Cazoo is to become the new main partner and shirt sponsor of SC Freiburg. The multi-year partnership between the Bundesliga club and Europe’s leading online car retailer will start at the beginning of the coming season (2022/23).
As the new main partner and shirt sponsor of SC Freiburg, Cazoo will receive extensive advertising rights at Sport-Club home matches in the Europa-Park stadium, this includes TV boards, media backdrops and online. A key component of the partnership is the shirt sponsorship at all matches of the SC professionals.
In addition to the Bundesliga professionals, Cazoo will appear as shirt sponsor and advertising partner at all matches of the second team (U23) of SC Freiburg in the 3rd league and, as co-sponsor of the Freiburg Football School (junior training centre), will also be visible at all matches of the SC junior teams. Cazoo will also be a co-sponsor and sleeve sponsor of SC Freiburg’s Bundesliga women.
Common sustainability topics
In addition, SC Freiburg and Cazoo have agreed to focus on sustainability projects and campaigns as part of the new partnership and to develop these together. This could include campaigns on topics such as electric mobility and/or hybrid drive, but also joint projects in the environment or exercise area.
Cazoo has been active on the German market since December 2021 and is considered a pioneer in the shift to buying used cars entirely online. The company was founded in the UK and intends to use the partnership with SC Freiburg to raise its brand awareness in Germany. Cazoo is also pursuing a similar strategy in other European markets such as the UK, France and Spain and has entered into various partnerships for this purpose.
Alex Chesterman OBE, Founder & CEO of Cazoo, said:
“SC Freiburg has taken a big step forward in recent years, both in terms of sport and infrastructure with its new Europa-Park stadium. The club has a passionate fan base and, like us, is ambitious and results driven and at the same time its modesty and social commitment is why it is considered one of the most likeable clubs in German football for years. We look forward to engaging with the fans and local community in the coming years, and making Cazoo a household name in Germany and delivering the best car buying and selling experience in this important market.”
Oliver Leki, Chief Financial, Operations and Marketing Officer of SC Freiburg, said:
“We are delighted to have Cazoo on our side as our new main and jersey sponsor from next season. The partnership with the Sport-Club should help Cazoo as a dynamic digital company to achieve its communication goals in Germany. For SC Freiburg, the deal is also a confirmation of the club’s positive development in recent years.”
Marco Sautner, Managing Director of Infront Germany, added:
“We are delighted that with Cazoo as a new main sponsor we have been able to convey an international brand and set another important milestone for the future of SC Freiburg.”
Backed by $200M in funding, Backlight will invest in Wildmoka aiming to drive innovation and customer success in digital video editing and hyper-distribution
Wildmoka, a leading cloud-based platform for video production and hyper-distribution, today announced it has been acquired by Backlight, a global media technology holding company backed by a leading growth equity firm, PSG. Earlier today, Backlight announced the acquisition of Wildmoka and four other visionary media technology companies, all serving media, entertainment and video-forward customers with cloud-based solutions that help improve every step of the media content lifecycle.
“Digital coverage across OTT and social media has become the strategic battlefield for broadcasters and rights owners as they seek to conquer audience attention. Wildmoka’s Digital Media Factory is helping them navigate this ultra-competitive landscape,” said Cristian Livadiotti, CEO of Wildmoka. “We believe joining Backlight will allow us to accelerate the pace of our innovation, and address even more opportunities to deliver powerful solutions for our customers.”
Co-founded by Mr. Livadiotti and Thomas Menguy, the company’s CTO, Wildmoka is used by top-tier sports and news broadcasters to streamline video editing, multi-versioning and hyper-distribution to all digital destinations. Wildmoka’s Digital Media Factory empowers non-technical-savvy content owners to create an unlimited amount of live streams, highlight reels and near-live clips, at speed and scale. All of this content can be distributed in one-click to multiple digital channels including web, mobile, OTT and social networks.
