, “We are delighted to extend our partnership with Infront Sports & Media. We have worked together for a number of years and they have been a key component to the increased commercialisation and marketing efforts around our elite level championships.
“Infront are a driving force behind many of our long-standing marketing partners and this contract renewal puts the Federation in a position to continue to grow and enhance that aspect of our championships and bring in further exciting partners to our sport.”
Stefan Krauss, Vice President Winter Sports, Infront, said, “We have worked with the World Curling Federation for many years now and this partnership continues to go from strength to strength. It is a fascinating sport which requires excellent strategic skills and a strong team spirit, something mirrored in the successful leadership at the organisation. It is enjoying a wave of popularity once again as it looks to build towards the next Olympic Winter Games and I look forward to seeing how we can jointly leverage that interest and build on the commercialisation opportunities we have already created.”
Engage with the World Curling Federation on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Weibo and by searching the hashtags #curling
DAZN, the leading global sports streaming service, has agreed a distribution deal with Red Bull Media House to stream the Red Bull TV linear channel on its platform globally, bringing Red Bull’s collection of inspiring sports and lifestyle entertainment to fans around the world.
The multi-year agreement sees DAZN expand its offering into live extreme sports through Red Bull TV to include coverage of the Crankworx World Tour, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series and the Drift Masters European Championship, among others.
DAZN will also stream a curated selection of Red Bull’s original documentaries, series, highlights and archive programming, to offer fans a greater breadth of sport storytelling from around the world. Programme availability will vary across markets but will include docu-series Driving Dirty: The Road to Baja, Red Bull Soundwave and Road To 55: The Drive To Become A Formula 1 Racer , alongside archive series, Red Bull X-Fighters and Red Bull Street Style, to name a few. Where available, this will also include local language programming in DAZN’s core markets.
Red Bull TV’s programming will be available to DAZN subscribers across all its 200+ countries and territories from Wednesday 4 May 2022. The first event to be broadcast live on the channel will be Wings for Life World Run on Sunday 8 May 2022, which sees professional athletes, fun runners and beginners racing together against the Catcher Car at the same time, worldwide.
Tom Burrows, DAZN EVP of Rights, said, “DAZN is fast becoming a home of true entertainment for the world’s most innovative and compelling sports. Red Bull has a fantastic reputation for showcasing thrilling live events and captivating sporting stories that capture the imagination of fans around the world. We’re delighted to bring Red Bull TV and its programming to DAZN on a global scale.”
Red Bull TV joins DAZN’s premium portfolio of live sports and original programming, including the world’s biggest leagues and competitions UEFA Champions League, UEFA Women’s Champions League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A, J.League and Matchroom Boxing.
Manchester United is revising its Season Ticket policies to offer more choice and flexibility, following consultation with fans.
From next season, Season Ticket-holders will be able to opt in or out of each of the cup competitions the team competes in.
The changes have resulted from consultation with the Manchester United Fans’ Advisory Board (FAB) and Fans’ Forum, whose members have worked closely with the club to develop the revised policies.
Under current rules, Season Ticket-holders are guaranteed their seats for all 19 Premier League home games and are obliged to buy all FA Cup and UEFA Champions League home games.
Under the new rules to be introduced for the 2022/23 season, fans will have the choice of a Premier League-only Season Ticket, with the option to add FA Cup, Carabao Cup and European tickets on a competition-by-competition basis.
Season Ticket holders who opt out of a competition will be able to apply for cup tickets on a match-by-match basis, subject to availability, alongside official members.
A Cup Season Ticket will also be introduced for the first time, guaranteeing access to all cup games at Old Trafford for Official Members.
Further flexibility will be provided by the launch of a ticket buy-back scheme, allowing fans to sell unwanted season tickets back to the club on a match-by-match basis where there is demand. This will be in addition to existing policies which enable tickets to be forwarded to Official Members or donated to Manchester United Foundation.
Collette Roche, Manchester United Chief Operating Officer, said: “When the Fans’ Advisory Board (FAB) asked us to review our Season Ticket policies, we were pleased to work with them to explore options for providing fans with more choice and flexibility. We recognise that not all Season Ticket-holders are able to attend every home game over the course of the season, and given the high demand, we want to increase the opportunities for Official Members to access seats that would otherwise go unused.
“We have listened to fans’ opinions and worked closely with the FAB and Fans’ Forum to agree reforms that will allow each Season Ticket holder to choose the option that works best for them. We believe this new offer provides flexibility and fairness for both our Season Ticket holders and Official Members.”