“Reaching digital excellence is a marathon, not a sprint, and so we expect our technology partners to constantly innovate and invest to help us stay ahead of the game. Wildmoka has been a strong partner over the last three years, helping us to hyper-produce and hyper-distribute digital content, in both on-and-off domains (i.e. on OTT and social media),” said Guillaume Postaire, Media Factory Director at France Télévisions. “We’re now excited to see them securing a strategic growth investment that seeks to further strengthen their ability to contribute to our success.”
“We believe what Cristian, Thomas and the Wilmoka team have accomplished in building incredible products used strategically by some of the top global brands in sports and news is remarkable,” said Ben Kaplan, CEO of Backlight. “Integrating AI, intuitive user experiences, scalable cloud production, and distribution workflows to drive growth for their business and their customers made them a great fit for the Backlight strategy.”
Wildmoka is joined by four other fast growing media tech companies that were also acquired by Backlight and received strategic growth investment from PSG. All five companies are operating as business units as part of Backlight.
ftrack is the creator of ftrack Studio, cineSync, and ftrack Review, the Emmy and Academy Award-winning production tracking, interactive media review, and team collaboration platforms for the creative industries. ftrack’s solutions are designed for producers, supervisors, artists, and pipeline developers to collaborate with anyone, anywhere.
Iconik is a cloud-native, SaaS media management solution that is designed for users to share files from any storage, collaborate on video, and enrich media with AI for high searchability—all with great ease and the ability to scale to serve solo creators or large global teams.
Celtx’s all-in-one solution for writing, planning, and managing media production is used by millions worldwide. Celtx provides pre-production planning software, including scriptwriting, storyboarding, shot-planning and budgeting, to in-house production teams, agencies, film schools and universities, game studios, and media & entertainment companies.
Zype provides infrastructure for digital video with a cloud-based platform to manage and distribute enterprise-grade video across the web, mobile, TV, and social media. Offering both developer-friendly tools such as customizable APIs as well as turnkey solutions for OTT apps and linear/FAST channels, Zype’s SaaS solutions enable video creators or distributors to quickly build, launch and manage superior video products at scale.
McLaren Racing and Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE), a leading global provider of data, technology, and market infrastructure, today announced the launch of a multi-year partnership as ICE becomes an Official Partner of the McLaren MX Extreme E Team. The partnership takes further shape today in front of the New York Stock Exchange, the iconic American institution, and an ICE exchange.
To launch the partnership that links two brands driven by data and technology, the Number 58 McLaren Extreme E race car will appear outside the NYSE on the morning of Tuesday 12 April. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, McLaren MX Extreme E Driver Tanner Foust, and McLaren Racing Senior Principal Race Engineer Leena Gade will also be participating in a news conference and other activities at the Exchange, including the ringing of the iconic NYSE Closing Bell.
The Extreme E car will sit just feet away from the revered Fearless Girl statue, installed in New York City ahead of International Women’s Day in 2017. Representing the role of women in leadership, the statue mirrors the values of the Extreme E race series which mandates male and female driver line-ups, as well as McLaren’s and ICE’s commitment to accelerating diversity, equality, and inclusion.
ICE’s partnership with the McLaren MX Extreme E team is the next chapter in a growing relationship in which Zak Brown is currently appearing in an ICE advertising campaign, “Make the Connection,” focusing on using data as a competitive advantage.
From the 2022 Extreme E season, ICE’s logo will be represented on the chassis side and roof of the McLaren MX Extreme E car, and on the racing overalls and helmets of Tanner and his team-mate Emma Gilmour, starting with the recent race in Saudi Arabia.
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said:
“Partnering with a leading global name in financial markets like ICE is a fantastic moment for McLaren Racing. Like us, ICE targets authentic brand engagement driven by data and technology, and we look forward to joining them at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate this new partnership.
“ICE aligns with our commitment to sustainability, including DE&I. This makes Extreme E a perfect platform to carry our partnership and raise awareness of the impact of climate change, while promoting a more level playing field for gender equality.”