Reform of Season Ticket policies was among the first issues addressed by the FAB after its launch in January. The FAB is comprised of seven fan representatives and six senior club leaders and meets four times a year for in-depth dialogue on strategic issues. It operates in tandem with the larger Fans’ Forum, which focuses on matchday and operational matters.
Roche said: “In the past year, we have set up the FAB, expanded the Fans’ Forum, and appointed our first Head of Fan Engagement. These efforts are already resulting in tangible benefits for fans, and we’re grateful for the work of the fan representatives in helping deliver these positive changes.”
Mukuru, a next generation financial services platform and one of the largest money transfer providers in Africa, will become Crystal Palace’s official sleeve sponsor for the 2022/23 season.
Mukuru has more than ten million customers, and has completed more than 100 million transactions since inception in 2004. In addition to offering International Money Transfers, Mukuru also helps its customers around the world to address their broader financial needs.
Palace’s squad boasts several key players who represent African countries, including Wilf Zaha, Jordan Ayew, Jeff Schlupp, and African Cup of Nations winner Cheikhou Kouyate.
Andy Jury, CEO of Mukuru, says:
“Mukuru is a business that puts the customer at the centre of everything we do. Our essence and passion lie in helping to solve problems for Africa’s emerging consumers through financial inclusion and uniting people across the world. This passion drives the way we do business, the way we communicate with our customers and the way we choose partnerships.
“Soccer is the most supported sport on the African continent, uniting people globally, and our customers identified Crystal Palace as one of the teams they support.
“A team with several African players and an iconic coach with strong African heritage in Patrick Viera who our Mukuru customers look up to and resonate with. We are excited to be associated with Crystal Palace, a well-respected and prestigious Premier League team. The sponsorship places Mukuru on an international stage, further entrenching our global presence, operating in over 50 countries around the world,”
Barry Webber, Commercial Director of Crystal Palace, says:
“This is a really exciting partnership for Crystal Palace, and we’re thrilled to welcome Mukuru on board.
“As a club, we are incredibly proud of our links with the African continent, which were encapsulated by midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate winning the African Cup of Nations earlier this year.
This partnership will help us to continue to expand our international fanbase, and Mukuru join us at a fantastically exciting time for the club, both on the pitch and off of it.”
To help address issues identified in a recent survey, Gallagher has launched a campaign of activity following the recent renewal of its title partnership with Premiership Rugby. The Gallagher Leaders Trust is an effective and ongoing mentoring network aimed at Directors of Rugby and head coaches across the league. Professor Damian Hughes is part of the panel of leading sports and business coaches, he explains why the Trust is necessary.
The challenge of creating a high-performance culture is age-old and ever-present. Whether you are a business organisation or sports team, everyone is striving for that magic formula. Leadership is fundamental to this. A good leader can be a visionary, an inspiration and ultimately the differentiator between success and failure.
There is no failsafe recipe for successful leadership, but making sure you have access to a network of trusted advisers is a crucial component. The stand-out leaders of our time all have the willingness and ability to corral a group of experts around them, take on board their collective counsel and make informed, often difficult, decisions that will benefit their whole team’s performance.
After all, the success of a business or a rugby team is highly dependent on effective teamwork, which in some instances necessitates bringing into the fold external specialists.
“Recent research by Gallagher found a clear link between feeling isolated as a leader, due to the pressure of role responsibilities, and performance.”
Because leadership can be lonely. The higher you rise, the greater the weight of having to make critical decisions alone and the lower the number of close confidantes you are likely to have.
In fact, recent research by Gallagher found a clear link between feeling isolated as a leader, due to the pressure of role responsibilities, and performance – with negative impacts on productivity, confidence and decisiveness. All of which are likely to have ramifications for the team’s performance too, both in the short and longer term.
But these risks can be mitigated if senior leaders better understand the value – not the weakness – that lies in asking for help, seeking support and accessing expertise from those around them.
That’s why Gallagher, in partnership with Premiership Rugby, is taking steps to ensure leaders are effectively supported with the launch of the Gallagher Leaders Trust. Aimed specifically at Directors of Rugby (DORs) and head coaches, the initiative is designed to help create an effective and ongoing mentoring network for those tasked with delivering exceptional performance leadership across the league’s 13 clubs.
Comprising a panel of leading sports and business coaches, including Sir Andrew Strauss and myself, the GLT will work to ensure individuals are equipped to deal with the challenge of leadership and provide a network of external expertise and guidance.
We are also delivering elements beneficial to the broader leadership community such as intimate business breakfasts, content via The High-Performance Podcast and keynote talks that will allow for networking opportunities.
“The ultimate goal of the programme is to help them meet the demands of leadership head on and ensure their welfare.”