Jeff Sprecher, Founder, Chair and CEO, ICE, said:
“I’ve been a fan of Zak Brown and McLaren Racing for years, and our team could not be more excited about becoming an Official Partner of the McLaren Extreme E Team.
“ICE and McLaren are both driven by the use of data and technology to create competitive advantage. We look forward to collaborating with McLaren Racing, not only to make an impact in the thrilling all-electric Extreme E championship, but also to join the leadership effort in the development of sustainable technology.”
FIFA+ delivers live domestic league games from around the globe, match stats, the greatest archive in international football, premium original content, immersive global storytelling, and much more.
Over 29,000 men’s matches and over 11,000 women’s matches will be streamed on FIFA+ in 2022, totalling over 40,000 matches.
The first slate of FIFA+ Originals will feature Ronaldinho, Dani Alves, Ronaldo Nazário, Romelu Lukaku, Lucy Bronze and Carli Lloyd, among others.
FIFA is excited to announce the launch of FIFA+, a world-class digital platform created to connect football fans across the globe more deeply with the game they love, for free.
Launching today, FIFA+ will provide access to live football matches from every corner of the world, interactive games, news, tournament information, ground-breaking, unrivalled video content delivering truly global storytelling around the men’s and women’s game and much more. FIFA is the first sports federation ever to offer such an extensive streaming and content experience to its fans.
“FIFA+ represents the next step in our vision to make football truly global and inclusive, and it underpins FIFA’s core mission of expanding and developing football globally,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “This project represents a cultural shift in the way different types of football fans want to connect with and explore the global game and has been a fundamental part of my Vision 2020-2023. It will accelerate the democratisation of football and we are delighted to share it with fans.”
Dave Roberts, Director MA OTT & Digital for FIFA+, will be telling us more about the brand new service at our iSportConnect Broadcast & OTT Masterclass in London on the 10th of May. The event will be taking place at Twickenham Stadium and you can sign up for free now at the link below.
By the end of 2022, FIFA+ will be streaming the equivalent of 40,000 live games per year from 100 Member Associations across all six confederations, including 11,000 women’s matches. FIFA+ offers live coverage from Europe’s topflight leagues to previously unserved competitions from around the world in men’s, women’s and youth football. From launch, 1,400 matches will be live streamed monthly on FIFA+, rising rapidly.
FIFA+ Archive:
Ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, FIFA+ will be home to every FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women’s World Cup™ match ever recorded on camera, totalling more than 2,000 hours of archive content. For the first time ever, this entire archive will be available to fans. Fans will have the ability to watch full-match replays, highlights, goals and magical moments all in one place. The FIFA+ Archive will launch with more than 2,500 videos dating back to the 1950s, with many more to come throughout the year.
Match Centre, News and Gaming:
The Match Centre will allow football fans to immerse themselves in rich football data across 400 men’s competitions and 65 women’s competitions. A daily feed of news from around the world of men’s and women’s football will also complement and offer additional updates. Throughout the year, fans will enjoy interactive games including votes, quizzes, fantasy games and predictors.
FIFA+ Originals:
FIFA+ will also provide unrivalled content delivering global storytelling around the men’s and women’s game. It will feature full-length documentaries, docuseries, talk shows and shorts – localised into 11 languages, telling stories from local grassroots to national teams and footballing heroes past and present from more than 40 countries.
The content on the FIFA+ platform will continue to grow and evolve in 2022, providing fresh, globally relevant as well as localised content across the year.
From launch, FIFA+ will bring the game to life through exclusive, world-class titles including:
Ronaldinho: The Happiest Man in the World – An exclusive, feature-length documentary offering extensive access to and never-seen-before archive of one of the most iconic players to have played the game. The 90-minute film directed by Stuart and Andrew Douglas, produced by Bernie Goldmann and by Simon Horsman and Jeffrey Soros of Los Angeles Media Fund, tells the unique story of the player’s life, charting his rise from the streets of Brazil to becoming one of football’s most loved players. Lionel Messi, Frank Rijkaard and Carles Puyol all feature and reveal what this FIFA Legend means to them.
Captains: Season 1 – A ground-breaking 8-part series from Fulwell 73 (Sunderland ‘Til I Die, All or Nothing: Juventus) following six captains as they lead their countries through qualification for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. The series, which will explore each individual’s leadership traits, features Luka Modrić (Croatia), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), Brian Kaltak (Vanuatu), Andre Blake (Jamaica), Hassan Maatouk (Lebanon) and Thiago Silva (Brazil).
Croatia: Defining a Nation – This original feature-length documentary tells the story of how football unites and binds this nation and a group of friends who reached global recognition against the backdrop of the most extreme adversity. They each became legends and painted their country across the world. From acclaimed director Louis Myles (Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football, Liverpool FC: The 30-Year Wait).
HD Cutz – An original 8-part docuseries with barber to the stars Sheldon Edwards talking food, fashion, music and, sometimes, football. Featuring the likes of Paul Pogba and Antonio Rüdiger, produced by MOTIF Pictures and Fever Media.
Dani Crazy Dream –An all-access 6 x 30-minute documentary series featuring Dani Alves, the most decorated player in history as he tries to make it to the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. Produced by Alves’s own production company, Maracanã Media.
Golden Boot –An original 4 x 48-minute docuseries interviewing the greatest FIFA World Cup goalscorers, produced by Goalhanger Films (Wayne Rooney: The Man Behind the Goals). Episode 1 sees Gary Lineker sitting down with Brazilian great Ronaldo Nazário to rewatch the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Icons –A 5 x 26-minute docuseries showcasing five of the biggest game-changers of the women’s game: Wendie Renard, Lucy Bronze, Asisat Oshoala, Carli Lloyd and Sam Kerr telling their stories in their own words. Produced by Noah Media Group (14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, Finding Jack Charlton).
Academies – The inside story of some of the greatest talent production lines in world football from Shoot the Company. Season 1 tells the story of RSC Anderlecht across 3 x 30-minute episodes.
From launch, FIFA+ will be available across all web and mobile devices, and across a range of connected devices soon. It will be available in five language editions (English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish), with an additional six languages to follow in June of 2022.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has confirmed that the 2026 Commonwealth Games will be hosted by the State of Victoria in Australia.
The announcement follows a successful exclusive dialogue period between the CGF, Commonwealth Games Australia (CGAus) and Victoria, where an exciting proposal to stage the major multi-sport competition across the State was agreed.
The proposal capitalises on the 2026/30 Strategic Roadmap, which provides renewed flexibility to be innovative and creative in delivering the Games.
In what will be a first ever predominantly regional Commonwealth Games, Victoria 2026 will be staged in March 2026 across multiple cities and regional hubs including Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland. The Opening Ceremony will take place at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The approach will showcase the best of what the State has to offer and ensure a uniquely Victorian experience for the athletes and spectators.
There will be a phased approach in creating the sports programme for Victoria 2026. An initial 16 sports have been put forward for the Games, with further sports to be added later this year.
The CGF, CGAus and Victoria entered an exclusive dialogue period in February 2022. A CGF and CGAus visit to Victoria took place later that month. This was followed by a Victoria 2026 delegation presenting their 2026 Games Proposal to the CGF Executive Board in Birmingham, England in March 2022. The Proposal has now been approved by the CGF Executive Board, with the Host Contract to be signed in Victoria today.
CGF President Dame Louise Martin said:
“The Commonwealth Games Federation is absolutely delighted to award the 2026 Commonwealth Games to Victoria.
Commonwealth Games Australia and the Victorian Government have set out a bold and innovative vision for hosting our major multi-sport event.
In Victoria, we believe we have found the perfect partner for the next stage of our journey.
This a very special moment for the Commonwealth Sport Family and on behalf of the entire Movement, I would like to congratulate Commonwealth Games Australia and Victoria on their successful Games submission. We now look forward to a bright future as we work together to stage a Commonwealth Games like no other.”
Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews said:
“It’s a great honour to have Victoria chosen as the host venue for the 2026 Commonwealth Games – we can’t wait to welcome the world to all of our state.”
“The Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria is great for jobs, hospitality and our economy.”
Australia has staged the Commonwealth Games on five occasions, with Victoria playing host to the Melbourne 2006 Games; widely considered one of the most successful editions of the event in history. The country has also staged the Games in Sydney in 1938, Perth in 1962, Brisbane in 1982 and most recently Gold Coast in 2018. Victoria has also hosted the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo in 2004.”
Commonwealth Games Australia President Ben Houston said:
“Commonwealth Games Australia is thrilled to welcome the athletes of the Commonwealth back to Australia and we look forward to working with both the CGF and the Victorian Government to bring the Games to life across Victoria in 2026.”
“A home Games will provide immeasurable benefits for our Member sports and will inspire our athletes in what will be a unique and exciting Games”.
The 2026 Games will be the 23rd edition of the major multi-sport competition, which first began in Hamilton, Canada in 1930.
Victoria is a world leading major events and tourism destination. The State has a strong track record for staging high profile sporting competition including The Australian Open tennis grand slam, the Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Melbourne Cup. Victoria also regularly hosts elite cricket, golf and Australian Rules Football competition.
Federación Mexicana de Padel (FEMEPA) and Premier Padel, the official global padel tour – governed by the International Padel Federation (FIP) and backed by the Professional Padel Association (PPA) – are proud to announce that Mexico will host a Premier Padel Major in a multi-year deal beginning this year.
The annual tournament, which will be known as the Mexico Premier Padel Major, is the first major tournament to be announced in North America under the new official Premier Padel tour, and will see Club Sonoma en Monterrey, México host the category one event as Premier Padel continues its rapid expansion.
The tournament will take place from 28th November to 4th December, offering 2000 ranking points to players and record prize money, in keeping with all “Majors” under the new Premier Padel tour.
This announcement is another historic moment for the official circuit that will see padel return ‘home’ to the location it was founded in 1969.
The deal demonstrates the vision FEMEPA has for padel in Mexico – a country that lives and breathes the sport – as well as Premier Padel’s determination to continue taking the sport to the most exciting and historic locations worldwide.
As announced earlier this year, Premier Padel will host at least ten (10) new tournaments in 2022 and 2023 – including four category one “Major” events – the first of which, the Ooredoo Qatar Major 2022 took place in Doha in March, while another of the category one tournaments, the Paris Premier Padel Major at Stade Roland Garros, will take place from 11th July to 17th July. Last week, details of the first category two tournament was also announced; the Argentina Premier Padel P1 will take place from the 8th to 14th August.
Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation, said:
“We are immensely proud to take padel back to its roots in Mexico for our latest Major announcement. A mission of the Federation is to make the sport of padel truly global – and this announcement is testament to that. We can’t wait to be at the Mexico Premier Padel Major in November. I would also like to extend my thanks to Federación Mexicana de Padel for their support. This is another major moment for padel as our calendar for 2022 continues to take shape.”
Jorge Mañe Rendon, President of Federación Mexicana de Padel, said:
“It´s a privileged for México to be part of padel history and it’s a real honour to host of one of the “Major” Premier Padel tournaments. We want to thank the International Padel Federation and Premier Padel for the trust they have placed in us, we are sure that Mexico will provide an unforgettable padel experience at the Mexico Premier Padel Major for this year and the many more to follow in the future.”
The ‘Mexico Premier Padel Major’ will be broadcast around the world on the likes of ESPN (South America, Central America, Mexico and Caribbean), Sky Sports (Italy, UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland), beIN SPORTS (MENA, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, France, Turkey), Viaplay (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Netherlands), Charlton TV (Israel) and many more.
Esports tournament organiser BLAST Premier has announced a season-long partnership with leading global logistics company A.P. Moller – Maersk.
BLAST Premier and A.P. Moller – Maersk will look to use the partnership to bring fans closer to esports through integrated digital campaigns and an MVP activation and broadcast segment.