For DORs and head coaches, the ultimate goal of the programme is to help them meet the demands of leadership head on and ensure their welfare, whether by equipping them with the right tools to navigate high-pressure situations or by creating an environment where individuals can benefit from bespoke advice and support, depending on their specific needs.
Given worldwide events over the past two years, the need for strong, supported and informed leadership has never been greater. And those leaders need their own trusted networks to which they can turn. Leadership should not be a lone pursuit.
Lega Serie A and the online sales and auction platform eBay announce a new and prestigious partnership.
eBay joins the sponsors of Lega Serie A and all its competitions as Official Partner, consolidating its visibility in Italy through a number of initiatives and activations that will be carried out at upcoming events.
Lega Serie A is thus continuing the internationalisation of its brand thanks to an agreement with eBay, the world-renowned marketplace.
The first initiatives linked to the partnership will take place on the occasion of the Primavera TIMVISION Cup Final Fiorentina-Atalanta, scheduled at the “Penzo” Stadium in Venice on 4th May, and the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa Final Juventus-Inter, to be played on 11th May at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
A new historic phase for Lega Serie A began yesterday with the broadcast of the first football match in the metaverse. On the occasion of Milan-Fiorentina, thanks to TIM technology and exclusively in the MENA area (Middle East and North Africa), it was possible to watch the match inside the Lega Serie A room in The Nemesis metaverse.
Fans and followers, entering the metaverse, were able not only to watch the match between the Rossoneri and the Viola, but also to interact inside the room with special games related to the world of Lega Serie A competitions and visit the Lega’s official social channels.
It was also possible to check the live statistics of the match and have their avatar wear the T-shirt with the Keep Racism Out logo.
“We want to be as close as possible to our users: young people spend their time in the Metaverse – commented Lega Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo -. We are trying to be the first football league to express the concept of innovation. It’s like watching a match with other people, in a shared immersion of the football experience. Nobody wants to take poetry or humanity away from football. A modern league has to put technology at the service of entertainment, in this case in a virtual stadium, in a function that is a little closer to a video game. We are trying to ‘engage’ more the younger generation, otherwise fragmented and dispersed”.
“The Nemesis is the place where Lega Serie A broadcasted a match in the metaverse for the first time ever: it was a historic day for the technology, entertainment and sports industry – said Alessandro De Grandi, CEO of The Nemesis -. I am extremely proud to be able to share this important result with ConsenSys, Lega Serie A and TIM and I hope it will be just the first of a long series of events for the world of football on The Nemesis”.
Extreme E, the sport for purpose electric off-road racing series, is delighted to announce its partnership extension with Bosch, who will continue as the Championship’s Official Power Tool supplier for Season 2.
One of the world’s leading providers for power tools, power tool accessories and measuring tools, the German brand will continue to provide their professional equipment to service Extreme E’s electric SUV, the ODYSSEY 21.
Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said:
“I’m thrilled to extend the partnership with Bosch. Continuing our hard work from Season 1, Bosch provided us with the essential tools that helped us deliver Extreme E’s inaugural campaign and I look forward to building upon this relationship for Season 2, especially through our first legacy project collaboration together in Senegal.”
Bosch provides mainly cordless tools that are critical to the sport-for-purpose championship, can withstand the toughest Extreme E racing locations and and are forward-thinking in the wider technology and innovation sectors.
As part of the partnership extension, Bosch tools will specifically be used to assist in construction of X Prix event sites, which are held in the most remote corners of the planet to highlight the climate crisis.
Alongside providing support on race weekends, Bosch will be committing resources to Extreme E’s Senegal legacy project. They aim to educate the local community of Lac Rose on how to use their tools in addition to leaving the equipment behind for their use in Senegal when Extreme E leaves. The German brand’s tools will be utilised to aid the Lac Rose citizens to rebuild schools and houses.
The Bosch ethos is ‘by acting in an economically, environmentally, and socially responsible manner, we want to improve people’s quality of life and safeguard the livelihoods of present and future generations’. This ranges from environmental protection – reducing their ecologocial footprint to creating more sustainable products that help conserve natural resources. These are all values that Extreme E embodies in its environmental purpose to highlight the issues currently facing the planet to inspire action.
Henk Becker, CEO of Bosch Power Tools, added:
“We are delighted to extend our partnership with Extreme E. Our professional power tools are made for the toughest applications – very similar to those conditions and challenges Extreme E is taking on. We fully support the championship’s purpose to raise awareness for climate change and share its dedication towards innovation and performance.”
Extreme E’s five-race calendar visits some of the areas hit worst by the climate crisis to raise awareness and encourage change. In each of the five race locations, Extreme E will leave a long lasting positive impact through its Legacy Programmes.