The deal will see Maersk’s branding feature across BLAST Premier digital and physical assets, including the remaining six events of the year: Spring Showdown (27 April – 5 May) and Final (15-19 June), Fall Groups (19-28 August), Showdown (19-23 October) and Final (23-27 November) and World Final (14-18 December).
The collaboration will be A.P. Moller – Maersk’s first long-term partnership in esports and Counter-Strike following last year’s first involvement in the space when Maersk sponsored November’s Fall Final, which saw the long-awaited return of fans to arenas as 25,000 spectators attended Copenhagen’s iconic Royal Arena across three days of CS:GO action.
The partnership will feature an MVP activation, which will look to reward the best player from each event with a special Maersk MVP trophy. At the end of each tournament, a shortlist of players will be selected with the winner chosen by public vote.
A.P. Moller – Maersk is an integrated container logistics company working to connect and simplify its customers’ supply chains. As the global leader in shipping services, the company operates in 130 countries and employs roughly 93,000 people.
Oliver Clarke, Commercial Director at BLAST, said: “We are delighted to welcome back a highly respected and global brand such as Maersk. With a focus on fan-led in-person and digital experiences to engage the Counter-Strike community, we hope to build on the popular MVP segment from last year’s Fall Final Copenhagen. Bringing on board a non-endemic brand such as Maersk is testament to the value partners outside of the gaming and esports space equate to teaming up with BLAST Premier.”
Samuel Poulter, Head of Corporate Branding at A.P. Moller-Maersk, said: “We are proud to be a sponsor of BLAST for the second year in a row. We chose to sponsor the MVP to recognize the enormous skill and tactical intelligence needed in this sport and to engage and interact with the fans who are truly passionate about their teams and players.”
BLAST Premier is a global Counter-Strike tournament series, hosting the best players and teams, offering opportunities to regions across the globe and crowning the world champions of CS:GO. Up to 32 of the world’s 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.
FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, has appointedIMG, a global leader in sports, events, media and fashion, as global master licensee of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, taking place 25 August – 10 September 2023 in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. This is the first time in the history of the competition that multiple countries will host the global tournament, which will feature 32 national teams.
The quadrennial tournament, which is the International Basketball Federation’s flagship men’s event, has grown exponentially since the first event in 1950, with a record 32 national teams (increased from 24) competing in 2019 in host country China, across eight cities, where Spain were crowned champions for the second time.
The multi-year deal will see IMG work with FIBA to develop an extensive range of merchandising products celebrating the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. A broad line of products featuring the event logo, its brand identity and marks, the Naismith Trophy, the mascot and the host countries collection will be available for fans in a variety of items, sizes and colours. The program will include products in key licensing categories such as apparel, toys and games, souvenirs, accessories, stationery, homeware, bags and luggage, and much more.
These items will be available on-site at official promotional events in the lead-up to the World Cup and at all five venues hosting the 2023 competition, as well through other promotional and FIBA partner activities during the event. They will also be available at official fan shops and retailers in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia and via the official online store.
David Crocker, FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Executive Director said: “The Global Master Licensee is an important component in the build up to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 and the road to the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. Basketball fans are very passionate, and we want their World Cup experience to be engaging, memorable and exciting, and one they will never forget.”
Bruno Maglione, President of Licensing at IMG, added: “The FIBA Basketball World Cup is the pinnacle global event of one of the world’s most popular sports. Basketball at the national team level has grown increasingly competitive with an ever-widening number of countries having a realistic chance to win the top prize – generating more passion, excitement and fan engagement. We will capitalise on that, working with FIBA to create an all-encompassing merchandise and retail programme for fans in all three host countries, as well as those tuning in from around the world.”
DAZN Group, the global sports entertainment company, today announces that Sandeep Tiku will be joining the company as Chief Technology Officer.
Sandeep will lead DAZN’s global technology and product teams to drive the next phase of development for its core sports streaming media platform as it integrates new experiences to become an interactive sports entertainment ecosystem and expands into new markets.
Having spent over 20 years designing and developing transformational technology and complex platforms for B2C digital products, Sandeep is recognised as a global technology leader and respected innovator.
Sandeep’s impeccable track record in building complex technology, coupled with his entrepreneurial spirit and customer-centric approach, will be invaluable to DAZN.
His appointment follows the launch of DAZN X, the company’s innovation lab, and underscores DAZN’s ongoing investment in world-class technology and commitment to an exceptional fan experience as it integrates richer and more interactive content for fans to enjoy alongside live sports.
Sandeep joins from Entain, a FTSE 100 global gaming and entertainment company, where he was most recently Chief Operating Officer, and oversaw the technology and operations that supports a portfolio of brands in over 30 markets. During his eight years at Entain, Sandeep was instrumental in developing their industry-leading global platform to be robust and scalable.
CEO of DAZN Group Shay Segev said, “Having worked alongside Sandeep for many years at Entain, I know that he is an exceptional and visionary technologist and the right person to lead DAZN’s technology teams. He will be invaluable as we expand our offering with even more ways to entertain and engage sports fans and forge ahead with transforming the global sports market.”
Sandeep Tiku said, “To join a company like DAZN that has boundless ambitions and puts the customer at the heart of everything it does, is fantastic. With their vision and my tech experience, the potential is phenomenal. I look forward to working with Shay and the global technology teams to grow DAZN’s platform as a true destination for sports fans across the world.”
The Toronto Blue Jays and theScore Bet today announce a 10-year exclusive partnership making theScore Bet the Official Gaming Partner of the Toronto Blue Jays. This landmark deal – the first of its kind in the country – brings together two best-in-class Canadian organizations to offer fans innovative and exciting ways to experience the game, both at the ballpark and online.
The historic partnership represents the Blue Jays’ first gaming partner and theScore Bet’s first professional team sponsorship. Teaming up is a natural collaboration for the two Toronto-based organizations with Ontario recently opening its market for sports betting and iGaming to regulated private operators on April 4, 2022.
The deal grants theScore Bet, a subsidiary of Penn National Gaming (Nasdaq: PENN), exclusive national marketing rights that extend across all gaming categories including sports betting, casino, online casino, and fantasy sports. The Blue Jays and theScore Bet also plan to create a branded, premium, 365-days-a-year, flagship sports bar and restaurant at Rogers Centre that will serve as an entertainment hub and destination for fans.
The partnership also delivers new and exclusive in-stadium and digital offerings to Blue Jays fans and theScore Bet users through various sponsorship elements, including two immersive premium seating sections on the baselines, extensive in-stadium branding, in-game features, a host of team-related experiences, and designates theScore Bet as the presenting partner of the Jays Care 50/50 program.
“The fan experience is evolving and this monumental partnership with theScore Bet offers compelling new ways for sports enthusiasts to be a part of the game,” said Mark Shapiro, President & CEO, Toronto Blue Jays. “We are excited to be partnering with a Canadian company that operates at the highest level of the industry and understands our role in Toronto and Canada, to bring baseball to more fans nationwide.”
“theScore Bet is proudly Canadian and we are thrilled to make Canada’s baseball team our long-term partner,” said John Levy, CEO, theScore Bet. “This is a foundational partnership with a team and organization that is deeply embedded in our country’s sports culture. Teaming with the Blue Jays opens up exciting new exclusive marketing opportunities and brings theScore Bet even closer to a huge audience of passionate and engaged fans, both on-site at Rogers Centre and online across our platforms. With our combined loyal audiences and brand affinity in Ontario, we believe this deal will establish a new standard for team and gaming operator relationships as we pioneer innovative ways to experience and interact with the game.”
Levy continued, “We look forward to working with Mark, the partnerships team, and the entire Blue Jays organization on what we know will be a mutually rewarding and successful partnership for many years to come.”
The Toronto Blue Jays and theScore Bet look forward to bringing these partnership touchpoints to life and creating innovative experiences for fans and customers throughout this historic partnership.
